by Katt Briones
“Um, they want us to spend the night with them on the 31st.”
“That’s tomorrow!” I said, standing up in alarm. “You idiot, did you forget that I still have to ask Dad? You should’ve told me earlier, damn it!”
I kicked his leg aside as I passed between him and the center table.
“Ow! What was I supposed to do, they both got here from abroad just yesterday! Jeez!” he complained, rubbing his leg. “And I asked your dad already!”
“Oh, really?” I said, turning back. He glared at me as if to say ‘duh?’, and I laughed to myself, thinking of adding ‘boy scout’ to the long list of things that Cholo could be.
Jack-of-all-trades boyfriend?
Life goal accomplished.
CHAPTER 16
I welcomed the New Year with his family, not without a few surprises. Cholo told me we were going to stay in Chan’s newly-bought, high-rise condominium unit in Ortigas, which he was currently sharing with his boyfriend, Asher. It was a good thing Cholo told me that beforehand, as I got shocked and speechless for about half a minute after he oriented me. That would not have been good if I did that in front of Chan, who picked us up at Cholo’s house at 3 p.m. Asher was in the passenger seat, too, but being the friendly ball of energy that he was, any sort of awkwardness I felt was gone by the time we drove out of the village.
The unit was huge, beautiful, and I was introduced to everyone the moment I got in. Chip was an older version of Cholo (just as I imagined), and had been extremely accommodating and funny. His wife, Ate Ania, was a spunky woman who was as whip-smart as she was hot. Chan was soft-spoken and thoughtful, the complete opposite of Asher who had something witty to say at every turn and had no qualms about voicing it out. Risa, Chip’s daughter, was a cute bundle of joy who brightened up every room with her laughter and broken Tagalog.
There was also one thing we all had in common: we were all really fond of bullying Cholo.
“Look at Vinnie,” Asher pointed out when I ended up with Sprite coming out of my nose during Media Noche, “Tuwang-tuwa sa’kin! She loves me now more than you, Choleng!”
Cholo, being the good sport that he was, threw a potato mojo at Asher. Chan joined in the food fight and threw something else at Cholo in retaliation for his boyfriend (“Kinikilig si watashi! Go, Channie!” said Asher, and Chip had to explain to me that watashi meant I in Japanese). Cholo looked at me for backup and I joined in, too, only stopping when Risa banged on her high chair with her plastic spoon and screamed at us in her cute baby voice to stop fighting.
Cholo and I were again assigned to do the dishes afterwards, then were left on our own as Chip and Ate Ania put Risa to sleep. Chan and Asher also wanted to light Roman Candles on the rooftop, so Cholo and I hung out on the veranda, sharing one cushioned veranda chair.
We were both tipsy, having had a couple of shots from after dinner. He had a finger lazily tracing my upper arm while I snuggled in his chest.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go with us to CamSur?” Cholo asked.
“Nah,” I said. “You know I don’t like beaches. Plus, I don’t want them to miss me too much at home.”
“Missing Liana already, knew it,” he said, clicking his tongue, and I pinched his tummy. His reaction almost got us toppling over (yes, along with the chair) as he jerked away from me. I laughed my head off as he tried to balance us both again.
“I’m gonna miss you though,” I said.
“You’re going to miss having a punching and kicking bag,” he corrected me, and again I giggled. “God, are you sick? You’ve been laughing too much today.”
“It’s the Blue Label,” I told him, jabbing my finger against his chest with every word. “Blue freakin’ Label!”
“I like it,” he said, clutching my chin as he rubbed his nose against mine. “Seeing you laugh and be happy.”
I leaned in and kissed him full on the mouth.
“The liquor made me laugh, but you are making me happy,” I replied, my voice low. Only then did I become aware of the fact that half of my body was on top of his, and instead of getting embarrassed, I just wanted to be closer. As if that was possible.
“I love you,” he whispered, looking at me like I was the only thing he could see.
“I love you too,” I replied, my face stretching into the widest, goofiest grin I’ve ever made. “Let’s go sleep?”
He groaned as I sat up and tried to pull him off the chair, asking if he could please have just one more good night kiss. I poked him hard at the back of the head, scolding him for getting too much alcohol, to which he replied “Oh please, you had just as many shots as I did!”, then almost collapsing when he tried to stand up.
Okay, right after obsessive-compulsive neat freak, grade-conscious honor student, self-righteous head prefect, basketball expert and boy scout, I’m putting drunkie on Mr. Prefect’s list. Grabe.
I then brought my drunk boyfriend inside the unit, as Chan had provided comforters for us in the living room for sleeping just before they went upstairs. Asher had called out “No funny business, that carpet’s new!” before Chan could shut him up.
Define embarrassing?
I had barely closed my eyes when I heard my phone ring. Cursing, I took it out from under my pillow and saw Seth calling on Viber.
“Hello? Vinnie?” came his panicked voice from the other line. “Would you know where Cholo is? He’s not picking up.”
Wait—oh. Cholo updated us on Facebook. This must be why I became the ‘where-is-Cholo’ contact.
“He’s asleep already, why?”
“Emergency,” he said. “My girlfriend, Erika, remember her? Our logistics officer? She’s with me now in Hong Kong, we just got the mail—our contact for the lights and sounds for Ephemere are threatening to back out.”
“What?! Why?” I sputtered, unable to believe it.
I could see why Seth was panicking—this was absolute bedlam. They barely managed to make this contact agree to our price. Without them, we would not be able to pull Ephemere off, and the other suppliers would be charging us tens of thousands more if we tried to get them now.
“They got really pissed off. Summer was supposed to meet him last Saturday instead of Erika and she didn’t turn up.”
“What the fuck,” I exclaimed, forgetting to tone my voice down. Even for Summer, that was just so in-your-face rude. I stood up and proceeded to the veranda so I wouldn’t wake anyone up. “Where was Summer?”
“No idea. She wasn’t picking up our calls either. Would you know if Cholo has a thing tomorrow? He could meet up with the contact instead.”
“He can’t,” I said immediately. “They have a family trip to CamSur. Wait, why is the contact asking for a meeting on freaking January First?”
“He says he has a flight the next day, and as we’re basically begging him not to leave us hanging at this point, we have no choice but to give in to his demands. I called Cholo first, him being chairperson and all, and per checking my Instagram feed everyone else in the team is either in Korea, Japan, or Europe—
“Well, tomorrow I’ll just be in Ortigas. Can you give me the contact’s number?”
“OMG, yes! You’re a total lifesaver, Vinnie. Thank you!” said Seth’s girlfriend. I was apparently on speakerphone.
I received Seth’s text containing all the details I asked for just a full minute after hanging up. Yawning, I set my alarm early for the next day.
Alarm label: Girlfriend duties.
CHAPTER 17
Thankfully, I was able to convince the contact, and I was in really high spirits when classes resumed. Cholo picked me up (“Sinipag magdrive?” I greeted, which made him almost leave me on the sidewalk in front of my house), and we didn’t even mind the traffic. The two-and-a-half hour travel time was nowhere near enough to catch up on the four days that we didn’t see each other, so we sat together in every class to talk some more. Gian shot me a knowing smile when he saw us, and gave Cholo the “I’m watching you” sign with two
fingers after our Operations Management class, which Cholo actually found funny.
My good mood didn’t last very long, though.
I was changing my clothes for a case presentation that afternoon in the washroom when a couple of people came in, talking in obnoxiously loud voices.
“Gosh, this is so weird,” someone was saying.
“Di ba? When I found out, I was nothing short of insulted, really,” a second voice said, and her voice was extremely familiar. “Like, if your pseudo-ex boyfriend dated someone like that after you, it’s pretty much an insult, right? I’d understand how every girl he would date would pale compared to me, but really, Lavinia Exconde? Someone from the opposite side of the tracks?”
She said my name like it was a disgusting swearword, and there was only one person I could think of. The phrase ‘from the opposite side of the tracks’ echoed in my ears.
Wait. Cholo didn’t tell me anything about him pseudo-dating Summer, or anyone for that matter. It was either she was delusional, or I was.
“Not really, Summer,” said the first voice, and my eyes widened. “If you think about it, they’re somewhat alike. She’s patapon and he’s the motherless bastard struggling to belong. They’re actually a good match!”
I was tempted to hurl my four-inch stiletto heels over the cubicle, but I wasn’t sure if it would land where I wanted it to. It was one thing to insult me, but to attack Cholo without his knowledge for something he couldn’t control was grating on my nerves.
I froze on the spot, my mind racing but unable to spur my limbs into action.
“Maybe dating someone that problematic would make his dad and stepmom notice him already,” said Summer, whose voice was now far-off, and I realized they were on their way out. I couldn’t believe my ears. Cholo’s family history wasn’t common knowledge, so that part about him dating Summer before must be true. “Pity he couldn’t choose anyone prettier.”
“Attention-beggars can’t be choosers,” the other girl replied, and I was left seething in the cubicle as they laughed their heads off.
I spent twenty minutes in that cubicle trying to calm down. No more violence for me, or I would not be able to graduate. The thought of not graduating on time and fulfilling exactly what Summer expected me to be kept me at bay.
Unfortunately, there was an Ephemere meeting that afternoon which Patsy had set up at the last minute as org adviser. She insisted on all of us coming, as it was apparently important. Cholo and I were first to get to the library conference room. I was tempted to ask him about Summer, but I didn’t trust my temper that was already on edge. I didn’t want to end up shouting at him when I was angry at someone else, so when he asked if something was bothering me, I told him I was just hungry.
He left me alone for now, as Patsy already came in, but I was sure that wasn’t the end of it yet. I folded my arms and tried to concentrate. Summer was the last to come in.
“I understand that today isn’t our regular meeting day, so I’d keep this short and sweet,” said Patsy, smiling as she took the floor, and I understood this wasn’t her regular grin. She fixed her eyes on Summer.
“I got a notice from the lights and sounds contact for Ephemere telling me a certain someone had stood him up,” said Patsy, whose voice was calculated and all the more scary. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but have we not already established that maintaining good relationships with sponsors, customers, and suppliers was the whole point of this org?”
Everyone fell quiet, and Summer went pale. I felt a strong rush of vindication.
“Summer, you’re one of the chairpersons for this event and you should have known better,” said Patsy. “We’ve been working with this contact for years now. I don’t care if it’s a supplier, co-presentor, or minor event partner, but we should always keep in mind that we’re representing the org and the university at all times, and that this branding is always at stake.”
Summer muttered a lame apology. Seth and I exchanged glances.
“Now, the venue for the launch party is going to be fully sponsored by the co-presentor, and is a reputable club part-owned by a relative of mine,” said Patsy, and I noticed Cholo’s fists clench. “As org adviser I would like to remind all of you, again, that we have a reputation to uphold, a brand to preserve. I want everyone to put their best foot forward. Is this understood?”
“Yes ma’am,” everyone chorused.
“Great,” said Patsy, who pocketed her phone and stood up. “Because if anybody messes up, you’re out. And I don’t care if you’re chairperson.”
Summer’s jaw was set, and she seemed frustrated she couldn’t talk back to a teacher.
“Thanks guys. One week till launch, and three until Ephemere. Home stretch,” she said, opening the conference room’s door. “Keep up the good work. And thanks for saving the team’s ass, Vinnie.”
“Vinnie for Ephemere Chair!” said Erika, and everyone joined in. I felt rebellious and jokingly bowed, but made sure I caught Summer’s eye as I did. She walked away with her chin up in the air.
Lakas maka-chin up, I thought. Palibhasa walang ilong.
A roar of laughter from my surroundings told me I’d said it aloud, and with an angry screech, the librarian shooed us all out.
“Worth it,” said Cholo, and we all filed out of the library. He put an arm around me and the rest of the team started asking where we wanted to get merienda.
I wish I knew early on that joining the org was going to be this fulfilling, as I would have met Cholo and these people earlier. I also could’ve turned from a hot-headed pottymouth to a trusted team player much sooner.
CHAPTER 18
While my inability to keep my temper in check was a blessing in disguise that led me to knowing Cholo again, it was also responsible for the chain of events that undid everything we had worked for.
Had I known what was coming, I would have stopped it, but my head was too high up in my ass.
The week that led up to the launch was quick and nowhere near enough for our preparations. I worked until 2 a.m. on Thursday and Friday to finish the video, which really took a toll on me as I was not getting enough sleep as it is. Miki had me do a lot of revisions and it got to the point that I had to do an entire section over. There were times that she just seemed to be intent on making life harder for me, and I had to remind myself that she was Patsy’s sister as the temptation to send her an email telling her to go fuck herself was getting harder and harder to resist.
Saturday came and Liana shook me awake that morning. It was thirty minutes after I was planning to wake up, and that was enough to send me over the edge. I yelled at Liana for not waking me up earlier, shouted at Cris for taking my party dress away from the spot where I had put it (“Sorry, but it was so rumpled, I had to iron it,” she tearfully replied) and talked back to Dad when he asked me not to raise my voice at Cris like that.
He understood, though. After packing the breakfast that Cris had prepared for me, he just asked me to get in the car, and that made me feel even worse. It was one of the longest drives of my life, and when we got to Makati, I wasn’t able to hold it in any longer.
“Sorry, Dad,” I started, before I could lose the apology I had been cooking up in my head. With its current sleep-deprived state, I didn’t trust my mind to help me out right now. “That was wrong. I was angry at myself more than anything, I mean, duh, whose fault was it anyway that I woke up late?”
Dad laughed, and I stared at him in disbelief as we came to a full stop on the Ayala-EDSA intersection. I folded my arms.
“Wow,” he said, looking at my defiant expression. “I haven’t heard you apologize in a long time. It’s good to know you still know how.”
“Dad!” I sputtered, and he laughed harder.
“Sorry, Vinnie, sorry,” he replied, “It’s just that I never imagined you ever saying that to me. I never thought I’d have you back, but I’m grateful.”
I was touched, but was spared from having to say anything in reply as the li
ght turned green. My mood improved significantly after my dad hugged me goodbye and helped me with my stuff. He drove away and I went inside the venue, carrying my backpack and laptop.
I was going up the stairs when I heard two people talking.
“Shit!” a shrill voice was saying. I took a couple of slow steps, wondering if I should back off. “I shouldn’t have asked you!”
“Ate Miki, I’m sorry, I had other things to bring,” said another voice, which I now recognized as Cholo’s. “Babalikan ko na lang.”
“And what? Waste another hour? Sobrang iresponsable mo!” she scolded. My fists clenched at my side. “We’re co-presentors! Do you have any idea what my boss would say if she found out that you managed to bring your own org tarps but not the company standees? You’ll get blacklisted!”
I took a couple more steps up and saw Cholo standing in front of Miki, looking like a little boy being scolded, despite the fact that he was taller than Miki.
“Sobrang bait kasi sa’yo nina Chip eh! Even Patsy’s such a softie with you, and that’s why you just couldn’t learn. You think everyone’s on your side, palibhasa you’re Lolo’s favorite, kaya namimihasa ka!”
“Ate Miki, please. I can ask Vinnie to get it from my house—”
“Isa pa ‘yan!” Miki screeched. “You can’t even hold your own stuff together or keep your grades up, now you have to date that nuisance too!”
“Please leave her out of this,” Cholo answered, gritting his teeth, calm demeanor gone. I saw the fire in his eyes even from where I stood. “You don’t know her.”
“Great, now you’re not just irresponsible, bastos ka na din. I wonder where you’re getting it? You think I wouldn’t know who she is, why she ended up doing this? You think I wouldn’t figure out what a brat she is after working with her?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you, Ate Miki,” he angrily said. “I have always listened whenever you raised your voice at me without complaint because I respected you like an older sister, but I am not going to let you talk about my girlfriend like that.”