Mayor Ramon Salgado enters with a mix of excitement and enthusiasm, admiring the intricate artwork of Mama Mary. He approaches his daughter Patricia and hugs her tightly, expressing his admiration and pride in her talent. Patricia smiles, but her inner turmoil continues to simmer.
"Oh, I am so proud of you Patricia! your enthusiasm and your skills my daughter!"
"Thank you, Father," Patricia replies with a smile, trying to hide her inner turmoil. She feels a mix of pride and irritation at her father's admiration for her talent. She knows he means well, but she can't help but feel annoyed by his excessive praise.
Despite Patricia's attempts to enjoy the celebration, she finds it hard to fully immerse herself in it.
Her father's constant praise and presence drain her energy, making her feel increasingly frustrated and irritated. She struggles to maintain her composure, forcing herself to fake a smile and hide her true feelings.
Patricia sat at the table with Tanya, who had suddenly appeared with her mother, and they found time for some chit-chat. Patricia expressed her thoughts to Tanya, "I'm glad you're here too. The church looks fantastic, and so does my sculpture. It feels like all the hard work has paid off."
They continued to enjoy the food, chatting and catching up on their lives while taking occasional bites of cake and spaghetti.
Tanya takes a sip of her Zesto drink and continues talking about the details she notices in Patricia's sculpture. "I really like how your statue turned out. It looks so amazing, especially that crown of Mama Mary! It's so cool!"
Patricia smiles thrilled that her girlfriend appreciates her artwork. "I'm glad you like it. I put a lot of effort into those little details, especially the crown. I wanted it to look as realistic as possible," she replies.
Tanya's maid puts another juice for Tanya and her medications is laid in a small plastic platter and the other maid is combing her hair, which led Tanya to feel shy towards her girlfriend because of her high maintenance.
Patricia notices the maids assisting Tanya with her drink and medications, and she can sense that her girlfriend feels embarrassed by the attention.
Patricia reassures her, "Don't worry about it. High maintenance or not, I still like you for who you are." Patricia smiles warmly, trying to make her friend feel more comfortable in the situation.
"That's not the point patricia…. I think that people are staring at me, are they goanna judge me because I am wheel bound?"
Patricia looks around to see if there are any people or students paying attention to them, but no one seems to be making a fuss over it at all.
"No, don't worry, no one's judging you or thinking anything. Let's stop being self-conscious and enjoy this moment together, okay?" Patricia smiles to Tanya, trying to comfort her, which Tanya a little, and she nods in agreement, trying to push aside her feelings of self-consciousness and fully enjoy the moment with her girlfriend.
Tanya nods in agreement, trying to push aside her feelings of self-consciousness and fully enjoy the moment with her girlfriend.
Patricia looks at Tanya and sees her usual sly smile, which always brings a smile to her own face. Patricia watches as Tanya savors the delectable cake, her eyes taking in the scenery of the church. Patricia feels a sense of contentment seeing her girlfriend enjoying themselves.
"Look who's here…" Tanya whispers to patricia with a sense of teasing and laughing inside which made patricia got puzzled by who Tanya was talking to.
Patricia looks towards the entrance of the church with a weary expression and a hint of irritation in her eyes.
She mutters under her breath, her tone laced with disdain and annoyance: "Him? That obese bastard? Our disgusting PE teacher who leers at girls during class, even in PE. Ugh, why did he have to show up here? Damn it!"
Tanya eats the cake and almost choke when the teacher saw them and came after them tapping Tanya's shoulder. "Oh! You two are here, hey, patricia! Are you two discussing about the student council with your friend? You know you should"
Tanya scoffs and was angry, she knew about the teacher but she's not ready to expose it yet, she just doesn't like him.
"My girlfriend, not just friend; it's 2023 sir!" Tanya corrected the PE teacher with a firm voice.
"Ah! So, your talking back at me! Huh? How about I call your parents and let's meet at the guid-"
Tanya cuts her teacher off and says "We're not at the school canteen sir, we're outside the church" which made their PE teacher flabbergasted gladly his friends was there and talks with him, so he follows.
As Patricia glances at Tanya, she feels a sense of admiration and appreciation for her girlfriend's bravery in standing up to their inappropriate PE teacher. Patricia reaches out to gently touch Tanya's shoulder, silently expressing her support and affection. The moment between them is interrupted by Patricia's father, who approaches them with a smile on his face, unaware of the conflict that had just taken place.
As Patricia's father approaches them with a smile on his face, he announces, "Let's head back home! We need to be there before 6 o'clock." Patricia feels a pang of disappointment, knowing that she would have preferred to spend more time with Tanya, but she nods in agreement, not wanting to cause any trouble.
She takes a final glance at her girlfriend, silently expressing her disappointment before following her father towards the exit of the church.
Patricia's driver, filled with excitement, couldn't stop chatting with Patricia's father about Patricia's talent. "I absolutely loved your daughter's sculpture, Madam Patricia! You should consider taking up fine arts in college; the Philippines is renowned for its talent in that field! I can tell you that my son is currently studying Fine Arts in his second year at UP Diliman, and he's thriving there!"
Patricia's father, Ramon Salgado, sighed and explained to the driver, "That's simply her natural talent, but my daughter has a stronger passion for law, Edgar." Patricia remained silent, listening to the conversation, wondering if her father truly understood her aspirations.
Patricia reached for her phone, typing a text to Tanya: "Can we cuddle?" The response from Tanya was a simple and enthusiastic affirmation, "Of course! I'll have the maid prepare for us." Patricia, taking a deep breath, cleared her throat and asked her dad for permission to go to Tanya's house.
The driver halted the vehicle outside Tanya's residence, giving Patricia and her father the opportunity to say their goodbyes.
Patricia, stepping into the room, removes her shoes as she approaches Tanya, who's settled in at her desk with a snack in hand. Patricia gives her a quizzical look, her expression carrying a hint of sternness as she says, "Tanya? I thought we were going to cuddle. Care to explain?"
Tanya continues to nibble on her chicken joy and wings, blissfully enjoying her food without acknowledging Patricia's question. Patricia watches her with a mixture of amusement and disbelief, realizing that her plans for cuddles might be on hold for the moment.
As Tanya methodically works her way through her array of snacks, Patricia finds herself growing increasingly impatient. The longer it takes for Tanya to finish eating, the more frustrated she becomes, as she eagerly waits for the moment when they can finally cuddle and spend some quality time together.
Patricia had eagerly anticipated cuddling with Tanya, but their plan seemed to have fallen by the wayside. When Tanya offered to share her food with Patricia, she accepted, thinking that they might still have time for cuddling later.
However, as the day wore on and the cuddling never materialized, Patricia couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. She made a mental note to find a different opportunity for some intimate moments with her girlfriend soon.
Tanya's face morphs into an expression of astonishment as the realization crashes over her, her eyes widening with a blend of surprise, guilt, and disbelief. She utters, her voice tinged with a hint of guilty shock while her mouth is still full of chicken: "Our cuddles! Oh no!"
Patricia looks at Tanya, a hint of disappointment in her eyes as she lets out a faint sigh. She then points to Tanya's chicken and asks, "Hey, is that wings?" before reaching out to claim the last piece for herself.
Tanya, with a nonchalant shrug, passes the bucket over to Gwen, unbothered by Patricia's taking the last piece. Her expression remains unchanged, as she doesn't seem to care who gets the final piece of chicken.