“Mama, what happened to me?” asked the still-weak child.“Sweetheart... nothing, you’re okay. You just fainted earlier.”“Where am I, Mama?”“We’re in the hospital, sweetheart. You need to regain your strength. Your Uncle Gabriel said that once you get better, he’ll buy you more toys and we’ll go out again.”“I want to talk to Grandma. Can I, Mama?”“Sure, we’ll call her now, okay?” Samantha stepped outside so her daughter wouldn’t hear her conversation with her own mother.Dialing...“Hello... oh, you called, dear?”“Ma, Tintin wants to talk to you, but please—don’t tell her about her condition so she won’t worry or feel weak. If she finds out about her illness, it might make things worse,” Samantha explained.“Yes, I understand, dear,” her mother replied.“Alright, Ma, I’ll hand the phone to Tintin. Oh—by the way, I might continue Tintin’s schooling here since she needs to continue her chemo.”“How can we help you, dear? Who will watch over the child while you work? Isn’t chemothera
At that moment, Samantha didn’t know what to do and suddenly hugged Gabriel.“Samantha, everything will be alright.”After waiting some time, Tintin’s laboratory test results finally came out.“Ma’am, are you the patient’s mother?”“Yes, Doctor. What’s wrong with my child?”“Ma’am, your daughter has leukemia, and we need to start her treatment immediately.”“Alright, Doc. Please do everything you can for my child.”“The procedure is costly, and she’ll need chemotherapy while the illness is still at an early stage.”“Do whatever it takes for the child. Samantha, I’ll take care of all the expenses,” Gabriel said.“Thank you, Gabriel…”Samantha broke down in tears upon learning her daughter’s condition.“Wait a moment, Gabriel. I need to inform my parents about this.”Dialing…“Hello, Mom.”“Daughter, why are you calling? Is something wrong?” her mother asked worriedly.“Mom, we rushed Tintin to the hospital.”“What happened to my granddaughter?”“She suddenly fainted earlier, Mom.”“Wha
“Tintin gusto mo ba maligo tayo ng pool, ituturo ko sayo anong tamang paglangoy, nakaligo kana ba ng dagat?" tanong ni Gabriel sa bata. “Opo, pero hindi po ako marunong lumangoy " “Gusto mo turuan kita si Mama mo,at ako ang magtuturo sayo." “Sige po Tito Gabriel..." “Ano kaba Gabriel, baka makita tayo ni Manong Pedring." “Wala si Manong Pedring nagday off sya ngayon, kaya tayo lang ang nandito ngayon sige na magpalit na kayo ni Tintin." Dahil kay Tintin kung kaya ay napapayag si Samantha. “Kung hindi lang dahil sa bata hindi ako papayag." Nagpalit sila ng pangligo dalawa. Magkahawak kamay pa simang tatlo pumunta sa pool,at napangiti naman si Gabriel ng biglang binitiwan ni Samantha ang mahigpit na paghawak ni Gabriel sa kamay niya. “Bakit ka nakangiti dyan?" “Wala lang ang cute nyo kasing dalawa, gusto kung sulitin ang araw na'to dahil bukas balik trabaho na ako." “Tintin sabihin mo kay Mama na kailangan hawakan nya ang mga kamay ko dahil delikado tong ituturo ko sayo," k
“Wait a moment, Gabriel, I heard Tintin calling me. The child might see us here,” Samantha said as she hurriedly got dressed and stepped out to check on her daughter. Tintin was walking outside her room, crying and looking for her mother.“Mama, huhuhu! Where’s Mama?”“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, I just stepped out for a bit to check on something.”“Mama… please don’t leave me, I’m scared.”“Yes, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Go back to sleep now. I won’t leave again.” Samantha felt frightened at the thought of her daughter seeing them, so she decided not to return to Gabriel.The next morning, Gabriel woke up early to prepare breakfast.“Good morning, Samantha. Come on, let’s eat. Is Tintin awake yet?”“Why are you the one cooking?”“I just wanted to take care of you both. Later, after my meeting, I’ll take you out—there’s a beautiful place I want to show you.”“Gabriel, what if Manong Pedring notices something?”“He doesn’t know anything. It’s fine. Come on, let’s eat. Call Tintin now.”“Tin
“Come on, Erika, let’s go before Ma’am Jennifer arrives in America and calls. She said she’ll always be checking up on Gabriel.”“She should! Hahaha, just kidding... come on, Tintin’s getting bored already.”“Alright, let’s go, sweetheart.”“Mama… are we going home now? I still want to play, Mama…” Tintin pleaded with her mother because she was still having fun with her playmates.“We can’t, sweetheart. What if Ma’am Jennifer calls and we’re not home? She might wonder. I promise we’ll come back here, okay?” Samantha explained to Tintin.“Promise, Mama?”“Yes, sweetheart. Promise!”“But before we go home, we’ll buy your favorites — french fries and a burger…”“Okay!”A few minutes later, they went home to Gabriel’s house. Samantha cooked a delicious meal for the three of them. While cooking dinner, Samantha started to think:“What if Jennifer wasn’t here, and it was just me and Tintin in his life, happily waiting for him to come home from work, eating together as a family… life would b
The next morning, Jennifer woke up early because her flight to America was scheduled in the morning.“Good morning, Ma’am, Manong Pedring has already put all your things in the car.”“Thank you, Samantha. Oh, Tintin, behave yourselves here, okay? Always be good to Mama while I’m away. You and Samantha will watch over the house — and your Uncle Gabriel too.”“Yes, Auntie Jennifer. Thank you, take care as well.”“Thanks, Tintin. Shall we go, babe?”“Yeah, let’s go.”Jennifer got into the car, and it sped off since her flight was only a few minutes away. In no time, they reached the airport, and Jennifer went straight to the departure area.“So, babe, I think this is where we part. Take care, okay? I love you. I’ll always call Samantha to check if you’ve eaten or gone home, or… who you’re with when I’m not around — just kidding, babe, don’t take it seriously. I’m going now.” Jennifer said to Gabriel.“Babe, take care.”“Thanks, babe, you too.” Then she walked into the plane. After a few