CHAPTER 5 - SUN DATE
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Maan woke up early that morning. She started cooking fried egg, ham and garlic rice for breakfast. She was setting the table when she saw Gil coming down from the stairs.
“Good morning!” she cheerfully greeted him.
“Good morning.” Gil greeted her back but went to the bathroom to fix himself first.
Hmm… last night there was “Good night” and now there’s “good morning”. Not bad. I can get used to it. Gil thought while fixing himself.
They ate breakfast in silence and went to prepare themselves for the agenda of the day. Maan decided to wear the clothes she was supposed to wear for the interview since it’s not pushing through. It was a simple light blue blouse, knee high dark blue skirt, and her one inch heeled pair of shoes. She brushed her shoulder length, black hair and put on a light lipstick, face powder and a little perfume. When she went downstairs, she saw Gil waiting for her on the sofa wearing his cream colored polo shirts and khaki pants and leather shoes. Neat!!
Gil casually surveyed Maan as she slowly walked downstairs. She looked more feminine today than when he fetched her last Friday when she was wearing her shirt, jeans and rubber shoes. Now, she likes her better. I mean she likes her get up better now. They went inside the car and started their Sundate! What a date?! HihihiThey went to the Shrine of Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life near Mall of Asia. There were not a lot of people now not like it usual does every Sunday where people tend to flock the church every Sunday. This is maybe because of the threat of Coronavirus spread. Maan has had two boyfriends but this is her first time to experience attending mass with a guy who's not even his boyfriend. She better focus on the mass instead of thinking nonsense. Maan fervently asked for her personal intentions as well as for the safety of the people of the world against COVID -19 When they reached the part of the mass where you wish “Peace “ for the churchgoers, Maan and Gil faced each other and shyly smile and greeted each other “Peace be With You”. Weirdly, They both felt peace and serenity as if something warm touched their hearts.
The church was beautifully constructed, and since it’s Maan’s first time to visit, she decided to take pictures. She took pictures of the church’s facade and a selfie and then followed Gil to where his car was parked.
“Let’s take a stroll inside the mall, since this is your first time here.” he jokingly said. Maybe he saw me taking pictures in the church like a tourist earlier.
She was really amazed on how big the mall is. She saw a lot of good places to take pictures at so she gently nudged Gil.
“ Can you please take a picture of me over there?” I shyly requested him.
He grinned and said. “ Now, you made me your photographer!”
He took pictures of her in different places in the mall using her camera. Maan thought Gil is not inclined to take pictures of him because he is already used to seeing this place. Maan was surprised when Gil suddenly stopped a woman who is passing by in front of them.
“ Miss, can you take a picture of the two of us here.” Gil asked the woman.
“ Sure!” The lady obliged and took several shots of Gil and Maan together using Maan’s phone,
When the lady returned Maan’s phone Gil gave his phone to the lady and asked her to take more shots of them together using his phone. When they are done. Gil checked the photos and graciously thanked the woman. Gil suddenly remembered to ask Maan.
“ Do you have social media accounts like facebook, twitter, instagram? He asked.
“ Wow! You have all those accounts? So active! I only have a Facebook account. It’s Maan Perez.” she replied.
“ Oh, it’s already noon. Let’s have our lunch first before we do our grocery. My treat.” Gil invited her.
He brought her to a Korean restaurant Jin Joo Korean Grill. He ordered different varieties of samgyeopsal pork, beef, chicken, vegetables and more. They will really get along especially with food. They both love to eat. His girlfriend would be very lucky because he seemed to be very kind and generous. It’s still a puzzle to me why he does not have a girlfriend until now. Maybe it’s not girls that he likes. Hey, stop it! Her mind scolded her for thinking about it.
“Do you feel tired?” he heard him asked.
“ No , I am okay. How about you? Are you not bored tagging me along? You seemed to be so familiar with the place.” I asked. “No. It feels good to be a tour guide sometimes. Strolling along with someone is a new experience for me too.” he answered.
Maan felt good with his answer that’s why she really ate well to show him that he appreciated his gesture of asking her to accompany him and for his lunch treatt/
“ Thank you for asking me out today.” Maan said.
“ You don’t have to mention it. It’s my pleasure besides it might take a while before we can go out like this again. We don’t know how long before this virus is curbed.”
“Yeah, right.” Maan sadly agreed.
It was past one’ clock when they reached the supermarket. Gil got the iron push cart while Maan got a blue basket. Gil glanced at she did but did not say anything. Maan bought personal stuff like bath soap, shampoo, sanitary napkinamong other things. Gil bought supplies they needed like canned goods, condiments and other things. Gil also asked her if she has a particular food that she wants to eat or cook in the next few days. When they thought they got everything they needed, they proceeded to the cashier.
“Put all of that stuff here in the push cart.” Gil ordered her referring to the things she decided to buy.
“ No, it’s okay. I can manage this. These are not too heavy to carry.” I said.
“ Come on! Don’t argue anymore we are catching attention.” he replied.
Maan looked around and saw some customers looking at them. She decided to give in and put all those in the basket into the push cart. But her pride couldn’t be stopped so he whispered to him.
“ I’ll be paying for the things I bought.” she whispered.
Gil just looked at her nonchalantly as if he heard nothing and moved forward to the cashier. She was not able to do anything when Gil paid for everything including the stuff she bought.. Gil looked at him when she frowned.
“ Let’s just talk about the damages later, okay? He said and walked towards his car. Maan couldn’t do anything but follow.
They spent more than two hours in the supermarket. People seem to be in panic buying mode because some shelves are almost empty, especially alcohol, bread and canned goods. Gil put everything in the compartment and asked her to wait in the car and he left. After a few minutes, he went back with some over the counter medicines and a bucket of chicken.
“ I just bought medicines for cough, colds, fever, some vitamins and took out food so we don’t have to cook our dinner.” he said.
It was dark when we arrived home. We arranged together all the supplies that we bought in the kitchen and took a rest in our respective rooms after. After a few hours, Maan went to the kitchen to prepare their dinner. She reheated the chicken in the microwave and thought of knocking at Gil’s bedroom to call him for dinner. She saw him come down. They ate in silence. Maybe they both feel tired after what they did today. After dinner and washing the dishes Maan decided to retire early for the night.
“ Is it okay if I’ll up to my room now? Thanks for today. I had a great time. “ she said.
“You’re welcome. You go and take a rest. I’ll stay here for a while. “ he said.
Maan inside the room thought of looking at the photos taken today from her phone and decided to upload on Facebook.
Monday March 16, 2020When Maan woke that morning,she unplugged her cellphone and opened it to check the time. She turned off her phone last night after posting some photos on Facebook. It showed five in the morning on her phone. All the notification suddenly came
1 Message Received from Joan“ Couz! Hav
Gil spent most of the time singing his heart away if not for his sister’s text that they will have a video call he wouldn’t stop singing. It’s been a long time since he did that. He usually goes out with friends to the bar twice a month to unwind or to celebrate something.
Gil ate his dinner alone then decided to watch his favorite series on Netflix. His phone alarmed with Facebook Notifications. He got curious and decided to open his Facebook account. JoanVP tagged you and Maan Perez in a post. Caption:
Tuesday, March 17,2020It was seven in the morning when Gil woke up. It was the second day off from the office due to cancellation of work by the government brought about by the pandemic of COVID -19. It was still quiet when he went to the kitchen so he decided to make breakfast. After eating, he opened the telev
Wednesday March 18. 2020Maan woke up early since she had been staying in her room most of the time to rest and to avoid having a conversation with Gil. She prepared breakfast and did not wait for Gil. After eating her breakfast, she went to the front yard to check on some plants there.
CHAPTER 12 SWEET TREATWhen she was finished fixing the potted plants in the front yard, she decided to pick some coconut at the backyard. She saw a coconut tree at the back and two banana plants. She’s happy to know that Gil still has trees in his yard. It’s rare to find it in the
Thursday, March 19, 2020Maan woke up early the next morning and prepared breakfast. He saw Gil come down a little later. He will be back in office after a few days off.
After 16 years… “Yan-Yan! You’ve been in the bathroom for quite a while now! JZ will be here any moment. Will you please come out now!” Maan shouted behind her bathroom door. It’s already four in the afternoon and they need to be in the venue by five in the afternoon. Today is Ya-Yan andJZ’s JS Prom. They are both in their fourth year of Junior high school. Gillian Marie Velasco or Yan-yan and Johnel Zion Mercado or JZ have been inseparable since pre-school until now that they are in high school. Yes, they are the children of Maan and Gil and John and Angel. Angel and John were not just staff of GilYan’s Kitchen but they became business partners after a few years. Their children grew closer and treated one another as siblings as they grew older. Both Yan-yan and JZ were aware that both of their parents wished that they woul
Gil was very hands-on when it came to Maan’s pregnancy. He gave in to every cravings Maan had. He did not fail to accompany her to her monthly check ups. They do not have any preference when it comes to their baby’s gender. What is important for them is the health and safety of Maan and the baby. Months quickly passed by and GilYan’s Kitchen continued to grow. They also have a growing branch in Batangas which was managed by her sister-in-law, Karen. Angel enrolled herself in an online table skirting and design course to help in the catering aspect of the business. Their proposed separate kitchen and office for the business also pushed thru. Baby JZ has started to become restless and moved a lot. He has started to crawl, stand up and take baby steps. Maan safely delivered her healthy baby girl named Gillian Marie Velasco. Maan and Gil were overjoyed with the b
Maan and Gil’s first Christmas and New Year’s Day celebration was so happy because they got to celebrate it together with both of their families in Batangas. It was the first week of January when they dropped off Gil’s family at the airport. It was a mixture of happiness and sadness because they got to know one another and truly bonded during their times together but now they need to be separated once again and wait for a long time to see each other again. They just have to be satisfied with video calls again.“Don’t forget to let us know next month if the baby project in Palawan became successful!” Vanessa reminded them.“Huh? We are not the only ones who need to give an update. You also need to update us on that baby project next month!” Maan teased then giggled.&nb
The trip to Palawan took them just a few hours. Exactly five in the afternoon when their aircraft landed right in front of the hotel. They were able to rest during the flight maybe because of fatigue of the past days that they were able to sleep the whole flight they were just woke up when it was time to get off the plane. They woke up fully charged and excited on their first time in Palawan. They were warmly welcomed by the hotel staff with a fresh coconut juice for everyone while they were being assisted by the attendants in checking in. The staff checked if they have complete requirements to travel because of Covid-19, they need to have a clear result of RCPT- Covid test before they can be allowed to travel. They need to show the result to the place of destination before they are allowed to enter. They were not booked inside the hotel but instead they were led to the back of the hotel where villas were located. They went to a family villa where a s
The day that Maan and Gil were waiting for has finally arrived…their church wedding. Maan stayed at her parents’ house two days before the wedding because the oldies still follow traditions and superstitions. They believe that it is bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other the day before the wedding. Gil stayed at their house with his family. They just called and sent messages so that they don’t have to miss each other much. Their families prepared so much for this special day. Her father butchered two pigs and dressed a number of chickens for the wedding feast. The amount of food that will be served definitely was twice as much when they had their civil wedding. They were expecting more people to come today than their previous wedding because it is more lenient now than six months ago. A lot of people came to the house to help in the preparations. Mr. Chairman, Mark, Angel and John with baby Johnel Zion, Hannah and Dexter
The next day, Maan introduced Gil’s family to her newly hired staff of GilYan’s Kitchen. They observed how they work for a few hours before they bid them goodbye to visit their relatives in the city, first on the list is Aunt Jean’s family. Days quickly passed by and the weekend came. Together with Gil’s parents and Vanessa’s family, Maan and Gil were on their way to Batangas in a rented van. They decided to leave after dinner to avoid being stuck in heavy traffic. Nine in the evening and they were on their way to the province.“Maan, is your house by the beach?” Vanessa asked.“Not so, sister. There is a nearby beach resort in our village but our house is not by the beach. Our place is more farmland than the coastal area.” Maan replied.“Really
Days quickly passed by and it was now the first week of December. Maan and Gil are now on their way to the airport to fetch Gil’s family. They will be arriving this afternoon and Maan was nervous but excited to meet them in person. Maan and Gil waited quietly inside the van for the traffic to move going to the airport. They rented a van because they will not fit in Gil’s car.“My love, are you okay? You seemed so quiet. Don’t tell me that you are nervous?” Gil said, laughing.“My love, of course I can’t help but feel nervous because it will be my first time meeting them in person. What if they get disappointed when they see me?” Maan said, worriedly.“My love, you know that you have nothing to worry about. They want you for me and they love you as t
Days passed and the month of December is fast approaching. Maan and Gil were busy preparing for their church wedding. They also have added a few people to help them with GilYan’s Kitchen especially now that Angel’s due is this month. They were John and Angel’s friends and old colleagues who live nearby. They have also prepared the house in Pasay for the homecoming of Gil’s parents and sister and her family. The master’s bedroom in the first floor where Gil’s parents used to stay had been cleaned as well as his sister Vanessa’s old room where Maan used to stay. They will be arriving in the first week of December. That's why Maan is excited and nervous because it will be her first time to meet her in-laws in person.Everyone was busy with the orders to be delivered that day. Someone was assigned with listing down orders and packaging. Angel helps Maan in the kitchen though she is not given heavy work to avoid stressing her. Gil has repo
The next day when the four of them saw each other, they talked about the surprise that John and Angel made.“Hello, good morning Sir Gil and Miss Maan!” John and Angel cheerfully greeted in unison. They saw Maan and Gil having their breakfast.“Oh, Good morning to the two of you! Please join us for breakfast!” Gil greeted and invited the couple with a smirk on his face while Maan widened her eyes when she saw the couple.“So, how was the honeymoon?” John asked naughtily.“Both of you! What were you thinking when you did that to us?” Maan asked with a slightly raised voice. Angel bowed her head which did not go unnoticed by Maan. She felt a little guilty for raising her voice when she thought of Angel bei