AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As I walk out the door, I see Isa staring at her childhood home with an indifferent look. When she spots me walking toward her, she averts her gaze and practically dives into the car. Wordlessly, I do the same, and the entire ride, neither of us talk. I don’t think it’s the best time to talk about her situation right now. I bet it’s best to let her sleep on it first. Eventually, we arrive at the penthouse floor of the hotel that Isa had booked for us back in Hollywood. We still haven’t said a word to each other as we both step out into the elevator, but I know I have to say something before letting her go to her own room.
I clear my throat as she begins to guide me to my room like she always has for the past few years. She's still looking down and out and I try to think of comforting words I could say to her.
“You know, you don’t have to put yourself through all of this,” I admit straightforwardly, making Isa’s eyes widen in surprise. “Look, we’ve been together, I meanworkingtogether for years now, and we’ve always been direct. No minced words.” I have to clear my throat again after that slight misstep with my words. “And I don’t mean to overstep my boundaries, but most people I know wouldn’t tolerate what’s happening here.”
Isa purses her lips, then lets out a deep sigh. “I know. But I guess it’s just not how I see things after how I was raised in this world. It stings, but I just can’t let them go. They’re still my family,” she responds. Though her voice is pained and shaky, I can still feel the conviction behind her words.
I nod once and walk to my bedroom, Isa trailing behind me. Before I open the door, I turn around to face her again. “You know, when I was in college with Jordan, we used to do this one thing whenever we hated everything about our lives…”
Isa’s mouth tugs up to a smile. “You mean get plastered? Yeah, he told me,” she finishes for me, and her frown is completely gone.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“As long as you’re paying,” she replies cheekily as she walks away toward the second bedroom in the suite.
Chapter 13
Isa
I’mnotafraidtospeak up and say that I’m angry. I worked for about half a decade in a foreign country, leaving everything that was comfortable to me behind so I could help provide for my family. I dreamed of… no, I still dream of having that house for my parents and siblings, but I just can’t pretend that everything doesn’t hurt right now. I’m shaking so hard inside, and I would love nothing more than to scream out into the Manila night that I’m so frustrated about everything going on with my life.
The facts are that I’m not only dangerously close to being deported, but I'm also running the risk of being sent to jail for committing marriage fraud. That's of course, assuming we don’t pass the investigator’s interview. I've studied and worked my entire life trying to improve how my family lives only to be hit with the reality that I have absolutely no idea where all that money went. And the fact that I just… I just feel so alone right now. I’ve been living by myself in Hollywood for a long time, but this is truly the first time I’ve ever felt alone.
I let out a deep sigh, hoping it gets me to calm down as I finish getting ready to go out with Leo. I know he means well right now, but I’m just so exasperated that I can’t bring myself to appreciate it. I take one last look in the mirror and smooth my hand over the navy blue cocktail dress I’m wearing. I like dressing up, but tonight I feel like just being in my sweats on the couch and numbing my sadness with god knows whatever Leo is going to buy tonight.
With one more deep breath, I open the door of my room and walk to Leo’s on the other side of the suite. The suite takes up an entire wing of the hotel and is majorly exclusive.
I knock on Leo’s door before letting myself think too long about it, and it swings open almost immediately. Leo is standing out on the expansive deck, looking out over the town. He's wearing a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off those amazing forearms again, and slim fitting jeans. His hair is back in place, but curling slightly at the ends in deference to the humidity.
It’s such a casual look for anyone, but he just wears it so well.
“I know I’ve already mentioned this, but it’s so damnhot,” Leo states, already pulling at his shirt to get more air through his body, and he’s right, it’s very warm right now, but it's the humidity that is really stifling for those not used to it. It’s already past sunset, and I can still feel the heat against my skin, and it doesn’t help that his cologne is floating right into my nose as he fans himself off.
I can’t help the nervous laugh that escapes my lips.
“Not a lot of people wear many layers around here.”
He slides the patio doors closed and we head out of the suite toward the elevator.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he complains, and I do agree with him that it takes a long while to get used to the heat of a tropical country. It also doesn’t help that we’re visiting at the peak of summer, though I have to say, it does give him atruePhilippines experience. “So, where to go first?”
And that’s the last time Leo and I are sober tonight.
We get a drink at every bar we wander into, and I never in a million years thought that I would be drinking like this with my boss. Then again, I never thought I’d be engaged to him before either, so I guess it’s time for me to stop living in what I think will happen because I’d have no freakin’ idea every single time. Okay, I may or may not be projecting a bit, but I guess the alcohol’s slowly starting to seep into my veins by now.
“What is this? Our… sixth bar?” I ask, vision starting to shake a little as I take another sip of my cocktail. This bar is actually a cool one. It’s very Filipino-centric, and it’s rare to see such places in higher-end neighborhoods. I could go into deep detail as to why, but basically, there’s just a lot more places that feature foreign themes in Manila, and it’s refreshing to find one that actually celebrates our culture. There’s a couple of replicas from some of the iconic paintings during the revolutionary era where the Philippines gained its independence. There’s also a couple of sculptures that pay homage to the Philippine Eagle, the national bird and symbol. It’s just really cool to see things like this, especially after being in a foreign country for so long. It feels like home.
“I don’t know, but this beer tastes great,” Leo responds, taking another swig of one of the local beers. He seems about as intoxicated as I am, and in a way, that kind of makes me feel good. Like, I haven’t gone out to drink in ages, and I’m glad I can still keep up with those around me with this kind of stuff. “Hey… What do those words mean? I thought Filipinos only wrote with the same alphabet?”
Leo points to a wooden carving behind the bar that’s written in an old Philippine script. “That’sbaybayin,” I tell him. “It’s how Filipinos used to write in the sixteenth century. It’s become very popular again after people started to call for cultural appreciation.”
Leo’s mouth opens to an ‘o’, signifying that he understands. “That’s pretty cool. Could be a good movie idea,” he responds, and I try my very hardest to not roll my eyes at him at that very moment. He’s always talking about movies, even when he’s tipsy. It’s kind of adorable, really. “So, what does that writing mean? Can you read it for me?” He points at the same wood carving again.
I squint my eyes, trying to rack my brain on what the writing means. I learned it once a long time ago, but it takes a while for me to understand all the letters. Eventually, even as I keep sipping from my fruity cocktail, I manage to fully understand the writing on the wall. “It says‘Isang mahal’which means ‘one love,’” I say to him, then I take another sip of my cocktail. “It’s actually pretty cute. It talks about loyalty and devotion to a person.”
Suddenly, Leo falls silent as he takes another sip of his beer. “It… It kinda sounds like your name,” he points out, and I’m just now realizing that it indeed does. I guess I haven’t paid attention to that part of my name for a while now. “I-Isang… ma… hal,”Leo tries to sound it out by himself, and it sounds kind of funny with his thick American accent saying Tagalog words. “Isa…”He repeats the first part. “Is that what your name means?”
Nodding, I give him a small smile. “Yep,” I confirm, popping the p. “It meansone. My parents were really creative naming their first-born child,” I say sarcastically, kind of playfully, but the irritation from earlier today definitely seeps in there. I take another sip as I remember the state of that house, and I immediately start to get angry again.
