Rhythm (12 page)

“Of course, honey. I’m sorry that I even
asked. It’s just that Walter and I are already fifty. I just can’t
help but ask. Never mind me, Rip.”

“It’s totally fine, Mom. It’s not that I’m
not sure if Grant is the guy I want to marry, I am sure about that.
I mean, I want to. It’s just that we’re kind of young and he’s my
first boyfriend.”

“Walter’s also my first boyfriend,” she says
with a smug smile.

I smile. I want this. I like this
mother-daughter conversation. “Is it okay for me to open up to
you?”

“Sure. Please do. I’m your mom,
remember?”

“Okay, here goes. I am not sure how I would
handle any relationship that’s why I never enter into any—until
Grant, but at first I was afraid because I thought he’d just hurt
and leave me.”

“Honey, why would you think that?”

“It’s what the people in my life normally
do—hurt and leave, hurt and leave. Always.”

“Well, let me tell you this: Grant is
different—he’s not that kind of person, Walter and I, too. And
Isaac. We’ll never hurt and leave you. Never.”

I can’t help but cry. “Awww, Mom. You’re
making me cry.”

“Rip, babe, are you okay?” Grant asks
worriedly as he sees my tear-streaked face.

I nod. “Mom was just telling me how you, her,
Dad and Isaac would never hurt and leave me.”

“You know Mom less than a day and you’re
having a heart to heart talk with her?” he asks in
bewilderment.

I shrug. “I missed having a mom, I
guess.”

“Well, Rip, you can always talk with me,
okay? Consider me as your own mom,” she offers with a heartwarming
smile.

“Thank you, Mom.”

She hugs me then says, “You’re welcome,
honey. Go and take a rest. We’ll have a blast tomorrow for the
Christmas’ eve. Good night, Rip.”

Mom hugs Grant as well. “Good night,
honey.”

“Good night, Mom.” Grant and I wave our
goodbyes.

“Tomorrow’s going to be a one fine day,” Mom
adds before letting us go.

I watch Grant to catch any clues as to what
mom is trying to say, but he’s on his way to say good night to the
rest of the gang.

We say our good nights to Dad and Isaac and
hug them both.

Grant guides me to his room in a silent mode.
“I won,” he finally speaks.

“I know,” I shrug.

“Don’t worry. I will not claim my prize yet.
I’ll let you have more time to prepare.”

I’m dumbfounded. I’ve expected him to hold my
hand the moment we’re alone, but I’m relieved as well, so I say,
“Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Good night, my angel. Thank
you for today.”

“Thank you, love, for accepting me in your
home . . . for introducing me to your family. You don’t know how
much this makes me happy.” But I hope he knows how happy I am.
“Good night, love. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, monster. I love you.” He smiles
and my insides flutter.

“I love you, too,” I answer and close the
door.

I try to sleep, but it doesn’t come easily.
Well, who could sleep with what I’m doing—reliving the day. Mom,
Dad, Isaac . . . I already love them, and how they welcomed me
wholeheartedly . . . I feel renewed having felt the love they have
for me.

I know that my relationship with Grant is
rather new, but the depth of it is like we’ve been together longer.
In fact, I’ll say yes if he asks me to marry him.
Easy there,
Rip. Marry? Where did that come from?

I guess my conversation with Mom runs deep in
my thought. Right. That’s why I can’t sleep.

I glance at the bedside clock and see that
it’s almost midnight.
What?
I have to sleep, like, right
away. I think of something to do to help me.

Oh, yes. Gratitude Game.

Sleep, then, comes naturally as I think of
the things I am grateful for today.

---

I wake up early to help prepare for the
Christmas’ eve. I don’t want them to think that I act like a
visitor. No. I want them to see that my actions are that of a true
family member.

I don’t bother to wake up Grant. I go
straight to the kitchen to see what’s Mom up to.

“Morning, Mom,” I greet her with a kiss and a
hug.

“Oh, honey. Good morning. Grant told me
you’re not a morning person, but you’re awake early. You haven’t
slept well?” she asks, concerned.

I shake my head. “No, I slept fine. I just
want to help with the preparations for later. What can I help you
with?”

She smiles and answers, “Honestly, I’m almost
done. There’s not much to prepare today because I did almost
everything yesterday before you two arrive.” She thinks for a
moment then adds, “But you can tell me a story.”

“What story would you like to hear, Mom?” I
ask, even though I’m sure there’s no story she would love to hear
than the love story of Grant and me.

“Tell me everything about how you and Grant
met, how he courted you, everything.”

“He didn’t tell you anything?” I ask.

“Of course he did, but I want your side. A
girl’s side is always exciting.” She giggles.

“Okay. Grant was a persistent suitor . . .” I
start. I tell her everything there is to tell. I don’t skip
anything—even the Riley part.

“Riley, as in the ex-girlfriend of
Grant?”

I nod.

She lets out a deep breath as she says,
“Thank goodness I haven’t met her.”

I shrug then continue.

“Grant loves you so much, honey. You know
that, don’t you?” she asks in a serious tone.

“Yes, I do. And to tell you frankly, I love
him, too.”

“I know. You both seem so much in love with
each other. By the way, I like your rules.” She smirks.

Mom is like a teenager talking with her best
friend. Maybe she wanted to have a daughter but had two boys
instead.

“You wanted to have a daughter?” I ask her,
straight to the point.

“I almost had one after Grant, before Isaac.
She died while I gave birth to her.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t know,” I
console her.

“It’s okay, honey. I have one now.” She
smiles knowingly.

“Rip! Rip!” Grant shouts. He sounds
terrified.

“I’m here, love.” I shout back.

He runs in haste then stops when he sees me
with his mom. “There you are.” He bows down, gasping for breath. “I
thought you are gone. I thought you went back to South
Carolina.”

“Why would I?” I ask, puzzled.

“You know
why
,” he says flatly.

Oh. The bet.

“I’m still here,” I say nonchalantly.

He redeems himself then says, “Good morning,
beautiful ladies.” He hugs and kisses his mom then winks at me.

Mom and I greet him in unison. “Morning.”

“Did you have your breakfast already?” Grant
asks.

I shake my head then ask, “Shall we?”

“I’ll just call Walter and Isaac,” Mom says
then leaves us.

“I was worried, Rip. I thought you backed
out,” he tells me once his mom is out of earshot.

“You have my word, love. I’m not backing
out,” I say with extra confidence.

His answer is a plain and simple smug.

Dad, Mom, and Isaac arrive, and we eat our
very first breakfast together.

Grant

At last, it’s Christmas’ eve already. I’ve
been waiting for this.

I knock at Rhy’s door. “Red, you ready?”

I asked her to bring her red dress she wore
on my birthday. At first, she didn’t agree but gave in as I beg
without ceasing.

“Almost,” she answers, not opening the
door.

After quite a while, I am about to knock
again when she opens the door. “I’m done. Let’s go.” She tries to
sound confident, but the crack in her voice gives her.

“You’re beautiful, red. Thank you for that.”
I point at her red dress.

She shrugs and walks without a word.

When we get to the dining area, they are all
already there.

“Rip, you look . . . wow,” Dad says in
astonishment.

“Yeah, Rip. You look W-O-W!” Isaac seconds
the motion.

“I couldn’t agree more. Come here, Rip,” Mom
motions for her and says, “If that is what’s not beautiful, I don’t
know what is,” then hugs her tight.

“Okay guys, you made your point. Now, let her
breathe.” I help ease the nerves of Rhy. “You okay, red?”

She nods with a beautiful smile that
completes her look.

“C’mon, let’s eat. I’m famished,” Isaac
chimes in.

I can’t contain my happiness while I eat with
these four significant people in my life and no less than on
Christmas’ eve.

“Okay, I know the rules—no opening of gifts
on Christmas’ eve, but I want to do it differently now. I want us
to open our presents before midnight. Is everyone okay with that?”
I deliver my line, which I’ve been practicing since this
morning.

“Someone’s excited to open his presents,
huh?” Rhy teases.

“You have no idea,” I counter.

“I’m totally fine with it,” Isaac says.

Mom and Dad answer at the same time.
“Sure.”

We go to the living room where the presents
are.

It’s Dad who gives the presents first, next
is mom, then Isaac, and Rhy, then it’s my turn.

I give Dad, Mom, and Isaac their respective
gifts. Then I turn to Rhy to give what I have for her.

“Rip, babe . . . I want to let you know that
I feel so blessed to be one of the few people you let into your
life, thank you for that. Thank you for the one year that you let
me pursue you. Thank you for giving me that one-week chance two
years ago. Thank you for being my
thank you
girl. You are
very appreciative of every little thing I say to or do for you.
Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for letting my family be a
part of your life. Thank you for the twenty-four months, the
holidays, birthdays, or even the ordinary days that you have shared
with me. Thank you for giving me chances to explain when I needed
to. Thank you for being so simple; you made it so much easier for
me to love you more every day. Thank you, basically, for
everything. I know that our relationship is still a work in
progress, but . . .” I pause to take a deep breath. “I don’t care.
We are young, yes, but again, I don’t care. All I care about is
making you happy. I want to be the guy who’ll make you laugh till
you cry. I want to be the one who’ll always be there for you. I
want to be the one who’ll make you feel that there’s no more room
for love because I will make sure that your love tank is always
full. We will be the best of friends, you’re not gonna need Lola
anymore. Okay, don’t tell her that. What I’m trying to say is that
I don’t need to be old enough to say these things to you. I don’t
need another year or two. All I need is for my family to witness
this moment between me and you. I’m doing good at
Rhy
ming,
see?” I look at my family. They are all smiling with happy tears in
their eyes. Mom nods as if to say, “Go on.” I look back at Rhy and
she’s a mess.
Grant, be done with it.

Without wasting another second, I kneel in
front of her and ask, “Rip, marry me?”

Rhythm

Did I hear him correctly? Marry him?
Marry
him?

I look at the ring he’s holding, it’s Mom’s
ruby ring. I look at them and see that they know what is
coming—Grant’s proposing!
Why am I rhyming?

I know that I look like a rag doll—a doll but
with a face of a rag. I’ve been crying since Grant told me the line
about feeling so blessed. Then he said the best part—
Rip, marry
me?
We’re still young, but with everything he said, it seems
that it doesn’t really matter. Besides, I also want what he wants,
so I guess I know the answer to his question.

“When?” I babble.

“What?” Grant asks, muddled.

I try to calm myself. “I said, when? Yes,
I’ll marry you. When?” I laugh because I sound ridiculous.

I hear the intake of breaths of the
Petersons.

“Up to you, babe,” Grant says with a
triumphant smile.

“Will you wear that to me? Or do I get it
from you?” I ask, as I eye the ring in his hand.

They all have a belly laugh.

“Let me hold your hand?” he asks, unsure if
I’ll be okay with it.

Ah, so this is where the hold hands come
in.

“Sure. Besides, you are my fiancé now. A
little level up is good, I guess.” I smirk.

He wastes no time. He reaches for my left
hand, holds it, and puts the beautiful ring in my ring finger.
“Lovely. The ring looks perfect on you, red.”

“I know. I happen to try and fit this
yesterday.” I fix my gaze at Mom who’s now giving me a look that
says, “Yes, we’re all in this together.”

After recovering from the proposal Grant
made, we all greet each other a Merry Christmas.

“Merry Christmas, Rip, my fiancée.” Grant
whoops. “That sounds great. My fiancée,” he repeats.

“Merry Christmas, Grant. Thank you, and you
know what?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, red. I love you, too.”

Rhythm

“Let me see it,” Lola demands for the
umpteenth time to see the engagement ring Grant gave me. “It’s so
lovely, Rip. Just like you.” And that’s her line every single time
she sees it.

“I still can’t believe it, L. Tell me. What
did I do to deserve this, to deserve Grant, to deserve his
family?”

I deliver my speech once again. I’m being
repetitive just like how repetitive L is.

She doesn’t answer because she knows that I
know that I may not deserve him, his family, or even this ring, but
I’ve been blessed to feel what it is like to be truly loved.

“Well, I should get ready. Grant says he has
a surprise for me. Hmm . . . I wonder what it is this time?” I ask
her dreamily.

“I can’t wait for the moment he’ll get over
these surprises,” she says with fake annoyance.