Ang Kasarian ng Pag-ibig

18 - Choco Butternut Donuts at Pan de Coco

Tinaon kong dumating sa Green Meadows nung nagsisimula nang mag-dinner ang mga bisita. Mabilisang beso-beso sa mga tita, mano sa mga tito, high five sa mga pinsan at pamangkin, at diretso sa buffet table sa sala para kumuha ng pagkain. All the while ay parang may knowing looks na binibigay sila sa akin, maliban na lang kay Pa na nanonood pa rin ng TV kasama ang ilan sa mga tito ko. Parang di yata nagbago ang eksenang ito from last year's party. Nagmano lang ako sa kanya, at nginitian naman niya ako at inutusang kunan siya ng isa pang serving ng beef stroganoff at refill ng Coke Zero. At nagpahabol pa ng crème brulee at fruit salad. Balak ko sanang kausapin siya habang nagpapaputok mamayang hatinggabi, pero naisip ko, may pag-uusapan pa ba kami? Hinanap ko si Ate Jen, pero parang missing in action siya.

Pagkatapos kong maghatid ng pagkain kay Pa ay nagtungo na ako sa main dining area para samahan si Ma. And as usual, hindi siya mapakali sa pag-ikot sa mahabang mesa habang tinitiyak na ang bawat bisita ay may higit na sapat na laman ang plato. Hindi na sana siya titigil sa pag-fuss sa amin kung hindi lang siya pinaupo ni Tita Doris para kumain.

Parang hindi rin nagbago ang theme ng conversations sa dining table. Business, stock market, talk of children getting married or having their own children or their children going to school. And all that time, ramdam kong iniiwasan nila ang elephant in the room, pero binibigyan naman nila ako ng sidelong glances.

"Sino nga ba uli yung girlfriend mo, Josh?" tanong ni Tito Alfonso. "The one in Med School?" I guess they couldn't ignore the elephant for long.

"Hindi na sila, Kuya Alfonso," sagot ni Ma. "Matagal na. Di ba I told you?" Itong relatives ko talaga, parang Krebs Cycle ang peg, paikut-ikot lang.

"Ayaw mong balikan?" usisa ni Tita Nora. "Kaguwapo mong tao, di ka matitiis nun."

"Erm, I think she's seeing someone else," tugon ko. Tuldukan na natin ito, please.

"Magde-defend na yan ng Master's niya next year!" pahayag ni Ma. Always to the rescue si Ma.

"You finally found the cure for cancer?" Si Tita Cynthia naman.

"You'll find out if you attend my defense!" biro ko. Pero please, huwag sana.

"I hope when you get your Master's, you also get serious with finding yourself a girlfriend and finally getting married someday," payo naman ni Tita Nora. Everyone else nodded in agreement, except for Ma who was decidedly looking at her beef stroganoff and salad.

"Naku, wala pa po ang marriage sa horizon ko. I'll be glad na matapos ko muna ang Master's, then pursue a PhD."

Biglang napa-ahem si Tita Doris. "Speaking of marriage, there's a bill at the Senate on Anti-Discrimination, which includes equality in sexual orientation and gender identity expression. I believe it's being pushed for same-sex marriage." Trust Tita Doris to steer the conversation to where she wants it.

Napailing si Tito Alfonso. "Hmp! Ano bang kabobohan yan? A marriage is between a man and a woman. Nasa Bible yan. It will not pass. It's immoral!"

"Sometimes I wonder what kind of people we put in the Senate," dagdag pa ni Tita Cynthia. Which is ironic, kasi ang pagkakaalam ko, hindi naman siya bumoto nung last elections. "They're pushing people to commit sin. It will destroy families!" I honestly don't see how some people getting married could destroy another marriage.

"So what does our government employee think?" tanong ni Tita Doris habang lahat ay napatingin sa akin. It's a trap!

But I took the bait. Buti na lang I read up on the Senate bill nung binanggit ito sa akin ni Dudoy. "Actually, I'm a contractual government employee. Anyway, the proposed bill does not mention anything about same-sex marriage. It's all about criminalizing discrimination. Because, you know, it's wrong." I saw Ma smiled.