9. Unsure Smile.

"Elisha, stop that," saway ni Hannah sa anak na pinaglalaruan ang almusal nito. "You're going to be late if you don't hurry up."

 

"Why is daddy not driving us to school?" Malungkot at naka-pout na tanong nito.

 

"Daddy's got a breakfast meeting, Eli. It's important."

 

"More important than us?" Seryoso ang anak niya and she didn't know if it's a good or a bad thing.

 

"Baby, listen to me. Daddy is a very busy man. But he finds time to spend with you. However, today, he's got this very important appointment with an extremely important person," she wasn't supposed to cover for Nate. 

 

Dapat tini-take advantage na niya ang pagkakataon na iyon para siraan si Nate kay Elisha. But for some reason, ayaw niyang madagdagan ang problema ng binata.

 

She couldn't forget that hurt smile of Nate last night. She had always thought that he's a strong man –for the short time she'd known him at least. But last night, habang sinasabi nito na nagpakasal na sa iba si Olive, hindi nito itinago ang sakit na nararamdaman nito.

 

The problem that Olive caused him to tell the world of the real reason why the supposed wedding of the century would be permanently halted. And weird as it was, naaawa siya kay Nate. 

 

And that was not because Olive supposedly betrayed her so she would take his side. Nasaktan siya, oo. But in the end, hindi niya kayang magalit sa nag-iisang kaibigang mayroon siya.

 

"Really, mommy?"

 

"Really, Eli... So hurry, eat your breakfast. Paul is driving us to school today, hmn?"

 

"Okay!"

 

Pagkatapos ihatid sa classroom nito si Elisha, dumiretso na siya sa waiting area. Kung saan naman kanina pa raw siya hinihintay ni Leah. Agad siya nitong hinila paupo sa usual na pwesto nila.

 

"Is it true?" tanong kaagad nito.

 

"Ang alin?" Walang ideyang tanong din niya.

 

"Olive's marriage to someone else, silly." Leah rolled her eyes at her.

 

"Oh that–"

 

"Yes, that. Is it true?"

 

"I've no way of validating the rumor, Leah," sagot niya. Ayaw niyang maging siya ay kasali na pagtsismisan ang kaibigan niya. "Besides, it is not my place to confirm anything."

 

"Come on, you live with Nate Sarmiento!"

 

"It's not like we're even friends!" It was her turn to roll her eyes.

 

"You're kidding me! You mean you're just like co-existing without any interaction or anything? OMG Hannah, you are seriously wasting your opportunity!!!" exaggerated na sabi nito. "Dapat inaakit mo na si Nate Sarmiento!"

 

"I'm not like that. Saka bakit ko naman gagawin 'yon?" medyo defensive niyang sabi. "We talk. But only about Elisha or her mom. You know, that's why I'm in his house in the first place. Because of Elisha." 

 

In a span of three days na naging magkaibigan sila ni Leah, na-kwento na niya halos dito ang buhay niya. She just hoped it wasn't too early that she gave out too much info already.

 

"Well anyway, now that Olive can no longer be his, mas may chance ka na sa kanya!"

 

"Leah!" saway niya.

 

"What? You know what I'm thinking? It's going to be so dramatically romantic– you and Nate, then there's Elisha. Perfect. One happy family!"

 

"It's never going to be like that." Namumula tuloy siya kahit silang dalawa lang naman ang nag-uusap, honestly, hindi naman niya naiisip 'yon. Si Elisha lang at ang pagiging nanay niya rito ang concern niya. "You know the situation, Leah, I already told you. I'm even afraid he's gonna kick me out anytime soon."

 

"Oh, he wouldn't do that. If I were Nate, makikita ko how you make a perfect mother to Elisha. So perfect that I'd also think of making you the mother of my next kids..." she added with a teasing laugh.

 

"Hey, I have not even thought of that!" she blushed even more. "Masyado ka nang malayo sa reyalidad!"

 

"Then maybe you'd want to start thinking about it now."

 

"Stop it, Leah!"

 

Leah just laughed at her. She told her how she found her highly amusing whenever her face turns pink. Napakabilis niya raw kasing mag-blush.

 

"Okay... But I'm telling you, if Nate will just try to look around, he'll see you as someone he can really take seriously."

 

"Just stop okay? That's not gonna happen, ever!"

 

"Sure, as you say so…"

 

She sighed. Leah's been vocal on how she's rooting for her and Nate. But Hannah just had to tell her to stop. Hindi lang sa hindi pa sumagi sa isip niya na pwede siyang mahulog sa binata but she'd also like to recognize the obvious fact that while Nate Sarmiento was extremely rich and powerful, not to mention drop dead gorgeous, she, on the other hand was a nobody. 

 

Nobody and not the type someone like Nate Sarmiento would ever see beyond the nuisance foster mom of his daughter that he wanted to be out of their lives soon.

 

"Basta!" narinig pa rin niyang banat ni Leah.

 

She ignored her and changed the topic. Not long naman at nakalimutan na nito ang pagtukso-tukso sa kanya.

 

-----

 

"Daddy!!!" habang nagtatakbo na si Elisha papunta kay Nate, para namang natulala si Hannah. Hindi kasi niya ine-expect na ito ang susundo sa kanila. She was surprised that he took time na bumawi kay Elisha.

 

The sight of him scooping his child in his arms made her feel something foreign in her stomach. Like she found the gesture highly adorable. 

 

Hannah shook her head. Kasalanan ni Leah, kung anu-ano kasi sinasabi nito that her words made her observe things more than necessary.

 

Pinilit niyang burahin sa isip ang kakaibang naramdaman niya kanina habang lumalapit sa mag-ama. Elisha kissed her daddy many times already. Miss na miss nito si Nate.

 

She went inside the car silently nang makapuwesto na ang dalawa. Really, Nate never looked at her unless he needed to, so Leah's hopes of her being together with Nate was just that hopeless.

 

'Crap! Why am I even thinking about it?!' she sighed in frustration. When she looked up, she caught Nate looking at her through the rear view mirror again. He was frowning like he wanted to ask kung may kaaway ba siya. Perhaps napalakas ang pagbuntong hininga niya.

 

She timidly offered an unsure smile before looking out of the window. Hindi naman ito nag-react. So okay, she kept quiet while Elisha was telling her daddy random stories.

 

"Jollibee?" she heard Nate asked, Hannah realized na naglalambing pala ng spaghetti si Elisha and she wanted one from the famous fastfood chain.

 

"Yes, daddy. I want spaghetti... Mommy, you know where to find Jollibee, right?" baling sa kanya ng bata.

 

"I do, but–" nag-alangan siya at tumingin muna kay Nate, baka naman kasi ayaw nitong pumunta sa fast food, she somehow believed that the caliber of Nate doesn't go to fast food chains.

 

"So, Jollibee it is," deklara ni Nate.

 

"Yeheey!!!" tuwang-tuwa si Elisha at kinanta-kanta pa ang tagline ng fastfood.

 

She could swear, Nate laughed hard at Elisha's song. HIndi kasi nagta-tagalog ang anak niya.  Maybe it was his first time to hear Elisha sing a Tagalog song.

 

When their eyes met again in the epic rear view mirror, his eyes were sparkling. She smiled at him and well, did he just smile back? She felt her heart beating wild against her rib cage.

 

'Stop it, Hannah!'

 

And so to the nearest branch they went.

 

Hannah offered na siya na lang ang bababa para hindi na maabala si Nate or if they can just drive thru. Pero tumanggi ito dahil request daw ni Elisha na doon sila kakain.

 

"I'll just wait for you here," she figured that it was supposed to be a father and daughter bonding, so hindi siya dapat sumama.

 

"Come with us," Nate answered while unbuckling his and Eli's seat belts.

 

"You're serious?" hindi siya makapaniwala.

 

"Yes," he confirmed, not looking at her though. "Elisha would want you to come," he added quickly.

 

She nodded. Of course. It was Elisha, not Nate Sarmiento.