Chapter Twenty Two

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I'd never thought that I would say this but I am not as bad as I thought. All I need to do is to improvise myself and my whole being.

I realized that as I was looking at Beatrice, reflecting on the mirror. I learned how to put on my contact lense and it's all thanks to my elder sister, L. Since I already know how to fix myself just fine, I've decided to do it on my own. I don't want to bother my elder sister and her boyfriend downstairs.

Yes, you heard it right! My sister's boyfriend paid us a visit. That's why I could hear their laughter coming all the way from our sala. My guess was they haven't started cooking our lunch yet because they were too busy.

Anyway, back to myself, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and that's when I realized that maybe there is still a chance for me to change for the better.

I wore my contact lense, had my hair tied up, put on light makeup and an earring. I didn't wear any necklace and a bracelet. It felt uncomfortable and a bit heavy so earrings will do. For the attire, I chose to wear a white t-neck sleeveless top, tucked in a black silky pants and I wore my brown Chelsea boots for my footwear.

For the first time in history, I wore an attire that is acceptable in our society. Can you believe that?

At that moment, I may have been possessed by some kind of a normal lost soul because I suddenly imagined myself being a part of the cheerleading group and me, accepting Cherry's offer to become a part of their dance troupe.

And my inner mind says, your growth came, finally. You better keep that up!

I only have a backpack and a polka dots messenger back which I know doesn't suit my current attire so I decided to borrow my sister's peach sling bag to put my phone, wallet, lipstick and comb. I decided not to bring makeup aside from my redish lipstick.

It's really such a relief that my elder sister is a fashion-holic. At least I could borrow something normal from her.

You might be wondering why I am disguised as Beatrice right now.

Time passed by quickly after Tom, NJ and I went to the PlayZone last Saturday and when Tom said that his family will be coming earlier than expected which is today, Sunday.

So here I am, as Beatrice Smith, the girl who's currently dating Tom for their tradition.

To be honest, I am feeling anxious but at the same time, I could feel the thrill bobbling inside my soul.

Anxious because this is the first time that I am going to pretend as a girlfriend and I know that I am at a disadvantage because I haven't had an experience with meeting the family of my "significant other"

I have a lot of what ifs in my mind.

What if I mess up?

What if they are expecting a high-class girl?

What if they reject me right off the bat?

What if I gave a very bad impression?

I know this is just an act but I don't want Tom to feel embarrassed because of all the people in this universe, I knew how it felt to be embarrassed. Besides, I am presenting as Beatrice Smith, Tom's chosen one to be a partner in life and not Beauty Smith, the geek.

As much as I felt my anxiety is bobbling, and so is my excitement too.

I am pretty thrilled because the show I will be putting on as a girlfriend is the same character I've been writing. Since I have no idea how to deal with someone else's family, I thought of making my character in my novel alive and that's by me as Beatrice Smith.

Because if ever I was able to put my character off and the outcome of my acting is positive, then I'd be more confident that the character I've been working on is doing great too. As someone who writes a novel, obviously, I wanted it to be a good one. Not for the readers, but for myself. Is that weird and mean?

Lost in thoughts, I was pulled back in reality when I heard my mom's voice from the other side of my door. She knocked and called me out.

"B, Tom is here," She said. "Don't keep him waiting."

"Thanks mom," I responded. "I'm coming" And with that, I grabbed my sling bag, hung it over my right shoulder and went out of my room, going downstairs.

As soon as Tom saw me, he said, "You looked -"

"Weird? I know," I cut him off.

"That's rude," He responded and frowned. "Cutting off while someone's talking."

"Sorry about that," I answered. "Your family will be arriving after lunch, right? Aren't we wasting time talking?"

"Oh, right," He said. "Let's go!"

Tom bid my mom and sister a goodbye and said that he will take good care of me. Hah, as If I can't take care of myself. But that's kind of sweet. Almost made me imagine our thing being real.

Tom brought his motorcycle. Good thing I was wearing pants. As he sat down on his motorcycle, I did too. I held on to the back so I wouldn't fall but Tom said, "Wrap your arms around my waist."

"No way! I'm good with holding on to your iron rail at your backseat." I said.

"Come on, don't be shy!" He teased me. "We're not going to move unless you do what I said. Time's ticking, Beatrice."

I sighed and said, "Fine" I wrapped my arms around his waist, a little tight to avoid myself from falling while he's driving.

I know this sounds nuts but what if he's the first one to fall and I'm holding on to him? That means one thing: both of us will fall!

Does that sound stupid?

Maybe. Kind of.

Fine. You can laugh.

Anyway, it's a good thing that it's not traffic, especially that I just found out that Tom's apartment is 15.7 km away from our house. We arrived at his dorm in just 18 minutes. Maybe if heavy traffic occurs, we would probably arrive at our destination in 2 hours or so.

We're pretty lucky, if you ask me.

When we got there, his dorm was empty.

"Welcome to my place," Tom said as he opened his door. "Feel free to be at home."

"I guess your parents and grandparents haven't arrived," I said. "Do you even have any food prepared for them?"

"Haven't prepared a single thing," Tom answered.

Great. Now obviously, we have to cook food.

Unfortunately, I don't cook.

And fortunately, I know how to cook.

He's pretty lucky that I have a partly kind soul.

"Wow," I reacted and gave him a poker face. "But do you have any ingredients?"

"Yes, I do," He answered. "I'll cook"

"Let me help you out so we can finish the preparation faster," I said. "Besides, I'm pretty hungry too. Aren't you?"

"Same," He said. "So, shall we?"

The very first time I cooked was when NJ barged into our house as usual. It was when he asked me to go with him at their daycare center. And cooking with a guy reminds me of that day.

"Sure," I answered. "What are their favorite foods?"

"Vegetables" He simply answered.

"That's generic," I answered. "Can you be more specific?"

"Leafy green vegetables," He answered.

"Stop making things complicated, will you?" I said in exasperation. "Be specific. Time's running!"

"Sorry about that," He said and began to think. After like, a minute or two, he finally gave us a specific vegetable dish that we could cook. "Chopsuey with Chicken and Broccoli" he suggested.

"Sorry, what's that?" I asked. Never in my life have I heard of that term. Why do I feel like their family has tried different dishes and cuisines that not everyone knows about? Or maybe it's just me who lacks knowledge about this type of food?

"It's Filipino cuisine," He answered. "My grandparents love it."

"Is one of them living in the Philippines or a filipino?" I asked. Of course, I have to know. After all, I'm meeting him later.

"My grandma is a filipina citizen," He answered as he opened his fridge and crouched to get the ingredients needed. "She migrated here when she married my grandpa."

"So you're half filipino?" I confirmed.

He stood up with the vegetables in his hands. His hands were full so I helped him with carrying the vegetables towards the kitchen table.

While preparing, he answered my question, "Yes, that's right. But I haven't been to the Philippines yet."

"Do you know how to speak their language?" I asked curiously as I pulled out a knife and placed it on the table.

"Kind of," He answered. "My grandma told me that I needed to learn how to speak their language since she's a filipina and we're blood-related."

"Hold on," I said. "Was your filipina grandma the reason for having your tradition?"

Shaking his head sideways, he answered, "Nope. My dad started it when I turned 18."

"So it was a new tradition?" I said. "Then why don't you break it?"

"Easier said than done," He said and sighed in frustration. "He's worried that our bloodline would stop with me so he decided to start this tradition thing to make sure that the Anderson family's bloodline would continue."

"That's unfair on your part, if you ask me" I said.

"By the age of 26, I must get married. That's why they keep on bugging me to have a girl, get to know her and see if she could fit in or be a suitable partner to continue our bloodline."

"How old are you?" I asked. "Haven't experienced that but I could feel the pressure."

"I'm already 24 years old." He said.

"Oh, crap. You're doomed," I reacted.

"Can you pass the plate?" He asked so I did then he responded to my statement. "I only got 2 years left, that's why they became even more strict."

"Oh, you poor boy," I teased. "I wish I could help you but this dating thing is only temporary." I continued.

"It's not funny!" He said. "And I know this is just a temporary thing."

"You made it sound like a one night stand," I said. "You know, one night thing."

"Do you want to?" He asked.

"Follow the rule!" I snapped. "We have an agreement, remember? No sex."

"Just kidding!" He said then laughed. "Does your family have a tradition?"

"If you call me dressing up in a new attire while I am living as Beauty Smith, sure" I said and shrugged. "But to answer your question, we don't have any tradition."

"Maybe your mother could create a must always be dressed in a normal-manner tradition," He joked. "It would help you become a normal human being."

"Ha-ha-ha. Very funny," I answered.

"Can you open the stove and place the pan on the stove and open it?" He instructed. "Don't forget to pour the cooking oil."

"Yeah, sure," I answered and did as I was told. I am not much of a help because I don't know how to cook Chopsuey. I only helped him by giving him the tools and ingredients needed to cook Chopsuey.

As the cooking progressed, I could smell the aroma coming from the pan and it made my tummy grumble. And now, I am looking forward to eating it.

"Let me be the one to set the table," I volunteered. "And wash the dishes later on too."

"Thanks for the help"

"No worries. This is the least thing I could do for you in the kitchen." I answered.

"If ever Nico dated you, he'd be a lucky man" He said out of the blue. Now, why did he bring up NJ?

"NJ? Me? Dating?" I reacted. "I couldn't see it happening."

"What if I date you for real?" He asked.

"Then you're probably dreaming or really out of your mind," I said. "And if I ever date you for real in your current age, chances are we'll become lifetime partners. Not yet ready to become married."

"How old are you again?" He asked.

"22," I answered. "Turning 23 next month"

"Why are you not dating anyone? You're at the right age. And have you ever dated someone in the past?" He asked.

Shrugging I said, "None. I was not interested and am still not."

And just in time, we completed the preparation then there's a call on Tom's phone.

"Hey, dad" He greeted me as he answered the phone. "Oh, you're already downstairs?" He responded. "I'll be there in a minute. Wait," I heard him say. "Yes, yes. I have my girlfriend with me. Happy?" He said. "I'm coming down."

With that, he went down and left me because I told him that I'd just wait for them while cleaning the part of his place that was a bit messy. Jeez, he didn't even bother to complete everything before I and his family gets here.

After cleaning the messy part, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman and her partner. Behind them, I saw an old lady and an old man. The old man was struggling to walk with his cane. The old woman was assisting him and so was Tom.

I stood up and when the middle-aged woman saw me, she spoke in a language that I am unfamiliar with.

"Siya ba ang girlfriend mo? (Is she your girlfriend?)" She said to Tom.

"Opo, siya nga, (Yes, it's her) " Answered, Tom.

"Maganda siya! (She's pretty!)" She said in delight. Now I am super curious as to what they are talking about. "Marunong ba siyang mag-filipino? (Does she know how to speak filipino?)

"Hindi po (No)" Tom answered.

She looked at me and smiled.

"Hi," She greeted me as she walked up to me and in surprise, held my hand. "I'm Esmeralda, Tom's mother."

I could feel my anxiety but fought it with confidence hidden within me. I kept myself calm and smiled back sweetly, "I'm Beatrice," I greeted. "Tom's g-girlfriend," Almost stammered but immediately regained my composure. What? This is the first time I introduced myself as a girlfriend to a guy's family. This is new to me. I am inexperienced. I'm only relying on acting like how the characters in my novel act in situations like this.

"Tom talked about you a lot and said many good things about you," His mother Esmeralda said. "That's why I've been dying to meet you and adjust our visit."

Using my eyes, I looked at Tom and then back at Esmeralda. "Did he? I'm glad that he talked about me."

His mother is not like what Tom talked about. According to Tom, she likes chatty girl because she doesn't talk that much.

But I'm seeing the opposite. Did he lie to me?

Her partner stepped in and said, "I'm Clarence, Tom's father. It's good to meet you, Beatrice. I heard from Tom that you're writing novels."

Nodding, I answered, "Yes, I am. I can tell you about it if you want? I heard from Tom that you are fond of books."

"That's right," He said. "I'd be willing to listen to your novel."

His grandma and grandpa were the first ones to sit on the cushion. As soon as they settled down and looked comfy, his grandma spoke. "I'm Emelita, Tom's grandma. I am Esmeralda's mother. It's good that my grandson was able to fish someone... decent looking." She said and smiled slightly and it almost looked forced. This old lady sat straight and she's really healthy and strong judging on her look and the way she talks.

She looked at me from head to toe which gave me a little bit of chills. Why am I getting a bad feeling about this woman? And more importantly, what does she mean by decent looking? I don't know if I should be offended or what but I've decided to let it go for Tom's sake.

His grandma looked at Tom and spoke with the same language Esmeralda used a while ago. "Mukha siyang okay sa akin, (she looks fine to me)" She started. "Matalino ba siya? (Is she intelligent?)" She added using a firm voice.

I am extremely bothered about what his grandma has been telling him because of the way she speaks and because of her posture. I hope I am just judging, but I've got this feeling that his grandma has very high qualifications in girls.

Wait. This is only temporary.

I have nothing to worry about.

I don't need to tame his grandma.

Right?

Right?

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