I was the one laughing. “What do you mean by me? I already gave you everything, didn’t I?”
“But your last name is still Alvandra; I want to change it to Mondalla someday.” What he said astounded me. I can’t help but recall our first night together, when I told him to call me by my name, but he instead addressed me as Mrs. Mondalla. I cannot believe it. Time slips by so quickly. Before, I was too delusional to tell the nurse that Ismael and I were married; it looked like it would happen soon. I still remember his hints and promises, and I will never forget.
Because he owns the hotel where we will stay later, we chose to eat at a restaurant first. Even though what I ate earlier on the road hasn’t fully digested, something in me makes me want to eat even more. I still feel quite hungry. And it’s a good thing we didn’t go to an expensive restaurant but rather a popular cafe in Palma, Baguio City. The queue was really long, but progress was quick, so Ismael and I did not have to wait that much.
It’s good to see him living a modest lifestyle. Waiting, standing in line, and asking inquiries. I don’t think he ever made me look like he was affluent and I was poor. He was quite easy to be around. I never imagined that my old professor, whom I despised, would be with me now to do such trivial tasks. To be honest, I prefer it to the grand thing, and I’m delighted since I can tell he enjoys being with me as well.
“I didn’t realize you were also the owner of Loeisal Malmdan Company,” I said when we were able to order dinner. I’ve developed a preference for rice porridge, particularly when the weather is chilly, which is fortunate.
“I told you, I have left and right businesses around the country,” he said. He was sitting in front of me, preparing the food for both of us.
“I know, but LMC is my dream company, and I never thought that it was one of yours.”
“I never imagined that it would be someone’s dream company. Have you ever looked up the LMC on the internet before?”
“I did, but your name was not there. In any case, it should come as no surprise that none of your Island Motel Bar employees recognize you, shall we say?”
He laughed. “Right, or maybe they just hide it from the public.”
I was impressed. So, even among his staff, loyalty and integrity exist. He operates his company differently.
“What about your dreams, Ismael? Don’t you want to be a professor before? You mentioned your reason why you wanted to stay at Marcus University to look for your sister, Isa. How about that? Are you really not coming back?”
He smiled. “Oh, right. That’s why I told you,” he muttered.
“Yeah?” I responded auspiciously. “I was so committed to assisting you, so you could stay there. Now that I’ve graduated, why not return?”
“I have no reasons to go there anymore.” I frowned.
“How about Isa? Is she not present there anymore?”
“You’re not there anymore.” My brow wrinkled even more. His replies to my questions seemed to make me even more bewildered. I would have clarified the problem when our food arrived. I couldn’t speak because of the stench of pork porridge, so I swallowed.
“Cute,” he said, leading me to stare. I saw him a while ago after eating, and he was simply watching me while I waited for my food to finish. I almost forgot to be respectful and demure in front of him. I should not have eaten so much. Even now that I was about to consume my food when he spoke. I kept gaping.
I was shocked that he captured me using his phone. “Hey, what was that for?” I asked, agitated.
He shook his head and laughed. “Nothing; I just can’t help but capture that moment.” He showed me the picture on.
“Come on! The angle made me so unpretty! Erase that! I am not prepared!” I yelled.
“Who said you weren’t pretty? I’m usually amused by your beautiful face.” He zoomed in on the photograph, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Is he certain he’s complimenting me? Because I feel like he’s starting a fight.
He took a photo of me again. “Look, even if your eyebrows meet, it’s still beautiful.” He attentively scrutinized my photograph.
“Where is the beauty you are talking about?” I asked, extending out my hand for him to hand me his phone. I’m going to erase my photo!
“Your face, specifically your eyes. My love, you have beautiful eyes.”
I was taken off guard. I didn’t expect him to say that casually. The next thing I noticed was him taking another picture of my face, this time with my cheeks red. He did not have to say that! I’m really humiliated!
I simply let him busy himself while I ate. He enjoyed seeing me, so I just kept doing what I wanted. After eating, we rested for a while before paying and departing.
“How about your dreams, Jothea?” he inquired as we went through Burnham Park to the Night Market.
“My dreams?”
“Yes, before you told me, you didn’t know what your dreams were. I was astounded to learn that you aspired to work for me. What makes you dream of it?”
I smiled. That’s correct; I remembered I hadn’t had a dream back then. Because of him, he abandoned me, leaving me with no choice but to pursue my goal. Unfortunately, I missed out on a job opportunity, but it seemed as if God had made a move for me to be there. He used Ismael as an instrument to make my dreams come true, even if Ismael didn’t realize it was my dream at first.
“Because of your scent?” is my query and answer. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows as if to pose a question. “I’ve discovered that my sense of smell is just as powerful, and I can immediately recall the scent of objects. And it all began with you; aside from the necktie, you always leave me with your scent.”
He smiled. “Because you keep grabbing my necktie. I have no choice but to leave it in your hands.” He held my hand.
“That’s why; I know you were there,” I went on to say. “So, don’t be a womanizer, because I’ll notice right away. I can smell it right now!”
He laughed. “I’m a man of integrity, so you don’t have to worry.” He cupped my face and kissed my cheeks. “I’m delighted you have your dreams now, and perhaps we can work on them more because our firms are collaborating. I’d like to see how skilled you are with fragrances.”
“Oh, you might fall in love with me even more!” I am joking.
It’s funny how I suddenly remember sharing his subject before, and now we can finally chat about my dreams, as if it were never a problem in college.
He responded, “It looks cute on you!” as he inserted the adorable yellow duck clip into my hair. I laughed as he laughed. “You look like their mother,” he said before inserting another clip into my hair. Now I have small ducks in my hair.
“You’re making fun of me!” I inquired before softly punching him.
“No, sweetheart. You look adorable.” He rubbed the corner of his eyes, as if he were in tears from laughing. He is laughing so gleefully, and I can’t help but find it annoying but on the other hand, it’s fine if he keeps tripping me up, as long as I see him smiling.
He paid for them. I allowed him to be amused by the ducks he inserted into my hair, notwithstanding their incongruity with the dress I am adorned in. We were holding hands while looking around the night market, and I’m not sure why I brought him over to the food stand despite the fact that we had just eaten. There are numerous food stalls around the market, and I thoroughly enjoyed eating street food, particularly spicy rice cake, fried mandu, and small kimbap.
“What are you? Come on, let’s eat! The dirtier, the tastier!” I explained when he said that he didn’t want to eat what I bought. I couldn’t finish it, so I fed it to him, but he refused since he wasn’t sure if it had been created and cooked properly. “Why? You also bought food and juices on the street earlier while we were on a trip, right?”
“Because I know they prepared it at home. They are grandmothers, so they know how to cook it properly.”
“You’re not sure of that,” I said. “However, if you don’t want it, I’ll consume it myself rather than discard it and cause it to be wasted.”
He squeezed his cheek. “Why did you even buy a lot when you know you can’t finish it?” he said before confessing to me.
“Because I thought you’d eat with me.”
I heard him groan and open his mouth. “Ahhh.”
I laughed. “Are you sure? No one is forcing you here.”
“Come on, before I change my mind,” he murmured hesitantly. I smiled and fed him a rice cake that felt heavy on his tummy. The same applies to mandu and kimbap. I noticed how his eyes sparkled with amazement. Tsk! Look who’s resisting earlier.
And yeah, he completed my meal. He seemed to have lost his philosophy of not eating junk food as a result of my influence.
“Here,” he added, handing me a can of juice he had purchased from the convenience store near the park. I took it and examined it. “Lemon water?” I asked, chuckling. “You are very health-conscious, Ismael.”
“I need to,” he said, sitting next to me. We’re currently sitting on a park bench, gazing at the trees illuminated by LED lights. There weren’t many people because it was likely late at night.
“Why? Because you need to have twelve children?”
“That’s one of the reasons, but I want to stay healthy as long as possible so that I can see my children and grandchildren,” he explained before drinking lemon water. I’m impressed by the way he thinks. I don’t usually eat stuff like this, but because I smoke and drink alcohol, I didn’t think I was harming my body or my health. Perhaps it was because marriage and children were not on my mind at the time, or because I hadn’t given much thought to this type of thing while still in a relationship. I was brought into this world without a family to lean on; no one guided me, therefore I don’t really know anything. And Ismael is the only person who makes me think about such things.
“What if I can’t handle twelve children, Ismael?” I questioned out of the blue, given my harmful tendencies, how I could go with twelve.
He looked at me, smiled, and wrapped his arm around me before kissing my head. “What about it?”
“Are you going to find someone else?” I’ve got a serious question.
“No, why would I do that?” he replied.
“I mean, it’s your family custom, which I don’t quite understand. Even your family clan wants you to be the next president of it.”
His expression of surprise was clear. “How did you know that far?”
“Isa told me that. She tried to explain everything, but I don’t think I’ll comprehend it unless you talk about it with me. Would you care to share?” I put my hand on his leg and looked him in the eye. I want to get to know him better. I’d like to know about his family and background. If he genuinely wanted to marry, I would know, right? I have the right to ask, right?
“It is more complicated to explain, but I will try to make you understand everything about it,” he said. “What I’m attempting to break is the Mondalla family tradition. Every time I recall what my mother went through with my father, I am reminded of why I left the household. I opposed their divorce, but what could I do? I was young. But, when I thought I no longer belonged to them, they informed me that it was still my responsibility as the firstborn to marry and carry on the legacy-the tradition of becoming a large family across the country. They want to create a dynasty.”
I continued to listen to him while memorizing the facts he was sharing with me.
“Even though my father divorced my mother, I remain his first legal son from his first marriage. It was just that he needed to follow tradition, so he married again to fulfill his duty and pledged to give birth to another ten babies in this world with a different woman. And that is what they told me I needed to do, but I am opposed to it. I don’t want these things to put pressure on my wife, making her anxious about not bearing enough. I want to have a regular family that does not need me to follow such rituals. I want my future family to be happy and free, with no constraints or eyes that judge and monitor everything we do. I want to live a peaceful life with the one I love, Jothea.”
A tear fell from my eyes. I was merely observing the sweetness of his lips as he spoke, but what struck me most was how courageous he sounded. He presented everything to me in such a way that his point of view amused me. He really convinced me that he thinks differently and that his brain works very differently than mine. What he wants is simple, and the luxury he has is something he can sacrifice for his dream family, which he has never had.
I caressed his cheeks before hugging him. “You don’t need to have twelve children, Jothea. We do not have to follow tradition. You do not need to worry about it. We’ll just get what we can.”
I nodded and caressed his back. “I understand. Thank you for telling me.”
He took my hands away from his hug and turned to face me. He cupped my face and gave me a warm kiss. “Let’s go now.”