Mister and Missus
"How could you wed my daughter in a civil wedding, Kairos?!" nagagalit na tanong ni Papa.
"Papa..." pagpigil ko sa kaniya sabay hawak sa braso niya. Nagulat naman ako nang hinablot jiya mula sa hawa ko ang braso niya. Wow! He was really mad. I thought he was just acting!
Nakita naman iyon ni Kairos. Lalapit na sana siya sa akin pero inilingan ko siya para pigilan siya.
Napatingin kaming lahat kay Papa nang tumayo siya mula sa pagkakaupo rito sa sofa. "Mara, where did you put my shotgun?"
Napasinghap si Tita Esmeralda.
What It Takes To Be A FamilyI never thought that being a parent couldn't get much more tiresome but fulfilling at the same time. Sometimes, I would wake up seeing Lilianna swaying one of the twins in her arms as she hummed a song, her eyes closed because of sleep deprivation.I would automatically get up and say, "Lili, give me Leone. You should rest."Lilianna would open her eyes halfway and smile. "It's okay, brute. You should rest, may trabaho ka pa mamayang umaga.""No, give me Leone, Lilianna. Ako na ang magpapatulog ng bata. Where is her milk?"Bumuntong-hininga si Lilianna at dahan-dahang binigay sa akin si Leone Kennedy, ang babae naming anak.
People say there's no place like home. Kahit anong ganda ng lugar na pinupuntahan mo, wala pa ring makatatalo sa comfort ng tinatawag nating tahanan. It might be a person, might be a dog or any animal, and it might be your actual home.But for me, I haven't found the one or the thing I could call my true home. My parents? I love them but alam mo iyon, may mga araw talaga na ayaw mo sa mga magulang mo.Yup, those kind of feelings."Lili, pupunta ka ba ngayon sa SCC? Ano nga ulit iyong kukunin mong degree program?"Huminto ako sa pag-drawing at lumingon sa ama kong nasa may pintuan, his right hand was on the doorknob while his other hand was holding a cup of coffee.My father, Julius V
"Ma, Pa," I called my parents while eating dinner. "May ipapaalam sana ako."Mama looked at me. "What is it, Lilianna?"I gulped and looked at my father. He nodded and urged me to speak."Um, my classmates from senior high school... they plan to go on Sumilon Island this Saturday. I was hoping if I could go...?"Papa looked at Mama while she was just there eating eating her food. Ako naman ay medyo kinakabahan sa maaari niyang sagot. Whether she will let me go or not, I will oblige. Wala naman akong kaibigan doon, e."Okay," Mama spoke out of the blue.My eyes widened. "Really?""T
"Kairos Leonel Abella-Ferrolino," the brute said while literally grabbing my hand and then gave it a brief kiss. Agad ko naman iyong binawi dahil nandidiri ako sa presensiya niya. He just smirked at me and faced Gregory.The brute which named Kairos offered his hand and then they went for a man hug. Naputol lang ang pagtingin ko sa kanila nang biglang bumulong si Zoey sa aking tainga."Kilala mo pala ang pinsan ko, Lil?"Nagpakawala ako ng malalim na hininga at sumagot, "Not until now.""Hm," Zoey only said and called the boys. "Kai, Greg! Balik na tayo sa stop natin. Baka hinahanap na tayo ng mga kasama natin."Since nag-commute lang kami patungo rito dahil hindi naman ito kalayuan,
The whole Sumilon Island trip was fun and I went home with a smile on my face because a specific someone didn't bother me the whole time."Pasukan na sa Lunes, Lilianna. Did you prepare your stuff?" tanong ni Mama habang hinihiwa ang steak. Nasa isang mamahaling restaurant kami ngayon because Mama got her pay today. Hindi man halata but my mom always treat us to fancy restaurants or even go anywhere in the Philippines kapag sweldo niya na.Ayon kay Papa, nakagawian na nilang dalawa ang mamasyal kapag may extra sa mga sahod nila noong magjowa pa lamang sila. I found it very endearing because despite their busy schedules due to their works, hindi pa rin nila nakakalimutan ang isa't isa.Nilunok ko muna ang kinain ko bago sumagot. "Yes po, Ma. Naka-plantsa na rin ang uniform."
The first few weeks of being a freshman student was bearable. Naga-adjust pa rin kami sa new environment but thankfully, we managed."Lian!" lumingon ako sa direksyon kung saan narinig ko ang boses ni Sawyer. She was running towards me. "Lian! I have something to tell!"I almost shrieked when she almost slipped on the floor. We were on the first floor of the building kung saan tiled ang sahig ng quadrangle. I saw some students from the senior high department laugh at her clumsiness pero parang wala lang iyon sa kaniya."Bakit ka ba tumatakbo? Alam mo namang medyo madulas ang sahig dito!"Sawyer laughed. "That makes running more exciting!""Ano nga pala sasabihin mo?" tanong ko nang p
Nagpatuloy sa pag-uusap sina Sawyer at Greg as if may sarili silang mundo habang ako ay halos maging literal na estatwa na dahil sa titig ni Kairos na nasa tabi ko pa rin.I cursed in my head. Bakit ba ayaw niyang ialis ang tingin niya sa akin?! Hindi naman ako isang pintura na tinititigan!Nabaling lamang ang tingin ni Kairos sa harapan nang nagsalita ang emcee at sinabing magsisimula na ang program one minute from now."Ba't may pa-program pa? Daming hanash nina Dad, ah!" wika ni Sawyer.Kairos, who was beside me, chuckled. "Your brother turned 21 today, you know. He's a debutant.""Bakit n'ong nag 21 ka wala ka namang ganitong keme-keme?"
Midterms Exam is coming kaya todo review kami sa mga lessons na t-in-ackle ng mga professors. Nandito kami sa kwarto ni Sawyer ngayon nag-aaral. Wala kaming pasok ngayong hapon because the professors were busy with some stuff kaya hindi na namin iyon pinalampas at agad pumunta rito sa bahay nila. Hindi naman ito kalayuan kaya walang problema. "Why didn't you tell Gregory that you're coming with me? Diba higpit na binilin ng Papa mo na dapat kasama mo siya palagi?" Sawyer asked out of the blue. I smiled. "Having a bodyguard—or whatever you call them—all the time... is sometimes draining, you know?" Bawat galaw ko ay monitored nina Mama at Papa, and that is through Gregory. I can only go out when I'm with him or when I'm with his father, Manong Ramon, so that they'd know what I was do