My Only Exception

Chapter 2

She went up with her mother and surprised her dad. There was a very long time of welcomes and embraces between them until they decided to go down and have dinner. Eksakto na pababa sila when Paul's wife came in with his six year old son Gavin.

"Ava!" she screamed in delight at agad na niyakap ito. Ava was excited to see her too and hugged her back.

"Oh my, look at you. You have Cali and you still look fab!"

"Look who's talking. Sinong mag-aakala na itong huggable kong pamangkin e galing sa sexy kong sister-in-law?" Raffy said and hugged Gavin. "You know Tita?"

The kid nodded and kissed her on her cheeks.

"So where is Cali?"

"He's still there. Susunod na lang sila," she answered.

"Sila? Sinong sila?"

She just gave her a meaningful smile. Raffy knew Ava would understand.

"Really? So my brother is coming home with my pamangkin?!" she asked excitedly. Raffy nodded. "Grabe talaga si Seff! Hindi man lang sinabi sa amin na dadating sya! What, he's planning to surprise us?"

"That's the plan," sagot ni Raffy.

"Well, he'll be surprised," Ava answered, planning something in mind to surprise his brother.

"Hindi kaya mag-away ulit yung dalawa?" Paul asked his wife, unsure.

"No, they wouldn't. Isa pa, I think... H-he... Uhm... E-Ethan has moved o-on. He will be and he should be happy for S-Seff," Ava said, careful in mentioning his other brother's name.

Raffy smiled, relaxed. "It's okay. I have moved on too. Ethan's name is not jinxed."

"Mamaya na kayo magreminisce. Let's all have dinner because Gavin is already hungry," their mother called them.

           

             

••

"Kelan ang dating ni Cali and ni Seff?" Ava asked her husband. They were already home.

After the very long chat that they had on his parent's house, umuwi na sila Paul sa sariling bahay. They got married six years ago, roughly two years before Ethan and Raffy parted ways. She then left for the US. Seff did too a few months before Raffy. Now, Cali Alexander is already a four year old toddler.

"I am not really sure honey," Paul answered. "Raffy said inaayos ni Seff yung passport ni Cali and as soon as it is done, susunod na yung dalawa."

"I am excited to see Cali," Ava said.

"Me too. It's just that I can't help but be bothered Seff and Ethan would be facing each other again. Baka magkagulo na naman, ang tagal na nga na nagcease fire."

"Hon, they're brothers. They would be okay. Ang tagal na nun. It's time for them to move on," she said.

"You think Ethan has done that?"

"I guess so. He's talking about Seff sometimes," she answered.

"Hindi ba nya tinatanong si Cali?"

"None that I can remember," she said. "Alam mo, wag mo na isipin yan. If those two cannot be civil, paaalisin ko si Ethan sa bahay o di kaya, si Seff ang patitirahin ko sa inyo. Mas mabuti pa, matulog na lang tayo. Ihahatid mo pa si Raffy sa book launch sa Quezon City."

           

             

••

"What was the basis of the story and the characters?"

She paused for a while to reflect and adjusted the eyeglasses she was wearing. She smiled.

"Nothing out of the extraordinary. It's a story that happens to commoners, to people who fall in love and got hurt, of people hoping and losing faith. It's my story, your story, other people's story. It gives us an idea how people react to things, their priorities, considering the way they grew up, their beliefs in life, what others think, how a certain community affects people. But what's important is the reality that not all stories we know of can be a happy ending. It can be the opposite."

"They said you hate love, or loving, so you came up with this?" another journalist asked.

"I fell in love and I am thankful I did because it taught me a lot of things. I'm not going to hate love. You may hate who you loved but not love itself," she smiled.

"How will you describe the main characters in the story when it comes to the physical aspect?" one of the representatives from a big bookstore asked.

"The guy stands six feet and two inches. He's got a white complexion, Asian in features. He's right handed, he's vain. He's wearing white polo shirt most of the time. His features are like mixtures of Chinese, Filipino, and Dalmatian," she kidded which made them all laugh.

"And the girl?"

"She's..." she paused, not knowing what to say. "She's like... Five feet, five inches in height. Slightly chested. She wears jeans and shirts most of the time. Not too girly, can be one of the boys. She always smiles which is her asset."

"This is a rumor that you can either deny or confirm," a guy sitting at the back started. "They said you hate Valentines Day."

"You did research on me, huh?" she smiled. "No. I don't hate Valentines Day. I just don't celebrate it because I don't need to. My parents love that celebration. I don't think they'll teach me to hate it."

"Do you have any someone special right now?"

"The most special people in my life right now is Cali," she answered.

"Who's Cali?"

"He's my precious one. The love of my life," she said.

"If you would dedicate the book to just one person except your family, who would it be?" a columnist inquired.

"I like your shirt," she commented, trying to buy herself time. She paused. "My... Old friend."

After five more questions, they ended the interview for the book's press release. They lined up to get a few books signed by the author. She opened the first book she touched and flipped to the first page. She signed it with her name.

Sophia Rafaella Castillo.