Chapter 33
“WOW! I can’t wait to see the beaches!” Caroline exclaimed as soon as her feet stepped on the ground outside the Panglao Airport.
“Is it your first time here, Aunt Caroline?” Anastacia asked and clung to her arm.
“I hate to admit it, but yes, it’s my first time here in Bohol, and I’m about to see the beauty of our own,” she said and inhaled the fresh air. “It’s embarrassing that I’ve been to different countries in the world, yet I haven’t explored and visited the islands of my own country.”
Antonette snorted. “The problem with people seeking high income,” she commented.
Anastacia glanced at her sister. “The irony of life,” she said and laughed. “I think that’s the meaning of adulting.”
Caroline knotted her forehead to the twins. Sometimes, she doesn’t understand how a twelve-year-old girl says something so meaningful as if she has experienced it at a young age.
“I told you,” Benjamin whispered to her. “They talk and think like adults sometimes.”
Moments later, a small white van stopped in front of them. The sliding door opened, and a tall, tanned skin man got out of the car. He smiled and waved at them.
“Tito Mario!” Anastacia and Antonette both exclaimed and ran towards the guy to hug him.
“Here’s our pick-up,” Benjamin said and laughed before getting the luggage in her hand. “Let’s go.”
The man looked at her and smiled. “Welcome to Bohol.”
Caroline returned his greeting with a nod. “Thanks.”
“Mario, this is my friend, Caroline,” Benjamin introduced her. “And, Caroline, this is my cousin, Mario. He will be our tour guide while we’re here.”
“You didn’t tell me that you have gorgeous company, Benjamin,” Mario said and beamed at her.
“I told Nanay that a friend would be with us,” Benjamin said as he put their luggage inside the car.
“Yeah, but you didn’t tell her that your friend is a woman—a gorgeous woman,” Mario countered.
Caroline doesn’t like that they referred to her as a friend of Benjamin. And, she doesn’t like the way this Mario looked at her. Was it his first time to see a Manila Girl? She thought.
Caroline got inside the car. She occupied the backseat together with the twins while Benjamin sat in the front. While on their way to Panglao Beach, Mario talked to Benjamin; it annoys Caroline because his voice was full and loud. She wanted to get a nap, but she couldn’t drift to sleep because of the man’s voice.
“Caroline, why don’t you take a nap? It will take us two hours before we reach our barangay near the beach,” Mario said to her; he was looking at her in the rearview mirror.
Caroline tried her best not to roll her eyes. She forced a smile on her face before she glanced at him again. “I’m fine. I slept during our flight,” she lied.
“Did you?” Benjamin asked her with a knotted forehead. “You spent the two hours flight taking selfies with Anastacia.”
Mario laughed. “Save bigger storage in your smartphone; there’s still more to see in Panglao.”
“He’s right, Caroline. We’ll see the white sand beach later,” Benjamin told her. “I just hope these kids still have energies for today. But I doubt it. Their excitement kept them awake until dawn.”
Caroline chuckled. “Same with me. I spend the whole night reading some online articles on how to enjoy the tourism of Panglao.”
“Leave that to me, Caroline,” Mario butt in. “I’ll make sure that this will be the happiest vacation you’ll ever have.”
And Mario was right. Caroline can already see the aquamarine seawater from afar from the high main road, where they parked the van. The white sand on the beach seems like seducing her bare body to indulge in them.
The van drove inside the bumpy alley and parked in front of a large Nipa Hut lined with bungalow houses that looked comfortable and cozy to live in. Caroline roamed her eyes around the place, but the car window was limiting her view. As soon as the car stopped, a middle-aged woman got out of the bamboo-made door and walked towards the bamboo gate to open it and welcome them.
As soon as Caroline got out of the car, she was welcomed with a home-like feel that was brought by the quiet and cozy place they’re in. But, the scowling middle-aged woman in front of the bamboo gates spoiled the serene view, and she was looking at her as if shocked that she came out from the van.
“Who is she?” she asked Benjamin, not living her eyes off her.
Benjamin and his kids went to the woman and brought her knuckles to his forehead. “`Nay, she’s—”
“She’s Caroline, Aunt Dolor, “ Mario interrupted. “And, she is the woman that will complete my life.”
Anastacia laughed while Antonette snorted. And, Benjamin, who was busy unloading their things at the car, didn’t give a single reaction.
Caroline just smiled at Mario. She went to Benjamin’s mother, greeted her, and bent slightly to brought her hand to her forehead. It’s a Filipino gesture that showed respect to folks or even other people in old age. “It’s nice to meet you, `Nay Dolor. I’m Benjamin’s friend in Manila.”
The old woman gave her a scrutinizing look. “When I was your age, my waistline is just as small as yours,” she said and touched her flat stomach. “Do you still eat?”
Caroline chuckled. “I know it’s hard to believe, but…” she leaned closer to Benjamin’s mom. “I eat a lot that sometimes I get indigestion.”
The woman laughed. “You’re in the right place, Caroline. I will satisfy your cravings with different Bohol delicacies.”
Mario interrupted them by calling her name. “Do you wanna see the beach now?” he asked. “I can give you a quick tour.”
Caroline hesitated to answer. She looked at Benjamin, who was already looking at her. She gave her a look that asks his opinion towards Mario’s offer.
Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. “You can go if you want, Caroline.”
Caroline pursed her lips. Why does it feel like Benjamin was shunning her?
“Can we go later, Aunt Caroline? I wished to walk on the beach with you, but later.” Anastacia’s question served as her scapegoat.
“Sure, Anastacia,” she said and turned to Mario. “I guess later is better.”
“Mario, why don’t you let Caroline get a rest first?” Benjamin’s mother held her arm. “Come on in; I’ll show you your room.”
“Lola, Antonette, and I wanted the same room that we occupied before,” Anastacia chirped while she walked with them. “I missed the bed beside the window that overlooks the beach.”
“Sure, apo. Your Aunt Nikki cleaned and prepared the rooms for all of you—” Nanay Dolor stopped as if she remembered something. She turned around and looked at Benjamin, who was carrying their things with the help of Mario. “Benjamin, why you didn’t tell me over the phone that the friend you’re talking about is a girl?”
Benjamin’s brows raised in confusion. “I thought it wasn’t important.”
Anastacia chuckled. “It’s because daddy was busy doing the math for this trip.”
Benjamin shot his daughter a warning look that Anastacia returned with a giggle.
“Lola, why does it sound like a big deal?” Antonette asked. She was looking at all of them with tired eyes.
“Because we reserved two rooms only,” Nanay Dolor said with a shake of her head. “I assumed that your friend is male, and it will be fine that you shared a room.”
Caroline’s mouth fell open. She and Benjamin will share in the same room for three days? Why does it sound like good news?
“Then, we’ll get another room,” Benjamin said awkwardly.
“I’m afraid that you can’t do that, Benjamin,” Mario said and shook his head. “Nanay Dolor’s lodging is fully booked for the whole weekend.”
***
