Page 120 of The Fallacy of True Love
“Thanks. See you in a few.”
As I drove to Tala’s condo, my thoughts shifted to how I hadn’t really taken the time to ponder on the reality that my sister was getting married. It wouldn’t simply be a one day—or in this case, three-day—affair. It was the start of her new life.
I had a feeling she wouldn’t be spending as much of it here.
That familiar heaviness settled in the pit of my stomach. Another goodbye to anticipate.
Then my earlier words came back to me: this isn’t goodbye.
Tala might be leaving, but not yet. Even when she did, it wouldn’t be for good. Manila called to her just as deeply as Juana did to me. She would always go back to her roots, like I would always go back to my harbor.
Our times together may not come as often, but they would come. I just needed to make sure I made the most of every moment.
As soon as Tala opened the door, I caught her in a bear hug.
“Oof.” She stumbled backward before regaining her balance. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Can’t I hug my sister just because?” Spotting Jason beyond the doorway, I said, “Hey, Jason.”
He smiled as he came in for a bro-hug. “Lonzo. Glad you came by.”
I pulled away from Tala. “You sure it’s okay for me to crash your evening? Isn’t it date night or something?”
“Of course it’s okay. Jason has work to do anyway.”
Nodding, Jason said, “I’m finishing a report, so I’ll leave you two for now. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”
Tala tilted her head up to him for a quick kiss. After he left, she turned to me. “How are you really?”
“Can we talk while eating?” Now that I’d remembered it was way past dinnertime, my stomach gnawed at me.
“Sure.”
I followed her to the kitchen area, and on the island sat platters of lumpiang shanghai, rice, and nachos, along with plate settings for two. “Looks good.”
She chuckled. “The lumpia’s one of the frozen meals I keep on standby. I figured you’d want meat.”
On impulse, I put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “I’m going to miss you, Ate.”
“What are you talking about?” She frowned at me. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Who knows where you’ll go after you get married.”
Her body tensed. “Lonzo?—”
“I’m not saying that to make you feel bad,” I reassured her. “I just know that things are going to change, and I’ll miss you. That’s it.”
She sniffed. “Don’t start with that. I’m in my luteal phase.”
“No idea what that means,” I said as I took a seat.
“Watch my next video.” She sat beside me. “I’m not going anywhere in the near future. And if we decide to move or travel, we’ll always return here. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, Ate L gave me a similar speech.”
“Of course she did.” Planting her elbow on the counter, Tala propped her chin on her palm and watched me eat. “Are your classmates messing with you over the photos?”
Next to Maya’s confession, it was inconsequential. “They did, but it’s not anything I can’t handle.”
