Love At First Sit
Page 4
“Don’t be sorry,” he smiled half-heartedly.
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Wish.”
“Foxy, I was a man who was expecting to become a father and to marry the woman having our child,” Wish blurted.
“You were?” Her head jerked up to look at him.
He nodded. “I was led to believe that. I’ve never felt so betrayed in my life. One day I’m lying in her lap talking to our child and laughing with her, and next thing I knew, she had an abortion.”
“What?” Why would anyone in her right mind want to abort her child?
“I get the whole ‘it’s my body’ argument, but not ‘because it’s not a good time to have a child’. She was still studying during that time, and I’d just graduated from college.”
“Fuck,” Roxanne muttered. “Sorry, I just don’t get it.”
“It’s okay.” Wish looked sad. “Once she aborted our child without even speaking to me about it first, all respect for her went out the window.”
“How could she ever have thought of abortion at all?” Roxanne voiced out her thoughts.
“I don’t know.” Wish shrugged. “I’ve been in relationships where I had the best women in my life and I took them for granted. I played with their hearts. Maybe that was my karma, but having that abortion was on her.” Roxanne read the melancholy in his voice. “That’s why I admire women who keep their children, no matter what,” Wish added.
Roxanne blushed and looked away quickly.
“I’m not here to play, Foxy. I’m too old for that. And you don’t have to worry about me falling in love with you. I know what I’m doing...you’re not in charge of me, okay? I can handle myself.”
“Right,” she nodded. “Okay.”
She broke their gazes, looking down at her food.
“So what are you doing after this?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
“Taking you home.” Wish’s perky voice came back. He was once again smiling as he poured her water.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said, I’m gonna take you to your home after this.”
“I see,” she nodded. “‘Cause I remember you said we should delay the inevitable.” Roxanne raised a questioning eyebrow.
Wish let slip a mischievous grin. “My feeble attempt to know you better.”
Their eyes locked for a minute before she looked down again.
The new friends ate and talked for a while, having bottomless cups of coffee.
There was no denying what flowed between them.
Chapter Six
The One That Got Away...Returns
“This is your car?” Roxanne stared, wide-eyed, at the old rusty Mitsubishi Lancer.
“You act surprised,” Wish smirked, unlocking the car.
“You know what? This is a major turn-off. Your good looks can do nothing to help you now,” Roxanne teased him.
“That’s not funny,” Wish scoffed.
“I know. Sorry.” Roxanne bit her bottom lip, suppressing her laughter.
“It’s a good thing I don’t rely on my car to impress anyone. Just get in the car, Foxy,” he said, leaving the door open for her.
“It’s Roxy, not Foxy,” she iterated.
“Whatever. Now get in. I won’t ask again.”
“I barely know you. Promise you won’t murder me.”
Wish burst out laughing. “The car is still working, okay? I guarantee, you won’t get tetanus.”
An inexplicable tightness filled her chest at the sound of his laughter. The blush on her face betrayed her. Roxanne got into the car and Wish joined her on the driver’s side.
“In all fairness, it smells good inside,” she complimented as she rested her head on the back of her seat.
Wish snorted as they breezed through Gil Puyat Avenue.
They conversed for the whole drive, and she was damn near bubbly when the pealing sound of her phone alerted her of a text message from the nanny. She pulled out her phone and read the message:
Ate, someone came here. He left a lot of toys, clothes, and books for the twins.
Roxanne went rigid.
Wish threw her a worried glance. “You okay?”
Roxanne hesitated before responding. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just tired,” she lied.
“We’re almost to your home.”
They zoomed through Avenida until they reached Roxanne’s house in Tondo and pulled in front of their gate.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to let herself out of the car.
“This is a rough neighborhood,” said Wish. “Don’t you have any relatives, preferably male, that can stay with you and your kids?”
“Nah, they are all in the province. I don’t want to bother them with my crap. It sucks being an only child, I know.”
“I’m an only child myself, but Mom remarried and now I have three half-siblings. And guess what? It’s completely awesome. And I get it, comprehension for anyone outside of our immediate family unit is futile.”
“That’s nice to know that you get along with them.”
“The question ‘who’s your daddy’ has never been so complicated. Especially when I look like a foreigner whenever we’re together.”
Roxanne shook her head. “Society doesn’t understand blended families. It’s complicated.”
“The blood has very little to do with our bond. We don’t even use the term ‘half’”.
Her small smile grew into a beam when she saw those dimples of his.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what are you getting at?”
Wish shrugged. “Nothing. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, if ever I meet a woman who already has children, for sure, me and her children will get along well.”
“Is that so?” Roxanne lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Wish said, giving her a kind of wry, cheesy smile.
“Oh, okay,” she muttered. “Thanks for the ride home.” Roxanne waved, opening the gate. “I should get in. Thanks again, Wish.”
She stepped inside the gate and was about to close it but paused when she heard Wish’s voice.
“Roxanne?”
Her heart was fluttering as her name left his lips.
“Yes?”
“Lunch, tomorrow?” Wish crouched down to peer through the small crack between the gate and the frame.
“‘Fraid not. Mommy duties. PTCA meeting tomorrow, sorry.” All things considered, she felt sorry.
“Of course. Mommy duties.” Wish straightened. “Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“Can I borrow your phone?”
Roxanne handed over her cellphone. He dialed a number. His phone rang and he handed the phone back to her.
“There. Now you’ve got my number programmed in. I’d better go. I’ll see you around, Foxy.” He waved.
She nodded and gave him weak smile.
“Raincheck?” Roxanne asked, a little too loud.
“Call me,” Wish gestured with his thumb to his ear and his little finger pointed at his mouth. He then slid into his car and drove off.
As Roxanne closed the gate behind her, happiness swelled through her at the same time as she struggled to make sense of her emotional confusion.
Turning the key in the lock, she slid open the door and, for an instant, thought she’d entered someone else’s house.
The place was full of toys. Books placed over the center table, a few dolls, high-tech toy cars and some cuddly stuffed animals.
“Shit.” She muttered to herself. The text the nanny had sent earlier crossed her mind.
“Mommy! You’re home!” Daniella yelled happily when she noticed her standing by the door and hugged her tightly.
“Mommy, look!” Maximus ran up to her. She kissed the top of his head.
He showed his new toy truck and pulled the remote control tucked between his armpits. He pressed a few buttons that made the truck rear up on its hind wheels.
“Watch how
fast I can make it go!” exclaimed Maximus as he pressed another button and the truck began zooming around the house. He dashed off as fast as he had come.
“Did grandma send us all these toys?” asked Daniella.
“Um…” Roxanne trailed off.
“Danny, come on!” Maximus called.
“Go on and play with your brother.” Roxanne smiled at her daughter and sighed heavily when she ran off. “Tinay,” she called softly.
“Ate?” Tinay came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Did the kids see him?” she asked in a low voice. “Did he give you his number? What did he look like?” Roxanne asked in rapid succession.
“Ate, relax. One at a time, okay?” Tinay stepped back and retrieved a note she’d hid under the refrigerator top cover. The note said:
Let me make everything right this time. - Chris
Her phone rang. “Hello, Ma,” answered Roxanne warily.
“Kumusta, Ging?” her mother asked. “How are my grandchildren?” When Roxanne didn’t respond immediately, she asked, “Ging-ging, is there something wrong?” Her motherly instincts had, apparently, kicked in.
“The kids are fine.” Roxanne took a deep breath. “Everything’s fine.”
“You don’t sound like it,” her mother noted. “How’s the renovation going? I can’t wait to open our restaurant! I’ll arrive this Friday 3 P.M. I am so excited, I can’t sleep! Finally, I will be with you and my grandchildren.”
Her mother, Roxette, who’d been working hard in Brussels as a caregiver, would be coming back home to the Philippines after twelve long years.
She would return home to a broken family.
“Yeah! Finally,” Roxanne replied, unable to hide a deep longing for her mother to come home.
“Really, what’s wrong?” her mother pressed her. “Do you still have a budget? If you had only listened to me before, you would have never gone through all that hardship,” her mother preached.
She had aways been a preacher, but after a series of sermons, she was always there to rescue her daughter. After all the hurt that Roxanne inflicted on her, her mother had still been supportive and loving.
“Ma,” Roxanne sighed.
“I keep on telling you to ask for financial support from their bastard father.”
They’d been through the topic over and over again, but Roxanne always resented the idea. She was determined to raise her kids herself.
“Here we go again,” she muttered.
“God forbid, I don’t know what I would do if I saw him again. Even his mother, Christina, argh...my blood is boiling at that woman’s name. Mga hayop sila!”
“Ma,” Roxanne mumbled at her mother’s cursing. She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.
“What? You kept saying Ma. What’s really the problem, Roxanne Virginia?”
“Ma, he’s back,” Roxanne blurted.
“What? Who?”
“Chris. Chris is back.”
Chapter Seven
Baggage
Wednesday nights tended to bring an older crowd. The regulars were usually around by six or seven P.M. The lights went out and the music started. 212°F Tavern had a DJ that night, a famous self-mixer who had an ear for good mashups.
Wish served a lot of people that he’d never seen before, and a lot of times would never see again. That was just how bartending went. He entertained the crowd, built rapport with the customers, and always worked hard.
He was good with faces. When someone came to the bar and sat there for more than five minutes, he could usually recognize them if he saw them again. He might not know or remember their names, but just that he’d seen them before.
Wish had wiped down the bar after a man had just left. He paid the bill and left him a generous 500 pesos for a tip.
He finished wiping down the bar just as someone pulled out a stool. Wish looked up to gauge his next customer.
A man no older than fifty or fifty-five sat down. He was tall and muscular, with light brown hair that shifted around like a haystack in a breeze. He had a friendly smile on his face. Wish’s favorite kind of customer.
“What can I get for you?” Wish asked him.
“Something strong.” His voice was a thick cowboy southern accent.
Whenever someone asked for “something strong”, Wish had a few go-to drinks that he offered, like a Martini, Bacardi, or something with whiskey. They usually fit the bill.
Wish procured the drink and set it on the bar for him. The man took it without a word and took a generous drink.
“Rough day?” Wish asked.
“Something like that,” he mumbled.
“Work?” was his next question.
The man shook his head.
Wish shortly ventured over to another customer and got him another beer before returning to the foreigner. He looked down at his drink. Nearly empty. Damn, that was fast.
“Another?”
The patron slid the glass across the bar and nodded. “Keep ‘em coming,” he grumbled.
Wish made another Gin Martini with vermouth, stirred in the ice, and slid the glass back to his guest.
“So.” Wish leaned back against the counter behind him. “Relationship troubles, then?”
He scrunched his face up. “Not really.”
“Family?” He was getting way nosy.
“Actually, I was looking for someone.”
“Hmmm, what’s the name? I’m not good with names, but I can ask my friends here. Or do you have a picture mayb—”
“Wish! There you are, man!” Anthony, his co-worker who’d been gone for weeks, interrupted him.
“Tonyo!” Wish greeted him. “Excuse me,” he said to the older man, and walked up to his friend. They grabbed arms and tapped each other’s backs. “It’s good to see you, man. How’s The Drip? You feel better now?”
“The Drip is all gone. I’m totally fit to work.” Anthony automatically filled up beer for a patron from the tap.
A regular sat at the usual spot and ordered Blue Shark. Anthony grinned as he prepared the mix and combined vodka and rum in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice, adding several dashes of blue curacaos. He tossed a shaker in the air and caught it behind his back, bringing it to the side to continue to shake the mixture. With easy movements, he poured the cocktail into a glass and cast a wink over to the lady, who tipped him lavishly.
“You still got the moves, man!” Wish high-fived with Anthony. “Just keep it professional this time, would you?”
“I only flirt with customers who want to be flirted with.” Anthony defended himself. “I am a faithful servant, trapped behind the bar, to those who want to get fucked up and have a good time.”
Wish just shook his head. He’d cured his STD, but if he continued doing what he’d been doing, he might get an early ticket to heaven...or hell.
“I heard from Connie you’re going out with someone from the speed dating event she organized,” said Anthony.
“Yeah.”
“Are you out of your mind, pare? The girl has baggage.”
“Watch it,” he warned. He knew exactly what Anthony was trying to say.
“Why?” Anthony stepped back in defense. “Maybe you prefer ‘souvenirs’,” Anthony taunted him as Wish checked the kegs on the tap. “Man, there are a lot of chicks out there. Single and without living reminders of mistakes they’ve made.”
“What did you say?” Wish’s brow crunched up.
“Pare, I live with my own baggage and some of it I’ll carry for the rest of my life. You, man, deserve someone better.”
“You have it all wrong.” Wish shook his head. “Kids are the ones that bring less problems into the relationship—the adults are the problem.”
“I’ve seen it all too often and dated women like her. She’ll go running back to her ex.”
“Another drink, pretty boys,” a voice called out to them.
Wish looked up at the customer who stood, awaiting their response.
“Can I have a Long Island Iced Tea, please? And my single and beautiful friend right here will have a Tequila Sunrise.” The woman gave him a sultry smile. Her friend groaned before smacking her on the arm.
“Coming right up,” said Anthony, and they began fixing the drinks. “It’s not my place to say if it is a correct choice or not, pare, but don’t lead her on and let her think there is a chance of a relationship with you, then use the fact that she has children as a reason when you’re done with her,” Anthony said to him in a low voice, pouring the tequila in a highball glass with ice, and topping it with orange juice.
“She’s different,” Wish insisted.
“You have to think in advance, pare. Once you get in a relationship with someone like her, you are expected to take over the maintenance of another man’s children. You, of course, will not be allowed to discipline them. Your home will be forever torn apart by weekend visitations, travel limitations, and the continual fight between your girl and her ex. The bio-father will likely undo any values you will try to instill in your step-children. I would rather be with a woman who couldn’t have a child than get myself into that situation,” Anthony stated matter-of-factly.
The woman cleared her throat, getting the attention of the pair. “I’m Jenny, and this beauty next to me is my best friend, Kim.”
Someone else flagged them down at the other end, and Anthony walked over to him.
“Have fun tonight, ladies.” That was all he could say before Wish returned to his customer, who was still sitting at the bar alone on the other end.
Wish saw his empty glass. “Another?” He was still reeling from the ugly words Anthony had dropped on Roxanne.
The man nodded.
Instead of just whipping a drink for his customer, Wish made another Gin Martini for himself.
“Sorry, got held up,” he said and downed his drink.
“It’s alright,” the man waved him off, raising his glass to his face. “You look pretty busy.”
“Where was I?” asked Wish, trying to recall their earlier conversation and take his mind off of what Anthony had said. “Ah, yeah, you’re looking for someone. Any pictures?”