I wake up with a strange feeling of not being alone in my bed. And my guess was right when my vision landed on Maddox's cute face. He is still sleeping peacefully; I love to stare at his face without him knowing it.
I remember making Maddox's arm my pillow last night and the other arm wrapped around me like my blanket. It was sweet to have his warm and soothing embrace until I closed my eyes to sleep.
It was good to exchange partners in our room as Lea wants to stay with her boyfriend, Glenn. She requested it at the last minute after we were back from the bar. Who am I to refuse?
While staring at Maddox, a scene of him kissing me flashes in my head, making me touch my lips. Thinking of last night's kiss, I check on my sleeping dress immediately. I am relieved to see myself s
The water activity that I've been dying to try is the taklobo and coral tour. Being a nature lover, I find it fascinating to explore the ocean's depth, and there's nothing more exciting than doing it with the one I love, Maddox.My heart becomes erratic, thinking of a million ways to explore the ocean with Maddox. I can't wait to have it with him and my friends as well. It will be the most memorable of our water activities.But before that, we have to try jet skiing, banana boating, and flyboarding. We look so cool wearing black wetsuits as we head to the site to start our water sports."Sam," I shouted when I saw Sam and Luke already on the site. The couples seemed to be really on time in every event or activity Maddox had arranged for us.
Around 6 in the evening, we are still in the Pearl Farm Butik and Cafe having our girl talk, as Samantha calls it. Enjoying the beautiful cafe, still with the distinctive Samal culture interior. At the same time, satisfying our sweet cravings with their variety of drinks.My phone rings while I'm sipping my drink. Maddox's name is on my phone's screen."Guys, it's Maddox; I have to take this.""Hello," I answered the call, putting it in speaker mode."Baby, are you done with your girl talk? The boys and I are preparing something special for the three of you there. Let us know what time you will be back in your room.""Mad, we're almost done." Samantha and Lea nod.
I expect to wake up Sunday morning with the same vibes as yesterday with Maddox beside me. My phone ring awakens me at the break of dawn as the time on my phone tells me it's 5:15. It must be urgent, looking at Aunt Melanie calling me mark's on the screen."Hello, Aunt Melanie. What is it?" I answered but didn't put the call on speaker mode to avoid waking up Maddox beside me."Angel, sorry for waking you up this early. Your mom was rushed to the hospital at around 4 in the morning. I am with her now; I just called to inform you right away."My heart is pounding, listening to Aunt Melanie. It's not the kind of morning I expect to have in one of the beautiful islands in the Philippines."Angel, are you there?"
A knock on the door stops us from discussing what happened during our holiday on the island. What appears on our door is far from what I expect, Cassandra and her friends standing, holding a bouquet of flowers and fruits."Hey, Angel, I'm sorry if we are so late. We woke up late, like nearly 10 in the morning. We had to take our breakfast before leaving the island and come here quickly."Cassandra talks casually, which I am not used to. Her new behavior still comes as a shock to me. I don't even know if she's acting genuinely or just faking it."Cassy, guys, come on in." Finally, I can speak out of confusion."Thank you, Angel. Please take this."Cassandra hands me a lar
It's just mom and me in her hospital room; silence dominates between us. I sit on the chair beside mom's bed."Mom, it's just the two of us now. Can we talk?""If that's about my health, we will. I'm just waiting for someone, and then we can talk."I nod in agreement. "Who? Your doctor?""No, your father, Angelo."I freeze, and my mouth falls open, comprehending if I heard her right. Mom's eyes confirmed it. She looks at me without batting an eyelid."Angel, he is still your father."Mom obviously read me just by looking at my facial expressions.
I immediately get to mom's bed and wake her up as the tension between Angelo and me grows. The only thing that keeps me from venting my anger at him is having mom in one room.I gently rock mom's shoulder to wake her up. "Mom, he's here; wake up."Mom must be in deep sleep as she hasn't come back to her senses the third time I shake her arm."Angel, you can let your mom rest for a while. I can wait." Angelo says to me while I am desperately trying to wake mom up.I can't. I refuse to voice it out. I snort at the thought of it. It looks like mom is seriously sleeping like a baby, so I had no choice but to sit opposite Angelo's couch. I throw him a swift glance when his eyes are on mo
I loosen my arms around mom and wipe my tears. Angelo stops stroking his hand on my back as he stands beside me. He leans close and raises a hand like he is about to incline his arm around my shoulder, but he halts himself. I don't want to humiliate him, so I ignore it."What do we do now? What did the doctor say? What options do we have?""Angel, I don't want you to expect too much of me getting back to full recovery."I lean over, gather mom's hands and hold them tightly."Mom, don't talk like there's no hope in your health. You'll gain back your strength, be back healthy, and we will spend many more years together. We will do everything we can."Mom shut her eyes whil
It's Monday, and I don't plan to go to school, for I want to be on my mom's side even if she's pushing me not to skip class. I told her I'd have a different learning mode if my teachers allow me, which mom seems not convinced about. I made up my mind, so the only thing left is to call my teacher Jerselle."Angel, are you sure about this mode of class you're telling me?""Yes, mom. Look, I'm calling my class adviser to ask her about it."I dialed teacher Jerselle's number and put it on speaker mode to have mom listen to our conversation. Ms. Jerselle picks up the call on the second ring."Hello, Ms. Jerselle, thanks for answering. I hope I'm not disturbing you at this time." Ms. Jerselle is probably on her way to sch