Of Heads and Hearts in the Metro

by Thessa Lim

  Now, I wonder how she would feel about me . . .

  The next day early in the afternoon, Anne called Zara. “Are you free now?”

  “Yes, I’m just snacking on lechon paksiw.[11] What’s up?”

  Anne snorted at this.

  “What, it’s yummy! You were the one having food orgasms last night.”

  “I had to work out this morning just to get all the fat off me. Is Laine there?”

  “No, she flew to Bohol this morning.”

  Zara and Laine rented an apartment together at the Le Sure Condominium in Makati City.

  “How long will she be there?”

  “She’ll be there for the weekend only. What’s up?”

  “Be ready in ten minutes. I’ll come pick you up at your condo.”

  Anne hung up. Zara stared at the mobile and shook her head.

  In ten minutes, Anne drove by the condo, and Zara stepped into her car.

  “Anne, what’s going on?” she asked as she buckled herself in.

  “We’re going to go check on Braden and see what he’s been up to. I’ve got nagging doubts about Tita helping Jaz out.”

  Zara sighed. “Anne, you know that that is none of our business, right? Although I also meddle, I don’t want Braden to be around Jaz anymore.”

  “Well, let’s just check him out. I want to know if this guy who’s been with Jaz for two years . . . two years . . . if he’s now changed his mind, might be coerced by his mommy dearest to answer for Liam, or . . . if he’ll continue to stay away from our little boy.”

  Zara sighed but resigned herself to her fate for the afternoon as Anne pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway.

  As they neared the apartment that Braden was renting in Quezon City, Anne turned the car to park at the opposite side of the road.

  “By the way, I messaged Jake last night and told him he was a douche.” Anne winked at Zara.

  Anne and Zara had some classes in college together, which was how they met. Anne had met Jake then while mingling in several social circles.

  “Thanks?” Zara chuckled and shook her head at her friend. “So why do you care so much about Braden? Are you going to stalk Jake sometime soon too?”

  “Well, among all of us, I’ve always disliked him the most. And he hit on me once while he and Jaz were still together. I want to destroy him in her eyes. If you must know, deep inside, Jaz still wants to get back with Braden.”

  They were not sure if Braden was home or if he was even in the city this weekend. Anne searched Braden’s Facebook page for any clues. No posts since a week ago. And even then . . . a video of a dog doing tricks. A clip of a rock band concert.

  Anne then plucked a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment.

  Zara raised an eyebrow. “Why do you have binoculars?”

  Anne waved a hand at Zara and brought the binoculars to her eyes. Anne trained them on the windows of Braden’s apartment.

  “Races.”

  Zara rolled her eyes.

  “I can’t see!” Anne blurted out and leaned forward in her seat. “I think someone’s watching TV, but I can only see the back of his head. The windows are sort of tinted.”

  “Is it Braden?” Zara reached for the lenses but was shooed away.

  “I can’t tell. Although, who else would it be?” Anne raised her hands up in the air. “It’s okay. We’re not in a rush. Let’s relax for a while.”

  Anne turned on the stereo in the car, and they chitchatted about the latest movies and sitcoms. After an hour, they saw Braden step out of the apartment and go to the barbecue vendor a block away. The barbecue vendor had a cart parked on the sidewalk, where he grilled chicken wings and pork cutlets.

  “Yes, he’s here!” Anne pumped her fist in the air. “I wish he’d do something stupid. Like trip on himself.”

  Anne and Zara turned in their seats to peer at him, resisting the urge to go and get some barbecue for themselves as well. After making his purchase, Braden went back to his apartment with a paper bag tucked under his arm.

  “Nothing happening here, Anne. Maybe we should just let him be.” Zara settled back in her seat and sighed.

  “The shit is buying chicken barbecue while his son is crying back home and keeping his mom sleepless.”

  “If we really wanted to find out if he’s talked to Tita Fiona about Liam, we should tap his phone,” Zara suggested.

  Anne frowned. “Do we know anybody who can do that?”

  Zara shook her head. “Unfortunately none that I know of.”

  Anne’s eyes narrowed at the apartment in front of them. “Just one more hour.”

  Half an hour later, they saw Braden walk out of his apartment with a woman clad in a light blue flowing dress. They were not touching each other. However, by the way she looked at him over her shoulder—her body twisted at an angle that emphasized her tiny waist, her chin dipped to suggest a shyness—before opening the door of the car parked outside his apartment, Anne and Zara could tell they had chanced upon something. Zara quickly snapped a photo of the twosome before the girl climbed into the car.

  “Do you think Jazmine knows her?” Anne breathed.

  “I can’t tell. They’ve broken up for some months now. I’m not surprised that he’s dating again, but it looks like he’s already intimate with whoever she is . . . Do you want to tell Jaz?”

  Zara braced herself for Anne’s decision. Anne breathed in deeply.

  “I can’t.” Anne sighed in disappointment with herself. “But if the time comes, just be ready with that picture. It might convince Jaz to drop the Palmas altogether.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Laine and the High-Rise

  Laine settled her sarong on the rocky ground under a tree and sat on it. She could feel the rock’s edges jutting out under her; nevertheless, she put on her sunglasses and earphones, leaned back, and surveyed the area and the sea beyond the short cliff.

  It was the last property her father acquired before he passed away—an undeveloped property on Panglao Island, off the beaten track. Laine went there when she wanted some time alone. Her father was a religious man and was a minister at the local church. He used to tell her how everybody needed quiet time. Even Jesus.

  She had gone home for the weekend to visit her mother and just escaped the relatives offering her all sorts of local dishes, bickering on whose cooking most delighted the girl who came home from Manila. She had feasted on her mother’s halang-halang[12] and buwad[13] for breakfast, which had always been her favorites, and knew any more would be overkill.

  She prayed, thinking about her father, her mother, and her friends in Manila. She still worried about Zara, who walked around their condo unit with a glassy look in her eyes. Jazmine had gotten thinner than she was before her pregnancy, but she told Laine she was happy she was losing the weight.

  Laine tied up her hair in a ponytail, took off her shorts, and looked around. In all the times that she had been in that place, there had never been another soul. Then again, it never hurt to check. She took off her razorback tee and adjusted her bikini. She usually covered up herself more, but here she wore the one bikini she had for sunbathing.

  She went down the stone steps with her snorkel and fins and dog-paddled her way through the water. Her father had taught her how to swim when she was a child, and since then, she and the sea had begun a love affair. Her tanned skin and well-toned body were proof enough.

  She skin-dived a few times to the bottom of the sea to check if new corals had grown since she last came home. After a while she became satisfied that the older corals were as healthy as before.

  When she surfaced for air, a voice called out from the cliff, “Oi!”

  Laine turned to see who had trespassed on her personal retreat. There was a man standing on her father’s property, waving at her. She swam closer to shore, ready to tell the man off.

  “Excuse me. This is private property.”

  “Laine?” the guy asked, peering at her as she treaded in the
water.

  She strained to see his face, but the sun glared, and she squinted. She stepped out of the water and climbed up the steps, covering her body with her arms. She put on her tank top and approached the guy. He looked like he was about her age; he was wearing a tank and board shorts just like her.

  “Yes?” She stood in front of him and had to look up.

  “Your mother told me I’d find you here.” He crossed his arms, and his eyes danced as he took in her confusion.

  “My mom? Who are you?”

  “You don’t remember me at all?” He chuckled.

  “I’m sorry. I really don’t.”

  Laine’s eyes suddenly roamed over the built arms, which pressed against his muscular chest, which led to his slim waist, which . . .

  Snap out of it!

  She hugged her waist.

  “It’s me, Antonio.”

  She gasped. “Tony! Is that you?” She gaped at him, suddenly recognizing the matured features of her childhood neighbor.

  “Yes!” Without any warning, he hugged her and gave her a kiss on a cheek.

  Before she could conceal it, Laine drew a sharp breath. Her cheeks burned up, and she could only hope her tan covered it up. He studied her, his arms still lingering around her waist. Realizing he must have crossed a line, he moved away, laughing.

  “Sorry, too forward a hello?”

  She chuckled but could not find the words to put him at ease or apologize.

  “When did you come back? It’s been ages.” She giggled. “You talk differently too.”

  He and his mother, Evelyn, came back from the United States to Bohol a week ago. When relatives and friends heard, they had been invited for merienda,[14] lunch, and dinner in many homes. They visited Laine’s mother the other day. Laine was surprised that her mother did not mention this.

  “I see you’re still the little mermaid you were. You look tanner now.”

  “Yes, I am! But I’m not so little anymore. Do you still swim?”

  “I’m sure I can still beat you in a race,” he teased. Back in the days, among the neighborhood kids, he was the one who could run the fastest, do backflips, and climb the tallest trees.

  “Are you sure? I think the humidity and heat over here might be too much for your Am-boy lungs.” She smiled. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you.” She shook her head.

  “Where are you these days?” he asked.

  Laine sat on the lone wooden picnic table in the lot. She started toweling her hair and body dry.

  “I work in Manila, so I only fly back here every three months or so.”

  “Fancy. Uh . . . I have a business. I run an online shop in the U.S.”

  “You mean like eBay?”

  “It’s more like Amazon, but I only sell sporting gear, particularly for cycling, sports wear, that kind of thing. It’s still pretty localized, but people like that because they can just drop by our warehouse.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive. You miss this place?”

  “Very much. I miss the heat. I hate winters.”

  Suddenly a pickup truck drove into the small road beside the property. After the vehicle parked, Laine’s mother and Evelyn stepped out, each one carrying a food hamper.

  Laine smiled when she saw the older woman and ran to her. “Tita!”

  Evelyn smiled and offered her hand. Laine brought it to her forehead, receiving her blessing.

  “How are you, Tita? I can’t believe Mom didn’t tell me you were here.” Laine peered at Vivian, who in turn smiled mischievously.

  When they became friends in the local high school, Vivian and Evelyn had been inseparable. Even after they settled down and had children, they set up homes in the same neighborhood. However, they had to part ways when Tony’s father received a job offer in Virginia. Two years after they moved, Pablo left his family for an American woman. Vivian had begged Evelyn to come back to the Philippines, but Evelyn did not want to uproot Tony once again.

  “Well, Tony here wanted to surprise everybody,” Evelyn shared.

  Laine grinned. Tony had always been into pranks and surprises.

  “Why did you bring a lot of food? Are we having lunch here?” Laine asked.

  “You’ve slimmed down a lot. Manila is working you to the bones. And Evelyn brought some fresh seafood,” Vivian answered.

  Laine gasped. In Manila, she would have to go to Dampa, which was far from the condo, for a seafood feast at a decent price.

  “Let me help with that! Can we eat now? I sooo miss prawns and crabs.”

  Her hands moved, opening containers and laying out plates. They settled down to eat. Laine groaned in appreciation every time she put a piece of seafood into her mouth.

  “What are you staring at, fair-skinned man?” she teased when Tony laughed at her.

  “Nothing.” He choked and coughed. “I’ll be sure to get under the sun more while I’m here.”

  “Laine, you know, Tony has opened his online shop in Virginia, and it’s doing quite well.” Evelyn smiled. “Maybe you should come and visit us sometime. We can take you around, see the Washington Monument . . .”

  “He did tell me, and that’s impressive. It’d probably take me some time to save up for a trip to the U.S. though.”

  Vivian grinned. “I’d be willing to help out.”

  “Me too,” Evelyn put in much too quickly.

  Laine stared at them. Tony shook his head and chuckled under his breath.

  “Are you two trying to—”

  “Don’t say it. It’ll drive them further on,” Tony interrupted her. Their mothers’ faces fell, but then he quipped, “But yeah, you should visit. Spring or autumn should be lovely. Some cherry blossoms here and there.” He cleared his throat though there was nothing caught in it.

  Laine stared at the two mothers. “I would, but it’s just much too expensive for me. I got a few trips lined up, but they’re all only domestic.” Looking at Tony, she asked, “When are you going back? Maybe you could join me and my friends on our trips before you leave the country.”

  “Just friends. No boyfriend,” Vivian interjected.

  “Mom!” Laine grumbled and looked down at her plate.

  Of all the times . . . And of all the things to say . . .

  “Really? No boyfriend. You’re too”—throat clearing—“beautiful to still be single.”

  Laine’s mouth hung open—they were with both their mothers. “Well, I-I haven’t been rushing or anything. Just busy with work and projects.”

  There was silence for a while as both mothers clutched each other’s hand under the table.

  “Tony doesn’t have a girlfriend either,” Evelyn ventured.

  “Darn, Mom,” Tony groaned at his mother. “This is why I had to get my own place.”

  The two mothers laughed, and Laine could not help but laugh along.

  After lunch, they packed the food. Vivian and Evelyn planned to go back to the city.

  Tony faced Laine. “Thought maybe we could drive around the city and the island?”

  Laine hesitated and was about to look at her mom, when Vivian offered, “You kids go and enjoy your vacations.”

  Tony grinned in relief. “I’ll bring her back home, Tita.”

  Tony pulled out of the subdivision and drove in the direction of the main road.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your dad,” he muttered under his breath.

  “That’s fine. He was sick for a long time . . . It was painful to let him go, but it was a relief for him.” Laine stared out the window for a while. It had been three years since her father passed away from leukemia. “Mom’s doing quite well. She won’t take in a helper though, so I make sure to come home every now and then.”

  “He was like an uncle to me. Though I barely kept in touch over the years. Sorry about that too.”

  He laid his hand on hers. She squeezed it and smiled at him.

  Wanting to lighten the mood, she asked, “How did you start your business?”

  “I
studied business admin at a university. The family of my classmate Ben was running a sports shop—they already had five branches. They hired me as part of operations management—I was pretty lucky.” He chuckled and glanced at Laine. “Anyway, I threw the idea of starting an online shop at Ben, who loved it. We became partners, hired a group of IT-savvy guys to make the online site, and now we’re doing quite well . . . We’ve gone to five cities in the state already.” He tried to stop it, but a smirk crossed his face.

  “Wow, that’s really gutsy.”

  “I wanted Mom to stop working as soon as possible. I was not an easy child to deal with, especially for a single mom.”

  “Oh, why don’t I believe that,” Laine quipped.

  He laughed. “But . . . she still works part-time now because she gets bored just sitting at home. At least she makes friends at work and chitchats.”

  “That’s nice. Mom still does her insurance gig. I don’t give her a lot, but she gets some pension because of Dad.”

  “So you got no plans to leave the country and try something new?”

  Laine shook her head and smiled. “I love my life here. I can go home to Mom. I enjoy my job, and I got the best girlfriends in Manila.”

  He nodded his head as if to accept that, but then he regaled her with accounts of spring and fall, interstate road trips, underground caverns, and the Capitol Hill. Laine got lost in the conversation as his face lit up over the stories he told.

  “What do you say, let’s go to Loay? Jump off the waterfall like we used to when we were kids.” He grinned at her.

  “Oh no. I never jumped before, and I still wouldn’t dare. Heights scare me.” She shook her head vigorously. “I’ll go with you but only to watch.”

  “Yes! Here we go.”

  Tony and Laine slowly walked up the rocky slope that led to the top of the cliff. Every time the slope got steeper, he offered his hand out to her. At the top, the ground was covered with moss because of the cool temperature and looked slippery. Laine stayed far away from the edge while admiring the gushing waterfall across them.