Behind Curtains (ONGOING)

Kabanata 22

Kabanata 22

Call

Having created a pleasant nuclear family and a somewhat stable life for himself, my Dad had unintentionally projected that he had it all, without necessarily showing off. And because we've always kept other people at bay, we hear only of their flatteries.

Dad being a charismatic leader, a doting father and a good husband were only some of the many, many praises. Outsiders thought that. In my mother's perspective, though, her husband wasn't exactly what she would call dreamy.

Sure, Dad was sweet. He never shied away from hugging us. Or telling us he loved and missed us whenever he was feeling clingy.

But he was also too much of a cheapsake to spend excessively for the sake of thoughtfulness. And as a traditional manly man, he just lacked the creative bone for it, too. So, him planning for and/or pulling off grand romantic gestures such as this one?

My mother could only dream of it.

And I know that, since I had spent years listening to her rant about how, even after being married for years, she never once experienced being given handpicked bouquets or received specialty chocolates on Valentine's Day. Aniya'y Dad wouldn't even ask her out on dinner dates for two, unless they were being sponsored by his office connections.

But here I was... being serenaded while eating candlelit dinner in a 5-star resort, on an ordinary night. I can only imagine my mother's reaction.

Being the most emotional person I know, she would most definitely cry at this scene. 

Fom kilig? Siguro. Mostly, though... she'd be worried by how this much affection could influence my future decisions.

"Don't you have any friends?" I asked, out of the blue, hinihilig na ang katawan sa braso ni Sir Killian.

Hindi agad siya sumagot. I felt him rustling beside me para iayos 'yong pagkakahimlay ko. Raising an arm, he gently pulled me in, so I could lean on his chest. Which I did.

We were cuddled up on a round canopy daybed, at the pool-side patio, isang oras matapos maghapunan sa gazebo. And with me having almost no memory of tonight's dinner, pakiramdam ko ay napaka-walang-kwenta kong kausap kanina.

Hindi pa nakatulong na champagne 'yong inorder na inumin ni Sir Killian at walang kahirap-hirap na dinagdagan noon ang kalanguan ko. Sa katunayan nga, hindi pa ako gaanong nahihimasmasan ngayon. Hopefully, the sea breeze would be a remedy.

"Sorry pala kanina..." I said in a small voice, twisting my body so I faced his side. "Ang sabaw kong kausap..."

"Not a problem," mahina niyang utas. "I'm sorry, too, if I made you feel... awkward today..."

The silence stretched again. Napabuntong-hininga ulit ako.

Usually, when I was placed in the company of somebody quieter than I am, it pushes me to become chattier and feel... friendlier. Kaya't nabibilisan 'yong pag-gaan ng loob ng iba sa akin. Which was the agenda before, when I got high on magnetting people into liking me. Ngayon ay hindi ko na alam.

I know everything starts with asking the right questions, but that part of the conversation also comes tricky. The make-or-break bracket of interpersonal interactions.

It wasn't just one time wherein I asked somebody something too personal and accidentally put them in a sour mood on a good day. Dahilan kung bakit, sa tuwina, kung anu-ano na tuloy ang ginagawa ko, so they'd bounceback within the crucial minutes, and start laughing at my antics again.