14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
The House Covered in Yellowbells
SAL
Sal learned why Willow chose Theola on the way over to her house.
Apparently, Theola had read the itinerary Willow attached in their email exchange before her interview.
She had come prepared by listing all the ways she could assist them in a slide presentation.
She even provided a mock itinerary for them, which was extremely detailed and even better than what she was initially given.
“We’re here!” their new friend said.
Theola’s home was a modest bungalow gated with high white walls, and yellow bell flowers climbing those tall walls. Her car jostled a bit when it stopped inside the garage. As soon as they entered the home, the fragrant smell of butter and garlic being sautéed in the kitchen greeted them.
“Come in,” Theola said, urging them to take a seat at the long dining table.
Sal noted just how many family members lived in the house after they introduced themselves.
Theola’s parents, her grandparents, an uncle and aunt, Theola’s baby cousins, and Theola herself with her younger brother all lived in the same house.
This wasn’t unusual in Filipino households; in fact, Sal relaxed more instinctively, perhaps her body felt that she was among her people.
The entire family blended harmoniously with each other, each laughing almost on cue with each other’s jokes. They helped with cooking the food, setting the table, and took turns welcoming them. The food was a generous spread of dishes packed with flavor and familiar aromas.
Sal knew exactly which dishes to pair together, and helped Willow get more acquainted. She said, “Try the shrimp sinigang1 with something salty and crispy like this fried liempo2 on top of your hot rice.”
Willow did as she suggested. After a few discerning minutes, her friend lit up and gave a thumbs up, and ate more, complimenting the cooks as she did so.
Sal took a spoonful herself, and she was right—it was scrumptious! The hot soup delivered a savory yet sour taste that melted into her mouth, and to round out the flavor, the salty crunch of the pork liempo gave a kick of umami.
“How come you never cooked this for me in St. Stephenshire?” Willow said, looking astonished at all the new flavors she was trying.
Sal took another sip of her soup and said, “I’ll remember to make more for you next time. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.” She licked her lips and forked a liempo piece.
“Well, now you know I do,” Willow said as she chewed.
After Willow and Sal gave their thanks for the food, Theola’s mother offered more dishes and food pairings, which were all as hearty and flavorful as the next.
Sal watched Willow laugh among her people; it was a kind of laughter that came from the gut and felt cathartic—like medicine.
As they ate with Theola’s family, she couldn’t help but feel a tenderness toward them all.
So this is what it’s like to be part of a happy, loving home, she thought. What a beautiful thing it was to see.
“We’re so glad Theola has clients now! And it’s an important project, too,” said Theola’s mother, gushing over her older child. “You both are welcome to stay for as long as you need.”
Theola was busy holding a dessert and helping serve the younger kids. “This is turon, by the way!” Theola said as she offered some to Sal and Willow. “It’s cooked saba banana wrapped in a fried lumpia wrapper and coated with caramelized sugar sauce.”
Sal chewed on the crunchy snack. “Ah, sarap!” she said with a muffled groan. After helping herself to some, Willow agreed it was just as delicious as all the other pastries at Willow’s Web and marveled at its simplicity. Theola sat beside them and helped herself to her food.
“Theola was a top student at one of the best universities! We knew she’d make us very proud.” Her father beamed.
Theola blushed. “It’s not that impressive, Dad.”
“Sure it is!” Her father looked surprised, as though he couldn’t believe how humble his daughter was. “She’s summa cum laude, and in high school, she was the valedictorian.”
Theola took a sip of water and coughed. “Well, not that grades or academic achievement matters in this economy…” she said, her voice trailing off as she forked her food.
“Really?” Willow gave Theola an impressed look. “That didn’t come up on your CV.”
“She’s just very humble,” Theola’s mom added.
From Sal’s own observations, Theola also had great communication skills. Adding that to all the other impressive skills she possessed, Sal imagined companies would swoop in to hire her immediately. So why was she still looking for freelance work?
Theola shifted in her seat and changed the topic as though she was uncomfortable. “So, guys, are you looking forward to tomorrow?”
Sal nodded, and Willow gushed, “Yes, I’ve read online that Intramuros is a beautiful old city.”
Their plan was to visit the museums listed by their team and Harmon’s. The first was the San Agustin Church Museum in Intramuros, the famed walled city nestled in bustling Metropolitan Manila, and then the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Willow pulled up the list and reviewed it. “I actually don’t remember the names of the places,” she said.
“No biggie, I know them all by heart,” Theola said with a satisfied grin and for the rest of their meal, they talked about the museums they would visit, and how Theola had never been to some of them and was excited to go.
When dinner was over, Sal helped Theola wash up the plates as the rest of the family members listened to Willow talk about St. Stephenshire.
“Man, I wish I could travel to St. Stephenshire. It sounds dreamy,” Theola sighed, sounding wistful. “Is it really perpetually autumn there? I can’t picture it.”
“Then why don’t you come over and see for yourself?” Sal asked as she started drying the dishes.
Theola shook her head. “It’s expensive to get a visa and travel,” she said in a soft but matter-of-fact way.
“It’s not like I haven’t tried to earn more, but the starting salaries with the jobs I applied to were pretty low.
When I tried to get a job in another country, there was a lot of red tape, and if I get an interview, there’s always someone more experienced than me, or it’s just strategic not to hire the smart kid from another country.
No one wants to take a risk on a newbie, even with all my accolades from the Philippines. ”
Sal nodded slowly. “Why don’t you try scholarships?”
Theola gave a wistful sigh again as she finished up the last few plates.
“Most are pretty competitive. Even if I got one, I would still need to shoulder my plane ticket, and then there’s homesickness.
” She looked over her shoulder and past the kitchen door, where her family laughed in the other room.
“I don’t know if they’d be okay without me. ”
The young lady steadily gazed toward her family as they enjoyed themselves.
It was second nature for Sal to tell Theola she could chase her dreams. That this was all temporary, and she’d pave a way for herself eventually.
Instead, she paused; if she said that, it would remind Theola that her dreams came at a cost.
Sal couldn’t help but think how strange it was that the people we loved could sometimes hold us back without even knowing.
***
Sal and Willow retired to a quaint little room with a bunk bed.
It gave Sal a sense of nostalgia for her college dorm days.
In fact, the entire country felt like a strange movie she had seen repeatedly.
The memories came to her without warning and made her feel a mix of emotions.
She felt high after the events of that evening, probably from all the laughter, the exhaustion of traveling, and the delicious food.
Her head was spinning, so she parked her luggage by the door, and as soon as she removed her jacket, she flopped onto the lower bunk.
She thought of Rafa for the first time since arriving at Theola’s home and felt compelled to call him.
But what time was it in St. Stephenshire?
She mentally computed the time difference.
He might be asleep, she thought. She wanted to ask him how he was doing and tell him she loved him.
But just then, the thought of Theola’s parents and their own declarations of love and support for their daughter filled her mind.
There was so much love in their home. The air was so thick with it, the love almost felt palpable, and curiously, it made Sal feel uneasy.
How did one attune to such kindness when all she knew growing up was the opposite? The only person who bore witness to her hurt was Claire, her best friend, who was now gone.
A loud ping sounded from her phone. It was a message from an unknown number.
“This is Harmon Moon. Save my number. Our visit to Intramuros is tomorrow. Don’t be late.
” Sal grimaced as her nostrils flared. How did he get my number?
She didn’t bother replying. Instead, she saved his number as Demonyo?? in her contacts list and tossed her phone onto the bed.
How blurred the lines of attraction and disdain were between herself and Harmon. It was hard to understand how she was so taken by him the first time. Why am I thinking about him? Sal thought, feeling warm suddenly and having a powerful urge to cool off in a shower.
Her uneasiness would be quelled if she talked to Rafa. She reached for her phone again and messaged her fiancé, “My love, I’m settled in Theola’s house. Free for a call?”
When he didn’t reply after she took a shower and readied for bed, she called him anyway.
“H-Hello…?” he answered in a groggy voice. It was like a tranquilizing sound for her restless heart.
“Did I wake you?” she asked. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be…” He yawned. “I love hearing your voice. How’s my girl?” he said.
Sal could feel herself blushing as he called her that and shared about her day.
1.
. Sinigang is a savory-sour soup with either pork, fish, or shrimp. It is a staple soup dish in Filipino cuisine that has tamarind as base.
2.
. Liempo is a cut of meat directly translated from Tagalog as “pork belly”