Chapter 3

I was stunned when the little boy called me Mommy. I heard Aaron cough. Napatingin ako sa kaniya at nakita kong umiiling ito sa kaniyang anak.

He turned to me. “Sorry about that. She just missed her Mom,” sabi niya. I saw Azril walked to her Dad, looking down while his cute lips were pouting.

I chuckled. “No, it's fine. He’s adorable,” I said while smiling at Azril.

Aaron nodded and turned to his son who’s just staring at me. “Azi, Elora will be the one who will take care of you from now on. Got it?’

Azril nodded slowly, still looking at me. I smiled and waved at him. He is adorable. I realize that he just looks like his Dad. Sobrang magkamukha ang dalawa. He’s the little version of Aaron. His eyes were still on me.

“Hi, Azril, I’m Elora. It’s nice to finally meet you,” I smiled. He doesn’t look like he’s happy though.

Nawala ang ngiti ko nang mapag tantong malungkot ang kaniyang mga mata gaya ng kaniyang ama. He looked up at his father. His father said something to him, I saw Azril nodded and finally looked at me. He smiled.

“Hi,” tipid na sabi niya.

Inayos ko na lang ang aking mga damit nang lumabas na ang dalawa sa silid ko. Hindi ko pa rin makalimutan ang mga tingin niya sa akin. I’ve met a lot of kids back then but he’s just so different. I just saw him today but I’m so fond of him already. I remembered when he called me his Mom. Para bang pakiramdam ko ay ako talaga ang Mom niya. Aaron mentioned that he just missed his Mom. I suddenly got curious about it. Nasaan na nga kaya ang asawa ni Sir Aaron? Wala akong nakitang bakas o narinig tungkol doon.

I sighed and heard a knock. It’s Dulce who has a tray with avocado juice on it. “Pasok po.” Tumango siya at nilagay ang ang hawak sa lamesa malapit sa balcony.

“Thank you, Dulce. Nag abala pa po kayo.”

Tipid itong ngumiti. “Hindi mo ba gusto ang avocado shake?” she asked. I glanced at the avocado juice she brought.

“A-Ah, hindi naman po. Thank you po ulit.”

“Kung may gusto ka pa, magsabi ka lang at ihahanda ko.” I nodded and smiled at her.

She sighed. “Masaya ako na nandito ka na, Madame…” magsasalita pa ito ngunit yumuko na lang at nagpaalam na.

Her words were still on me. Napaisip ako sa kaniyang sinabi ngunit naputol iyon nang humampas sa akin ang lamig ng hangin mula sa balcony. The curtains were moving with the strong wind. I walked towards the balcony and took the avocado juice to drink. Naubos ko agad iyon dahil masarap.

“Madame. Pinapatawag po kayo.”

I nodded and finished combing my hair. It’s early in the morning at buti na lang ay lagi akong maaga nagigising. Maybe this is will be the start of my work. Sumunod ako sa kasambahay patungo sa dining area ng mansion. Nakita ko roon si Aaron pati ang kaniyang anak na si Azril. I was a bit hesitant because of what happened yesterday.

“Good morning Azril.” I smiled at him.

Aaron stood up from his seat and pulled the chair for me. I thanked him and looked at Azril who was just watching us. Sinabihan ako ni ni Aaron na kumain na. Tahimik akong kumain habang pinapakiramdaman ang dalawa. I can see Aaron and Azrill exchange glances with each other. Para bang nangungusap ang mga tinginan nila. I stopped when they both looked at me.

Aaron cleared his throat and leaned on his chair. I noticed that he’s wearing a suit, it is obvious that he is ready for work. “Elora, I have work today. You will be with Azril. You will update me if I need an update, is that clear?”

I nodded. “Yes, Aaron.” Tumango siya at binalingan ng tingin ang anak na kumakain ngunit ang mga tingin nito ay panay ang baling sa akin.

Maybe he finds me strange because he just met me. Baka ay nababaguhan sa akin. Pero sana ay kalaunan ay makuha ko ang loob nito. Ngumiti ako sa kaniya at kumurap lang ito na parang gusto ngumiti ngunit nagbaba na lang ng tingin.

“Azi and I already talked. Dulce will tell you the everyday agenda of Azril. If you have questions you can ask me,” pormal na sinabi ni Aaron.

I nodded and was about to respond when Azril spoke. “You can also ask me…” Azril said, almost a whisper.

I smiled and nodded at him. “Sure, Azril. Thank you.” He nodded and pursed his lips. He glanced at his Dad who was looking at me.

Aaron finished his food first. He took his things and coat. Dumating si Duke at may sinabi sa kaniya. He kissed his son's forehead. May binulong pa ito sa anak bago tumingin sa akin at magpaalam.

“I'll go now, Elora. You can reach me anytime. I'll go ahead now.” Tumalikod na ito mula sa amin paalis.

“Okay, Aaron. Take care,” habol ko. Nakita kong natigilan siya saglit at parang gusto lumingon ngunit tuluyan na itong umalis.

I finished my food and Azril was still eating. I'm just watching him eat his fruits. I can see that he eats properly. Walang dungis sa kaniyang mukha at hindi makalat. Nang matapos siya ay agad ko siyang dinaluhan at niligpit ang mga pinagkainan. We're both walking towards his room. His room was also clean. There are paintings hanging on the wall.

“You also paint, Azril?” I asked. He turned to me as he got a book on the bookshelves in his own room.

“No. My Mom is,” tipid na sagot nito. I nodded, now getting it. His Mother is really into art and paintings. I got curious about his Mom but I didn't ask.

“How about you? What's your hobbies?” I asked. He sat on the sofa and I just stood near the sofa. Sinarado niya ang libro at nag-angat ng tingin sa akin.

“Reading, playing a lot of instruments, chess, solving mathematics. And I'm also studying art because I want to learn art and do paintings… like Mommy,” he answered.

My mouth parted, amazed by his hobbies. I looked at his books, there's a lot of books on his bookshelves. I noticed that there's historical, science, anatomy and physiology, ethics, math, and many more. Namangha rin ako na gusto niyang magpinta gaya ng kaniyang Ina. In his young age, marami na siyang hobbies na hindi biro.

“That's amazing, Azril. Nakakatuwa naman na marinig ‘yon,” natutuwa kong sinabi.

He nodded and slowly his lips curved into a smile. “I'm also the top student in our school. I'm always at the top,” he also said, smiling.

I smiled when I saw him smiling, finally. Nakakatuwa dahil ramdam ko ang pagiging proud sa sarili habang sinasabi iyon.

“Wow! You're a top student at your school, Azril. Your parents must be proud of you!” I gave him a thumbs up.

He nodded and stood from his seat to get something in his drawer. Lumapit siya at pinakita sa akin ang hawak na papel, painting iyon na dagat. I took it from his hands and stared at his painting.

“You painted this?” I asked.

“Yes! That's my first art.” I smiled.

Magaling ang batang ‘to! It's his first try but it looks so good. Hindi magulo at maayos sa mata tignan. Maganda ang mga napiling kulay at tama. There's a woman in his painting, standing watching the waves of the sea. The sky is fixed purple and sky blue. Nakakamangha.

“That’s Mommy,” sagot ni Azril na nahalata ang tingin ko sa babaeng naroon.

“We should hang this on your wall, Azril. It's your first painting. It's beautiful,” I said.

“Really? It's beautiful? You think it's good po?” tanong nito at namimilog ang mga mata. I chuckled and nodded at him.

Pumayag siya sa sinabi ko. Nagpakuha ako ng frame sa kasambahay at agad naman akong nabigyan. Sinabit ko iyon katabi ng isang malaking painting sa kaniyang silid.

Sa ganitong oras ay nag-aaral si Azril. At sa mga sumunod na oras ay magbabasa naman ito. Sabi rin ay baka maglaro ito ng chess o mag-practice ng instruments. It's Saturday so he has a lot of free time.

“You'll start with your study now, Azril?” I asked. He nodded and took three books.

“Okay. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

Ngumuso siya at binaba ang mga libro sa lamesa. “Where are you going to stay?”

Napaisip ako, puwede namang dito na lang pero baka ay ayaw niya na narito ako at maistorbo pa siya. Pero hindi ko rin naman alam kung saan ako mananatili habang may ginagawa siya.

“Can you just stay here?” he asked.

I nodded and smiled. “I'll stay here with you, Azi,” sabi ko.

He smiled. “I liked it more when you called me Azi.”

Natigilan ako at na realize na tinawag ko pala siya sa nickname na tinatawag sa kaniya ni Aaron. “Okay, Azi. Iyon na ang itatawag ko sa iyo.”