Alden Richard Faulkerson is a successful architect, the quintessential office hunk who breaks women's hearts because............. Surprise! He's gay. Nicomaine Dei Mendoza is the corporate IT Girl with a bad reputation but a good heart. The two ar...
"Yes. And also about Raymond. I'm sorry mom, I know dad lost a lot of money because of me."
"Maine..........you're my bunso. I always worry about you because among the three of you, you're the one who's different, for a while parang wala kang direction because you didn't know what you want. We set you up with Raymond just to make sure you'd be ok even if you don't pursue a career. We did not consider that Raymond might not be good for you."
"I was not flirting, mom. It was just a chance meeting with my batchmate, Stan. Ni hindi ko naman kabarkada man lang yun. Raymond yelled at me in front of him and dragged me to his car."
"We should have talked about this way back. I'm so sorry you had to carry the burden alone. Your dad can be stubborn at times, but he loves you."
"Galit pa rin po ba siya sakin?"
"No. Hindi naman siya galit sayo, he's just angry with the situation, and disappointed also with his friend. Forget about that, matagal na yan. Let's just talk about Alden. Tell me how you met....."
While mother and daughter were talking, the two men silently made their way out to the al fresco area. Seeing the place filled with people, they opted to just go to the hotel lobby. They sat down across each other and talked.
"Sir, I'm sorry if we surprised you about our engagement. If there's anyone to blame, it would be me. I was the one who proposed. I was so sure early on that I want to spend the rest of my life with your daughter. I am thankful she said yes. Sana po, you'll allow us to be together with your blessing. Our happiness will not be complete without your consent."
"Alden, I don't know if my daughter told you about a falling out between us that happened years ago. She was a happy-go-lucky person back then, and we never heard any concrete plans from her about her future. We tried to help her but the plan backfired, and I lost a good friend in the process."
"She told me about that po. She feels so guilty for that friendship you lost. She blames herself for it."
"Hindi naman niya kasalanan yun, I know that now. But during that time, I was so caught up in the contracts I would lose. A long-standing friendship went down the drain. Then by the time I already accepted everything............she left. Iniwan niya kami, and I hurt because my youngest thought it better to live alone than continue living with us."
"Sir........sana po you get the chance to show her everything is ok. Sana rin po you will give us this chance to be happy together. Alam ko, you don't know me and you probably dislike the order of things being done now with our relationship. I just hope I can convince you that your daughter is in good hands. I have a stable job and my own private practice. She does not know it yet, but I'm building a house for us. Mahal na mahal ko po ang anak niyo. I promise you, I will be a good husband to her."
-----
Alden and Teddy went back to their table and saw Maine and Annie discussing animatedly. As soon as Maine so them, her face changed and Teddy noticed it. It broke his heart that his daughter was so afraid of him, and it was his fault. He didn't know how to fix this, he was not very good at showing his feelings.
"It's getting late Annie. We should be leaving."
Alden asked for the bill and sat beside Maine. Despite the presence of her parents, he took her hand and kissed her on the temple, the action not lost on Teddy. Maybe Alden was right, he was good for his daughter. He saw the look of gratitude that Maine gave him, the seeming absolute trust. His daughter chose well, and the time for worrying about his youngest might be over.
"Dad.........are we ok?" Maine asked in a soft voice. Her face reminded him of that time Nico teased her, and she run to him crying, asking to be carried. She was already six years old them, but he carried her anyway, she was his baby girl.
"Halika nga dito bata ka," He said gruffly.
They both stood and hugged tightly, and words were no longer needed.
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