It is a quiet dinner between the two parties. Don Mariano and the two officers are gobbling up the tinola, Felix quietly sips the broth, Teodoro is playing with his food until Felix stops him from doing so. Carmen and Andres are still on their staring showdown, both of them are showing dominance, making others uncomfortable.
"Aren't you two going to eat?" Felix broke the silence, causing Andres and Carmen to snap out.
"I'm done." Carmen replied, standing up, heading towards her room.
"You barely even touched your food." Felix
"Then feed it to Ragnar!" Carmen yelled from her room.
"Who's Ragnar?" Asked Andres.
"Carmen's cat, He is a Norwegian Forest cat which she bought back when she travelled in Norway. Good thing they allowed her to bring such cat on a boat. Well, she did tell me that "Skogkatts" are used to sailing." He replied. Andres nodded in agreement. He is not a fan of cats but he is very fond of his American Bully, Lakas.
Suddenly, he heard a meow from underneath the table and to his surprise, it's Ragnar begging for food. Andres is surprised of the cat's humongous size. He has never seen such a big cat, and hairy too. He is shivering in nervous. According to him, cats are walking razor blades due to their sharp claws.
"It's okay, he's trained." Said Teodoro, then gave the cat a piece of chicken skin. "Who's a good boy? You are!" Teodoro started speaking gibberish towards the cat.
"Do you have any dogs here?" Andres asked hoping that there would be a dog in the household. Don Mariano laughed in delight.
"Why yes, we have Burnok, our Japanese Spitz. He's our guard dog because of his aggressive personality." Don Mariano.
"Guard dog? So, you don't let him sleep in your bedroom?" Andres.
"Yup, only Ragnar is allowed to sleep on the bed. And, Burnok bit Teodoro once when he was a toddler." Don Mariano spoke.
"I see…" Andres continued his dinner. It was quiet until Felix spoke.
"How is the war going? I heard General Luna is dead. How are you going to sustain the defenses?" Felix asked, as he sips on a spoonful of broth.
"Well, it's been quiet for the past few days. The death of General Luna has devastated the other revolutionists. But we're going to create a plan for the upcoming attacks. Rest assured when we win this war, our country will reign in sovereignty once again." In Andres' thoughts, there is something in him that is unsure about what he said. Now that General Luna is dead, he is uncertain on who will lead the army. He knew that he will be joining General Gregorio Del Pilar once the order has been said. For now, the war is quiet. He dismissed his thoughts then gave a reassuring smile.
"I hope the war ends soon because our country's economic status is deteriorating. They should've focused on business and make negotiations with the Americans instead." Said Felix. Don Mariano nodded in agreement. However, Andres finds that very unpatriotic, like they don't care about the country at all. But he just wants to talk to Carmen for the moment and apologize for earlier.
"Well that sounds unpatriotic. Do you care for your country?" Questioned Andres.
"Of course, we care for our mother land. But how are we going to love our country if we're not alive? See son, we have to sustain ourselves first and our family. Brains, right?" said Don Mariano. Andres placed hid hand on his chin.
"You have a point." Andres has no words to say. He is tired and wants to go to bed. "You have any say Ador, Mateo?" He added.
"Nah, we're good. By the way, the tinola tastes wonderful! I want to have seconds but I'm a little shy." Said Mateo with a giggle. Mateo is always looking forward towards food. In every house he visits, he would always be having a snack or a meal. Andres is used to his behavior. He always teases Mateo on his gaining weight, calling him a lechon because of his dark complexion and chubby cheeks. But despite his chubby face, he has a toned body.
"Of course, you can have seconds! We've cooked plenty just for you all." Don Mariano called his cook to serve the tinola. Andres placed his palm on his face as reaction.
"Hay Mateo... While you two are having fun eating, I'll be heading upstairs. I want to rest. Goodnight." Andres spoke as he stands up.
"You're done soon? Desserts are going to be served in a moment." Don Mariano.
"I'm full, and I have to prepare for the upcoming fiesta." Andres left the dining area and headed upstairs.
As he walks towards his room, he saw Carmen writing on her diary, leaving the door open for Andres to see what she's doing. She's wearing a cream nightgown and her wavy hair down to her breasts. Ragnar was also there napping on the study table until it woke up and stretched. He approached the woman by the door. And for some reason, a sudden glare was felt from her aura.
"If you're trying to sneak up on me, next time do it better." She spoke. Giving a piercing look towards the man. "What do you want?"
"I want to talk to you. I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier at the plaza. I am an arrogant man but I can change, for you— I mean, yeah… I want to apologize. Will you accept my apology?"
"Who are you again?" She asks.
"Colonel Andres De Nuevo." Andres is starting to get frustrated. Carmen is not an easy prey. This is a battle between pride. Carmen is cackling in laughter.
"De Nuevo? What kind of surname is that? That's the first time I ever heard of that name in my entire life! No wonder I don't know you."
"Do you have any problem with that? It's a rare surname. Not everyone gets to have this… Now, will you "accept" my apology? Don't try to change the topic." He said sternly. Carmen gave a sarcastic smile.
"I am not an easy-to-get kind of woman, De Nuevo. I'm not going to accept your apology until I get to know you fully. What I mean by fully is I'll break you down slowly until I know every bit of you." She threatened. Andres isn't afraid but he would find this as a challenge.
"If you say so, Binibini. Challenge accepted. After this war, I will go back here and marry you." He smirked.
"Marry me? Boy! Are you out of your mind? You don't even know me yet. We only met today and now you want to marry me? Tu chico enamorado." She gestured as if she was surprised. She never knew how much nerve he is towards her.
"Si, mi amor. I'm also going to tear to piece by piece until I get to know every last of you as well. So, do we have a deal?" Andres reached his hand. Carmen was hesitant at first. She looked at Andres from head to toe. If this soldier finds out that she's a soldier of Luna, she'll be captured or else killed. She would rather die in battle than in the hands of her fellow countrymen. It is a risk she'll be taking but, if she doesn't accept Andres' bet, he might not stop annoying her.
"Deal!" she shook hands with the man and looked him in the eye.
"I'll meet you tomorrow at the lake. We'll have our first official date. Be there at the morning." Andres spoke before he headed to his room. Carmen just nodded and she closed the door.
"Shit…" she muttered, her face turning red. Out of frustration, she screamed at her pillow and pounded her fists. It is going to be a very long day for her tomorrow.