Love on the Rocks (The Holidates #40)

1. Nola

1

NOLA

I entered my parents’ home in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco this evening for dinner after a long day at the clinic, finding both of them setting the dining table. The savory aroma of sinigang (Filipino sour soup) , my favorite Filipino comfort food, wafted in the air.

“ Anak , kumusta na (my child, how are you)? ” my dad asked.

“Hi, Pa, I’m good,” I greeted him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before approaching my mom.

“Hi, anak ,” my mom greeted.

“Hi, Ma.” I kissed her cheek, then we all sat down around the table.

I’ve been so busy with work lately that I haven’t had time to visit my parents. I’ve missed our weekly family dinners with them and my older sister, Ate (older sister) Christina and brother-in-law, Kuya (older brother) Dylan for a month. I’m not complaining, though. I’d rather see my family only on special occasions than once a week. It’s not that I don’t love them…I do…but every time I’m with them, all I get is criticized about my love life, career, and get compared to my sister.

Every. Damn. Time.

“How was work, anak ?” Mom asked, passing the bowl of white rice to me.

“It was a long day. Lots of patients scheduled today,” I said, scooping food onto my plate.

“Even if you became a nurse like your Ate Christina, you’d have a lot of patients,” my mom told me.

Here we go again.

“I’ve told you before that I didn’t want to be a nurse, Ma. I’m happy as a physical therapist. I still get to help people.” I did my best to not eye roll in front of my parents, trying not to disrespect them.

“Yes, but nursing can give you other opportunities. I’m happy at least one of my daughters followed in my footsteps and your Lola’s (grandmother), too.” Mom liked to rub it in and I hated it. She needed to get it through her hard head that I’m never going to be a nurse. Ever.

“I’m not changing my career to something I know I’ll be terrible at and miserable in.” I pursed my lips then looked down at my plate, taking deep breaths to calm the blood that was starting to boil inside me.

“Maria, tigil na (stop it). Kain na lang tayo (Let’s just eat now) ,” my dad intervened. He was good at diffusing the tension between me and my mom, but he liked to compare me to my perfect sister, too. It wasn’t as bad as my mom, though.

We started to eat in silence. I had nothing else to say and held my tongue. I knew that I could say something that I’d regret and it would lead to us arguing. It was better if I didn’t say anything at all.

“Anyway, are you dating now?” Ma asked, cutting the silence.

Goddammit, mother. It was like she was trying to push my buttons on purpose.

I glanced up, making eye contact with my mom.

“Why do you keep asking?” I asked, my voice laced with a tinge of annoyance.

“ Anak , you’re twenty-eight-years-old and should be getting settled down soon. Look at your Ate Christina. She’s thirty-years-old, been married for a year, and now going to have a baby soon,” my mom started. “We can set you up with our friend’s son. He’s single and thirty-five, and ready to settle down.”

I clenched my jaw. I was getting fed up with this.

“Ma, stop. I have a boyfriend already. I didn’t want him to meet you all yet,” I blurted out the lie.

“Is that why we haven’t seen you for over a month?” Dad asked.

I nodded my head. “Yes, and you’ll meet him next week at the cocktail party I’m throwing for World Cocktail Day.”

A smile formed across both my mom and dad’s lips.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. You’ll meet him and you can ask him questions then, okay?” I huffed.

Their smiles were short-lived. They both pressed their lips to thin lines then nodded.

My mom scowled, looking like she wants to tell me off, but my dad interrupted the tense atmosphere.

“We’re excited to meet him,” my dad said.

I gave a tight-lipped smile then continued to eat my soup and rice, listening to my parents talk about what’s new with my sister and brother-in-law, as well as the new tsismis (gossip) in our family until we finished dinner. I couldn’t leave their house fast enough once I finished washing the dishes.

As soon as I slid into my car, I called my best friend, Gina.

“Hey, Nola,” she answered.

“Hey, Gina. Did I catch you at a bad time?” I asked.

“No, what’s up, girl? Why do you sound stressed?” she asked.

I’ve known Gina for over twenty years. She knows me better than anyone.

“I just left my parents’ place,” I huffed.

Gina chuckled. “I should’ve guessed. Come over. I was going to pop open a new bottle of red wine from Maldonado Vineyard.”

My lips curved, smiling. “Be there in ten minutes.”

As soon as I entered Gina’s home, she handed me a wine glass filled with Cabernet Sauvignon. Then we clinked glasses before I took a much-needed sip of the burgundy-colored drink.

“Thanks, girl,” I said, then followed her to the living room, sitting on the couch.

“So what happened now with your parents?” my best friend asked.

“Same shit. Do you have a boyfriend? My friend has a son who’s single. Why can’t you be like your Ate? ” I complained, altering my voice to mock my parents.

Gina chuckled. “Filipino parents are too much. That’s one of the reasons I moved out and don’t visit my family often.”

I laughed.

“I was so tired of this shit that I told them I had a boyfriend. Now I need to find someone to go to my cocktail party next week and agree to be my fake boyfriend.” I sighed. “I don’t know what guy would agree to be a fake boyfriend for me. I don’t want to ask any of my coworkers. It would be totally awkward.”

“You know that my coworker’s sister and her friends created the Holidates app. That may be something to consider,” Gina suggested.

“What’s the Holidates app?”

“It’s where you find a date for a holiday. So you can find a date for your cocktail party, and you’ll need to be a date for an event your holidate needs you for,” Gina said.

I looked at my best friend, cocking a brow.

“I know what you’re thinking. This app is totally legit and they do background checks on everyone. One of the creator’s found her husband on there. She found him as a fake boyfriend to bring during Christmas because her family is like yours.” Gina smiled, reassuring me that this app was safe and I’d find someone who wasn’t a murderer.

I shrugged. “Sure, I guess I’ll try it.”

A wide smile tipped on her lips. “Get out your phone, girl! Let’s find you a fake boyfriend.”

I was reluctant to use this app, because you never know who is really hiding behind that profile, but I trusted my best friend. I downloaded the app and set up my profile:

Magnolia V., 28

San Francisco, CA

Physical Therapist

Likes music, dancing, going to museums and musicals, and traveling

Holidate needed for a World Cocktail Day cocktail party

Gina helped me find a good picture to upload in my profile. It was me at my sister’s wedding as the maid of honor. I was wearing a one-shoulder navy blue dress, my hair was down in curls and pinned to the side, and my face was glammed up.

“You look hot in this pic, Nola. Guys will definitely stop to look at your profile and slide into your DM to ask you out for a date,” Gina squealed. She was so excited for me, more than I was.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “We’ll see.”