November 18, 2017
Will tonight be the night?
Rj pulled up in front of the Mendoza residence in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. His hands suddenly turned clammy as he prepared himself to face Maine's parents.
R: *huffs* Rj, kaya mo ito! Alam na naman nila na nanliligaw ka kay Maine, kailangan mo lang sabihin na you would be asking her formally tonight! Ano ka ba! Tibay ng loob!
*knock, knock, knock*
Yaya Pearl was knocking on Rj's window. He rolled down the window immediately
R: Yaya Pepe! Good evening po!
YP: Kanina ko pa kasi nakita na nag-park ka. Itatanong ko lang kung hinihintay mo bang lumabas si Menggay o tutuloy ka muna sa loob?
R: *blushes* Ah, maghe-hello po muna ako kay Tito at Tita. Inasikaso ko lang po muna yung dala ko kaya medyo nagtagal.
YP: Sige, tulungan na kita sa dala mo. May pabulaklak ka na naman ano?
Rj turned even more red at the subtle teasing of Maine's yaya.
R: Eh, naipadala ko na po sa kanya kanina. (scratches his head) May dala po akong kesong puti at espasol. Si Dad naman nagpadala ng Buko Pie.
YP: O sige, akin na yung iba at tumuloy na tayo sa loob. Malapit na rin siguro matapos si Meng.
Rj got off the car, opened the passenger seat and gave some of his pasalubong for Yaya Pearl to bring inside. Before stepping inside the house, he took a deep breath and wiped his clammy hands on his pants.
Maine's mom was there to greet him as soon as he entered the house.
ND: O hijo, posturang-postura tayo ah. At nag-abala ka pa para sa amin, okay na yung pabulaklak mo kanina kay Menggay!
Rj turned beet red once more and touched his ear in embarrassment
R: Ah, eh, para sa inyo po itong dala ko. Nagpadala din po si Dad ng buko pie para daw kay Tito.
They reached the living room at this point
ND: Upo ka muna, Rj. (shakes her head) Yung dalawang iyon, araw-araw kung mag-usap. Akala mo magkapatid. *smiles*
R: Um, speaking of Tito po, pwede ko po ba kayong makausap muna bago kami umalis ni Maine?
Nanay looks at Rj with a twinkle in her eyes. She looks like she knows something already.
ND: Dun na lang tayo sa office ni Tatay. Busy rin kasi yun sa mga plano saka para mas may privacy.
R: *gulps* Ah, okay po.
Rj stood up once more and followed her to Tito Teddy's office. At the door, she knocked then said
ND: Tay, nandito na si Rj. Gusto daw tayo makausap.
R: Good afternoon po, Tito.
TD: (stands up) Sige, pasok. Pakisara na rin yung pinto para hindi tayo maistorbo.
Rj approached Maine's father and shook his hand before sitting down. He waited for Tita Mary Ann to be seated before speaking once more
R: Tito, Tita, ah, bale 4 months na po kaming magkakilala ni Maine and lumalabas po paminsan-minsan. Gusto ko lang po sanang sabihin na *deep breath* pormal ko na po syang tatanungin if pwede ko po syang maging girlfriend.
To Rj's confusion, Tatay Dub laughed out loud
TD: Tagal na naming naghihintay ni pare, sa wakas!
R: Si Daddy po?
TD: Oo, madalas namin kayong napag-uusapan. Naiinip na nga ang Daddy mo, kung pwede nga daw, sya na lang ang liligaw kay Meng para sa iyo.
While Rj was happy that Tito Teddy is pleased with his news, he wished that a hole would open up and swallow him in embarrassment.
R: (in his thoughts) Dad! Ikaw talaga!
In a loud voice he then said
R: Thank you po, Tito. Ayaw ko rin po kasing madaliin si Maine. Pero pakiramdam ko po na ngayon po yung tamang panahon para sa aming dalawa.
ND: Naku, Rj, walang problema sa amin! Ang dapat mong kumbinsihin, si Menggay. *winks*
R: Opo, thank you po!
With the "talk" done, Rj went out of Tito Teddy's office and back into the living room just as Maine was going down the stairs.
Rj was mesmerized. She was a vision in a yellow shirt dress with a black belt which highlighted her tiny waist. She paired it with black pumps with kitten heels (she didn't like how high heels squished her feet). Her hair was swept into a clip at one side while the other side was left loose.
ND: (teasing tone) Rj, baka may makapasok na insekto sa bibig mo.
R: (closes his mouth) Salamat po. Ang ganda po kasi nya talaga.
ND: Syempre naman, anak ko yan.
M: Rj! *smiles* Nandito ka na pala! Kanina ka pa ba naghihintay?
R: *squeaks* Hindi- (clears throat) Hindi naman. Nag-hello muna ako kay Tito Teddy kaya kababalik din lang namin sa salas.
M: Ah, okay. I'm ready to go if you are.
ND: Sige, lumakad na kayo. Mag-ingat sa daan, ha.
R: Sige po, tuloy na po kami.
M: Bye, Nay! Pakisabi na lang po kay Tatay na aalis na kami.
Rj put his hand to the small of her back and helped her into the car. He did a quick jog then got into the driver's seat. He turned to Maine while he was starting the car
R: We'll be having dinner at my condo. Si Ate April ang magluluto for us.
M: Wow! I love her dishes! (teasing tone) Special night ba? May personal chef pa talaga tayo.
Rj just smiled at Maine in response. As they drove to his condo, they caught up with how each was doing mixed up with discussion of any topic that caught their fancy.
As they were walking towards the elevator from the parking area, Rj slowly linked their hands together. Maine blushed and looked at Rj but didn't remove her hand.
No words were spoken but as they smiled at each other, anyone can see the happiness emanating from the two of them.
As soon as they arrived at the condo unit, April greeted them with a hug.
A: Wow, Maine, you look stunning! Baka nabulol na naman ang pinsan ko dahil sayo.
R: Ehem, excuse me, nandito po ako.
A: Alam ko! Totoo naman kasing bulol ka! Mas lalo na at ang ganda-ganda ni Maine ngayon.
Rj stared at Maine and stated
R: She's always beautiful, Ate. But tonight, she's even more exquisite.
Maine blushed and slapped Rj's arms in retaliation
M: Bolero! Halika na nga at gutom lang siguro yang nararamdaman mo.
The 3-course dinner was perfect! They started with an antipasti platter which included a selection of cured meats, grilled vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, followed by a pepper and rosemary crusted rump of lamb with a red wine reduction together with crisp potatoes, and to finish, a lemon gelee on top of a chocolate-coconut milk soup.
Soon after the dessert was served, April left the couple, promising to come back after an hour to clean up since "two's company, three's a crowd."
--- to be continued in the next part
BINABASA MO ANG
Airplanes and Shooting Stars
RomanceWhat if Rj and Maine did not meet in Eat Bulaga? What if Maine did not pass her audition? How could destiny manage to make them meet up again? This story will try to explore "what could have been". It is set a couple of years from that fateful day...
