Chapter Three: Reunion Sucks

Not even an hour, and I want to leave already. So far, I only received dirty looks from my female cousins, my male cousins snickering now and then with their girlfriends, who are not better. My younger cousins will throw toys at me, and I can only smile before playing with them for a bit before they get bored. And not to mention my dad and brother criticizing me while my mom is busy chatting with my uncle’s newest girlfriend.

How many did he have after Aunt Daine’s death, not even two years ago? I think he introduces a new one every three months.

Now we’re all sitting and gathered around while my uncle and her girlfriend, Katy, display affection for everyone to see. The kids are uninterested and continue playing away while we witness such a cringe scene.

“Thank you all so much for coming and greeting my love.” Uncle Blake started before bumping his nose with her much younger girlfriend, the latter giggling and biting her lip while giving her boyfriend bedroom eyes.

Uhm, eww? There are still people here, you know.

I forced my eyes away from the couple to look around, relieved that someone I never want to see was nowhere to be seen and rarely attended our reunion like me.

“I’m happy to announce we are getting married next year!”

At what I heard, I snapped my head back to them to see Katy proudly flashing her engagement ring for everyone to see. Everybody clapped and congratulated them, and I just pursed my lips, a bit surprised. He had many girlfriends, but none came close to him being engaged.

And to think that not even three years ago, Blake and Daine stood in the same place while announcing that my Aunt was diagnosed with an untreatable illness, and he was crying his heart out, and now, he’s smiling from ear to ear.

Ah, love, just how shallow one’s love can be to be able to move on that fast from someone they claimed to love so much and can’t live without? Truly, the only good men are from fiction books and are the closest thing you’ll have to true love.

After that wonderful announcement, everyone got their glasses of wine and now chatting away.

“Patricia just passed the board exam. I now have a doctor as a daughter, everyone.”

Some dramatically gasped at my Uncle Jake’s announcement about his eldest daughter, and my eyes found the said doctor who was currently laughing while sitting on top of an older doctor’s lap, someone with enough influence to make someone a doctor, I guess.

“And Lilith’s accepted in National University.”

And that is my cue to tune them all out; once a parent boosts their ego by saying their children’s achievement, it won’t stop. It continued throughout the night as if a competition to see who achieved more or whose family was more successful, and of course, I knew what was coming next.

“What about you, Via, still busy with your hobby?” Aunt Tessie, Uncle Jake’s wife, asked me, and I could see the mockery in her eyes.

 

A hobby that is what my family and everyone think about my profession and passion. A mere hobby. No matter how many sales my book gets or how many book signings I attend, they will still see it as that. They will always belittle it as if it’s not something to be proud of.

“You graduated already; shouldn’t you look for a real job now?”

“Right. A profession you can earn decent, and I don’t know, be proud of. You’re still young, so you still got time.”

“Yes, dear, don’t waste your life like that. Better yet, why don’t you look for a potential husband for Via instead, Nina? You can continue writing once you’re married and look after your kids.”

And that last comment from Uncle Blake almost made me lose my patience. I hate it. I hate how they think so little of what I love most like that.

I opened my mouth to retort, I’m just staying quiet for respect, but they are about to lose that now. I won’t let them insult me and my passion like that, but my mom beat me to it before I could talk.

“Stop bullying Via,” Mom said, and I turned to look at her, my eyes softening a little, my lips curving to a smile before they stopped at what she said next. “She won’t hear anything. Don’t you think we’ve already said all of that to her? But she’s stubborn, and she won’t listen to us.”

“Ah, let her feed her ego. Let her think she can survive this world with that pathetic job, if you can even call it one.” My dad said seconds later, and Marcus snickered beside him.

A lump formed in my throat, and I almost swallowed my throat in anger, disappointment, and hurt. To think that the only people you thought would be on your side are siding with your bullies.

“You shouldn’t let her; in a few years, all her cousins and siblings will be successful, and she’ll be the only one left with no direction and dream.”

I stood up abruptly, not caring that the chair behind me fell. I did not say anything, but my eyes spoke volumes as I looked at every one of them.

“At least I won’t be miserable. At least I won’t be a puppet like Sally, who only moves according to your command, or Zack, who gave up his dream of becoming a football player to be a lawyer to please you two. I am not Patricia, who will use her body to get what she wants.” I blurted out before I could stop myself, my chest rising and falling fast, my eyes almost hearing my heartbeat.

I ignored how they gasped and their eyes and mouth widened before I left. I ignored my parents, apologizing to them instead of following me to console me.

I was almost at the front gate when someone pulled my hair, and I heard Patricia shriek while calling me names. Everything happened fast, I did not see who joined her in pulling my hair, but I tried to push them away and pull their hair, too.

We somehow ended up on the dirty ground as we fought before we were forcefully pulled apart, and I saw my mother’s disappointed and angry look.

“I shouldn’t have invited you! God, I don’t know what I did for heaven to punish me like this.”

I tried to fight my tears and fix my already ruined hair and clothes before looking straight at her and saying, “Maybe if you open your eyes, you will see what.”

Just as I walked away with hatred and sadness, I let the tears fall, and I kept walking and walking despite my blurry vision, not caring anymore if anyone who saw me things I’d gone crazy. Until I heard a loud break and my senses cleared enough to realize that I was almost hit by a car!

I apologized and did not wait for them to say anything before running away with my wobbly legs as fast as I could. I did not even realize I had reached my condo before sitting under the shower and crying again.