Divinagracia, 2002

The sun shone so bright on a hot summer’s Sunday in the town of Divinagracia. From the domineering church building close to the centre of town, where mass had just ended, the townspeople made their way out in droves from the church grounds and into the town square.

At the same time, Iñigo and Kenji tried to navigate their way through the crowd toward the wet market a hundred-or-so metres from the church building. Iñigo didn’t mind this time of day, when the town square was particularly crowded; he liked revelling in the hustle and bustle of the town.

More than that, he would have loved to join the other townspeople in mass. But with how the people of their small town in the countryside may see them, Kenji had been overly anxious about him going, and would sit at home worrying about him every time Iñigo went.

Their town wasn’t cruel, but it wasn’t kind either. Iñigo knew that Kenji worried more about this than he let on; he remembered the night when he told his parents about his sexuality, and next thing he knew, he was standing in front of Kenji’s house late at night with a bag in one hand and a suitcase in the other. Kenji never brought it up directly, but Iñigo could tell, by the particular way Kenji tensed whenever they walked through a crowd like this one, that he hadn’t forgotten that night either.

Gossip about their relationship was already starting to spread. He could feel it by the narrow glances the townspeople would give them that he pretended not to notice. It was something he could handle, Iñigo knew that for sure, but he wondered if Kenji would believe him if he said as such.

As they walked, Iñigo felt Kenji’s hand wrap around his own before gripping it tightly. Iñigo believed it to be a gesture of comforting assurance, a move that affirmed Kenji’s devotion to keep him away from harm. But Iñigo found himself startled, not by anything Kenji intended, but simply by how easily Kenji let himself be affectionate in public.

Though the mass of people around him didn’t seem to notice, Iñigo was looking left and right, wondering if anyone was giving them any weird looks. As one person glanced, Iñigo pulled his hand away from Kenji’s. He didn’t need any more problems for the day.

Kenji began to sulk, and he quickly walked ahead of Iñigo, head forward so as to not make eye contact with him. Iñigo sighed.

Iñigo knew he had enough to worry about. Kenji’s birthday was next month. While Kenji was going to shop for groceries, Iñigo had been planning to sneak off to peruse the clothing stalls in search of Kenji’s present. But any hope of that would be dashed, Iñigo thought, as Kenji was the type to stick by his side.

Suddenly, he spotted Javier in the crowd, a bright smile beaming from his face the moment he made eye contact with Iñigo. Iñigo felt a sense of relief; the man, whose infectious grin stood out from the crowd, was a welcome respite from the tense atmosphere he had created with Kenji.

“What’s up?” Iñigo greeted as he pulled the man into a brief embrace, which Javier reciprocated in turn. Though Iñigo did not mean for such a gesture to have any particular significance, he saw how Kenji turned around and stared at the scene unfolding right in front of him, as if a million things ran through his mind. Javier looked toward Kenji and gave him a smile. Kenji, in turn, shifted his eyes away.

All of a sudden, Iñigo felt a firm tap digging next to his shoulder blade. Letting go of Javier, he heard a high-pitched giggle from behind him; he knew that voice.

“Esther?” Iñigo turned around to face Javier’s little sister, who smiled back at him. Despite the blistering temperature of the town, she wore a thick, loose-fitting jacket over her Sunday best. Iñigo found it strange, but he didn’t ask any questions.

Rather, he hadn’t realized that four years had already passed. It didn’t feel that long ago when she left to study abroad in Fraser City. The day he last saw her, the same day Kenji confessed, he could remember her supportive words and the photo of him and Kenji that she had taken that day; the one he kept in his wallet safe and sound. Iñigo wondered how she was doing all this time.

“Iñigo!” she screamed in excitement, as she pulled him down and hugged him even tighter than Kenji and Javier did, enveloping his frame with her thin, slender arms. Before Iñigo could react, she grabbed his arm and smiled. 

“You’ve become more handsome since I left,” she teased as she ran her fingers softly down his rugged, calloused hands, which she held softly on her own.

Iñigo looked toward Kenji’s direction to catch a glimpse of his face, but Kenji stared away into the crowd as if refusing to meet his gaze once more. Iñigo knew Kenji was livid; he saw how the ordinarily fair skin on the nape of his neck grew red, and the way Kenji crossed his arms cemented Iñigo’s thoughts. At that moment, he felt even more distant.

“Hey, Iñigo,” Esther said, gripping both his hands in hers. “We’re heading over to the shopping plaza in San Ignacio right now…” Esther took a breath, her eyes bright. “And I was wondering if you want to come.”

Iñigo thought to himself. Divinagracia was a small town with relatively few shops and stalls, and the assortment of clothes he could get for Kenji was rather limited. But down the highway was the bustling city of San Ignacio, which held a collection of luxury shopping plazas, built for people as wealthy as the Samsons. They were rumoured to have anything and everything Iñigo could have ever dreamed of. He would be a fool to pass off on this offer.

But even so, he found himself looking back at Kenji. Iñigo’s heart fell, however, when he saw the disapproving look on his face.

Having gotten the message, Iñigo took his hands away from Esther’s and gave her a soft, apologetic smile. 

“I’m sorry, but Kenji is working the night shift tonight,” Iñigo explained, using the first excuse that came to his mind.

It wasn’t a lie. Kenji, a nurse at Divinagracia Municipal Hospital, did have a night shift later that day. Whenever Kenji was off at work, Iñigo always stayed home so he could be there to greet Kenji as he made his way home.

But as Iñigo looked back and forth between the two Samson siblings, Esther looked disappointed, while Javier had his own disapproving glare, aimed more at Kenji than anyone else.

“Are you sure that’s okay with you, Iñigo?” Javier asked, shooting Kenji a seemingly innocent smile that was anything but. “Kenji, are you really going to chain your beloved boyfriend by your side, 24/7? I thought better of you!”

Iñigo stood there mortified. He tried to signal to Javier to tone it down, but Javier didn’t budge. Rather, with each word came a new sense of combativeness that Iñigo knew even Kenji couldn’t compete with. 

“Surely Kenji, even for just one afternoon, you would let Iñigo go out of the house to hang out with Esther,” Javier continued as he stepped closer and closer in Kenji’s direction. Kenji was backed into a corner, it seemed, as if the sharpness of Javier’s venom-laced words bore straight into his soul. “Surely you trust your own boyfriend, right?”

Kenji, looking around at the other three, took a deep breath and forced a thin smile. He walked towards Iñigo and placed his hand on his shoulder. 

“I trust you, Iñigo,” he told him, though there was a sense of hesitation in his voice. Iñigo, nonetheless, couldn’t help himself from smiling ear to ear.

“Thank you!” Iñigo said, pulling Kenji into a hug that he in turn melted into. 

But unbeknownst to Iñigo, Kenji found himself catching a brief glimpse of the smirk on Javier’s face. It was a smirk so contemptuous and triumphant, that even Esther could feel the tension.

To this, Kenji found himself glaring back in turn. But even with the vexed look on Kenji’s face, all Javier did in return was scoff. At that moment, Kenji felt a deep sense of hatred build well within his chest. To Kenji, Javier had given him a declaration of war: back away from Iñigo, or else.