The (not so) Sweet Serendipity

4

One family dinner and we were having it in our place. 

It has been a week since me and Richard has been official. The next family dinner was scheduled to be in our house so Richard decided that that would be the perfect time to tell the parents. He also wanted to ask my parents properly, he felt pretty bad he wasn't able to do so. 

"Don't worry about it. My parents know you since you were a baby, I'm sure they won't make a big deal out of it." I would always tell him every time he gets worried about this issue. 

"I know. But it would have been respectful if I asked them first." 

"Chard, believe me, nothing you do can ever make them hate you. Ikaw pa, lakas mo kaya sa magulang ko and I swear when we tell them the news they'll be over the moon, no exaggeration" In all honesty, I like it every time I get to cheer him up. I feel like he's always the one making me feel better.

"Buti hindi ka nahihiya ipaalam sa parents mo?"

"Eh ganun rin eh, as if naman di nila malalaman eventually. Mas okay na ako magsabi, na satin manggaling yung news.. " I looked at him and stopped talking because I didn't expect him to look like that. His face dropped, brows furrowed and aba nakapout pa tong boyfriend ko, nakakadistract ha. I must have said something wrong. "O, why? What's wrong?"

"So if hindi naman pala nila malalaman, wala kang balak sabihin? Tatago natin to sakanila? Kinakahiya mo ba ako? Nahihiya ka ba na--" Now it's my turn to stop him. Lalambingin ko na nga. Di naman kasi ako ganun ka showy. So I cling to his right arm, hugging it tightly and talk in my most lambing voice.

"Chard, you know that's not what I meant. You know how my, our parents would react, ayoko lang yung attention. Pero syempre hindi ko itatago. Sobrang happy ko kaya boyfriend ko ikaw, hindi matago. I'm the luckiest girl in the whole wide world kasi may Richard ako." And I close my eyes and hug his arm tighter. I can feel him smiling now.

"Alam mo, konte na lang pag seselosan ko na yang braso ko eh. Halika nga." He freed his arm and instead wrapped both his arms around me. "O, bakit hindi tight hug? Hug mo ko tight." I tried to hug him as tight as I could. 

"Tighter." He would add and I would try again. 

"Tighter please." 

"Chard naman eh, yan na yung pinaka." My voice a bit muffed because I'm hugging him as tight as I could. 

He laughs and kisses me on the forehead. Hand in hand, we enter my house and it was eerily quiet. I looked at Richard confused and he looked confused also. 

"Meng, tonight yung dinner right?" 

Before I could answer him. Tangina.

Lumabas pamilya namin with cake and balloons. Wala namang may birthday ah? 

"CONGRATULATIONS! FINALLY!" They all shouted.  

Ah alam ko na kung bakit. Hay nako.