Love At First Sit

by Ysa Arcangel

  On day three, the texting and calls stopped. He fought the urge to call her back every single day. She’d reach out to him again if she wanted. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that to respond would be in vain. It wasn’t as though he stood a chance with her anymore.

  He went to Baguio to cool off. He needed space.

  A deafening silence settled in the Gregorio household during dinner. It seemed like a thick fog hovered over them.

  They weren’t sure what had gone down in Manila, but something was definitely off to make Wish go from warm and lively to quiet and withdrawn. The fact that he was home during the weekdays was the first sign.

  “I’m all done eating,” little Paolo said. “Can I play with my tablet now?”

  His mother’s eyes shot to Wish’s barely-touched food. She frowned before turning to her youngest son. “How about we wait for everyone to finish, Pao,” she suggested. “Your brother is still eating.”

  “It’s okay, My,” Wish shook his head. “I’m not really feeling well. Excuse me.” Wish wiped his mouth with the napkin and stood up from his seat.

  As soon as they were huddled in the living area, Paco, his stepfather asked, “Everything okay, son?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine Dy. I’m just...” he trailed off. The thought of Roxanne made his whole heart pound. “I’m just feeling under the weather. I need a breather.”

  The awkwardness that lingered in the area vanished when the children turned on their favorite film.

  “Aren’t you tired of watching Harry Potter?” Precious asked.

  “Nooope, it’s the best film ever,” said Pam, the eldest, who was sniffling when the character Dobby died.

  “It’s so sad!” Paige, the middle child, said between faint sobs.

  Their parents just shook their heads at them and chuckled.

  “You, little boy, aren’t you tired of watching Harry?” Precious asked Paolo.

  He just shook his head, clearly not paying attention to the movie. He was too busy playing a game on the new tablet Wish had bought for him.

  They were all seated together, talking about the film and how great it was. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except Wish.

  A knock caused them to jerk their heads up. “I’ll go get it,” Wish volunteered.

  He opened the door and saw a man standing outside. His back to him.

  “Excuse me?” Wish asked.

  The man turned around, and Wish glared up at him. Wish couldn’t recall where he’d seen him before, but the stranger seemed familiar.

  He was tall, with a light-brown hair and gray eyes. The man didn’t speak up, he only stared at Wish.

  “How can I help you?”

  “I was looking for you,” he finally spoke.

  Wish’s eyes narrowed at that. “Me? Have we met?”

  “Yes. I don’t think you know me, but I’ve been watching you, Aloysius.”

  “I remember you! You’re the guy who left me with that $200 tip at the bar. How could I forget? I’ve been working there for years and that was the first time someone gave that huge of a tip.”

  “Wish, who is it?” Precious came into view, and the blood seemed to drain from her face when she saw the man standing outside their door. “Alonzo.”

  “My, you know this guy?” Wish asked.

  His mother just looked at him but didn’t respond. Instead, she held the door open for Alonzo. “Come inside.”

  Wish was about to argue letting a stranger into their house, but the man didn’t seem like a stranger after all. He had a horrible feeling that he knew who he was.

  “We have a visitor. Turn off the TV and go to your rooms,” Precious ordered the children as she led Alonzo to the living area. Her voice was calm but a little shaky.

  Wish’s siblings scrambled to their feet and went to their respective bedrooms.

  “This is my husband, Paco,” Precious introduced her husband. Paco stood from his chair. No smile and no obvious emotions at all.

  “Pleasure to meet you.” Alonzo held out a hand and Paco took it.

  “Please, take a seat,” Paco gestured.

  “Thank you,” said Alonzo, and uncomfortably sat.

  “I should probably leave the three of you here,” Paco said.

  “What’s going on here?” Wish asked. No one answered. “I’ll just go to my room.”

  “No,” Precious told him. “More than anyone else, you should be here.”

  Wish took a seat across from Alonzo. Precious and Paco were seated on the two-seater sofa beside him.

  Wish made meaningful eye contact with everyone. The tension in the room was palpable.

  “What?” Wish blurted, so that they almost jumped from their seats. “Are we going to have a staring contest here?”

  “Wish...” Precious drew in a deep breath. “This is Alonzo. Your father.”

  “What?” His mother had said the words loud and clear, but he couldn’t hear anything but his heart racing in his ears.

  “Well,” Alonzo began. “I...I don’t know where to start.”

  “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Wish asked, head bowed, cracking his knuckles.

  “Yeah. Twenty-seven years,” Alonzo replied.

  “Fucking long, huh?”

  “Wish!” Precious scolded.

  Wish stood up. “You know what? Whatever happened, it cannot be undone. I don’t wanna be angry anymore. It’s just another pain on my list.”

  “Aloysius!” Precious called out as he turned his back on them. “Aren’t you even going to give him a chance to explain?”

  “My, he had twenty-seven fucking long years to explain and he blew his chances,” Wish responded. He face them. Instead, he trained his eyes on the plain white ceiling above him, blinking back tears.

  “He is still your father,” she pointed out.

  He turned around. His eyes were brimming with tears. “My father is Paco Gregorio. This man,” he pointed to Alonzo, “was never my father and he will never be.”

  “Precy, it’s okay,” Alonzo said. “I should probably come back when he’s ready to talk to me.”

  There was no fight, no blame, but a lot of hurt.

  Wish and his father were two people who’d had love to give and desperately would’ve liked to have had it reciprocated.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Second Chance

  “Tito Chris!” Daniella squealed and ran into his arms. He swung her around and kissed her forehead before she ran off to her twin brother with the toys Chris had given her.

  Chris had been spoiling the twins with gifts. He brought something new every time he visited, and it didn’t show them to appreciate the things they did have. Roxanne was beginning to worry.

  Sure, she loved to make her kids happy, but how long would it last?

  She introduced Chris as a close family friend first, and the kids easily fell for his charms.

  “Kids, I’d like you to meet Chris.” Her heart had been hammering in her chest that day. It was a huge step.

  She hadn’t thought the day would come, and there she was, actually excited about it.

  Daniella smiled ear-to-ear. Maximus took his hand to make mano.

  Chris got to his knees so that they were eye-level. “It is so nice to finally meet the two of you.”

  He held them in his arms. His eyes flashed to Roxanne, and he mouthed ‘thank you’.

  Everything should’ve been okay from there, as long as everyone knew their roles and kept it that way.

  “Woooow.” The twins’ eyes bulged when Chris presented them with presents.

  Chris tried to make up for the lost years with deep pockets. He was being a ‘Disney Dad’.

  Chris’ heart melted. Daniella and Maximus were simply the most beautiful people Chris had ever seen.

  He would give anything in the world to see those smiles every day.

  “Did Santa come?” Daniella voiced out.

  “Are all these toys for us, Tito Chris?” Maximus asked. “Were yo
u the one sending us toys and books and clothes and Legos and shoes...?”

  “I am.” Chris smiled fondly at him.

  “Tito Chris, are you our Daddy?” Daniella asked innocently. Chris was thrown off by her question. He was amused that a child so young would be so perceptive.

  Chris took a good look at the little girl. The raven black hair much like his own, the thin lips and prominent cheekbones... There was absolutely no doubt.

  “Come here, Danny, Maximus.” Chris took the twins into his arms and sat them on his lap. “Yeah, I’m your daddy,” he said, gently as any father could. “I didn’t mean to leave. I love your mother, and I love you.”

  “Mommy loves you too, Tito Chris,” Daniella said, hugging him around the neck.

  “Call me Daddy,” Chris said.

  “You’re not going to leave again?” Maximus asked.

  “Not anymore,” Chris replied with a smile.

  Roxanne witnessed the scene as she stepped out of the kitchen to set up dinner.

  “Danny, Maximus…come on, let’s eat,” Roxanne called the twins.

  “Why do I have to eat three times a day?” Daniella complained.

  Chris replied, “Because we want you to be healthy.” He tapped her nose.

  Maximus’s brow scrunched up. “Why doesn’t she just give us all the food at once? Then she won’t have to cook always,” he murmured.

  Chris chuckled when Daniella added, “I don’t understand why Mommy couldn’t think of this. She seems to be smarter than us.”

  “Daniella, Maximus!” Roxanne called out again in a higher pitch.

  “Coming!” They both scrambled to their seats in the dining area.

  “Tinay, look after the kids’ meal, please,” Roxanne instructed the nanny. “Tupe[16], can I have you look at something with me in here?” Roxanne asked Chris.

  Chris followed her to the front door and leaned on its frame. It was far enough from the dining area that no one could hear them.

  “What just happened back there?” She folded her arms across her chest.

  “Pure happiness happened back there.” His eyes were warm and Roxanne felt fuzzy when she looked at him.

  “I can’t believe you just told it right to their faces that you are their father,” she hissed.

  “The kids are smart. No need for a grand revelation, Panga,” he chuckled.

  She blushed at the term of endearment in their own visayan dialect. Panga. That was music to her ears.

  “Chris, the kids need you more than the gifts. They want you to spend time with them. If you have them occupied with toys and gadgets, then you are really stealing what precious time the children have with you. They needed a father. Not Santa Claus.”

  “I am trying to spend time with them as much as I can. I’m still working on some stuff right now. Please, just be patient with me. I’m new to this parenting thing,” he said seriously.

  She was touched. He was ready to be a father to their children.

  “About taking the children to Bacolod. Have you talked to your mom about it?”

  “She resented the idea of taking them to Papa this sem break. That was the plan, actually. She will go ballistic if I say you’re planning to take the kids to your house and introducing them to your mom too.”

  “I will introduce you too, not just them.”

  “Your mom knows me,” Roxanne said.

  “I’ll introduce you to her as my family.”

  Family. The word meant so much to her.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea. She never really liked me.” Her voice was faint.

  “We’ll have to deal with it.” He took both her hands in his. “I want to make this work, Ging.”

  She had a lot to think about. Chris’ return hadn’t been the sole reason for doubting her feelings with Wish, but it would sure as hell be hard to define how she really feels when she’d gone through the motions as if nothing were wrong. As if there was nothing going on between her and Wish.

  ***

  “Chris kissed you and you just forget about everything with Wish?” Disappointment sounded from Mina’s voice on the other end of the phone line. “What happened to ‘moving on’? You even had it tattooed on your shoulder. What happened to opening up yourself to someone else? What happened to Wish?”

  The mention of his name brought a heaviness on Roxanne’s chest.

  “Wish and I...” she paused. “We’re not a thing.”

  “Yes, you were! Not until your ex came and screwed everything up.”

  “Mina...”

  “You should have seen the look on his face that night.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Roxy, Wish was there the night Chris showed up. From the look on his face, he might’ve even seen you lip-locking with your ex.”

  “I didn’t know he was there. He hasn’t returned any of my texts and I think he blocked my number.”

  “You need to make up your mind, Roxy. Everybody deserves a second chance. But what if your second chance is with someone else?”

  “For the first time in their five years, the kids are feeling what it’s like to have a father. Chris easily fell into his role. The kids love him.”

  “And you? Do you still love him?”

  Roxanne fell silent for a few seconds. “I...I have to go. I hear Daniella crying in her sleep again.”

  She immediately hung up the phone and went to the kids’ room. There was Chris snuggled tightly together between his children, all of them sleeping soundly.

  ***

  Telling Wish that Chris was back wouldn’t be the hard part. It was the feeling that came along with it.

  Roxanne couldn’t explain how she felt about it...about him. She’d stopped waiting for Chris to come home to her when she met Wish. Every single day of being together had almost been enough to convince her that Wish had been the one for her, all along.

  She was supposed to be moving on, but that clearly wasn’t happening.

  Roxanne dropped the plate that she’d been washing. With a sigh, she picked it up and continued scrubbing it.

  “Everything okay?” Roxette asked, watching her washing the same plate for three minutes. “You shouldn’t be here in the kitchen. We are paying for the dishwasher to do that job.”

  “We will go to Bacolod tomorrow,” she whispered, afraid of her mother’s reaction. “Chris wants to introduce the twins to his mom.” She braced herself for the harsh words she anticipated coming next. But after a moment of silence, she met her mother’s sorrowful eyes.

  Roxanne was ready to burst. A hammering heart told her she’d better confide in her mother.

  “I know what you’re going to say.” Roxanne bit her lip. “But what am I supposed to do, Ma? He’s the father of my children. He’s trying to make up for the lost years. He’s here now to rebuild our family.” She turned defensive without realizing it. “I’m doing the right thing, right?”

  “If you’re happy with what you’re doing, then that’s the right thing to do.” Roxette took the plate from her hands and placed it in the dish sterilizer.

  “I’m happy making my loved ones happy.” Roxanne stared at the sink. If she looked into her mother’ eyes, she’d break down.

  Roxette walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a cup of buko pandan. She pulled out two stools for them to sit on. “Here.”

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile, grateful to have a heart-to-heart with her mom before heading to Bacolod. “Ma, please, stop treating Chris like he’s a criminal or something. I need you to understand.”

  Roxette sighed, clearly not liking it one a bit. “I can’t stand what he did to you. There’s no excuse.”

  “He was forced to do it, Ma. His witch mom lied to him.” She took a spoonful of buko pandan and, for a moment, was relieved.

  “Fine.” Her mother shrugged and shoved a spoonful of the creamy, frozen shredded coconut salad with gelatin cubes into her mouth. “But no matter how you justify it in your head, no matter
how much you refuse to believe it, the fact is, you are not happy with your decision.”

  “No.” Roxanne shook her head.

  “You don’t have to do things to make anybody else happy. You do that for yourself,” Roxette reminded her.

  Her daughter pressed her lips together. “Don’t you think we deserve a second chance, Ma?”

  Roxette stood from the stool and put their empty cups into the sink. “I can’t answer that for you. It’s your life.” She left the kitchen, leaving Roxanne confused and alone.

  After doing all the kitchen chores to take her mind off the situation, Roxanne was beckoned by her mother to attend a visitor.

  Visitor? She wasn’t expecting anyone that day.

  Roxanne tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear that had fallen from her neat bun and removed her apron as she made her way out of the kitchen. She walked over to the dimly lit corner of the restaurant where her visitor was waiting.

  “Excuse me, Miss.”

  The woman she met had big, bright blue eyes and shiny blonde, shoulder-length hair that framed her attractive face. It seemed like she wasn’t even wearing any makeup. She was as beautiful as an angel, her flawless skin shining in the low light.

  “Hi,” the woman greeted, holding out a hand while the other was posed over her baby bump. “I’m Candice...Candice Luna.”

  Luna? That’s Chris’s last name. Roxanne was taken aback, but took her hand for a handshake, nonetheless.

  “How can I help you?” Roxanne asked.

  “Can you have a seat with me?” the woman politely asked.

  Roxanne pulled out a chair and sat across from Candice.

  “I...I came here to talk to you about Chris. My husband.”

  “What?” Roxanne gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

  “I’m not here to tell you to stay away from my husband. That is no longer an option for him,” her eyes welled with tears. “I just want you to hear me out, and maybe it’ll change your mind and choose not to get involved with someone who was having marriage problems until they straightened it out.”

  Roxanne felt as if someone had kicked her in the chest. She swallowed back the emotion resting at the back of her throat. “I’m willing to listen,” she managed to choke out. She lifted her hand to wave the waiter over and asked for something to drink. Strong and bitter, just like the way she felt.