Page 23 of The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos

“Well then, don’t you think you’re being a little unfair? He went through stage two. I think that means he passed.”

Dalisay narrows her eyes. “You just want to hear what he does for stage three.”

A devilish smile spreads across Nicole’s lips. “Maybe I do. I want to see how he does. I like him.”

That, coming from Nicole, is a lot.

Dalisay smiles and puts some blueberries into the cart, and they make their way toward the back of the store. “I’m going to check on Mom,” Dalisay says, and Nicole splits off to keep shopping.

When Dalisay gets to the deli, she watches helplessly as her mom cuts in front of a man already standing there, his arms folded firmly across his chest.

Dalisay rushes over and puts a hand on her elbow. “Mom, you can’t cut here.”

Her mom looks around like it just occurred to her what she did. “Oh! Well, then.” She turns back and continues ordering from the person behind the deli counter.

Heat rushes up Dalisay’s cheeks as she apologizes to the man for her. “I’m sorry. She’ll be quick.”

The man glares at her, obviously miffed, and Dalisay can only give him an apologetic smile.

As if disproving Dalisay’s point, her mother whips out a piece of paper and peers through the glasses perched on the end of her nose at the long list of sliced meats and cheese. Thankfully, another person appears behind the counter to help the man. When her mom is finally done, Dalisay steers her away from there before she can cause any more social slights. In Manila, it was common for older women to cut the line. Old habits die hard. “I’m sure he didn’t mind. Besides,” she says, and gestures with her wrist in a cast, “I should go first because I’m injured.”

Last week, her mom tripped and fell on an uneven patch of sidewalk while taking a walk around the block and fractured her wrist. Yet another cultural shock coming to America—after the hospital visit, getting the bill later was a real blow. It cost thousands of dollars, even with insurance. Everything in America is so much capital-M More.

It’s no use arguing with her mother, especially about something as trivial as line etiquette, so Dalisay takes the deli items from her mom’s hands, and they meet up with Nicole again in the cereal aisle. Nicole is checking her phone and smiling and only notices them coming when they’re a few feet away.

“Who are you texting?” Dalisay asks as she puts the items in the cart, but Nicole slips her phone back into her jeans.

“No one. Just work.”

Nicole’s cheeks are pink, and her eyes are bright, so Dalisay is pretty sure it’s not “just work” but she says nothing.

Together, they follow their mom through the rest of the store, but someone catches her eye, making Dalisay’s heart leap before she does a double take.Evan.

Except, no. He has the same dark hair, the same broad shoulders, but it’s not him. Dalisay’s heart sinks a little as she watches the stranger, who actually doesn’t look like Evan at all, pick up a giant pack of toilet paper and head to the front registers.

This isn’t the first time she’s thought she spotted Evan outside of work, and every time it happens it feels like her heart is going to leap out of her chest. Last week, it was when she was at Pinky’s game store.

She’s not sure why, but the idea of seeing him out in the wild, as it were, feels like a secret she needs to keep from her mom. If her mom found out Evan was doing the stages for a bet, and not with any intention of actually dating, she would throw a fit. It’s the kind of cultural ritual that is supposed to be sacred, not something to play around with. Dalisay knows more than most that playing with hearts is a dangerous game, and she also knows that it’s hypocritical of her to treat the Five Stages so carelessly, but what she and Evan have isn’t real, so it can’t count.

And yet, she’d be kidding herself if she wasn’t a little disappointed that she didn’t see Evan just now. She can’t seem to get him out of her mind.

While the truth might upset her mother, she wonders if her father would have felt the same way. He was always the more playful one of her parents, the one who saw humor inlife, who would have been curious to see if a guy like Evan would even try, for the fun of it. She can almost hear his laugh if he were still here, and—with a jolt—she wishes he could have been around to meet Evan. What would he have thought about him? Would he have liked that Evan is smart? That he’s not going back on his word? That he makes her laugh?

“You never answered my question earlier,” Nicole says, stealing the cart back while Dalisay isn’t paying attention. “About if he’s going to move on to stage three.”

Dalisay considers it a moment, then she pulls out her phone.

Unknown Number:

Congratulations, Mr. Saatchi. You’re moving on to stage three. ;)

Me:

Dalisay?

Unknown Number:

Bingo.

---