The Young and the Beautiful

Chapter 33

"Enrique! It's been a long time mi amigo!" I said when I saw him in the studio. He looked like a notorious casino gambler because of the thick gold chain necklace he wore and his tucked in bowling shirt. He looked like he gained a little weight around his belly. We're really not getting any younger.

"I know Pancho! Then you said the word party. I'm in! I'm sick of diapers, feeding bottles, and mashed pumpkins." He replied. We both laughed because our children are almost of the same age.

I introduced him to Carmen and the rest of the showbiz people in the party. Most of them were aspiring to be the next big thing in Philippine showbiz. Carmen's husband Jose was there too. So it's like a mini reunion of the gang. I wasn't aware until Carmen wrote me that Jose married her after the war. Jose is in politics now as a Vice Mayor in Manila city.

I met Natalia that night. She was wearing a champagne colored body tight dress that made her looked so sexy. She looked like a brunette Marilyn Monroe. Enrique and I can't help but look at her. We later smiled at each other and remembered what we talked about in Rome, but we still both agreed that if we were her age we would do her. The night was filled with stories shared among old friends and drinks were free flowing. Fred stuck down his tongue on another co actress's throat while a drunk Natalia approached me and handed me a note.

"Meet me in my hotel room, I'll be there by eleven. I want to talk to you."

I was having doubts if I was doing the right thing. But seeing Natalia tonight was unthinkable. The way she looked at me, the way she smelled, and the way she held my back when I greeted her. I haven't felt that in ages. The thirty something in me felt like he was seventeen again. I know that Enrique was too drunk by now to remember that I was gone. I finished my bourbon after taking a shot of vodka before going out.

I knocked on Natalia's hotel room just five minutes after eleven. She opened it and my desire for her that night was fulfilled in a quick late night sneak.

I managed to go back to the party and I was right, Enrique was drunk on champagne and bourbon. He passed out on a couch, so did Jose and some other people in the party. Carmen was scratching her head when she saw her husband passed out.

"I told him not to drink too much! He never drank like this in a long time!" Carmen said. She was having a hard time on getting Jose up so I helped her. Carmen forgot her driver's license so they left their car in the studio and took a cab home. Carmen saw a kiss mark on my cheeks and she pointed it out. Shoot! I wasn't able to wipe it out!

"It was your kiss mark Carmen when you said goodbye. You're a little drunk now too. Take a rest and let's have lunch soon!" I replied. Okay that was close. Now, I only have to take Enrique home.

We arrived at his home at around one in the morning when Rita answered the door. She has a Polaroid camera on hand. She was laughing upon seeing her husband hammered like this. Enrique's hand was hanging on my shoulder as he tried his best to walk, but he failed.

"I told Enrique that he shouldn't drink too much anymore because he passes out! I told him that he's not getting any younger." Rita said. Who was obviously pregnant of their third child.

"I know. I just left him for a while to talk to some business partners, then there he was passed out on a couch by the corner." I replied. Rita was laughing again when she heard how he got too drunk.

"Should I bring him to your room?" I asked.

"No. Just let him sleep there. So that when he wakes up with body pain he'll say that he'll never drink again, but still do it anyway." She replied. I saw my two godsons by the stairs. They wanted to say hello. I carried Enrique Jr. and Marco upstairs in my arms, told them a little story and asked me to tuck them to bed. Their dad is too hammered to do that tonight. These boys are like my sons too since Charlie plays with them almost every day and visited our house often. Rita handed me a book that Camila and their friends were reading in their book club. It's called, "The Age of Innocence" which was mainly about a man's affair with his fiancé's cousin.

Nights can still be a little adventurous for adults like us. I told myself as I went home. I went to Charlie and Bela's room to check on them. My kids remind me that what I just did with Natalia was wrong. I did a terrible, terrible thing tonight.

Camila arrived three days later. I surprised her with a dinner that I prepared. We talked about how Andres owned the board room every meeting we had with our clients. Camila was so happy because she got a huge commission from the art sales that she did. She said that the wife of a statesman gave her more commission when her friends and their relatives were amazed on the pieces that she acquired for their home.

Just almost a week after she arrived, Camila was rehired by another rich family from a neighboring province pf Cebu, this time to go to their house and evaluate what type of art suits the spirit of the house. Her new client was wishing to get some new pieces. Camila's busy once more. I told her if I can go with Andres to our beach house this weekend to play polo and to sail with Enrique as well. I asked her if it's okay to take the kids.

While she was washing her face and doing her nightly skin care routine I hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek. I missed her so much. But it's more of a "I have sinned kind of hug" She faced me and hugged me back with her face still excited from her new career as an art dealer. She kissed me and the night ended with her by my side. While she was now deep asleep, I still can't think about what might happen if she knew about what happened between me and Natalia.

Days after she left, I received a call from Natalia. She said that she had so much fun from our short rendezvous that Saturday night and can't wait to meet me again. She told me that she'll be in that same hotel from tonight until Friday night, and was inviting me over for some champagne to talk about her next movie.

There's a part of me that doesn't want to go as I saw my kids coming in after they played from the pool. But my desire for her arises. I can't explain what I am feeling but how she talked over the phone got me, I felt that this is how my lost young adulthood years should be like. But because of the war I felt that nothing's permanent. Well the war's over now and realized that I owe this to myself. I owe this to myself.

So I went to Natalia's hotel on a Friday night. I made a reservation using a different name so that it wouldn't be obvious, I used Laurence Carter. I went straight to her suite. When I arrived, she ordered champagne and some strawberries. She removed her robe and was now only wearing black lingerie. I know that she only wants one thing from me, which is to cast her on her next movie. But she made me feel that she wanted more and made me feel how young I was and that she loves me even just for that night.