I woke up feeling refreshed. This is my second day in Germany. We arrived late yesterday so all we did was had dinner then retired for the night.
My room is situated in the east wing of the house. Ethan's and his parents' bedroom are in the west wing. Yes, the house is ginormous it has an east and a west wing.
My bedroom looks more like a suite. It has a receiving area, kitchenette, a reading/study nook, a walk-in closet and a bathroom. It also has a balcony attached to the bedroom. From there, you can see the sun rising in the morning. Which I am doing right now. There's also an espresso machine so I help myself to a cup of cappuccino.
I am lounging in the balcony enjoying my coffee when my phone rings.
"Hello? Oops, videochat pala. Hi, Pat!"
"Bes! Kumusta ang buhay prinsesa sa Germany."
"Pat! Grabe! Ang ganda dito lahat! Yung bahay nila Ethan, yung room ko, yung view, yung fresh air!"
"Di ka naman masyadong excited nyan. Puro exclamation. Patingin nga."
I switch the camera view and scan with it everything I can see.
"So, ano verdict?"
"Ay, gusto ko dyan magbakasyon friend."
"Alam mo, meron ka open invitation dito eh. Naikwento kasi kita kagabi kina Tita. Naaliw sa'yo. So as soon as maayos mo ang schedules mo, book a flight."
"Sige, gusto ko yan. So, how's Ethan?"
"Okay naman, Bes. Mabait, gentleman, maalaga..."
"But he's not EJ."
"Yes, he's not EJ. Come to think of it, para siyang older version ni EJ eh. Different eye and hair color lang."
"Anong balak mo?"
"Bes, wala naman akong dapat ipagdesisyon. Hindi nanliligaw yung tao. Besides, vacation ang reason ng pagpunta ko dito. Not bf."
"Even may ma-meet kang iba at magustuhan mo?"
"We'll see. Kumusta ka na pala dyan? Andaya mo once ka lang nagpakita sakin. Wala ka pa nung gala."
"Bes, busy lang sorry na. Bawi ako pagpunta ko dyan. Gusto ko na ngang magresign sa work. Slave driver ang boss ko."
"Ayaw mo pa kasi magwork samin eh. Para sana meron din akong kasama maglunch."
"Hmmm...bahala na si Batman. Ayaw ko lang din makarinig ng di magandang salita sa mga tao. Baka sabihin ng iba friend ko kase ang anak ng owner. Pero pag-iisipan ko yang offer mo ha."
"Good. You know I had a strange dream. Di ba I told you before that I felt someone kissed me the night I met EJ? On the flight, nakatulog ako Bes. Sobrang puyat siguro or di pa ko sanay magising ng maaga after the gala. So, sa dream ko, someone kissed me again. Peck lang. Tapos I heard two people talking. You know what's strange? Bosses ni EJ ang narinig ko Bes."
"Friend, kailangan mo pa siguro ng maraming rest. Imposibleng mangyari na boses ni EJ yun. Ay Bes, I have to go. Dumating ba ang masungit kong boss. TTYL."
Pat ends the videochat.
"Hay. Ano na ba ang gagawin ko? Hmmm...message ko nga si Ethan. Kaya lang baka tulog pa."
"Marydale! Marydale!" I hear Ethan's voice. I look around. I walk to the railings and look down. There, Ethan is about to have breakfast near the pool. I shout,
"Good morning, Ethan!" And I wave at him.
"Come down here. Let's eat breakfast together. And put on a swimsuit."
"Okay. Wait lang."
I hurriedly fix myself and don a bathing suit. I put on a terry robe, get my phone and open my door.
"Good morning, miss. Please follow me."
Sosyal talaga. I follow their staff and is brought to Ethan.
Ethan stands, kisses my cheek and pulls the chair so I can sit.
"Thank you. Wow, are these just for the two of us?"
There's so much food on the table. There's bread, ham, cheese, eggs, and other food I can't identify the names.
"Uhmmm...sort of. I'd like you to meet my brother. He's going to join us. Oh, go ahead and eat."
"You have a brother?!"
"Yes. Estranged younger brother that I haven't seen in five years. We reunited with him in the Philippines, actually."
"Really? That's good to hear and I'm glad. For me, family is important. Even when you feel suffocated with their overprotectiveness. But I understand, they mean well."
"You know, what I like about you is that you know what you want yet you still follow your parents advice."
"More like directives but I get what you're trying to say. I love my parents. Yun nga lang, they didn't give me a sibling. After giving birth, my mom had a complication. They had to remove her ovaries so 'yun."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Merong advantages and disadvantages ang only child. I'm thankful I met my bestfriend, Pat. Oh, by the way. I extended your invitation to her to visit Germany. Open pa ba yun?"
"Of course. My mom will be so happy. Two girls. She wanted to have girls but she gave birth to two sons. Ironic, no?"
Ethan looks at someone behind me.
"Oh, here's my brother. EJ come here! You're late. We went ahead and started eating."
EJ??????!!!!!