ROHAN wasn’t in his best mood that day. Well, he wasn’t always in the mood whenever he was forced to go on a blind date, and of course, it was always his mother to blame. Once again, his mother set him up with one of her friends’ daughters. He could’ve stood up his date so easily if only his mother didn’t come with him.
“Is it really necessary for you to join us?” he asked lazily as he sat beside his mother while they were waiting for his date to arrive.
“I came here with you because I know you’ll ghost her as you did with the others,” his mother countered with so much patience in her voice.
It was a given that Madam Edwina, his mother, would keep calm whenever they were outside their home. But Rohan was pretty sure she’d raise her voice whenever they were alone and reprimand him for what he did.
He just heaved a sigh and propped a hand on his chin.
“Mom—”
“Don’t you mom me, Rohan. All I ask of you is to go on a date and get yourself a nice girl. But look at you. I still have to arrange blind dates so you could—”
“Mom, I didn’t even ask you to do this.” He slowly shook his head. “Why are you so desperate—”
“Because you’re my son. What do you expect from me? Watch you grow old alone and leave you lonesome when I die?” His mother let out a lonely sigh. “My dream is to see you settle down, dear… With a nice girl who’ll love and take care of you. Am I asking for too much?”
He stared at his mother silently. Rohan didn’t know what to tell his mom to convince her that he was fine and that he’d be fine alone in the years to come. Rohan had decided long ago that he’d stay single for the rest of his life. He believed marriage wasn’t for him. A girl out of his league wouldn’t get his mother’s approval, and someone who was just like him would be kinda boring. So, he thought it would be better to be single. And besides, he wasn’t the only child in the family. His siblings had settled down and already gave his parents a bunch of grandchildren that’d continue the Collins family lineage.
“When will you realize that my love life isn’t your business, Mom?” Rohan heaved a sigh.
“As long as you’re not married, everything about you is my business because you’re my son,” Madam Edwina said firmly.
He was about to counter what his mother said, but it didn’t happen because his date had arrived. It was a beautiful, sophisticated woman in her late twenties, he guessed. She looked refined based on the way she sat on the chair across from him. But he didn’t care whatever kind of breeding this woman had. He had no slight interest in her.
“Hello, Auntie,” the woman said in a soft tone. She then turned in his direction and smiled. “You must be Rohan.”
She was about to shake hands with him when he suddenly stood up.
“Rohan?” His mother pulled his sleeve. “Where are you going?”
“My apologies, Miss.” He gently removed his mother’s hand from his sleeve. “I hate to cut this date short the moment you arrive here, but I’m afraid that moving forward with this would be such a waste of time for all of us here.”
He wanted to smirk when he saw how the woman’s eyes grew bigger. She must’ve been dumbfounded by what he had said.
“A-auntie?” The woman turned to his mother instead.
“I-I’m so sorry, hija—”
“Don’t be sorry, Mom.” Rohan fixed his coat. “It’s not your fault that I don’t like her.”
“Rohan, could you please stop this?” Madam Edwina sounded annoyed by his behavior. “I’m really, really sorry about this, Ivy. Please excuse us for a while.”
His mother rose from her seat and dragged him away from their table.
“I told you I don’t like going on blind dates—”
“Aren’t you ashamed of what you’ve done?” His mom looked displeased. “Ivy’s my friend’s daughter. What do you think her mother would think of me once she finds out about how you treated her daughter?”
“Just tell her I’m your little rebel.” Rohan pocketed his hands and planted a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Sorry, Mom… but I think your role as Cupid has to end.”
He saw how his mother clenched her fists. If they were at home, she could’ve screamed.
Rohan then turned around and waved his hand.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“See you later at home, Mom.”
“Rohan, come back here!”
But he didn’t listen to his mother and headed out of the restaurant. He knew that his action would cost him something, but what could he do about it? It was the only way he knew he could get off his mother’s claws. If truth be told, Rohan was sick of going on blind dates. He was tired of rejecting innocent girls and ghosting them. He knew they deserved better, but it wasn’t him.
He gave his key to the valet upon getting out of the restaurant, and while he was waiting for his car to arrive, his phone vibrated inside his pocket.
“Bro, what did you do?” his brother, Raphael, asked the moment he answered the call.
“So, she already told you what happened. That was fast.”
“What is wrong with you, really?”
“Let’s just say… I’m giving Mom a taste of her medicine.”
“And do you really think it would work? Bro, come on! We all know Mom. She won’t stop pestering you to go on a date and settle down. That woman won’t be that successful in business if she isn’t that sly.”
“Do you want to bet?”
“Sure. I’ll bet my sports car this time. You’re dying to have it, don’t you, little brother?”
“Call.”
“Mom will get what she wants from you one way or another.” He heard his brother laughing in the background. “Be prepared to lose.”
“Haa! We’ll see, brother… We’ll see….” A smile curved on his lips when an idea suddenly popped into his mind. “I have something in mind.”
“And what is it?”
“What would I tell you?” It would be better if Rohan kept it to himself. If his brother knew about it, he wasn’t sure if he’d sabotage him or not. “Just wait and see. And oh… say goodbye to your beloved sports car, Raphael.”
“Come on, little brother. You’re not even winning this bet yet!”
“Stop calling me little brother when I’m not little anymore. It’s annoying.”
“Haa! That’s what I want, to annoy you!”
Rohan ended the call without saying goodbye. Soon, his car arrived, and he got in immediately.
While driving, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d do to win the bet. And what was funny was that he suddenly thought about Yvonne in the midst of all that. He suddenly wanted to see her. He immediately shook his head and focused on his driving. After almost half an hour on the road, Rohan found himself pulling over to his friend’s diner’s parking lot.
“Oh, Rohan!” Axel greeted him with a wide beam as he got out of the counter.
“Hey.”
They hugged each other. It had been a while since they last saw each other.
“How dare you show yourself when I no longer miss you,” Axel jested as he pushed him away afterward.
They both laughed at that.
“Well, I realized I miss the taste of your beer.”
“Haa!”
His friend got back behind the counter and grabbed a glass that he immediately filled with beer while he settled himself on a stool right in front of the counter.
“So… how’s life lately?” Axel asked as he leaned on the counter.
He took a gulp of beer first before answering his friend’s question. “Well, my mom’s still pestering me to get married.”
“You should’ve gone to the seminary with your nephew if you’re really sure not to get married.”
Rohan smirked and cupped his glass.
“You think so?”
He never thought that going to the seminary would be his best option because he knew he’d be a hypocrite if he used serving the Lord as his excuse to run away from his mother.
“Why don’t you just listen to your mom? Settling down isn’t as bad as you think, especially when you love the one you’ll marry.” Axel tapped his finger on the counter. “Maybe you should start changing your cynical mindset, Rohan.”
“I don’t give a damn if you’re pro-marriage, Axel. But please bear in mind that not all people were designed the same.”
“So, you really think you’re not designed for love? I doubt that. You’re capable of loving. You just don’t let go of your reigns.” His friend shook his head. “Remember Yvonne?”
Rohan’s forehead creased.
“What about her?” He tried to act calmly despite feeling his heart starting to beat erratically just hearing her name.
“Maybe you should start by apologizing to her.” Axel folded his arms across his chest.