Today's a weekend, and by some miracle ay nagkatipon ang aking buong pamilya sa iisang bubong — both the Custodios and the dela Merceds. Ipinagpilitan kasi ni Mom na magkaroon kami ng bonding time, kaya naman kahit medyo awkward pa rin ang aming sitwasyon ay wala nang nagawa sina Mama at Papa nang sunduin ko sila at dalhin dito sa mansyon. Hindi rin nagpaiwan si Myron na heto't prenteng-prente ang pagkakaupo sa harap ng TV, kasama si Zac.
Unfortunately, this made me the odd one out. My both sets of parents were deep in conversation, and my brother, as mentioned, had already bonded with my nephew.
If only Vren was here...
As if on cue, my phone rang, signaling that I had an incoming call from my boyfriend.
"Vren! Napatawag ka?" I may or may not have sounded too delighted, but I was really feeling left out at the moment.
"Hey, babe." Kahit hindi kami magkaharap ay alam kong nakangisi ang mokong. "Are you home?"
"Yup."
"Which one?" he asked with a chuckle. "Custodio or dela Merced?"
"dela Merced." Tumawa rin ako. "Bakit mo naman naitanong?"
"Because I'm on my way to fetch you. Mom and Dad want you to have lunch with us."
"What? As in ngayon na?" Muntik ko nang mabitiwan ang phone ko. "Bakit parang biglaan naman? Akala ko, nasa abroad pa sila?"
"They arrived home last night." I heard yet another chuckle from the other line. "Why do you seem panicked? You've already met my parents, haven't you?"
"Oo nga. Pero dati 'yon, noong hindi pa tayo," mangiyak-ngiyak kong sagot. "This will be my first time to meet them as your girlfriend!"
"That's adorable." Vren's tone carried a hint of teasing. "But really, there's no need for you to get all flustered. It's just Mom and Dad, for God's sake."
"Seryoso ka ba?" Alam kong pataas nang pataas ang boses ko — in fact ay napalingon na sa akin ang mga kasama ko rito sa bahay — pero wala akong pakialam. My boyfriend was acting like me meeting his parents was no big deal, which I found ridiculous. "Alam mo ba kung ano ang suot ko ngayon? Isang kupas na t-shirt at kupas ding pantalon! Are you telling me that I should meet your parents looking like this?"
"Calm down, Mira. I'll see you in an hour, okay?"
And before I could say anything else, my boyfriend had already ended the call.
"Hello? Vren? Loko 'to, ah. Babaan ba naman ako ng tawag!" I stared at my phone in incredulity.
"Anong problema, Ate?" pag-uusisa ni Myron. "LQ ba kayo ni Kuya Vren?"
Umiling ako. "Hindi, 'no. Susunduin niya nga raw ako ngayon."
"E bakit high pitched ka habang kinakausap siya, 'nak?" tanong naman ni Mama. "Nakakanerbiyos ka naman."
"Sorry po, nag-panic lang ako. Gusto raw kasi akong makita ng parents niya," I answered morosely. "Hindi po ako prepared."
At my words, my family exchanged grins.
"Armand and Vina are back, I see." Dad remarked, looking amused.
"Kaya pala natataranta itong anak natin," Papa commented.
"You should dress nicely, hija!" linya naman ni Mom. "You're meeting your boyfriend's parents. You should make a good impression."
"'Yon na nga po, e. Paano naman po ako makakagawa ng good impression sa itsura kong ito?" I swept a hand to bring attention to my nondescript clothes. "Meron po bang malapit na mall dito, para naman makabili ako ng mas matinong isusuot? On the way na raw po si Vren, e."
"There's no need for you to go to a mall, hija." She laughed. "Go upstairs and enter the room at the end of the left corridor. You should find something suitable to wear there."
****
As it turned out, the room at the end of the left corridor was Ate Bella's.
This was my first time to enter my sister's room, and the first thing I noticed was that it looked exactly like the type of room that teenager me would have died for. Para lang naman itong kwarto ng isang prinsesa. Canopy bed, vanity mirror, walk-in closet — this place had all sorts of luxury. And its main attraction? A portrait of a young Isabella Lira dela Merced. She was probably in her late teens when the painting was rendered, and she looked so angelic on it that I found myself staring at the image as if hypnotized. Kung hindi ko pa naalalang nandito nga pala ako para maghanap ng maisusuot sa pa-meet-the-parents ni Vren ay baka maghapon na lang akong tumitig sa mukha ng aking kapatid.
"Ate Bella, pahiram muna ng damit, ha?" parang timang kong tanong sa kanyang portrait. "Saka matching sapatos na rin. Emergency lang. Ang magaling na si Vren Andrei, ngayon lang sinabing gusto pala akong makita ng mga magulang niya."
Pero siyempre ay hindi ko na hinintay na sumagot pa ang aking ate — baka himatayin ako sa takot kapag nagsalita ang kanyang portrait. I proceeded to enter her walk-in closet, at literal na nalula ako sa dami ng mga damit at sapatos na pwede kong pagpilian. But in the end, I settled for a simple peach day dress and a similarly colored pair of strappy sandals.
Tinodo ko na rin ang pag-raid sa kwarto ni Ate Bella. I managed to find some practically untouched makeup among her belongings, which I applied lightly to give my pale face some life. Hindi pa ako nakuntento at nag-spray na rin ako ng kanyang mamahaling perfume.
I gave my reflection one last look, just in time to hear a knock on the door. This was followed by Mom's voice, saying, "Mira, darling, Vren's already here!"
Smile, Mira. It's time to meet the Montevillas.
****
"Talaga bang okay lang ang itsura ko?" I asked Vren for what seemed like the millionth time. Nasa loob na kami ng kotse niya at bumabiyahe papunta sa Montevilla residence. But before we left, nakarinig lang naman ang boyfriend ko ng katakot-takot na mga bilin mula sa aking mga magulang.
Ang hirap pala kapag maraming parents, I thought with a half-amused, half-exasperated smirk as Papa, Mama, Dad, and Mom bombarded Vren with their reminders. Ang daming security guards!
"Relax, babe. You look gorgeous," my boyfriend now assured me. "And trust me, my family wouldn't care even if you show up wearing PJs."
"Kahit si Ate Vira?"
"Okay, maybe there'll be a bit of judging on my sister's part," Vren replied, making me laugh. "Seriously, though. You don't have to impress anyone," he added with an adoring smile.
"Gusto ko lang naman na magustuhan ako ng pamilya mo." There was a hint of worry in my tone.
"What are you talking about? They already love you." My boyfriend chuckled. "And even if by some stupid reason, they didn't, to hell with them. I love you, and that's all that matters."
****
"Hija, you look beautiful!" Tita Vina fawned over me the moment her son and I arrived in their home. "How are you? It's been so long!"
"Okay lang po ako, Tita," nakangiti kong sagot. Kahit paaano ay nabawasan ang kaba ko dahil sa warm welcome sa akin ng nanay ni Vren. "Kayo po, kumusta?"
"I'm doing well, too." She patted me affectionately on the cheek. "Tamang-tama ang dating niyo ni Vren. Lunch is ready. Armand!" she then called out to her husband. "They're here!"
Vren's dad approached us, looking formal as ever but wearing a small smile nonetheless. "Good day, hija. It's nice to see you again."
"Good day rin po. Salamat po sa pag-imbita sa akin." I smiled back at him. Truth be told, it was Sir Armand — should I start calling him "Tito"? — whose presence made me nervous. Kahit hindi pa man nagiging kami ni Vren ay alam ko na kung gaano kaseryoso ang kanilang padre de pamilya. Pero mukha namang good mood ito ngayon kaya tuluyan na akong kumalma.
"Oh, someone's looking really gorgeous today!" Ate Vira, ever the scene-stealer, greeted me with a flourish. "I missed you, Mira dear."
Beside me, Vren rolled his eyes, making me giggle. I knew what caused my boyfriend's exasperation — his dramatic sister was acting as if it's been ten years since we last saw each other.
"I missed you too, Ate Vira." We shared a fleeting hug. "Nasaan sina Juli at Miggie?"
"Art school," she replied with a proud smile. "My angels are really into painting nowadays. Vince Allen, where are you? Mira and Vren have arrived!"
"Calm down, Ate. I'm here." Vince emerged to the living room with his phone in hand. "I just took a call from AMMC — nothing urgent, though. Hey, Mira. You look lovely," he added with a wink at me.
"Thanks, Vince." Ngumiti ako, habang si Vren naman ay sinamaan ng mukha ang kuya niya. This made everyone else chuckle.
"No need to look threatening, little cupcake," Ate Vira told her brother teasingly. "While you were gone to fetch Mira, sinabi sa amin ni Vince na may girlfriend na siya. What's her name, again, little muffin? Hannah?"
"Yup." Vince grinned as Vren and I exchanged surprised looks. "You can tone down the jealousy, bro. Mira and I are just good friends."
"And future siblings-in-law," their sister added. She and Vince high-fived.
"Shut the fuck up, both of you," Vren told them with another deadly glare. Nagtataka ko siyang tiningnan, pero mukhang hindi niya ako napansin. Or was he deliberately ignoring me?
"What?" Vince protested with an innocent look. "May sinabi ba akong masama?"
"Oh, please. Don't start arguing again," saway ni Tita Vina sa mga anak niya na sinundan ng isang buntonghininga. "Especially not in front of Mira."
"Sanay na po ako sa kanila, Tita." Bahagya akong tumawa. "Unang beses pa lang naming magkita-kita, nag-aaway na sina Vren at Vince."
"Way to make a good impression, my sons," Sir Armand remarked, making everyone laugh.
****
"So." I wore a smug expression as Vren drove me back to the dela Merced residence — my boyfriend promised to bring me back right after lunch. "I wonder why Vince and Ate Vira kept on hinting at something habang kumakain tayo. Even your parents seem to know something that I don't. Napapaisip tuloy ako."
"Don't overanalyze," Vren replied, deadpan. But the corners of his mouth twitched, and I knew he was trying to hide a smile. "They're just being stupid."
"Kahit ang dad mo?" I challenged. "He sounded serious when he told you to stop stalling and just do it — whatever it might be."
"Look, just drop it, okay?" He sounded miffed all of a sudden. "It's not something I want to discuss right now."
"Fine," I replied with a pout. "Sorry."
Mukha namang na-guilty ang mokong. "Hey," he said in a much gentler tone, "I'm not mad. I just want to do everything properly, if you catch my drift."
A hopeful smile slowly lit up my face. "Okay. Ready naman akong maghintay."