C4 Reunion

The café was small, but not cramped. Its walls, made of faded red bricks, were dotted with various sketches of famous landmarks from around the world, brought to focus by small spotlights fixed above each. From the ceiling hung clusters of tiny, yellowish-white bulbs that reminded one of flickering fireflies hovering overhead. There were only four square wooden tables with matching shiny, metallic chairs in the middle while three sets of fat couches and lounge chairs, covered in worn, dark-brown leather were placed against the opposite walls. Old, wooden trunks sat before each set served as tables.

The combination of old-world charm and contemporary austerity, done to perfection, gave the café its unique ambiance of laid-back chic and homey comfort. The café did not offer free WIFI like most of the other coffee shops did. In fact, there was a signage upfront that announced: ’No WIFI – just TALK’. The very name of the shop, ‘Let’s Talk’, gave one an idea of what the café espoused. It was a place that encouraged quiet conversations and shared confidences, a place to unwind and indulge in simple pleasures the old-fashioned way. It gave one respite from the fast-paced, constantly wired, metropolitan lifestyle that could be exhausting at times. The soft, piped-in jazz music in the background, together with the sweet aroma of freshly-baked pastries and brewed coffee, added to the enchanting ambiance of this cozy and charming hole-in-the-wall.

Yet, in spite of the absence of WIFI, the café was still popular among Yuppies from the nearby corporate towers, and during this time of day, it was difficult to find free seats. There was a spill-out section for smokers outside, but the three Montoya siblings preferred to stay indoors since none of them smoked. Fortunately, a couple seated on one of the couches was just getting up to leave when they arrived. Claiming the coveted spot for themselves, they immediately waved to a passing server to place their orders.

Gabriel had not had a decent meal since leaving London and he was ready for some hearty fare. Thankfully, the café also served pasta and sandwiches, so he ordered a large plate of Spaghetti in Aubergine sauce, a chicken sandwich, a tall cappuccino, and a slice of blueberry cheesecake. Miguel ordered a roast beef sandwich, a tall Café Americano, and also a slice of blueberry cheesecake. Angelo, who was still quite full after downing a heavy breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausages, settled for an espresso and a slice of Sans Rival. While waiting for their order to be served, the three brothers resumed their earlier banter.

“So, Gab, what have you been up to?” Miguel asked, leaning back with his arms draped on the back of the comfortable couch.

“Not much. Turned over our London office to our new country manager without much ado. Set up a deal with the Bank of London, closed another one with the publishing house Papa was bringing in to the local market, dated a few girls, successfully avoided getting hitched,” Gabriel said, tongue-in-cheek.

The last remark elicited quiet chuckles from his two brothers.

“But what about you, guys? You hardly ever say anything in your emails. And our video chats were often lacking in substance.”

“Well, I won’t bore you with company stuff, you know everything about that. As for my personal life,” Miguel replied, leaving the last sentence hanging purposely.

“What personal life? Never thought you had one, bro,” Angelo countered.

“Oh, right! I forgot. I don’t have one,” Miguel said, shaking his head in misery.

Gabriel laughed and clapped his brother on the back. “You’re working too hard, bro! You’re going to end up looking older than Papa in no time. You should get out more and socialize. Show them what fun stuff the Montoya men are made of.”

“Don’t need to. Angelo already has a monopoly on that,” Miguel said.

“Hey, that’s unfair. And that is not true. You very well know that I don’t monopolize the social scene. I share it once in a while with Raffy,” Angelo replied with feigned indignation.

“See? Between the two of them, the social life of the Montoyas is safe and secure.”

The three burst out laughing a bit loudly this time, causing the other patrons to glare in their direction. Miguel raised a hand in apology, smiling benignly. Everything went back to normal after, except, of course, for the handful of women who couldn’t help but steal glances at them.

“Actually, I’m thinking of getting out of the social scene for a while, if not for good,” Angelo said, an odd twinkle in his grayish-green eyes.

Gabriel and Miguel glanced at each other with barely controlled smirks, both waiting for the inevitable punchline. It didn’t come.

After a beat, Miguel said, “Ok, I give up, where’s the punchline?”

“Punchline? There’s no punchline,” Angelo said, shaking his head.

“Hey, what brought this on, kid?” Gabriel asked, his inherent protectiveness for his brother making him forget that Angelo hated being called ‘kid’. He quickly regretted it when he saw the sharp sideways look his youngest brother gave him. The arrival of their food stoppered the apology in his lips.

While the waiter set their respective orders before them Gabriel looked over Angelo more thoroughly. The persistent growling in his stomach, aggravated by the delicious scent wafting from their plates, however, temporarily diverted his attention from Angelo. For the next few minutes, the Montoya brothers gorged on the scrumptious spread before them in complete silence. When only the blueberry cheesecake was left, Gabriel leaned back and sipped at his cappuccino, quietly scrutinizing Angelo. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. Angelo looked as he always did, handsome to a fault with a body honed to near perfection by his athletic pursuits. At least it’s not health-related, he said to himself. Then, a sudden thought struck him.

“It’s a girl, isn’t it, what brought about this outlandish change in you?” Gabriel blurted out before he could stop himself.

Angelo smiled, still poking at the remains of his Sans Rival. “Yes, and No,” he replied.

“Yes and No? What kind of answer is that?” Miguel said.

“Yes, it’s basically because of a girl, but no, it’s not just about her.”

“I still don’t get it,” Gabriel said in between mouthfuls of his pie.

“Okay, here’s how it is. Don’t laugh, okay? Just listen.”

When his two elder brothers nodded in agreement, Angelo continued. “I know people think of me as the ‘brawny but brainless’ type of guy,” he raised a hand when Gabriel and Miguel started to protest in unison, “but it’s only because Papa never entrusted me with any heavy responsibilities. Rafael doesn’t count because he totally refuses to participate, saying such trivial pursuit would ruin the artist in him,” Gabriel and Miguel chuckled, shaking their heads.

“Anyway, as I was saying, all these years I had been, unofficially, relegated to the part of PR man, doing all the promotions, launches and basically just showing up for the publicity. All no-brainers. Well, it’s become a bit boring. So, I asked Papa if he could assign me some real work, a job that I could do without having to make the rounds in the social circuits - a really serious job that required more than looking pretty for the cameras,” he paused and took a sip of his drink.

With a nod from Gabriel, Angelo plodded on. “Well, he agreed and assigned to me, on a trial basis, one of the hotels we're opening next year. A good way to get my feet wet and have a feel for the business, Papa said. He made me the probationary CEO of our chain of hotels. If I pull it off, it’s going to be my permanent assignment. Construction’s done and we’re on the finishing touches now, you know, furnishings and interiors, etc. He wanted to surprise you, Gab, so kept it under wraps.”

“That’s great, Angelo. Glad to hear you’re going to get headaches from worrying instead of hangovers from now on,” Miguel laughed. Gabriel shook Angelo’s hand, his face beaming with pride.

Angelo’s face reddened at his older brothers’ obvious delight.

“So, where does the girl enter the picture?” Gabriel asked.

“Okay, it happened like this. I met this girl, the one who’s outfitting the hotel. Actually…met is not the right term. Reacquainted, more like, since we already know each other. We lost touch for a few years, but when we saw each other again, it was as if those years didn’t exist. And she made me feel differently about her...about me...about my life. She made me think about my future,” Angelo said.

“Good for you! She must be an exceptional girl to make our Angelo here even consider giving up his harem of beautiful models and celebs,” Miguel said, chuckling.

“Ha, ha! I don’t have a harem, Migz, and you know that. The press just loves turning everything I do into a scandal,” Angelo protested.

“I was just kidding, baby brother,” Miguel replied, ruffling his younger brother’s tawny locks. Angelo rolled his eyes.

“It's good to hear, actually. We’re happy for you and we’re looking forward to meeting this amazing lady of yours,” Gabriel assured Angelo.

“You’ll surely meet her soon enough and boy, you’re going to be surprised. As for being mine, well, not yet. I’m not even sure if she sees me as anything more than a friend. Rest assured, I won’t hesitate to use the Montoya charm on her. Honestly, you guys already know her. I just don’t want to preempt anything, okay?”

“Sure, sure. We’ll back you up, bro,” Miguel assured him.

Gabriel signaled the waiter for their bill and finished the last of his cappuccino. Turning to his brothers he said, “About time we got back to Papa.”

Angelo and Miguel nodded. After paying their bill the three brothers all trooped back to the hospital.

“Do you want to see Papa first or go directly to his suite and wait for him there?” asked Miguel.

Gabriel shook his head, “No, we’ll go to the ICU now, just to make sure he’s going to be transferred to the suite ASAP.”

“Uh, must we? Can’t we just go to Papa’s suite? That place is really sucking the life out of me. I swear, I felt Dementors up there, bro,” Angelo protested jokingly, his old jaunty self removing all traces of the serious young man baring his heart just minutes ago.

“Ok, you can go up to the suite. We’ll see you there later. But don’t tell Mama that Gab’s already here. I’m sure he wants to surprise her,” Miguel admonished Angelo.

“Got it. Really sorry I can’t come with you, Gab. I just hate seeing Papa there. My heart is too delicate for this,” Angelo said, winking at Gabriel.

“Yeah, right. For all I know, you’re eager to get back online and chat with your numerous admirers,” Gabriel replied lightheartedly, tousling his younger brother’s curly locks in the process.

“Can’t help it, too popular for my own good. I just can’t bring myself to break any hearts, as long as they’re willing to share, all’s fair, blah, blah, blah. Catch you later, guys. Tell Papa to hurry up leaving that room, ok?”

“Sure, sure. Now, go!” was Miguel’s reply, briskly pushing Angelo towards the elevators. Turning back to Gabriel, he raised one thick brow and said, “So, are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Is it really bad?” Gabriel asked.

“Papa will be okay now. What about you?” Miguel said, concerned.

Gabriel had told Miguel why he stayed abroad for so long. He was the only one being forced into an arranged marriage, but Miguel didn't like the idea either. Like Gabriel, he took the sacrament of marriage seriously and preferred to find his own wife rather than have one shoved down his throat. Miguel was also aware that, his chosen lady, should he ever fall in love, would still be appraised, inspected, and approved by his parents before he could even propose to her. It was the price they all had to pay for the privilege of belonging to one of the richest and most powerful families in the country. Still, it wasn't a soft pill to swallow.

“I’m okay now, bro,” Gabriel said, a gentle smile softening the stark planes of his handsome face. Putting an arm around his brother’s shoulders, Gabriel jostled Miguel and urged him to lead the way to their Papa.

At least he’s out of danger. I’ll deal with my other problem later, he thought.