Good For The Heart

|| eleven || barbecue party ||

Maine and RJ slaved away in the kitchen all morning, while RJ was marinating the pork and chicken for the barbecue and working his magic around Maine's kitchen, Maine was outside finishing and decorating her gazebo and setting up the tables and griller outside. What she did was bought those big logs for them to all sit around later in the evening and was actually planning a bonfire in the middle while they sip on their beers and wine. She'd also borrowed two picnic benches from the vineyard just for the day and placed them together just outside the newly built gazebo.

Before lunch time, Jerald and Valeen arrived with Patricia's cake and a keg of beer and the four of them had a quick lunch together before going back to work. None of them talked to each other because they were too focused on what they were doing and at around 3 o'clock, the Danteses arrived with their baby Zia and their nanny.

So Maine texted Sam and Patricia to come over for an emergency and within minutes they heard the couple's car parked outside Maine's front house.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone said in unison as Patricia and Sam arrived in Maine's back porch. They both looked worried since Maine had called them an hour ago to come over for an emergency.

Patricia put a hand over her mouth to cover up her surprised reaction and then she began hitting her husband on the shoulder. "Tangina! Akala ko napano na si Maine!"

Sam ducked away from his violent wife, shielding her hits with his own arms. "Wala akong kinalaman dito,"

Patricia walked up to Maine who was holding a lighted cake as everybody sang Happy Birthday, Patricia blew the candle once everybody finished singing and wrapped her arms around her bestfriend. "Loka, loka ka! Bukas pa birthday ko ah!"

Maine rolled her eyes, "Kaya nga eh, surprise nga diba?"

"Nag abala ka pa!" Patricia grinned, "And ang tanga naman namin di namin napansin ang kotse ni Jerald sa labas!"

"You know I love you," Maine smiled, and then turned to the other guests: there was only ten of them: Maine, RJ, Valeen, Jerald, Marian, Dingdong and their baby Zia and her nanny and Sam and Patricia. Maine didn't know any of Patricia's new friends since they moved to Tagaytay so she did not bother inviting Patricia's other friends and she didn't think Patricia minded anyway. She knew for a fact that Patricia would prefer that there was only a few people who came because she didn't want to entertain those she cared less about.

The newly arrived couple greeted the guests and everybody started mingling with each other and having their own conversations, the women separated from the men. Men surrounded the griller with beers in their hands and talking about the latest NBA game while the girls were going back and forth from the kitchen to set out the tables. It was 4 o'clock already and they were already hungry.

"Natapos mo rin ang gazebo project mo," Patricia said to Maine as they laid out the salad on the table.

Maine nodded, "I'm really thankful na RJ is here to help out, nastrestress na ako kanina sa daming gagawin," she said,

Patricia only rolled her eyes, "Sino ba kasi nagsabe sayo na handaan mo ako sa birthday ko?"

Maine shrugged, "Wala, feel ko lang. This has a double purpose kasi, I want everyone to get along before your birthday mission kasi we will all be spending three days together sa mountains so ayun I thought it's a good idea that we can all have this bonding moment, at para na rin hindi mahihiya si RJ satin,"

Patricia nodded, "Well, di ko talaga na isip yun eh!" They went back inside Maine's house to join Valeen who was holding baby Zia and talking to Marian in the kitchen. Marian had offered to make her delicious barbecue sauce from scratch. "Kumusta na pala kayo ni Doc RJ?" Patricia asked, teasingly.