Spring Into Love

by Chantel Rhondeau

Chapter 14

  Choco catches me mid-afternoon during the lull between lunch and dinner. “Let’s get something to eat and sit in the patio.”

  “Good idea.” I glance around. “How should I make up to Genie? She acts like she hates me.”

  “She’ll get over it. I don’t think she really likes Romeo. She just likes the idea of Romeo.” Choco scoops a bowl of rice for us and sets it on a tray with mango shrimp salad and tofu with green beans and minced pork.

  “Well, that’s a relief,” I say before remembering I’m supposed to be on a vegan diet. “I can’t eat the shrimp or pork. Don’t we have any vegetables?”

  “Pick them out.” She shrugs. “How about the stuffed eggplant with bagoong? I’ll take the ground beef out.”

  “Yeah, sure, bagoong is okay, I think, and I’ll have some more tofu and kangkong.” I fill a plate with the vegetables.

  “What’s with the vegan diet?” Choco carts the tray while I take bottles of SoBe Green Tea from the drink fridge.

  “It’s healthier. Someone called me chubby. Do you think I’m chubby?”

  Choco rolls her eyes. “Not that again. At least you aren’t the one with the baby face, squinty eyes and pork bun cheeks.”

  “You’re cute. Everyone thinks so.” I set the drinks on a corner table near the lush, tropical garden of multi-colored croton plants, sago palms and kaffir lilies. A small fountain bubbles underneath a ficus tree filled with chattering birds.

  “I’m too old to be cute.” Choco huffs, flattening a napkin over her lap. “So, tell me, what happened last night? Did you and Romeo do it?”

  “Do it? You sound like such an old lady.” I serve myself some of the salad, leaving the shrimp.

  “You were there all night. After I got your text, I called you and you didn’t pick up.”

  “We had a lot to talk about.” I avoid her probing gaze.

  “All night? You did spend the night with him, didn’t you?”

  I hope my cheeks aren’t red, but I take a sip of ice tea and wave my hand. “Time kind of got away from us. We had a lot of catching up to do.”

  She spears a shrimp and stuffs it in her mouth. “Why do you look so guilty?”

  “Me? Guilty? You would be too, if you have the entire family ready to disown you.”

  She spreads her hands on the table. “Look, don’t tell Genie, but I’m on your side. She has no clue what kind of man Romeo is. She thinks he’s this fairytale prince.”

  “Then what’s this about him courting her and the merger between Tita Elena’s bakery and the new restaurant in San Marcos?” I pick the ground pork from the tofu and serve myself an extra helping of kangkong, or water spinach.

  “That’s Mama and Elena. As if it isn’t good enough to be best friends, or heart sisters, they want to be in-laws. Hello! Does anyone here see what a stupid idea that is? But of course, no one listens to Choco.” My sister does her best irritated wise woman imitation. She’s always been the sensible one. It’s uncanny how often she was right, even as a small child.

  “Of course it’s stupid.” I spit out. “Look at them now. Not talking.”

  “Yeah, you kind of ruined their plans.”

  “Obviously no one bothered to tell the grownups I had prior claim to Romeo. I mean, if I were to marry him, not that I would, they’d still get to be in-laws.”

  “Actually, you know how Elena is. She had her heart set on Genie the minute she was born.”

  “I know, the alabaster skin, brown hair and round green eyes. It’s not Genie’s fault she’s pretty.” My stomach clenches. And it’s not my fault I look the most Pinay of the bunch.

  “You’re pretty too,” Choco says. “You know the real reason Tita’s pissed? Romeo didn’t see her because he couldn’t keep his eyes off you. They had to keep retaking the scene because Romeo would look at you before he was supposed to have noticed you.”

  “Not that it matters anymore.” I slap my fork on the table and cover my eyes at the sudden welling of tears.

  Choco pats my arm. “What are you not telling me? Did he hurt you? You slept with him, didn’t you?”

  Her concern and sympathy breaks me and my lower lip wobbles as tears roll down my face. “It was incredible. He told me all these wonderful things. Then he walks out on me this morning.”

  “What? That’s horrid. I didn’t think he was like that. He’s always so sweet and considerate.”

  I dab my eyes with a napkin and take a long, shuddering breath. “I need to stop crying at the drop of a hat. What’s wrong with me?”

  “Nothing, Evie. You need emotional rest and stability. Not more trouble. That was the reason for taking a break from med school.”

  “I know.” I cradle my head on the table. “Everything was going okay until Romeo showed up. Why didn’t you warn me?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you. He dropped by a few days before you returned with a cake and a flyer, asking permission to use the kare-kare room for a private fundraiser. One thousand dollars a plate for orphans or something. He’ll do some of his boy band songs and sing some new material.”

  “You must have known about this matchmaking.”

  “Yes, Mama talked about it earlier, but Romeo was still filming in the Philippines, so I thought it was all hot air. Genie, took it all in. Didn’t you notice her walls are plastered with his photos?”

  Actually, Genie’s room is always locked and I haven’t visited it yet. A wave of sadness flattens my heart.

  “We should warn Genie against Romeo. He’s an actor. He’ll say anything to get what he wants. Genie’s a virgin and so naïve. He’ll take advantage of her.”

  “Shhh…” Choco taps my arm. “Papa just walked by. He gave you a strange look.”

  I let my tears flow into the napkin, alternatively holding my breath and forcibly blowing it out to stop my sobbing.

  “Don’t worry about Genie,” Choco says. “She’s not as innocent as you think and she looks at Romeo as the high score among her clique. Bagging an actor and former boy band sensation. Think of the creds she has in her crowd. I shouldn’t tell you, but Genie’s already done it.”

  “With who? Romeo?” Shock is inadequate to describe the bone-jarring surprise I’m experiencing.

  “No, the varsity quarterback. She’s on the pill.”

  “What do Mama and Papa think?”

  “They don’t know. I took her to the clinic.” Choco wrings her hands. “It’s better than having her end up pregnant.”

  Oh, shit. What would happen if I end up pregnant? Last night had seemed unreal, a fantasy, and in that world, I was Romeo’s beloved, the woman who’d have him forever.

  “What’s wrong?” Choco’s eyes bulge. She slaps the table, her head bobbing in consternation. “You? Are you pregnant?”

  “No, at least not yet. Oh, I was so stupid.”

  “You let him go bare?”

  “First time, he used a rubber. But later, I got careless. What do I do now?”

  “Shit, shit. You might have time.” Choco taps the tabletop, her knee jittering. “I’ll tell the parents you’re sick and you can borrow my car and go to the pharmacy. You can get the morning-after pill over the counter.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I won’t need it. We used a condom the first time. Maybe he didn’t come inside of me.” I stab at the green beans.

  “Oh, be sensible.” Choco shakes the table. “Being pregnant right now would ruin your life.”

  “You’re pregnant?” Romeo puts a hand on my shoulder.

  I startle and choke on a bean. I. Can’t. Breathe. Shit. No air. I’ll be dead in five minutes. I clasp my fists and punch my solar plexus.

  Romeo bear hugs me and pulls me into his torso. He bends me over and jabs his fists into my solar plexus, giving me the Heimlich maneuver. One. Two. Three. Push. One. Two. Three. Push.

  My mind is blanking, dots swirling around my face. I grab my throat, praying and crying inside. My torso is in pain where his fist thrusts in and up. Right before th
ings go dark, I expel the bean. The hands relax and hold me, and I bend over to cough, gasp, and wheeze for air.

  Choco and my mom are wailing, patting and hugging parts of me. Romeo hasn’t relinquished me. He’s rocking me in on his lap like I’m a giant baby.

  Once oxygen returns to my brain and my breathing stabilizes, I struggle out of Romeo’s arms, brush back my hair and hug my mother and sister. “I’m okay. Don’t cry. I’m not dead yet.”

  Papa takes control and reassures the customers. “Everything is okay. My daughter is going to be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

  Our break is long over, so Choco and I clear our uneaten meal. Romeo helps us put the food into takeout containers and place them in the refrigerator. He hasn’t said a word to me and I know he’s biding his time, but I don’t have anything to say to him.

  When I head to the dumpster to throw out the recyclables, he grabs my elbow and pulls me to the neighboring alley. “Are you pregnant?”

  “It’s none of your business if I am.” I yank away from him.

  “Last night.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Let me go to the pharmacy.”

  He takes ahold of my face and lays a tender kiss on my lips. “If there’s a chance, let it be.”

  “How can you say that? I have to go back to med school. I have my life in front of me.”

  He lays a finger on my lips. “I only ask you to think before you act.”

  “You don’t need me or a baby. It was one night, Romeo. And it’s over. Walk away, like you did this morning. Go.” I point down the alley toward the street.

  “Wait. I can explain. My mother—”

  “I don’t want to hear about your mother.” I throw my fists at his chest. “She hates me. Now she hates my mother.”

  “Evie, calm down. We can work it out.” He grabs both my wrists, but I kick his shins.

  “Leave me alone, slimeball. I don’t want to see you again. I hate you.” I’m bordering on hysterical. Okay, maybe I’m crossing a line, but dammit. He’s an actor. He lies for a living. Nothing he says in the throes of passion is real.

  I twist away from him and stumble toward the back door.

  “You’ll let me know, won’t you?” He blocks my progress.

  “I’ll text you. Thanks for saving my life.”

  He doesn’t stop me from walking away.

  Chapter 15

  “Evie, open up.” Choco knocks on my bedroom door. Our restaurant closes at ten p.m. and she hadn’t been able to get to the pharmacy until well after eleven-thirty.

  Me? I was watched and coddled by Mama and Papa. Even Genie softened her stance toward me when she tugged my sleeve and said, “I’m glad you’re all right.”

  I gave her a hug and a kiss and I think things are stable between us, for now. Besides, I suspect she saw my blowup with Romeo, or at least the end of it when I kicked his shins. She was lurking at the back door and God knows how much of it she heard.

  No time to worry. I open the door and Choco rushes in with a little brown bag. “Fifty dollars.”

  “Thanks, I’ll pay you right now.” I dig through my purse and pull out three twenties. “Here. Keep the change.”

  “So, what’s up with Romeo? I heard you told him off. Said you hated him and didn’t want to see him again.”

  Bingo! Someone was spying on me this afternoon.

  “He’s a player. I don’t have time to watch the soap operas he stars in, but I bet he’s memorized every sweet, sappy line he uses to seduce women.”

  “That sucks. He used to be nice. But you know how it is with handsome guys. They’re spoiled by all the women who let them get away with being assholes. He has no incentive to behave.” Choco sits on my bed and kicks off her heels.

  “It was a mistake. Let’s not talk about it.” I yawn. “My chest is sore from being rescued and my throat’s killing me.”

  Choco takes a water bottle out of her purse. “Here, are you going to take the tablet?”

  “Not right now. I want to read the package insert. I have seventy-two hours.”

  “Yeah, but you’re already at twenty-four. Am I right?” She sets the water bottle on my nightstand and picks up a fitness magazine I have lying around.

  I heave a deep sigh. “Can you imagine twenty-four hours ago I had the night to last a lifetime. And now, I’m paying for it.”

  “He was that good?” Her eyes gleam with renewed interest.

  “Well practiced and skillful, yes.” I lie down and hug my pillow. “He acted like he was in love with me, and I went along willingly. It was everything I dreamed of and more.”

  “That good and you don’t want a repeat performance?”

  I close my eyes, shaking my head. “I got too emotional. I started crying after the first time. It was so overwhelming, like he knew me better than I knew myself and then it hit me. I walked away from him five years ago.”

  “You did it for a good reason. You wanted to be a doctor.”

  A lump rises in my throat. “But now, I’m not going to be a doctor. I’m a failure.”

  “You’re not. Don’t listen to what Eric says.”

  “You think he broke up with me because I was failing anatomy?”

  Choco flips the bedcovers aside and grabs a pillow. “If that’s the reason, I say good riddance.”

  “I mean, both his parents are surgeons at Mass General. His mother has an endowed chair in orthopedic research. His dad is department chair in cardio-thoracic surgery. He doesn’t want to marry a failure. Makes sense.”

  “Evie.” Choco clamps my arm. “Stop analyzing this. He refused to tell you the reason, didn’t he? All he said was, ‘I can’t do this anymore. Let’s cool it for a bit.’ Nothing about you failing anatomy.”

  “He doesn’t return my texts.”

  “You shouldn’t text him.” Choco’s voice is soft, her eyes half closed.

  I reach over and turn off the light. “Should I text Romeo?”

  “Yeah, somehow I don’t think Romeo’s a real ass. He might play one on TV, but…”

  I’m bone tired and when she drifts off, I tuck myself into my bed and struggle to stay awake. Romeo’s not a real ass. He just plays one on TV. No, no. He is real. He treated me like a booty call. He walked out on me. Didn’t even offer me a ride. And it hurt. I want to be cherished and loved. Is that too much to ask?

  # # #

  Middle of the week is always busy, what with the Sunshine Retirement Center’s hump day outing and the lunch special we run—two eat for the price of one.

  Kuya Carlos’ voice is hoarse. “We’re out of lechón kawali. Danny’s run to the store. Won’t be ready until dinner.”

  “But, Mr. Dee waited all week for lechón. Can’t we scrounge up something?” I scribble on my pad and shove it in his face. “Please?”

  “Choco had a big order come through. Sorry.”

  “Ah… ask her if she can change one of them.” I yank the order slip. “How about some chicken katsu instead?”

  “Chicken katsu. Chicken katsu. Are you a lunatic?” He throws the order slip at me. “That is not a substitute any self-respecting Pinoy chef from CCA-Manila would approve of. Sorry.”

  I fiddle through the rest of the orders. Table of four. Lechón kawali (pork), bistek tagalog (beef), bangus sisig (fish), crispy dinuguan (blood stew with crispy pork cubes). Meat eaters. Next. Table for two. Diet sodas. Lechón kawali and mango tofu salad—no pork, no shrimp. Ah… a meat eater and a vegetarian. Maybe they’ll take kangkong (water spinach) tofu, hold the chorizo (pork sausage) bits.

  “How about this one?” I point at the slip.

  “Genie’s table. You deal with it.”

  I note the location. Kare-kare room table fifteen. They have to understand. Mr. Dee’s an old man. He gets a plate of lechón kawali every week. It’s the highlight of his existence. I can’t let two fru fru chicks hop over him because they want to “experience” lechón and waste most of it.

  I corral Genie as she sashays to the
soda fountain to refill her ice tea pitcher.

  “You’re looking so pretty today.” I kiss her and smooth a curl over her forehead.

  “What do you want?” She rolls her big, green eyes—another one of her recessive gene expressions.

  “Table fifteen. Are they girls on a diet? Can I cadge the lechón for Mr. Dee? You know Mr. Dee, don’t you?”

  “The geezer with the magnifier glasses and old golf cap?”

  “Well, that’s one way to describe him, but he’s my friend and he kind of gets off on the lechón.”

  “Ha, ha. Guess you always liked older men.” She smirks. “Sure, ask table fifteen yourself.”

  “Thanks.” I press my black barong, female style mind you, over my black jeans and stride to the kare-kare room, table fifteen.

  Ding dong! It’s Romeo and the blonde, screen name Mildred Venables. The only problem, she’s dolled up and looking nothing like a math nerd at UC San Diego, and he’s, well, he’s as smooth and spiff as any Pinoy actor has a right to be.

  Too late. They see me. Romeo’s mouth turns down as if I’m exactly the wrong person he wants to see. Which, in a way, I am, because I’m about to pull his lechón. And honey, if you know Filipino men, you don’t pull lechón from a man, especially lechón kawali. Okay, maybe lechón baboy, the entire roast pig, is worth dying for. But lechón kawali, the pan-fried version, at least ranks a fist fight.

  Considering the way he’s flaunting No Compute Barbie in front of me, I’ll take the risk.

  I press on a saccharine no-sugar, all-Splenda smile.

  “Hello, your server is temporarily serving other customers. Is there something I can get you?” Tapioca balls up your nose, a longanisa sausage up your ahem, buko in your brain.

  “Oh, we’re fine. Thanks.” Romeo clears his throat several times. “Evangeline, I’m not sure you’ve met Doris.”

  Doris, as in Day? I raise an eyebrow. “Hello, nice to meet you. Has the binomial expansion factored into your universe yet?”

  Doris gives me the Klingon stink eye. “What happened to your ice machine? My water’s lukewarm.”

  Try holding it between your legs if you want it fugly cold. I take her water. “Let me get you another glass. By the way, there’s a slight problem with your order.”