Chapter 64 Fun Time

KIA

“What are you doing here?” I asked. As I look at him wondering if I am seeing right.

“You! What are you doing — here?”

“Nathan, I asked first.”

He rubbed his eyes as he looked in a different direction and then back at me. “Spending my vacation by myself just like you and your — husband, Mr. Vuertalejo, right? Nice meeting you in person.”

I was stunned when someone suddenly held my waist. It is Ares. As his nostrils flared, he then reached for Nate’s hand. “You are?”

“Oh, I am sorry. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Nathan Zac Ramirez, Kianna’s schoolmate. I thought she had told you something about me, like the one who saved her that day,” Nate said, narrowing his eyes.

“So you were the one who drove her home that night. Thanks for saving my wife. Anyway, hon, we need to go. We still haven’t eaten our lunch. Nice meeting you, Mr. Ramirez.”

Ares grabbed my hand and was about to go when Nate suddenly stopped us with his request.

“Can I eat lunch with the two of you?” Nate asked.

…What the f*ck is wrong with him? Why would he want to eat lunch with us? He must be mad...

I could feel that my husband didn’t like his request as Ares tightened his grip on my hand.

“If you just want, of course! You see, I am just alone right now and I was actually not that good at directions. That is why I went here without realizing it." Nate added.

“Oh, really? I’m sorry, but I don’t think that is a good idea—”

“Of course, you can come with us,” Ares interjected. Made me look at him, wondering why he had just agreed to that. I know how he hates Nate. What is wrong with these people?

“Great! Can we go now? — Wait! Do you guys have a car? I was wondering if… You know… I don’t want to commute.”

I rolled my eyes as I stared furiously at him. “Yes we did, Nathan.”

“Let’s go.”

Ares said, and started walking towards the parking lot. We don’t want to encounter some frightening things here. We had then decided to leave the area and get back to the city proper. While in the car, I couldn’t stop looking at Ares. Nate can’t stop talking, and it is making me very annoyed. I just want to punch him in the face and throw him out.

“Can we eat in a modern Asian cuisine? I know a restaurant that serves conventional comfort food.”

…Oh, God!...

“When will you shut your mouth, Nathan?”

“Sorry — I’m just… just suggesting you know,” he said, defending himself.

Ares grabbed and pressed my hand. “Hon, it’s okay. How about in Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay?”

“Oh! That’s what I was thinking! You know that restaurant, Mr. Vuertalejo?” Nathan asked.

“I just saw it on the internet while I was researching last night,” Ares answered. “Please, call me Ares. You don’t have to be so formal. You were Kianna’s schoolmate, so there is no need for such a formal address,” Ares added.

…What was that? Is he even serious? I thought he hated Nathan. What is going on?...

We entered this establishment run by Chef Billy King called The Twist Café, which offers a cozy, informal dining atmosphere. The Forest Lodge's front desk area and The Twist are practically next to each other. The restaurant's interior was calm even though there were no doors separating it from the hotel's light-filled, large lobby. The Twist struck a deft mix between classic and modern with its persistently rustic concept and striking color contrasts.

I had the impression that I had been transported to a restaurant in a jungle thanks to the handcrafted and durable hardwood furnishings, the tribal design, and the Filipino modern paintings that included a forest on the side. The chandeliers were gorgeous, and their artistic installation on the high ceilings added to the ambiance's cozy and fashionable feel. The tables and chairs were organized neatly, and it's important to note that you can ask to have them adjusted to accommodate a specific group of individuals. The wait staff was attentive without being intrusive, and they were nice. It was simple to get their attention, and they were gracious hosts.

We started lunch with calamari and prawn oriental pasta. To be honest, it wasn’t the best pasta dish I can openly recommend. I thought the sauce needed more spices.

“I don’t like it. I think just a little bit of salt and pepper plus a subtle hint of garlic would have made it better.” Nate commented while he was munching.

I really can’t believe this person. He is being too honest. Can he just shut his mouth and not make any side comments? But he is right with that. Overall, it can be counted as a nice and light demonstration of simple goodness, with seafood toppings that seemed compatible.

The Thai Green Prawn Curry with veggie brown rice risotto, which came with a substantial portion of juicy prawns, was excellent. The taste of Thai curry could be a little unusual for some people, but I thought it was fantastic! However, because of the vivid yellow hue, I anticipated the Thai flavor to be more noticeable.

The salmon fillet slice that was cooked had a gorgeous sear that practically made the fish melt in your mouth. Together with the veggie fried rice, the gently sweetened tahini yogurt created a rich, creamy aspect that brought out the freshness of the protein. Yummy!

Following that is the Honey Glazed Crispy Pork Belly with Steamed Rice, which was prepared to perfection, sealing in all the fluids without leaving a greasy aftertaste and leaving a lovely crisp on the skin while the interior remained supple and juicy. We found the honey and sauce combination to be the most delicious. You can't go wrong with this comfort food, without a doubt.

“It was the fat that made it tasty,” Ares murmured.

After enjoying four courses, it was then time to let the sweet tooth sink in! We had this cheesecake, which did not come across as the most photogenic but surely compensated with its strong taste of cheese. Next, we had the moist dark chocolate cake that was so rich that one slice was plenty for the three of us to share. Stealing the limelight with its glistening surface, the Crème Caramel with Fresh Mango appeared like the classic Leche flan. The delicately shaped and sculpted caramel custard had a smooth and silky texture, with a consistency that was slightly set and very creamy.

I was so full that I couldn’t even stand. We sat at the restaurant for over half an hour before deciding to head back to the car.

“Kianna, have you visited the strawberry farm?” Nathan asked.

We are still in the parking lot, thinking about where to go next. “Not yet. Should we go there?” I asked, looking at the two of them.

“If you guys want to…”

“Why not? We will go there, hon.” Ares agreed and immediately started the engine of the car.

We had already arrived at around three o’clock. A man approached us carrying a book, saying, “Good afternoon, visitors! You need to log in to this book. Thank you!”

I hesitated to pay the 350 pesos per kilo of strawberries since I'm a frugal person, and you can literally pick strawberries right in the midst of the farm for that price. However, a few minutes later, my husband and I are on the farm harvesting the crisp, red, glossy, and tasty strawberries.

“Here, Kianna, there are a lot of big strawberries at this part!” Nate screamed. I immediately went towards him. He’s right. This spot has a lot of bigger strawberries.

While busy picking strawberries, Nate suddenly patted my shoulder and handed me a strawberry with a bite. I look at him with a serious face.

“Try it! It’s a twin strawberry. They said that you will be blessed if you eat a twin strawberry, and it tastes sweeter than other strawberries,” Nates claimed while smiling at me.

I was hesitant to try it, but since he is just acting nice. I bit the small part and he was right. It is sweeter! I immediately grabbed it from him and went in Ares' direction.

“Careful, hon!” Ares said.

I slowed down and handed him the strawberry. He looked at me with a question mark printed on his face, but then he just grabbed it and ate it as a whole.

Sh*t!

That’s not what I was planning to do. I just want him to taste the part that I bit into.

“What?” Ares asked.

“Ah– Nothing! It’s sweet, right?”

He answered me with a nod. Maybe I will just stay quiet and not tell him that Nate bit the strawberry too.

I had never been to a strawberry farm in my entire life. This is my first time. So, during picking, we decided to take photos for memories. I don’t know if Nate is doing it on purpose, but he is always trying to photobomb every picture that we take.

While I was wandering around, I saw a lady farmer. I began asking the lady farmer about her strawberries.

I asked her about the peak season for strawberries and she said, “It is during the cold months”.

“Do you own this farm?”

“No, the government owns this land and we farmers here used to pay them 15 pesos per square meter per month," she answered.

I asked the lady farmer if she would like to stand next to my husband for a picture once our basket, which is intended to be just enough to fill one kilogram of strawberries, was full. The best part of my trip to the Strawberry Farm was when she finally consented. I spent the remaining hour photographing the field, which has a surface area of between thirty and forty hectares. Ares informed me that the lady farmer had added a few grams of strawberries to the one pound that we had just intended to buy as we were leaving the farm and making our way to the parking lot.