Once and Again

Chapter Seven

"Can you please calm down, Kuya? Everything's prepared na. Last touches nalang yung ginagawa naming ni Ate April." Riza told Rj over the phone.

"Okay, basta lahat ng sinabi ko ha? Tsaka wag niyo na galawin yung mga lights na kinabit ko!" Rj begged. "Yung food? Yung paella na luto ko? Keep it warm ha?"

"Kuya! Stop being annoying or kami mismo magsasabi kay Maine wag ka na sagutin kasi nakakairita ka."

Rj then heard April's voice. "Hayaan mo na. Alam mo naman ngayon lang nagkaron ng date yang Kuya mo."

He checked his phone as soon as he arrived at Maine's building.

Messages from:

Sam – "Good luck, Paps! Tagal mong hinintay 'to! Where are you taking her? Punta din kami ni Patring in case kelangan mo ng back-up."

Patty – "Alden!!! Be good to her ha? Break her heart, I'll break your face. Feeling best friend ni Maine, Patty."

Tita Mary Ann – "Okay sa amin ng Tito mo yung plan mo basta magrereport ka sa amin pag nakauwi na si Menggay after."

Maine – "Tagal mo, gutom na ako."

He rushed to her unit. "Hi! Sorry! Late na ba ako?"

"Nope! Pero gutom na talaga ako. Okay na ba 'tong casual lang suot ko? San ba kasi tayo pupunta?"

"Yes, super okay. You look really good. Tara?"

Miraculously, traffic was light and they made it to Laguna in record time. "House?" Maine asked, looking at the house he parked in front of.

"Yup, house namin." Rj said. "I really wanted to take you here before pa, but years ago nahihiya naman ako pag-commute-in ka going here with me. It's small lang but we have a nice garden and I thought we could have dinner there."

He escorted her from the car, but just before they entered, he warned, "My family's here so babati muna tayo sa kanila before we can get to the garden. But, I told them naman na hindi mo pa ako sinasagot and made them promise wag kang kukulitin about it."

"Hello! Dad, Lola, Lolo, kasama ko po si Maine," Rj introduced as soon as they got in.

Maine was greeting his elderly relatives when Riza and April barged in. "Hi, Maine!!!" They said, enthusiastically and Rj made the introductions.

"Sana magustuhan mo yung niluto ng apo ko," Lola Linda said to Maine. "Kanina pa din nagkakabit ng mga Christmas lights yan sa garden."

"You cooked?" Maine whispered to Rj.

"Yes. Ummm sana okay lang with you?"

"Oo naman."

"O, dalhin mo na dun!" Rj's dad motioned to the backyard.

The weather was nice that night, chilly but not raining, and the sky was full of stars with the moon full and shining bright. The trees around the small garden were decorated with those small Christmas light, as Lola Linda said, mimicking the stars. There were also numerous garden lights to illuminate the place.

In the middle of the garden was a small table with place settings for the two of them. To the left side, was the buffet table that hosted a simple spread – the paella Rj cooked, steamed shrimps and crabs, cupcakes for dessert and a pitcher of juice... But what caught Maine's eye were the printed photos hanging from a clothesline.

"You did all of these?"

"Yes, except yung ulam and dessert." He replied shyly.

"Pati juice ikaw nagtimpla?"

He chuckled. "Kelangan talaga sirain mo yung moment. Yes, ako! Mahirap maglagay ng asukal diyan ha?"

Maine turned again to the photos.

It was their photos from the past few months that they've been seeing each other again. But as she went further down the line, the pictures got more faded, some with frayed edges... Photos of them when they were younger – with post its where Rj wrote what event or date the photo was taken.

Captions like My first birthday with her.

Our first christmas together.

The day she said yes.

"You kept all of them."

Rj blushed, then nodded.

"All this time that I was moving on, you kept hurting."

"Hindi naman sa ganun. I was happy naman because I could provide na for the family. Hindi ko lang talaga kaya to forget you... And seeing that you were happy, made me happy na din."

She hugged him, but didn't say anything. But Rj knew that this was something because his Maine was not the touchy type. So, he hugged her back and his heart hoped.

"Rj?"

"Yes, Maine?"

"Pwede bang... later na yung drama kasi gutom na talaga ako?"

" Grabe talaga hindi ko alam yun! 5 years! 5 years and he kept all our photos! Yung iba kupas na nga eh tapos ang cute nung iba, pina-laminate niya para hindi tuluyan mag-fade," Maine gushed that night to her sister, Coleen. "Yung puso ko, girl!"

"So, sinagot mo na?"

"Hindi pa."

"EH BAKIT HINDI PA? Nakakabwiset ka minsan."

Maine retorted. "May trust issues pa din kasi ako. Kailangan ko lang maintindihan pa yung world niya kasi iba yung showbiz eh. Ayokong maging kami ulit tapos punong-puno ako ng insecurity mula ulo hanggang paa. Ako mismo yung nag-ask sa kanya to give me more time. Last Thursday lang yun. Ano yun? After two days, na-resolve ko na issues ko? Wow."

Coleen sighed at the other end of the line. "Well, I pray Rj has a lot of patience. Kasi kung ako yan, hindi na kita liligawan ulit. Ang dami mong arte, hindi ka naman masyadong maganda."

They ended the call and Maine opened her Twitter app. 

There was one song playing in her head at that moment and she tweeted:

"What do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge..."   

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Note: Song is Celine Dion's Taking Chances