“Of course he’s fine,” Tita Ria said, tears brimming in her eyes. Vito Santillan’s youngest daughter, the one who used to be his favorite, was now standing out in the hall, unable to speak to her father, out of her own volition. Santi had so many questions. “He’ll live forever.”
“According to him,” Santi agreed, and his aunt squeezed his hand affectionately.
“I should go.”
“I’ll walk you down, Tita.”
“Thank you, Ton-ton,” Tita Ria said, tucking her arm around his as they slowly made their way to the elevators. “I’m sure you had New Year plans, too.”
“I did,” Santi admitted with a sigh. “But...family comes first.”
“People you share blood with and family are two completely different concepts,” Tita Ria said, and Santi could tell that she’d said this kind of thing several times already, to other people. “At the end of the day, the people who love you most are the ones you should stick to, no?”
Ah, love. That complicated thing he wasn’t sure he was actually capable of feeling.
Wrong.A pang spread across his chest at the thought, almost like his heart was making its protest known.
“So I have to wonder,” Tita Ria said, seemingly unaware of Santi’s confusion. “What are you still doing here?”
He was tired. So tired of coming up with reasons why. Maybe it was love. Maybe it was a sick sense of duty, hammered into his head at a young age, a familial obligation. It could be pride too, Santi refusing to let go of a family that saw him as someone to use.
It could be all of that.
But Santi was tired, and he knew there was somewhere else he would much rather be, where he didn’t have to come up with reasons to be there. He could just show up, and at least one person would be pleased to see him.
They made it to the lobby, where, after a wave of Tita Joyce’s hand, a black SUV that screamed “expensive” pulled up to the driveway. Santi was slightly taken aback, especially when the window rolled down and Johnny Marbella, owner of the Marbella Group and the Carlton’s biggest local competition, smiled so warmly at his aunt that it made Santi’s heart wrench in his chest. He must have seen something in Tita Ria’s face, because the smile faded.
“Shit, Ria. I’m so sorry,” said Johnny. “They asked you to leave?”
“That’s my family.” She shrugged like it was exactly what she’d expected. “But thank god for you, no?”
And Santi felt that. He understood that idea.Thank god for you.For people who actually cared, and for people who wouldn’t resent you for being there. People who wouldn’t ask you to leave when you needed to know something.
He didn’t realize his aunt was trying to kiss his cheek until she pulled on his sleeve.
“You’re a good boy, Anton,” she told him, and it made Santi feel good, to hear his Tita tell him that. “But right now, I need to get drunk with my husband. You’re welcome to join us. I feel like there are things you need to say.”
“I do,” he admitted, surprised to find that he could still speak. “But there’s somewhere else I need to be. I’ll be okay.”
And he realized that he really, really would be.
Chapter Ten
December 31
Haraya Subdivision Park
Bolbok, Lipa
Today’s horoscope: As Jupiter moves into your 7th House, you might find a lot of luck in keeping that special someone close. Stay with that feeling and ring in the New Year with all the love and happiness you deserve, Gemini.
As much as Kira loved celebrating Christmas, she loved New Year’s Eve even more. Not one to be left behind by, well...anything, the Luzes went all out in their New Year’s celebrations, until eventually the other residents of Haraya subdivision followed suit.
The village park was a busy place on the day, and Kamilla was their queen. She had been coordinating with people since before she flew in from Singapore, telling the sound guys where they could set up, making sure the cleanup committee was ready the next day. Cassie had decided to be her assistant this year, a decision Kira was sure her niece was already regretting as she followed her mother around the space with a clipboard. It was super cute, though.
Kira’s Dad, Kuya Kiko, and Kamilla’s husband, Harry, had been part of the fireworks committee for as long as Kira could remember. They bulk-ordered the fireworks from Bulacan months ago, and the day was mostly just for figuring out timings—start with the kwitis, the ones that whistled as they shot up in the sky before they banged, then the fountains and the trompillos. Then at around eleven, the real fireworks—the big ones, the kind that spread color and light against the dark night—continuously until midnight, then all of that would be joined by the loudest, longest Sinturon ni Judas they could find.
Technically, Kira (and Kiko’s boyfriend, Jake) were also part of the fireworks committee, if only to be the ones to remember to buy sparklers and lusis for the older kids to join in the fun, and supervise.
