valdez/lazaro

1. laban

@depinisyon: LABAN. Isang bagay na kadalasang mandirigma at bayani ang gumagawa. Hindi ka lumaban at mas lalong hindi ka mandirigma at bayani.

"My parents want to meet you na." Dennise says as she rocks her heels back and forth and avoids eye contact. Alyssa frowns, she knew that den only acted this way if she was extremely nervous. Of course she would be, den never told her parents who she was dating, only that taken na siya. Her parents understood of course, Den was in college so it was about time she found someone, but they had been waiting to for too long and now they wanted to find out who the lucky guy, or in this case girl, was.

"and are you okay with that?" Ly asks, she knew that Den's family were conservatives. Yung tipong traditional filipino way yung sinusunod, so this kind of relationship was alien to them.

Den bites her lower lip and looks down. Alyssa looks away. In Den's silence she found her answer.

"Wag pilitin ang ayaw diba?" Alyssa says in irritation as she prepares to stand up and leave. She was prepared to fight for Den, pero the question was if Den was willing to do the same.

Den grabs onto her arm to prevent her from leaving. "Ly please wag dito."

Alyssa breathes deeply before sitting back down.

"You know I want to tell too Ly, but I'm scared. Alam mo yun diba?" Den holds Alyssa's hands from the across the table.

"Alam ko." Matipid na sagot niya as she looks down on their entwined hands.

"Dad has always been strict when it comes to me dating boys, ano pa kaya if... you know." Alyssa nods, knowing that she was talking about.

"I'll be there with you every step of the way. Hindi lang ikaw ang lalaban Den, I'll always be here with you." Alyssa raises Den's hand and places it on her lips, kissing it lightly. Den smiles and closes her eyes in thought.

"You're right. Meet us in cafe Tavera mamayang gabi. 7 o'clock sharp.

*****

"We're really excited to meet your new suitor Dennise. I'm sure kung sino man yang lalake na yan he must really be something, after all sinagot mo, and I know how particular you can be when it comes to men."

Dennise gulps. She's at home preparing for the dinner in an hour and her mom has been pestering her with questions left and right ever since she returned.

"well..."

"hmm?"

"nothing ma, where's dad?" Den says, adjusting the strap of her white dress to keep her mind distracted.

"He's downstairs I think, would you mind checking up on him for me?"

Den nods before proceeding downstairs, she was starting to get dangerously nervous and the dinner hasn't even started yet. Dennise has always been a little scared of her father. He was always very controlling, very prim and proper. Inuuna niya ang reputasyon ng mga Lazaro before anything else, and that made her relationship with Ly very difficult.

She finds her father in the garden, staring at a bush of roses her mom and her had planted when she was a kid. Den stands next to her father, looking at the bush as well.