Not a Coincidence | Juan GDL

Chapter 19: The Eye of the Storm

     “Tay, huwag mo lasingin, please? Wala pang pahinga iyan!” – If there’s one role I have successfully fulfilled during drinking sessions, it was – being a mediator.

     I gave my father my most watchful glare as he opened up another bottle of wine. He has been drinking the night away with Juan, Max, my 2 uncles, and 3 more male cousins. They wanted to relieve the stress and strain away after preparing the whole day for my handaan tomorrow.

     All in all - my father was able to accumulate eight willing persons to join the session for the night, including him. A large rectangular table was pulled into our yard and it was hastily filled with shot glasses, alcohol bottles and appetizers - not to mention the 8 willing people occupying the seats around it.

   “Hindi ko naman lalasingin, anak. Pa-iinumin ko lang!” he defended and looked at Juan warmly, adding – “Hijo, pwede kang tumanggi ng baso kung ayaw mo na.”

   “Sino ba naman ang tatanggi sa shot glass, David?” Uncle Ferdinand pointed out, laughing.

   “Belle, it’s okay," Juan said, winking at me. "Don’t worry, I got a high tolerance for this." That earned him quite a handful of approval from the rest of the group while I was left to roll my eyes and shake my head in disapproval.

   “Naman pala, Belle! Hayaan mo na si Juan. Hindi ka pa asawa sa lagay na iyan ha!” Max intervened teasingly, already flustered. I caught him pouring another round on Juan's glass.

     I narrowed my eyes at my cousin. “Isusumbong kita kay Rachelle."

     Sitting out straightly with a sudden jerk, he exclaimed, “Walang ganyanan, Belle! Ito naman hindi ma-good time!"

     I glanced at Juan once more before walking inside the house. The guy just gave me a playful grin and mouthed an incoherent mute 'I won't be drunk,' of which I gladly replied with an eye roll.

     Even from the insides, my father's chants can still be heard, along with the loud cheers my uncles and cousins were making. The night was already deep and it was coated with the blissful voices of our relatives.

     "Hayaan mo na nga ang tatay mo, Belle. Minsan lang niya makasama sa inuman si Juan kaya sinusulit niya lamang ang pagkakataon," Nanay assured me with a smile. She was sitting in our dining table talking to my 3 aunts. "At kung tutuusin, maaari namang tumanggi si Juan kung dadalawin siya ng pagod at antok. Mabuti pa ay mauna ka ng mag-pahinga, anak."

     I nodded at my mother and kissed her cheeks for good night. I extended my greetings to my aunts as well who helped us today.

     Pacing the way leading to my room, I can't help but to feel anxious. It was a haywire of emotions - realizing the Simons had fully gone beyond the point. The intervention they made within my family's relations was too much. It just meant they badly needed to prove something. Not necessarily to my whole family, but to me.

     I closed the door behind and decided to rummage through Juan's duffle bag, which was placed on top of my study table. It was a Nike black bag - the usual some athletes use. I dug up through the neatly folded clothes and tried to find something suitable for him to sleep on. I knew he would be coming back drunk, so might as well prepare things for him.

     After 3 minutes, I settled with his dark blue plain shirt and cotton gray shorts - of course with his underwear. I primly laid everything on my study table, just beside his bag, before taking myself into shower and changing to my sleeping clothes.

     There were 2 rest rooms on our house. One on the bedrooms' hallway and the other was on our kitchen. After taking a bath, I went back to my room and sat on the edge of my bed. I was wearing a cotton-black-sleeveless night dress, something that I usually wear to have a good, comfortable sleep.