She tells Achi something about how Uncle Francis’s flight from Amsterdam got canceled, but I just keep thinking about Seph… and how much it sucks to spend Christmas without your dad.
“So Moseph is spending Christmas alone?
“I mean, with Auntie Baby?” I add when Pa shoots me a look. “Auntie Babyis spending Christmas alone?”
“Well, like you said, Nika, she’ll be with Moseph,” Ma answers, and goes right back to checking whatever’s heating up in the oven.
Then I blurt out, “What if we invite them over?”
My family’s suddenly staring at me as if I proposed to cancel Christmas.
“We have lots of food,” I point out. “And we used to host all those Christmas parties before too.”
My sister’s eyes widen. “Youwant to throw a party?”
“It’s Christmas!” I say, putting on the biggest smile I’ve ever worn. “Isn’t it supposed to be a party?”
Ma presses the back of her palm to my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
I nod and convince her that my temperature is completelynormal. “Auntie Grace might be game too. Kayla said they’re just at home.”
“… I can call Grace,” Ma says carefully.
Ma’s eyes bounce from me to my sister.
“Great!” I clasp my hands together. “So that’s Auntie Baby’s and Auntie Grace’s families. Anyone else?”
Ma and Achi exchange looks, probably trying to figure out why in the world the most antisocial member in the family would want to throw a very last-minute Christmas party. The more I try to seem cheery, the more my family looks like theyfearme.
Once I finally sell them on the idea, Pa teases, “Sweet mo naman kay Seph.”
“I convinced them to have a party for you,” I whisper to Pa when the rest of my family is out of earshot.
I’m making sure Pa gets a great Christmas, that Auntie Baby isn’t alone, and that all of Ma’s baking efforts get maximized. It’s merely a coincidence that Seph happens to be Auntie Baby’s son. And this is me showing great levels of empathy. I know what it’s like to miss your dad during the holidays, so I’m just putting myself in Seph’s shoes. Truth be told, I’m actually getting the short end of the stick considering I have to go through noche buena with a nagging toothache. But still, I’m going to eat Ma’s desserts because I don’t want to hurt her feelings.
This is me acting out of concern for other people.
Ha! Who says I’m not learning a lot from church?
29
From pichi-pichi and bibingka to Ma’s suman and puto bumbong, our dining table has every form of delicious rice cake you can imagine. Ma whipped up something extra special too: the Buns by Beth buko pie with a crust that’s somehow extra tender and filling that’s extra creamy. As for my contribution, I also prepared my specialty: scrambled eggs with the perfect runny texture.
When Auntie Baby arrived with a cooler of wine bottles in one hand and her portable karaoke machine in the other, she immediately ordered us to turn down Jose Mari Chan on our speakers so she could sing her own rendition of his songs. She decorated our Christmas tree with garlands of sampaguita before setting up her magic mic in our living room. There are very few things in this world that Auntie Baby loves more than karaoke.
And every single time, she proves that Seph’s singing abilities don’t come from her side of the family.
While both Kayla and Auntie Baby struggle to find pitch, the difference with Auntie Baby is that shebelievesshe’s a terrific singer. And not just karaoke terrific—one time, we watched a clip of Lea Salonga performing on Broadway, and Auntie Baby commented that she and Lea sounded alike.
She said this as seriously and matter-of-factly as someone would declare that the world is round. In Auntie Baby’s mind, I truly suspect that she believes that her singing is as good as a Tony Award–winning vocalist’s.
In theory, I should be annoyed that Auntie Baby’s stallingeveryone from eating so we can sit through another performance of Christmas carols. She’s already on her second glass of wine when she begins her third repeat of “Christmas in Our Hearts.”
Yet Auntie Baby butchering a Christmas classic just seems so in line with the holidays.
On the other side of the room, Achi and Kayla are competing with each other to see who can build the longest line with things in their pockets.
“Yun o!” Kayla raises her fists after she slowly positions her necklace at the end of her line. She then mimes answering a phone with her hand. “Ms. Ilagan, I’m getting a call from the guidance office. The rest of the faculty wants to congratulate me on my win.”
