CHAPTER 20: AT THE PARTY
THE GIRL WHO CAN’T DATE
By Eleventh
CHAPTER 20: AT THE PARTY
“Ares always have the right words to say. I’m glad I have a brother like him. He's almost perfect but sometimes I wonder if he's happy. Sometimes, he's just too quiet. But maybe he is because he has Seah." – Ira P.
2017 JOURNAL
“What am I supposed to do with these?”
For almost an hour, Ira has been staring at the make-up that carelessly scattered on her bed, trying to figure out how to use them. She’s not used to applying heavy make-up after all. All she knew was to put on some loose powder and some lipstick. For her, learning the art of make-up is like learning a new language; it’s confusing and it’s complicated.
She scratched her head as she checks every make-up and wondered which ones should be applied first. Her head itched even more when she saw the bag of brushes, feeling unsure what they are for.
In that moment of deliberating, she received a message from Maggie.
[Make sure you use the make-up I bought for you. You have to look pretty at the party. In case you don’t know how to apply them, which I’m sure you really don’t, look for tutorials on YouTube.]
Ira sighed.
She doesn’t want to watch a tutorial video, thinking she has no time for that. However, she still thinks that she had to look presentable at the wedding. Seah’s family and relatives are classy and rich. She doesn’t want to look cheap and embarrass her brother.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in! It’s open!” Seah’s face peeked at the door. “Yes?”
Opening the door wider, Seah stepped her foot, and half of her body was inside Ira’s room.
“Hi! I was just hoping if you have a tissue. I ran out and I forgot to buy some last week.”
“Tissue? Uhm, I think I still have a roll of tissue inside the bathroom. You can have it.”
“Oh, great! Thanks! Can I come in?”
“Yeah, of course. Come on in!”
Seah entered Ira’s room and went straight into the bathroom to get some tissue. When she went out, she noticed how Ira looked so confused with all the make-up scattered on her bed.
“Oh, I see you just took some. You can get the whole roll if you want. I don’t mind.”
“It’s okay. I only need this much. Besides, Ares is on his way and he already bought some. I just need some to wipe my… you know, after I pee.”
Ira blinked twice, not getting what Seah meant.
“You wipe yours after you pee?”
Seah blinked twice too.
“Don’t you?”
Ira scratched her neck and said, “I don’t. Is it a must?”
Realizing that Ira must have not known, Seah smiled and sat next to her to explain the use of tissue. “Well, it’s not really a must but it is encouraged. If we don’t wipe ours after we urinate, it can cause our panties to get wet and create a bad odor. And that may cause vaginal infections.”
Ira innocently formed an “o” with her mouth with what she just learned from Seah. It was like an aha moment for her.
“Oooow! I didn’t know that.”
Seah pressed her lips for a smile. Then she turned her attention to the make-up kit.
“I didn’t know you like make-up.”
Ira swiftly shook her head. “No, I don’t! My colleague bought this for me and said I should wear this for the party later, but honestly, I had no idea how to use them.”
“Well, if you keep practicing, you’ll eventually get the hang of it.” Seah, looking at the make-up closely, amplified her eyes in marvel. “Wow! These are branded make-ups. This costs a lot. And they’re pretty good in the face too.”
“Too bad! I don’t think I’ll be able to use them tonight.”
“How about I help you?” Seah excitedly suggested.
Ira had to blink twice and bit her upper lip before she curved a smile and said, “Yes, please!”
That afternoon, the ladies excitedly washed up and prepared for the party, especially Seah. This will be the first time she’s going to bond with her sister-in-law, and she’s grabbing this moment while she can. After wearing the dress she has chosen to wear, she immediately went into the other room to check on Ira. She caught her staring at her cabinet.
“Can’t choose what to wear?” Seah asked, approaching her sister-in-law.
“Yeah. My colleague chose these for me but I don’t know if any of these looks good on me.”
Seah checked her wardrobe and scanned the dresses. She caught a glimpse of a nude off-shoulder dress with an asymmetrical cut and took it out of the cabinet.
“This looks nice. Why don’t you try this on?”
Ira agreed. She finds it nice too, so she did not have a second thought of wearing it. After coming out from the bathroom, Seah grinned widely, amused at how pretty Ira look.
“So? How do I look?” Ira asked for assurance.
“Very pretty!” Seah reassured. “Come and sit here! I’ll do your hair.”
Ira obeyed. She placed all her make-up on the dressing table and sat in front of the big mirror. As soon as she sat down, she began to braid her front hair and turned it into a lovely tiara. Then she neatly tied her hair into a bun.
“My hair looked very pretty. How did you learn to braid?”
Seah started putting on some moisturizer on Ira’s face and dabbed some primer, foundation, and concealer. She was enjoying dolling up Ira.
“I learned it when I was in high school. Funny, because at that age I’ve been dreaming of one day I’ll doll up my own daughter. Braid her hair. Put on some make-up. Dress her up. Things like that!”
Ira sniggered. “Soon, that dream will come true. You and Ares should go and have your honeymoon already so you can have your honeymoon baby.”
Seah didn’t answer. Her silence wondered Ira yet she couldn’t even see her face because her eyes were closed.
AT THE EVENT
As the Pardillas entered the garden where the Regalados gathered for the golden wedding, they were astonished at how big their family is. It seemed that every close and distant relative was invited to that party. The twins were there. Claude waved at Ira from afar while Skye didn’t even look at her. Mandy saw them too and happily waved at them with her two hands. All walks of life were present there, couples of old age, young adults, teenagers, and a lot of kids running around.
“This family is bigger than ours, don’t you think?” Orion remarked.
“True. And it seemed that they are family-oriented people.” Eros added.
“They are. They really pay attention to building a family.” Ares confirmed.
Seah’s parents noticed her so they immediately greeted her with a hug and a kiss. They also welcomed the Pardillas the moment they saw them following behind Seah. Meanwhile, Ares apologized for not making it to the ceremony which the newlyweds understood. They even praised both of them for being such dignified, hardworking doctors.
After leading the Pardillas to the table reserved for them, the newlyweds left to entertain the other guests. But the Pardillas weren’t left alone. A few seconds later, some kids run to Seah for a kiss and some of her closest cousins circled her and Ares for a catch-up.
“Seah! Ares! Nice to see you! By the way, congratulations on your marriage.” Pat, her cousin, greeted her with a kiss.
“Awe. Thank you, Pat!” Seah answered with an embrace.
“Sorry, we didn’t make it to your wedding. Pat gave birth to our fifth child on that day.” Bobby, Pat’s husband, explained.
“Yeah, We heard. Is this the baby?” Ares took notice of the baby in Pat’s arms and stood nearer to take a closer look at the adorable baby who was sleeping soundly in her mother’s arms.
“Yes. Our little angel.”
“She’s very pretty. What’s her name?” Ares complimented without looking away from the baby’s face.
“Thank you! We call her Macy.”
“Congratulations, Pat and Bobby,” Seah whispered.
Ares was watching Macy with awe, hoping he could hold her. Instead, he placed a finger in Macy’s hand so she could hold it. When she did, it made Ares smile sweetly. He was obviously very pleased. Seah was watching him and could tell in his eyes how we wanted to have a child, how we wanted to be a father. What a bittersweet moment it was for Seah!
Bobby, watching at how pleased Ares was, tapped his shoulder, and said, “Someday, you’ll have a child too.”
The downcast voice of Bobby tingled Ira’s ears and much more curious when she saw how Seah’s face suddenly frowned.
“B-but of course, no pressure! You-you’re newlyweds… and you haven’t gone to your honeymoon yet… because you guys are very busy and uhm, yeah!” Pat babbled. She looked very uneasy.
“Have you seen a doctor…” Bobby didn’t finish his words when he suddenly felt a kick on his knee. When he looked at his wife, Pat signaled him not to talk about it.
Meanwhile, Seah was feeling uncomfortable that she needed to take a seat. Her face crumpled while holding on to her abdomen.
“Babe, are you okay?” Ares asked, looking flustered to see his wife being in pain.
“I need to go to the washroom. Excuse me!”
Seah excused herself. While walking away to the washroom, Ira noticed a bloodstain in Seah’s dress. She immediately called Ares’ attention, worried that more people might notice and she’d be embarrassed. Ares instantly left his seat taking off his coat to cover Seah.
Ira, remembering that she brought some pads, followed Seah to the washroom to give her some.
“Hey, Seah! I have some pads here. Thought you might need some.”
“Yeah, I do. Thank you, Ira!” Seah accepted the pads and went inside the cubicle to change.
Ares was at the door waiting. After changing, the ladies went out and met Ares.
“Are you okay?” Ares checked.
“I’m having cramps again.”
“Is this your first day?” Ira asked.
Seah shook her head with her eyes closed because of pain. “This should be my last day.”
“Let’s go home!” Ares declared.
“But we just got here, Ares,” Seah argued.
“You don’t look well, Seah!” Ares’ voice raised.
“I think you should go home, Seah. Don’t worry! We can stay a little bit longer. We’ll just explain to your parents what happened.” Ira suggested.
“Thank you, Ira! I appreciate it!”
Seah did not argue with Ares anymore and agreed to go home. Meanwhile, as Ira went back to the table to explain to her brothers about Seah’s situation, she caught sight of a young, odd-looking man who just arrived. He looked ragged and messy in his black long hair. His ears were full of piercings. Even his nose had a ring. He wore a white short-sleeve button-up shirt so his full-sleeve tattoo on his right arm is plain in sight.
Everyone was looking at him with disgust. But Seah’s parents warmly welcomed him in.
“Who could that be?” Orion chattered.
“A relative, of course,” Ira answered.
“I bet he’s the black sheep of the family,” Orion remarked.
“Will you not make comments like that in someone else’s family? That’s rude, Rion!”
Orion was about to retaliate but Eros signaled him not to. So, he obediently stopped making remarks after Ira’s scolding.
While the others were enjoying their food, Ira can’t help but look at the mysterious man. She finds him scary but she pities him more. He was sitting alone at his table, eating his food without a care in the world. He didn’t seem bothered by his relatives looking at him with scorn and whispering spiteful remarks.
[I guess all families are the same – imperfect!]