The champagne's cork popped vigorously and flew into the ceiling, hitting the roof which deflected it and bounced on the table; a small ruckus transpired as nine people tried to dodge the rampaging cork — almost hitting the old woman who tried to cover her head as though something was about to fall — before finally hitting the ground.
There was a brief moment of silence, then a wave of jocund laughter filled the place. Fabrizio, a middle-aged man wearing eyeglasses, poured the sparkling wine in each of their glasses excluding the little girl.
"For Emilia's new journey!" He raised his glass of champagne inches higher than his eyes, the others did the same.
"For Emilia!" everybody echoed.
Aria, the little girl, stood on a chair and tried to raise his glass of apple juice as high as she can.
Lively music on the background, they yelled, "Cin cin!" They toasted their glasses to celebrate his cousin's graduation, took a sip, and scattered across four different rooms.
The women — Adrian's mother and his two aunts — went to the kitchen to start cooking the main course; his grandmother and his little cousin Aria headed for the living room to watch television; Emilia went for her phone in the bedroom; and the boys — him and his two uncles — stayed in the dining room to finish the appetizers.
The extensive rectangular dining table was set with white mantle and a vibrant line of pink and white flowers on the center; beside the flowers stood two bottles of uncorked Ferrari Champagnes. A plate of half consumed bruschette, a basket of focaccia, and three bowls of minestrone soup were set on the left end of the table.
The three of them were having a conversation about the upcoming football match when Uncle Fabrizio's phone rang, the table vibrating upon it. He put the chalice down, dusted the crumbs off his finger, then stood up and answered the phone.
Adrian's attention were suddenly diverted from Uncle Fabrizio to his other uncle, ears twitching upon an odd but familiar question.
"May girlfriend ka na ba?" Emilia's father randomly asked.
The jolly beam on his face was quickly replaced by a jiffy frown. Adrian was deeply reminded why he didn't want family gatherings. It's moments like this when he thinks it's better to not have relatives at all. If not for Emilia Vitale — his cousin who freshly graduated from the university — he wouldn't even think twice to reject their dinner invitation.
Sa tuwing may espesyal na okasyon — na madalas maganap sa pamilya ni Emilia — ay laging naiimbitahan sina Adrian at ang kanyang ina na maghapunan sa bahay ng pamilya Vitale. And every time they went, he always gets bombarded with the same stupid question by his same stupid Uncle.
Why don't you just shut your mouth and mind your own business, Tito?
Kagaya ng mga nagdaang salo-salo, nanatili ang mga katagang ito sa loob ng kanyang utak. Hindi siya gano'n katapang para sambitin ang mga salitang ito, ngunit pakiramdam niya sa susunod na beses na may magtanong nito sa kanya ay hindi na niya mapipigilan pa ang sariling pumakli.
Umiling si Adrian.
"Ilang taon ka na nga ulit?" asked his uncle, placing the spoon back to the bowl of orange soup.
Uncle Flavio is two years younger than Uncle Fabrizio but he looks way older than the latter. He has a long, narrow face, bulging eyes, large, yellow teeth with loose lips, and a weird parted haircut. He reminded him of a horse he rode when he was younger.
"Twenty po."
"Twenty?" — his eyes flickered with disbelief — "at wala ka pa ring girlfriend?" Uncle Flavio tutted. "Kailangan mo nang maghanap! Mag-explore ka habang bata ka pa. Pag ikaw tumanda magsisisi ka."
Adrian's insides gave a nasty squirm. He didn't reply. It's not that he didn't want to, but he don't know what to. He knows deep inside him that he is not searching for something he already have — well, differently — but he knew blurting it out in front of his prejudice uncle would just do him no good.
Adrian smiled — an obviously forced one, and uncomfortable, which his uncle's too stupid to recognize — then stirred the creamy soup in front of him.
Pinanood niya ang paglangoy ng mga gulay sa sabaw, maging ang utak niya ay tila nalunod dito. Pakiramdam niya ay nanliliit siya sa mga salitang namumutawi sa bibig ng kanyang tiyo.
He raised his head when Uncle Flavio helped himself with the remaining bruschetta on the dining table. Well, at least I don't look like a horse, he thought as he watched his uncle munch the toasted bread.
"Zio! That was mine!" From a distance, he heard the little girl Aria cried as she jumped down the sofa that was taller than her, dashed her way from the living room and forced Uncle Flavio's big mouth open.
Adrian watched his uncle dodged Aria's hand with a stiffled laughter, his face as scarlet as tomatoes on top of bruschetta. Aria loved bruschette so much that her chubby cheeks were now filled with tears. She kept on digging her hands on his lips but Uncle Flavio just teased her with the crunching sounds of the food inside his mouth.
Adrian, overjoyed by his uncle's diverted attention, picked up a glass of champagne and savored its bitter taste.
His grandmother was sitting on the sofa, attention deeply focused on the flashing news in the television of which its sounds were drowned by the noises from the dining table — Aria's tantrums and Uncle Fabrizio, Aria's father, talking through his phone — and the cooking sounds on the nearby kitchen where his mother and his Aunt Lucia were busy cooking, Emilia approaching them from her bedroom.
Tumigil lang sa pagmamaktol si Aria nang pilit na binuhat ito ng kanyang ina papunta sa kusina kung saan nagluluto si Lucia, ang nanay ni Emilia. Sa una ay ayaw niyang magpatangay ngunit nang marinig niya ang magic words — "gagawan ka ni Tita ng maraming maraming bruschetta." — ay hindi na siya umangal pa.
Kung inaakala ni Adrian ay nakaligtas na siya sa mga personal na tanong ng kanyang Tiyo ay nagkakamali siya, dahil matapos lumagok sa baso ng alak ay inayos nito ang kanyang upuan para maharap siya.
"Sumali ka kaya sa mga youth gatherings, maraming babae ron, magaganda, mababait, masisipag," saad nito, "siguradong makakahanap ka ng para sa 'yo."
Talking to his uncle like this made him feel as though he was a criminal being interrogated and when he tries to leave his seat, he'll get tortured to death.
Adrian almost rolled his eyes, which, of course, Uncle Flavio didn't see since he poured the remaining champagne in his glass.
Hindi babae ang hanap ko, Tito.
He forced a smile which gradually broke into a feigned laugh. With all the things he's been through, conjuring a fake smile became a part of his daily task. He could easily fake one as though it was as normal as breathing, deceiving even his own mother.
"At saka hindi rin maganda yung parati kang nasa bahay, baka—"
Uncle Flavio's words were cut by Emilia. "Pa, tikman mo 'tong risotto na gawa ni Tita Linda dali," tawag niya habang naglalakad mula sa kusina kaya nabaling ang atensiyon ng kanyang tiyo sa kutsara na dala-dala nito.
Her right hand was holding a spoonful of creamy yellow rice while the other was placed below — to avoid it from spattering the floor. Adrian looked at her with a grateful look as Uncle Flavio consumed the food. Emilia smiled, then winked and mouthed 'I got you'.
She's Adrian's only relative who knew his true identity — a secret he painfully hid more than half of his life. If his family were just as welcoming as Emilia he wouldn't have to hide his real feelings at all...he wouldn't have been in this agonizing situation with his uncle.
"Our main course is ready!" sigaw ni Aunt Susana mula sa kusina. "Emilia, set the table." It was barely audible due to the rampaging music but it was loud enough for them to hear.
Adrian excused himself to wash his hands. He almost tripped sidestepping Aria's barbie doll on the floor. When he reached the bathroom, he rinsed his face and inspired desperately. He inhaled as much air as he can, as though holding his breath from a toxic environment for a long time. As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he noticed how watery his brown eyes were. He suddenly felt exhausted. He just want to take a pause from this perturbing family reunion.
Adrian heaved a very deep sigh to prevent his tears from falling, a strand of his long, black hair fell on his face as he exhaled.
It's funny to think how his family, who were supposed to be his strongest assets, appeared to be his greatest obstacle in this atrocious phase of coming out.
He forced himself to blink harshly, deeply inhaled and exhaled three times, then fixed his smile before he burst the door open.
Natigilan siya nang makasalubong sa hallway si Emilia. Muntik silang magkabangaan sa anggulo ng pasilyo patungong kusina.
"Okay ka lang?"
He sucked in a deep breath and beamed. "Y-yeah."
Tumango si Emilia. "Dinner's ready," she thumbed to the dining room at dumiretso sa banyo.
* * *
It was past ten in the evening when their wines ran out. Kinailangang samahan ni Adrian si Emilia sa pinakamalapit na bukas na grocery store dahil nagpabili pa ng alak ang kanilang mga magulang.
Emilia went to where the freezers were cause she recalled she just ran out of ice creams at home and needed to restock; while Adrian was busy searching wines with more than twelve percent alcohol volume on a narrow aisle.
After scanning three rows of unfamiliar white wine brands, he got impatient. Nagdesisyon siyang Bellavista nalang ang bibilhin. His uncles don't care anyway if he buys sparkling or still as long as it ain't red wine.
The only problem he has is that it was in the very top shelf. The shelves were high enough, almost twice Emilia's height. Adrian tip-toed and stretched out his hand but to no avail. He could only touch the bottle with his fingertips.
Hindi maliit si Adrian, ngunit hindi rin siya katangkaran. He needed some assistance to reach the wine bottle. Naglibot siya ng paningin ngunit wala siyang mahalugilap na Clerk. Gabi na rin kaya hindi na gano'n karami ang mga taong namimili.
Adrian tapped his foot and groaned. "Bahala na. Magtiis nalang sila sa alak na mababa ang kalidad."
However, as he was about to pick a random wine from the lower rows, a man, probably in the same age as him, appeared out of nowhere.
"Excuse me. Do you need a hand?" he asked.
Adrian looked up. He saw a man with a chummy grin, teeth as white as those in the toothpaste commercials. He was wearing a tucked-in white shirt which was tight enough for his enormous muscles to bulge; an olive green jumper tied on his neck and his blue baseball cap loomed over his eyes.
"N-no, thanks. I'm good."
He didn't know why he stuttered. Perhaps because the man was inches taller than him?
"Two hands, then?" the man kidded.
Adrian replied with a dry laugh. He sure sucks at building good conversations.
He walked away and tried to focus his attention on picking up a cheap bottle of wine. Ngunit hindi siya mapakali lalo na nang maramdaman niya ang pagsunod ng lalaki sa kanya.
"So you're just gonna settle with a low quality wine?" Something unexplainable churned inside Adrian upon hearing that raspy, tantalizing voice.
Lumunok siya bago hinarap ang lalaki. Muntikan na siyang mabangga sa malapad na dibdib nito dahil sa biglaang paghinto. The tip of his nose were only a few centimeters away from piercing the jumper on the guy's neck. The smell of powerful iris clashing with spicy black pepper and deep vanilla wood infiltrated his nose.
"Woah, chill," he jested amicably, hands surrendering in the air, chuckling.
Adrian, taking a step back, couldn't help but shot a glance at the man's white teeth, then, as his eyebrows furrowed, he gave him a hostile gaze.
"Ano ba'ng pake mo kung ano ang gusto kong bilhin?"
Adrian, of course, didn't have the courage to speak his thoughts.
"Nakita kita kanina. I'm pretty sure you wanted that wine on the top shelf." Naglakad pabalik ang lalaki kung nasaan ang Bellavista na pilit inaabot ni Adrian kanina. He tiptoed and seized the bottle by its neck. "Ilan ba ang kailangan mo — isa? Dalawa?"
"Tatlo," sagot niya.
He stood there, waiting, in the middle of the narrow aisle as he watched the man's biceps twitched each time he grabbed a bottle. Whenever he stretched his arms out, Adrian gets a few seconds of sneak peak at his navel. His fair skin made it look smooth that Adrian had imagined how it feels when he runs his fingers around it.
"Here." The man handed him the three bottles at once. "Ang lakas mo namang uminom," komento nito matapos maabot ang mga alak. Ibinalik niya sa pagkaka-tuck in ang damit.
"Salamat sa tulong," said Adrian, avoiding the man's eye, and escaped the scene before he completely lose control.
While heading for the counter, his replies echoed through his head. Iniisip niya kung nagmukha ba siyang tanga sa harap ng isang estranghero. Ayos lang ba ang naging asta niya? Ang mga naging sagot niya? Hindi naman siguro siya nagmukhang bastos, ano? Adrian wanted to ruffle his hair out of frustration.
He silently cursed Emilia for leaving her and he had to look funny hugging the wine bottles against his chest cause he couldn't hold them all at once.
* * *
"So...kumusta kayo ni Dante?" Emilia unwrapped her ice cream and started licking it as soon as they got out of the grocery store.
It was a clear, windy summer evening and even though it's already summer, the wind breeze was still fresh and chilly. The Carrefour's lights were bright and reddish — enough to illuminate the whole surroundings.
"Oh, right." Adrian remembered and fished his phone in his pocket. "Remember when I told you how I was so worried about him because my messages were delivered but he didn't read it?" he said while pulling his phone out of his sundry pocket.
Tumango si Emilia nang hindi siya nililingon. "Mm-hm" — abala ito sa paglalasap ng sorbetes — "that was like four days ago. What happened?"
Adrian gave her a downcast look. "Nothing."
"Wala pa ring reply?" tanong ni Emilia. Tumango siya. "Hindi na ako nagulat."
Adrian elbowed her and opened the instagram app on his phone. Emilia bit the cone and exchanged her grocery bag of ice creams with his phone. Reading the screen on her left hand, she kept on munching the waffle cone and halted in the middle of the street, people passed and avoided them.
Inilibot naman ni Adrian ang paningin sa paligid habang patuloy na nagbabasa si Emilia. Lagpas alas diyes na ng gabi ngunit maliwanag pa rin ang paligid dahil sa mga nakasinding street lights sa bawat parte ng kalsada. Hindi rin delikado maglakad sa ganitong oras dahil nakatira sila sa syudad kung saan nagkalat ang mga matatayog na gusali.
Maliban sa tunog ng mga makina at yapak ng mga tao, naririnig niya rin ang maiingay na pagnguya ni Emilia sa kanyang tabi na interesadong-interesado sa binabasa. Pinagmasdan ni Adrian ang mga taong napapadaan sa gawi nila, ang mga dumaraang sasakyan, hanggang sa dumako ang kanyang paningin sa 'di kalayuan, sa kabilang parte ng kalsada, kung saan nakaparada ang isang itim na sasakyan.
He squinted his eyes when he saw two people arguing under the copper street lamp. What piqued his interest weren't their rather aggressive hand gestures nor the truculent movements of their mouths — which were drowned away by various noises — but the man on a white shirt and a blue baseball cap.
He hadn't told Emilia about his encounter with that man earlier as he felt like she's just gonna make fun of his social anxiety disorder.
"I wonder how you got yourself a boyfriend when you're clearly at the bottom of the list when it comes to social skills." is what he reckon she would react when he told him about that.
"You should leave him, he is a gigantic red flag." Adrian peered at Emilia who was popping the tip of the cone into her mouth.
"Grabe ka naman magsalita...maybe he's just too busy" — he reclaimed his phone — "you know, lilipat sila ng bahay. And moving houses is not an easy task."
"Okay, sabi mo eh."
They continued strolling peacefully — despite the heavy feeling on Adrian's chest — through the dim lit streets.
However, when he was about to put the phone back into his pocket, and when Emilia started unboxing a set of magnum ice cream sticks, his phone lit up and vibrated. A message from a guy he cared the most about — probably more than Uncle Fabrizio and Uncle Flavio combined — emerged from his screen.
He halted abruptly, dragging Emilia with her, and, with his heart missing a beat, he squealed, "He replied!"
Emilia shoved the ice cream back to its box and frenzied to see Dante's message, blocking half of Adrian's face. Her hair got blown by the wind as a car passed by, prickly hitting Adrian's face that he had to close his eyes to prevent it from getting stabbed.
He nudged her and she didn't bother to apologize. Emilia clicked the message and the whole conversation came into view.
Dante Alfonso
Active now
MON 15:41
Happy birthday ulit!!! Natanggap mo
ba yung regalo ko?
Yes bb thank u ily
I love you too
Kumusta nga pala si Tita? Nasa
France pa rin ba siya?
TUE 6:43
Good morning babe
TUE 13:58
Tapos na klase ko kain tayo sa labas?
Libre ko wag ka magalala hahaha
WED 14:35
How's school?
WED 20:24
Nakapack ka na ba?
THU 9:31
Why are you not replying?
THU 13:47
Are you busy? Can we talk?
FRI 7:29
Naol snobber. Baka naman kahit
isang like lang diyan
SAT 10:52
Uyyy
17:06
Okay ka lang ba?
22:38
Busy rn srry talk to you tomorrow