Chapter 9

Ambushed

Here's the thing about Chinese traditional families, if one family asks to meet with you, you should not expect a simple hi and hello. Especially when it comes to a prominent family. We won't go out of our way to do just that. Kapag sinabing makikipag-meet ang isang pamilya sa'yo, dalawa lang 'yon: it's either we'd talk about business or discuss marriage, or usually, both. It's nothing casual.

Kaya naman nang narinig ko na gustong makipag-meet ng Cua Clan sa'kin, I had my doubts already. I knew that my family was taking the situation seriously.

Sinundo agad ako ng driver namin. My mom was inside the car when I went in. Buong biyahe pauwi ng mansiyon ay puro pep talk ng pagpapaalala sa kung ano ang dapat kong iasal ang namayani.

Wala na akong naririnig. Noong sinabi pa lang ni mama sa'kin na alam ng mga Cua ang pagkikita namin ni Alec, halos nawala na ako sa concentration. I felt like everything went too fast. And the only thing which was on my mind was 'What the hell?'

When we finally arrived at the mansion, the reality hit me full blast. Aligaga na ang lahat. Everybody was cleaning up, arranging some plants, wiping the expensive tea cups until they gleam and glisten.

"Go to your room and take a bath," utos ni mama ng nasa foyer na kami ng mansiyon.

"I just took a shower this morning, Ma."

"No. Take a bath," she damanded. "Make sure your skin looks flawless."

I almost rolled my eyes at her.

"Wear the clothes that has been prepared for you. I'll ask one of the maids to send it to your room," pahabol niy sa'kin habang paakyat na ako ng hagdan papunta sa kuwarto. "Don't come down until I call for you. And do not wear make up."

While one of our maids was preparing the water for my bath, I tried calling Alec on my cellphone. I had a lot of questions for him. He was not answering any of my calls. Nagpanic na ako sa loob loob ko.

"Miss Jia, handa na po ang bathtub ninyo."

Tinanguan ko siya at napilitan na lang akong ilapag ulit ang cellphone sa ibabaw ng kama.

I went inside my huge bathroom. It smelled something like both lavender and Jasmine. Dumapo ang tingin ko sa bathtub at nakitang maliban sa bubbles ay may mga nakalutang din na petals ng Jasmine.

"Pampakalma at pantanggal ng stress daw po sabi ni Madam Cora," paliwanag ng batang kasambahay na nakatayo sa may glass door. "Pampalambot at kinis na rin ng skin."

"Wow. It's as if I'm getting married today," bulong ko habang nakatitig pa rin dito.

"Po, Miss Jia?"

"Nothing," agap ko. "Anong oras nga ulit dadating sa mansiyon ang mga Cua?"

"6 pm daw po."

I nodded at her and she made her exit from the bathroom. Meron pa akong dalawang oras kung gano'n. Kinuha ko ulit ang cellphone. I got naked and went in the bath with it.

Hindi ako napakalma ng Jasmine at lavender. I tried calling Alec again and again until I got disconnected. Without hearing from him, feeling ko mag-isa lang akong na-ambush sa nangyayari.

Napatingin ako sa smoked glass ng bathroom dahil sa naaninag na pagpasok ng kasambahay sa kuwarto.

"Nandito na po ang damit na ipapasuot sa inyo ni Madam, Miss," informed the housemaid.

"Okay. Just leave it there!" I called out.

"Hintayin daw po kita at tutulungan sa pag-aayos."

I inwardly scoffed. Pati sa simpleng pag-aayos ko ay walang tiwala si mama. Or baka grabe lang talaga ang pressure niya sa sarili dahil sa mga Cua.

Umahon na ako mula sa bathtub at kinuha ang robe sa gilid. I quickly wore it and hastily tied the straps. I put a towel on my head as well.

Nagpunta ako sa kuwarto at nilapitan na ang kama kung saan maayos na nakalapag ang pulang cheongsam. It's traditional and modern at the same time. It had a slit on the side.

Dahil naroon naman lang din si Manang, siya na ang inutusan ko na magblower ng buhok ko.

"Nasabi ba sa inyo kung ilan silang darating?" I asked her. It was my fault. Hindi kasi ako nakinig sa mga pinagsasabi ni mama kanina. Naalala ko na may nabanggit siya tungkol sa mga darating. I simply could not recall the details because I was too preoccupied.

"Ang sabi, Miss lima raw."

"Pati ba parents ni Alec Von Cua darating?"

"Yata po? Kasi mamamanhikan na po, 'di ba?"Pinatay niya na ang blower.

I handed her the bottle of oil. "They're not mamamanhikan," pagtatama ko. "We're just... meeting."

I looked at the maid's reaction in the mirror. Lalo lang naguluhan ang hitsura niya.

" 'Yan po usap-usapan namin," she answered innocently. She started applying oil on my hair. " 'Di ba po no'ng kay Sir Lee, deretso na pamanhikan kay Ma'am Shen?"

Now that she mentioned it, naalala ko ang pagpunta namin sa mansiyon nina Ate Shen noon. Well, hindi ng buong pamilya dahil ang sumama no'n ay ang mga babae lang ng pamilya Chen. We also brought some kasambahays with us.

The men in the family were excluded as part of the traditions. Kahit si Kuya ay hindi kasama. When it comes to marriage, the responsibility is given fully to the women.

"Family meeting lang 'yon," sabi ko na lang.

"Eh bakit po after three days no'n, in-announce na ang engagement nila ni Ma'am?"

"It was... It was different." I stood up from the vanity. Pakiramdam ko lalo akong nagpanic sa takbo ng usapan.

Kinuha ko ang dress na susuotin at naglakad papunta sa fitting room. Sinubukan ko itong isuot.

I looked at myself in front of a full length mirror. Taliwas sa Chinese body type na standard, I did not have a slim body. May curves ako. And the dress hugged them. Medyo maiksi lang ito pero hindi naman gaano.

I went back to the bedroom para maipakita ang ayos ko sa kasambahay.

"Bagay po sa inyo, Miss," puna niya. "Lalong lumantad ang natural na ganda niyo. At mukhang effective po ang Jasmine at lavender! Glowing ang skin mo."

"Mas maganda ba if nakalugay lang ang buhok ko?" tanong ko sa kanya.

She nodded eagerly.

Gaya ng utos ni Mama, hindi na ako naglagay ng make up sa mukha. I just dabbed a loose powder on my face.

I stared at my face in the mirror for some time. I have a very small face. It even looked smaller because it's framed with my curtain bangs and I have a button nose. My eyes are not chinky. I have almond eyes. Namana ko ito kay mama.

Hinayaan ko lang ang maitim at straight na buhok na nakalugay.

I put on a little lipstick on my full lips to avoid pamumutla, nang hindi naman mahalatang gusto kong mahimatay na lang. I wore my black high heels and waited.

There was a soft knock on the door. It was then followed by Ate Shen's soft voice telling me that it was time to go down. I inhaled audibly.

Nauna siyang bumaba at sumunod naman ako sa kanya. I heard the soft whispers as I was going down the stairs. It was followed by the hushed tones when I was on the last step.

"She's here," declared somebody.

I first noticed my entire family looking at me from the living room. Almost all the women in the Chen clan were present, aside from Ate Shen, my aunties were there. They were seated on the huge oval sofa. Huminto ang tingin ko kay Amma na tahimik at seryoso lang habang sumisimsim ng kanyang tsaa.

My gaze landed on the other oval sofa opposite my family. There were tea cups on the round glass table. I looked up and saw the faces of strangers looking right back at me.

At the center was the oldest Chinese woman I've ever seen in my entire life. She was the only one wearing a Chinese blouse, other than my Amma of course. There was this commanding aura coming from her. I knew she was the boss.

"Come here, Jia, " si Amma sa banayad na boses.

I cleared my throat and slowly stepped towards where my family was. I paid respect to Amma first and then to the rest of them.

"Take a seat," utos ni Amma sabay muwestra sa bakanteng upuan na kanina pa yata nakalaan para sa'kin.

Sa puwesto ko ay halos katapat ko na ang pinakamatanda sa pamilya nina Alec. She was looking at me critically. It was very obvious that she was observing my every move.

I looked at the woman beside her. She looked kind. I wondered if she's Alec's mother? I had no idea which one was which because they did not introduce themselves to me.

"The Cheongsam suits you very well," the old woman commented.

Sumulyap ako kay Amma para kunin ang approval niya sa pagsasalita. She nodded.

"Thank you po."

"Come closer. I want to see you," utos niya.

Si mama naman ang sinulyapan ko. She nodded at me.

Lumapit ako sa matanda. Sa malapitan ay klaro ko ang kulubot sa bandang noo niya. For her age, her skin still looked good. Halatang hindi nagkulang sa alaga. Her short thin hair was all white. Pati eyebrows niya, puti rin.

She signaled me with her bony finger to come a bit closer. Nang nakatayo na ako sa harap niya, mas tinitigan niya ang mukha ko.

She nodded without saying a word. Na para bang may kinompirma lang siya.

"What is your opinion about my great grandson?" bigla niyang tanong.

Naging tahimik ang lahat. Pati yata sila ay hinihintay ang magiging sagot ko. At great grandson? Ibig sabihin lola siya ng papa ni Alec?

I went back to the question. It was a tricky one. I was walking in a land mine. Na kaonting hakbang ko lang ay puwede akong masabugan. Maling sagot may consequences na kaakibat.

Hindi ako naglakas loob na lumingon sa pamilya ko at baka isipin pa ng lola ni Alec na humihingi ako ng tulong sa kanila.

"I think..." panimula ko. Dahan-dahan kong iginala ang tingin sa mga babaeng katabi niya. Mariin silang nakatingin sa akin at naghihintay sa kung anuman ang lalabas mula sa bibig ko.

I thought about it. If I told them the truth and say that Alec is a womanizer they would think that I was rude.

Kung magsinungaling naman ako at sabihing amazing si Alec, baka isipin nilang pinapaluguran ko lang sila.

Of course, sino pa ba ang mas nakakakilala kay Alec? It's his family!

Ibinalik ko na ang tingin sa great grandma ni Alec. She was still looking at me. Hindi ko mabasa sa hitsura niya ang iniisip niya.

"I think Alec needs some proper guidance to become the best version of himself," I stated in a clear voice.

There was a defeaning silence. The Cua women looked flabbergasted with my response. They even looked offended!

Ang buong akala ko ay masasabugan na ako dahil sa maling pag-apak pero humupa ito nang marinig ko ang malakas na tawa ng matanda sa harapan ko.

She laughed so hard that she had to squeeze the arm of the woman sitting next to her.

She laughed so hard that the women in the room gaped at her!

I awkwardly laughed with her. Iyong tawa na pinagsamang may kaba at lito. Kabado kong nilingon ang pamilya at nakita ang dismaya sa mga mata nila. Halos hindi na ako matingnan ni mama!

Tumigas ang ngiti ko. Great.

One of the women offered Alec's great grandmother a white handkerchief. It was probably to wipe off the tears in the corner of her eyes because of too much laughing.

She shook her head and rejected the offer. And then she smiled at me.

"The wedding is not going to happen next year." She was looking at me but her announcement was for everyone.

Nakahinga ako nang maluwag. She did not like me. I thanked the heavens—

"The wedding must be this year," she added which made my knees weak. " It's a leap year. Luck will be with us."

Hindi ko maintindihan ang nararamdaman ko. Tulala ako habang nakatitig lang sa ceiling ng kuwarto. I replayed what happened earlier. Matapos no'ng naging sagot ko, bigla na lang usapang kasal na ang naging paksa ng diskusyon.

The elders of both families discussed it thoroughly over dinner. Kahit ako ang pinag-usapan, hindi rin naman ako sinali. I was just there listening to them talking about my own marriage.

Amma was satisfied with the result of the meeting. She even offered to buy me a new luxury bag of my own choosing. Mama was happy as well. Though nahalata ko na hindi siya masyadong focused sa usapan ng dalawang pamilya. Ang inisip ko na lang na dahilan ay siguro dahil na rin approval lang naman ni Amma ang pinakikinggan ng pamilya.

Naputol ang pagtitig ko sa kisame nang nag-vibrate ang cellphone ko na nakalapag sa bedside table. Kinuha ko ito nang hindi bumabangon at mabilis na napabalikwas ng bangon ng makitang si Alec ang tumatawag. Kaagad kong tinanggap ang tawag.

"I've been calling you kanina pa," panimula ko.

"I'm sorry, I've been traveling home. I was in a secluded area with no reception—"

"They want us to get married," I cut him off with the news. "Your elders came to the mansion for a meeting and they've decided they want us to get married this year."

Natahimik siya sa kabilang linya. Umakyat ang pagdududa ko.

"Did you know about this beforehand?" maingat na tanong ko.

"No. But they've mentioned about an engagement," he answered after some few minutes of silence.

Umawang ang labi ko sa gulat. I was speechless. I felt so betrayed.

"And you did not even warn me." I accused him.

"I tried to tell you when I called but you hang up on me, " paliwanag niya. "I thought I still had time to tell you in person. I was traveling home but they acted much faster than I expected."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan ay bakit bigla silang nagdesisyon na magpunta sa'min? The two of us just had a dinner. Ni hindi 'yon kumalat sa loob ng dalawang araw."

"It was all on me, Jia." His voice was soft. He sighed. "I want to see you tomorrow. I'll explain it to you."

Maski marami akong gustong itanong sa kanya, pinigilan ko ang sarili. Mas maigi nga na sa personal kami mag-usap.

"Your great grandmother was interesting," imporma ko bigla.

"Did she say something weird?"

Bumuntonghininga ako. "The entire marriage discussion was weird."

"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere.

I wanted to hang up. But I also wanted to still talk to him.

"You don't mind marrying me, do you?" tanong ko sa paos na boses.

"I don't mind at all."

I chuckled. He sounded too honest. Would I want to believe him though?

"Do you?" Siya naman ang nagtanong.

"Huh?" Nagpanggap akong hindi nakuha ang sinabi niya.

"Mind marrying me?" dugtong niya.

Napaisip pa ako ng ilang minuto. My hold on the phone tightened. "I guess not."

I heard him breathed in. It was as if he was suddenly relieved.

"I want to see you tomorrow, Jia."