Chapter 3: Proposal

Aaron nervously raked his fingers on his hair as he surveyed the restaurant he had rented and closed down for the special event he will be having there tonight.

The set-up was was perfect for his liking. Nakuha nito ang gusto niyang theme. Simple and romantic.

Napangiti siya at kinapa ang kahita na nasa bulsa niya. Tonight, he will propose to his girlfriend Kristine. And he hoped that she will say yes. Another smile grazed his lips with the thought of his girlfriend.

He had been in a relationship with Kristine for 3 years now. They’d met through a common friend just after he passed the bar exam. They talked and they instantly clicked.

He had always thought that actresses like Kristine had a superficial intelligence just like how they'd act their roles in films. But Kristine is a surprise. She enjoys deep conversation with him. They’d talk about politics, social issues and life. And she has never shown any signs of boredom even if they’d talk about the same topic for hours.

At that moment,  he knew he was attracted to Kristine. So, he pursued her and make her fall in love with him. Though loving Kristine wasn’t easy—not just that he had to deal with her fans who doesn’t like him, he needed also to be patient with his girl who wanted to advance her career in the international scene-- he chose to stick with her because he knew she was special.  He met Kristine during the right time when he was supposed to have a relationship according to his plans. And so he had always felt she is the one for him.

He had planned his life long before he even graduated from elementary. He had planned to graduate as valedictorian in high school, and so he did. He had planned to go into law school after college. Even though his father was dismayed, he did became a lawyer. He had planned to have a girlfriend after becoming a lawyer. And Kristine did beautifully walked into his life at the right time. And he had planned to propose to his the one, Kristine, three years after their first meeting. And he will do that tonight.

If there is one thing in his life that didn’t go as her planned was him taking over SSL after the sudden death of his father. He wanted to practice his profession. But during this time, he knows he had to step up and be the responsible eldest child his father had groomed him for. He can still take cases on the sides kapag nakaluwag-luwag na siya sa oras sa SSL or until his brothers would show interest on the company. But right now, his work priority is SSL.

He is relatively contented with his life right now. Taking over SSL is just a little detour. Aside from that, nothing is wrong with his life.

All the planning he had made for his life is finally paying off. He’s living relatively perfect life. What could go wrong?

He took a deep breath and surveyed the place once again.

Tonight will be just perfect as I planned, he thought.

Maya-maya pa, tumunog ang cellphone niya. He fished his phone from his pocket and answered the call.

“Hi, Mom,” bati niya sa kausap niya sa kabilang linya.

“Are you already there at Rancho’s?” tanong sa kanya ng Mommy niya.

He suppressed a smile when he immediately sensed the excitement on her mother’s voice. He knew his mother wasn’t excited that he’s proposing to Kristine. His mother is more excited that he’s just a step away from settling down so that he could give her the grandchildren she’s been bugging him to have since he graduated from law school. Kahit si Joshua at Kiel kinukulit din nito na bigyan na ito ng apo. But he knew his brothers too well. They love their bachelor’s life too much to ever let the fun go anytime soon.

“Yes, Mom, nandito na ‘ko sa Rancho’s,” sagot niya sa Mommy niya.

“Is Isabella there? I need to talk to her for some necessary adjustments for the guests.”

Nangunot-noo na siya. “What guests, Mom?”

His mother, Madam Liza Sandejas, gave him that familiar nervous chuckle. “Well, I kind of invited some people to be witnesses, you know.”

His brows furrowed further. “And what do you mean about witnesses, Mother?”

“Well, I invited your Tita Marga and Uncle Clinton.”

Did he hear it right? His mother invited his aunt and her husband without informing him first!

“What? Why would you invite them—“

“Plus, Shannon, Lizzie and Macky and their kids too.”

He scoffed. Pakiramdam niya nabingi siya sa sinabi ng Mommy niya. His proposal to Kristine should be as intimate as possible—just between his and Kristine’s immediate family! Why would his mother ask their relatives to be there? Ibabalita naman din niya sa mga ito ang engagement niya kung sakali.

  And Shannon! That brat cousin of his was clearly against his relationship with Kristine. She warned him before that Kristine is not what he thought she was. But he had learned from Kristine that some time ago, Shannon’s ex-boyfriend dumped his cousin to court his Kristine—cementing his theory that his brat cousin Shannon was probably just jealous of his girlfriend.

“Mom, what would they do here? They didn’t even know Kristine!” he protested as he paced the hall.

“Exactly! There’s no other best time for you to introduce your girlfriend to our relatives than now. You know how Clinton had been teasing me and your father for not having grandchildren yet, right? Well, your aunt and her husband have been a great help for me during this time as I recover from my grief, but I just can’t miss this opportunity to tell them that I’m also going to have that grandchild soon.” He shook his head slowly. Nag-iisang kapatid ng Daddy niya ang Tita Marga niya. At mula nang mamatay ang Daddy niya, ang Tita Shannon niya ang umaalalay sa Mommy niya to cope with the loss. But still… “Son, please, indulge me this time,” pakiusap ng Mommy niya.

Nagbuga siya ng hininga. He was thinking of the right words to say. But in the end he knows that he could never ever say no to his mother.

“Alright, let them come. Tell Lizzie and Macky’s kids to stay still or I’ll let face them face the wall until the party is over,” sabi niya.

“Thank you, Aaron. I can’t believe my baby boy is going to be a Daddy soon,” anito sa naiiyak na tinig. She’s been emotional since he told her about him planning to propose to Kristine. His mother sniffed.

“Mom, a groom. I’m going to be a groom and a husband first then, I can be a Daddy,” pagtatama niya sa ina.

He heard her mother huffed and sniffed again. “R-right. You’re going to be all of those. Oh, only if your Dad is s-still h-here…” He heard his mother sobbed.

“Mom, I think you should come here earlier,” mabilis niyang pag-iiba sa usapan. “I think I need your opinion on something.”

Narinig niyang humugot ng malalim na hininga ang Mommy niya. “A-alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Please tell Isabella about the additional guests,” anito bago tuluyang pinutol ang tawag.

Agad siyang napabuga ng hininga nang matapos ang tawag. Crisis averted, he thought. Eversince his father died, naging iyakin na ang Mommy niya kahit sa maliit na bagay. He knew it was part of the grieving process. But he didn’t want a wailing mother on the very night he proposes marriage to his girlfriend. Baka kung anong isipin ng mga magulang ni Kristine.

Pagkatapos muling isuksok sa bulsa niya ang cellphone, agad niyang hinanap si Isabella at sinabi rito ang additional guests nila. Isabella is the manager and owner of Rancho Italiano. Kinakapatid niya ito dahil ninang nito ang Mommy niya. One time his mother had her set-up with him for a date, but it failed miserably. They don’t have anything in common, at all!  Isabella is married now to an Italian chef and managing Rancho Italiano and all it’s branches nationwide. Si Isabella rin ang tumulong sa kanya sa paghahanda sa proposal niya ngayon kay Kristine.

He paced again. Tonight will go well, he convinced himself.