Covered By My Own Umbrella

Spill or Drink?

As I'm about to enter the gate of our house, I'm startled to see Gabby appear on the back of the San Francisco plant near the gate.

“Wahhh! Who's that? Was that Abed?” Gabby said aloud, keeping an eye out for Abed, who is walking.

“Oh my gosh, Gabby, I almost dropped my heart!” I responded, surprised.

“What are you doing there?” I asked.

“I’m waiting for Leigh to come out. Gabby replied," We're going to the convenience store to get new sim cards; uncle Richard asked us to get three for them."

“Ah, yes, I see. I'm heading in now. Take care!” I muttered as I attempted to walk up the stairs.

“But wait, sis, look!” As I'm about to walk inside, Gabby taps my shoulder to get my attention and points out something on the ground, which causes me to look as well.

“Your heart dropped to the ground. Do you want me to get your heart, or should I call Abed to get it for you?” Gabby tried to tease me.

“Yieeee,” he teased yet again.

“What! So corny!” I giggled.

“What is going on here?” Leigh walks downstairs after exiting the main door.

“My sister just dropped her heart to the ground; I was about to get it but realized that someone else had to get it for her. Right, sis?” Gabby teased me once more.

“No, Leigh, that is not true. Don't mind Gabby. “I'm going in now,” I said, eager to put an end to Gabby's teasing moments with me.

“Goodbye, sis!” Gabby said as he and Leigh walked out the gate.

When I got home at 3:00 p.m.. I went straight to my bedroom, where Cathy is also there.

“Where have you gone, bestie?” I've been texting you since earlier, but you haven't texted me back.

“Your grandma was looking for you; have you told her of your whereabouts?” Cathy asked.

“I just went for a walk and decided to stay in the playground for a while, you know bestie, just to release the hurt I felt earlier when my mom humiliated me in front of everyone,” I said to myself facing the mirror in my bedroom.

“I understand how you feel, bestie. If you need me, don't hesitate to talk to me and air your grievances. I'm ready to listen,” Cathy suggested as she tapped my shoulder.

“Yeah, I know, thank you so much, bestie!” I said this while hugging her.

“So, what happened here while I was gone?” I asked Cathy as I let go of her hug and turned to face her.

“Your uncle Richard just gave his gifts to everyone. By the way, I kept your gifts in that box. So it won't get misplaced,” Cathy explained, pointing her finger to the box to which she was referring.

“Thank you, bestie. How about you? Have you gotten any gifts? I asked.

“Yes, I was, but it wasn't from your uncle. It's from your aunt Crisina. “She gave me this cute pink sling bag and these doll shoes she bought in England,” Cathy proudly stated.

“Oh nice,” I remarked.

“But do you want to see what uncle Richard gave you?” Cathy inquired.

“Hmmm, later bestie, I'm just going to shower first and help grandma and aunt Joce downstairs,” I said.

“All right, bestie. I'll also take a shower after you,” Cathy said.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Uncle Richard told me to say it to you, bestie. At seven o'clock in the evening, we'll have a barbecue party in the garden. As I was about to enter the bathroom, Cathy reminded me, "You really need to take a shower and help your aunts prepare the food."

“Oh really?” I clarified.

“I was the one who brought it up, bestie. I got the idea from a Korean drama I've been watching for a few days,” Cathy proudly stated.

“OK, I think that will be exciting, and it will be my first time,” I exclaimed, my excitement palpable.

“Yes, yess! So now, go into the bathroom and take a bath!” Cathy smiled as she pushed me into the bathroom.

As soon as we finished our baths, Cathy and I went downstairs to assist grandma and aunt Joce in preparing the food we would eat at the barbecue party later.

"Oh, dear, I've been looking for you; where have you been?" Grandma had already posed a question to me.

“Ah, Grandma, I was just outside in the playground. I also ran into Abed as he passed by the playground; we just talked and caught up,” I replied.

“Abed? So, where is he now? How come he didn't come here?” Grandma asked another question.

“Ah—- he just dropped me off at our gate grandma, he said he still has classes and basketball practice. He told me he'd just come here after his basketball practice,” I replied again.

“Oh, that's good to know. Uncle Richard is also waiting for him. By the way, come here you two and help us prepare the food,” grandma said.

“Here, Eliah, marinate these two tupperwares of pork and beef,” aunt Joce commanded.

“Here’s for you Cathy, put all these side dishes in small bowls,” aunt Joce commanded Cathy too.

“As I told you, grandma has looked for you,” Cathy said to me abruptly while doing her task.

“May I join you, Eliah?” I, too, want to help, said someone with a familiar voice. Jax is the one who wants to offer a hand.

“No! We don’t need any help!” I looked around and said to him boldly.

“Yes, you may. Do you want to help us?” Aunt Joce replied and asked.

“Yes aunt, thank you so much. So, how can I help?” Jax asked.

“I'm curious how he pretends to be so nice when he really isn't,” I whispered.

“Are you saying something, Eliah?” Jax asked, curious.

“Oh nothing; I was just saying thank you. Thank you for helping us. You know what, you’re so kind,” I said sarcastically.

Jax tried to get a pair of plastic gloves and put them on while I marinated the pork. After that, he soaked his hands in the bowl with my hands and helped me in marinating the pork.

“That's not the right way to marinate the pork,” he exclaimed abruptly.

I was surprised when our hands got closed. So, I removed my hands from the bowl and tried not to listen to him.

“Oh, I forgot bestie, I need to get the other ingredients from the fridge,” I suddenly said to Cathy.

“Excuse me,” trying to avoid him.

“Did I do something?” I heard Jax asking Cathy.

“Hmm. I think you didn’t do anything wrong,” Cathy replied.

“But, what’s wrong with your best friend?” I heard Jax again, asking.

“I’m just trying to help her but she’s ignoring it. Isn't she thankful that someone who’s handsome like me wants to help her?” I heard Jax say it while marinating the pork.

“To be honest, Cathy, this is the first time I've been ignored like this. No one on our campus refuses to talk to me even if I just look at them for a second, and your best friend, who looks so thin and teacher-like due to her round spectacles, ignored someone like me, come on!” Jax uttered once more, boasting.

“Teacher-like? Wow!” I said this as I purposefully slammed the fridge door shut.

“Did you forget I was just here all along?” I faced Jax and spoke to him.

"Oh, you're here? But I was just telling the truth,” Jax replied arrogantly as he continued to marinate the pork.

“Truth? Those were not true; they were what you referred to as arrogance, Hmp!” I expressed my displeasure.

“Are you done with what you're doing, bestie?” As I asked Cathy, my attention was drawn elsewhere.

Cathy replied, "Yes, I am bestie."

“Let's go, let's fix the table range. Also, bring the side dishes with you,” I said as we walked away from Jax at the table.

When we got outside and went to the garden to set up the table range, we saw uncle Criz already putting up the tent and uncle Charles busy setting up the lights and tiki torches. Even though they are still doing it, it already looks fantastic. As we wandered our eyes to what was still missing, I had the brilliant idea to design the green leafy wall in front of the long table uncle Criz had set up.

“Cathy, put those things on this table for a while and let's make that wall stunning. We can decorate that and add lettering. Such as a welcome party for Uncle Richard and his family,” as I imagined where I wanted to put the decorations on the green leafy wall, I suggested it to Cathy.

“That's great. But how are we going to do it? “Do we have the materials needed?” Cathy asked again.

“Hmmm, yes, we did. I recall printing it at home before we went here,” I reasoned.

“Wait, I'll ask Sam to get it for us,” I said.

“Sam!” I yelled, calling Sam, who’s inside the house.

“Yes?” She responded politely.

“Would you mind doing me a favor? “Could you please get my expanded envelope and the small brown box that is upstairs in my bedroom over my cabinet?” I requested a favor.

“Yes, I can do that,” Sam enthusiastically accepted my favor.

“Thank you, Sam!” I replied.

While Sam goes upstairs to get the materials for the leafy wall, Cathy and I decided to set up the table first. We laid out the tablecloth that Grandma had given us and placed the range in the center. In the garden, near the post of our hammock, we have an electric grill that our uncle Charles will use to grill the patties for burgers and the steak.

“Here's what you asked me to get,” Sam said abruptly, handing me the expanded envelope and the small brown box.

“Oh, thank you, Sam!” I exclaimed.

“Let's go, Cathy, let's fix it now so we can really start at 7 p.m..,” I suggested.

Everyone is still doing their own thing as Cathy and I decorate the wall. Aunt Joce is running back and forth the house setting out the food we'll be eating, uncle Charles is grilling the steak, and grandma is making the drinks. Sam and Trishia are arranging the chairs and tidying up the garden. And my brother, along with Leigh, is busy hanging out with the arrogant and disgusting lamp post guy Jax.

“Wow! Aunt Joce praised the decoration we did, saying, "It came out so beautifully."

“Good job, girls!” she remarked.

“Let’s start now. Ma, have you called Richard and Cristina?” My mom drew grandma’s attention.

“Not yet, dear, where are they?” Grandma asked.

“They're in the room, grandma,” Jax said.

“Thank you, Jax; can you now call them and tell them we're ready to start the party?” Jax was asked by Grandma.

“Sure,” Jax replied.

We kick off the party by officially welcoming aunt Cristina, Amriel, and Jax to our home. We haven't done anything like this in a long time.

“Wow, thank you guys for welcoming our family so warmly, and especially thank you for accepting Jax as part of our family,” uncle Richard said, holding a glass of wine beside aunt Cristina.

“Let us enjoy tonight and bond as a family! Cheers!” uncle Richard said as he invited everyone.

Everyone is having a great time at the party. I notice their smiles shining brightly at night. My uncles are drinking glasses of beer and sharing their weird yet funny stories with one another. My aunts and mom are also having a good time drinking and singing along with grandma on the karaoke. While I, Cathy, Jax, and Abed, who had just arrived, decided to play spill or drink.

“So, we'll be playing spill or drink. I'm sure you've all heard of this game, right?” Cathy inquired of everyone in the circle.

Except for the arrogant Jax, I and Abed agreed.

“No, I am not,” he stated boldly as he smiled at me.

“Oh, yes, the game is fun but challenging. I'll just explain the mechanics so everyone remembers,” Cathy said.

“So, we've got a bowl full of questions here. Each of us will select one question and answer it. If a person does not want to answer the question he or she picks, he is instead required to drink one of the beverages prepared by Gabby and Leigh. The drinks are special because they aren't like any other drinks you've ever had. Got it?” Cathy clarified after explaining the mechanics.

“Yeah,” Jax said.

“So, let this spill or drink begin!”