25: Elise (ii)

25: Elise (ii)
"Hey... how are you? Are the puppies heavy?" I avoided using the word 'roll' to prevent her from rolling in the sand, a habit from her puppy days that earned her name.
"Careful! Tootsie might lick the ointment," my mother cautioned, though I glimpsed a smile beneath her sunglasses, easing the tension in my chest.
"Inay, just fifteen minutes in the water, please?" Anna called.
My mother nodded. "You can't be longer anyway; they're preparing to return to the beach," she remarked, her gaze drifting toward the sea. "We'll have breakfast when they come back."
Before my mother finished speaking, Anna had already begun preparing to swim, casting a playful wink in my direction before diving into the water. As we watched her swim parallel to the beach, my mother reclined on her chair, the air thick with unresolved tension between us. Yet, I refused to squander this opportunity for a private conversation with her.
"Inay..."
"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it," my mother interjected. She knew what I was after even without a preamble.
"I still want to apologize. I knew you'd be furious seeing my injuries."
"Of course, I would be furious! That wicked woman. How dare she? This won’t end with just that," she seethed. "I'll file a case against her. I've already instructed Atty. Bautista to obtain your medical report from Gian's initial hospital visit," my mother declared.
I sighed, resigning myself to the inevitable.
"You really think I'll let them get away with that?"
"No, Inay."
"Then why didn't you tell us or your father?"
"I was embarrassed... because..."
"Because...?"
"Because I didn’t even fight back."
My mother's expression shifted to one of astonishment.
I pouted. "It's embarrassing... I stood there like an idiot, Inay. I was genuinely shocked to be attacked, especially by a woman—and she was intoxicated. I still don't know why I didn't defend myself."
"I heard she hit you with a bottle on the head first," my mother offered more sympathetically. "That could have been the reason."
"She was indeed drunk, and her aim was off. But then my stiletto got caught on the rug on the floor. I lost my balance so instead of avoiding it, I ended up getting hit harder. It was just so stupid, right?"
Several moments passed, and I detected a hint of amusement on my mother's eyes. Good. Better that she was laughing at me than angry. "But they said the bottle broke on your head? That means she was strong even though she was drunk."
I shook my head. "The bottle broke on the wall after it had slipped from her hand, not on my head, Mom."
"Regardless! She had every intention of hurting you! They said she bullied you days earlier in Gian’s office."
"Yes. Ah. So you got a report on that, too?"
She glanced at the sea for a moment, not at Anna's trajectory into the water, but at the yacht returning to the small dock on the side of the property. "Gian always defer to me. I've always been grateful about that."
I also gazed at the yacht. "He feels very guilty about what happened."
She turned to me. "I know. What about his exposing your identity at your ex's party without warning us first?"
"The moment needed it and it was quite dramatic, mom. I really couldn’t think of better way he could have done for us to leave there with my dignity still in tact. We left them all speechless."
She sighed. "We tried to delay it as best we could. But it is bound to happen, and I agree with him. Those uncultured people need to know the truth to protect you. Though I hate it that you have to become part of some kind of a... a clique for this people to even see you."
I sighed deeply. "They weren't all that bad. The Verrazzanos are really great, Mom. But you were right with your warnings before. It's not that easy."
Her hand reached for mine and gently squeezed. "I wish you could just stay here forever. But it's an irrelevant wish. You've made your decision, and you can't back down. I am proud that you have your own mind." Then she suddenly turned sarcastic. "But you do know we're always here for you?" she said, her tone on edge.
I winced. "I know. I'm really sorry I tried to hide my injuries and do this alone."
"Anak, I know there are instances when you want to work out your problems on your own. You've always been like that, tackling problems alone. But there are times when you need to ask for help. This is much larger than you are."
"Yeah, I got that now, Inay."
"Your father's family is also there to support you. When you decided you wanted to be out there, the Von Schillers instantly rallied behind you. It might have gotten complicated now that you're out, but it's the reality you chose to live. You are a Von Schiller and you must live up to what you are. Don't be a pushover out there. Do you understand?"
I nodded slowly and smiled at my mother. Despite the lecture, she reached out to me because she herself needed the assurance she wanted to give me. That her baby was going to be alright out there. That I was tough, and I could make it without my mother literally by my side.
I squeezed her hand back while my eyes focused on the yacht approaching the shore and the tall man standing on deck looking in our direction. And I realized how big a role he was going to play in my coming out. He might have indulged me until now, but he couldn't fix it all. It wasn't really his place to do it for me, but he would try anyway.
And so there my heart went, melting into a puddle on the floor of my tummy.
"So, what about this kiss?"
My cheeks flushed and I looked away from the yacht. "It was a spur of the moment thing. I think we got carried away."
"Just carried away, huh?"
I smiled at the teasing tone in my mother's voice. "I swear. It could also be a rebound, but when I think about it, I wasn't that heartbroken over what happened with Brandon. I was just... angry."
"Yes," my mother said.
"But Gian... for all that he shows in the world, he really is kind and soft inside. And I think... I think I've been in love with him for a while."
My mother fell silent, prompting me to look at her. She was smiling but she also looked worried. "You weren't doing anything stupid with him while you were still with Brandon, right?"
My jaw dropped. "No, Mom! That was our very first kiss!"
"But you said you've been in love with him for a while. What about Brandon?"
"I really liked him. But even if it's embarrassing to admit, if Gian had given me any kind of clue that he liked me like that, I'd have kicked Brandon out of my life as easily as him thinking he can make me a mistress."
There was a moment of silence before my mother spoke again. "He... what?!"
Uh-oh.