INICIAR SESIÓNAfter 3 years…“Mommy, play!” Tumalbog talbog si Parker palapit habang hawak ang bola. It’s kinda cold outside dahil sa kakaunting snow kaya balot na balot siya. Pero kahit ganoon, ayaw pa ring papigil.“Are you sure you don’t want to play instead? Malamig sa labas,” sabi ko.“It’s not lamig!” he said while pouting. “I have a jacket. And Tito Chance with me!”Nilingon ko si Chance na nasa likod ng bata. Kinakamot niya ang ulo at parang siya pa ang napilitan sa anak ko. Halos matawa ako sa isiping iyon.“Pwease?”I giggled. Paiyak na.“Pagbigyan mo na. Kahapon pa namang nag-aaya si Parker,” Chancellor said. I smiled and nodded. Wala rin naman akong magagawa at baka umiyak pa ang bata. That’s the least I can do for today since I already took his gadgets for a time out.“Be good, okay?” I told Parker. Masaya syang tumango at tumakbo na papunta sa Tito Chance niya.As I watch him run, the winter breeze blows, sending shivers down my spine. Kung kaya hinawakan ko ang door knob at marahang
I swallowed and looked away. Noon ko lang muling napansin ang IV Fluid na nakakabit sa akin. With a bandage on my wrist and the scent of sterile chemicals lingering, that’s the only time I grasped what had truly happened.Kanina pa akong gising. It felt like hell surviving. Sobra ang disappointment ko nang ma-realize na buhay pa ako at humihinga. It was torture. It was torture feeling the heavy burden on my chest once more. It was torture hearing the voices that constantly remind me of the things I wanted to forget.However, when Chancellor called, everything magically lit up.When I heard my baby’s name, halos magpasalamat ako paulit-ulit na nagkaroon pa ako ng pagkakataon na marinig iyon.Oh, how wild my heart beat when I heard his name. At sa pagkakataong iyon, I realized how fucking absurd my idea was.Kung natuloy ang binabalak ko, I wouldn’t have the privilege to know my son’s name.Buti na lang…“What are you thinking?” Dad asked while staring at me. Inaayos niya ang wheelchai
“Fiona,” I called to her to stop.“What?!” I shook my head. “That’s…That’s not Chester,” asi ko dahil alam na alam ko ang boses ni Chester. At sa lambot ng boses ng nagsalita, alam ko na kung sino iyon.“What are you saying?” Fiona asked.“That’s Chancellor,” I said. “Isa sa mga kapatid niya.”Bahagyang nagulat si Fiona roon. Pero kahit na, nanatili pa rin ang galit niyang ekspresyon. “Still! He bears the same face and probably the same stinking attitude—!”“Fiona,” marahan kong saway muli sa kanya.“Please,” muling pagtawag ni Chancellor mula sa labas. “I… I just want to talk to Paris. Alam kong mabigat ang nangyari and… I want to help.”Fiona’s teeth gritted as she looked at me angrily. Parang sa paraan ng pagkakatingin niya, alam niya na agad ang iniisip ko. “Don’t tell me you’d let him in?” she asked.I breathed heavily. A part of me doesn’t want to dahil para akong minumulto ng lahat ng sakit. But funnily, there’s still a part of me that wanted to see him. To see his face in per
I had a dream. One where everything was going smoothly. One was where Chester held our child, and he smiled softly. Malambot ang kanyang mga mata at punong-puno ng luha. Sa halip na mapatingin sa aming anak, sa kanya ako nakatitig. He looked so happy. But why is he crying?“Chester,” I softly called him. “What’s wrong?”When he looked at me, I witnessed how his eyes shifted into sorrow. Na para bang ang lahat ng sayang naroon kanina ay isa lamang ilusyon. What happened?“Chester,” I tried reaching him pero hindi ko magawa. He seemed far away. At ang kamay kong pilit na inaabot siya ay natigil sa ere nang marahan siyang umiling, rejecting every part of me.“I’m sorry, Paris,” he uttered.No. Not this again.“Paris? Paris! Can you hear me?!” My eyes opened at the voice of my father. Malabo at nakakahilo ang naging unang pagbukas ng mata ko, but seeing how worried he was made me do my best to focus at gisingin ang sarili ko.“D-Dad?”My brows furrowed, trying to recall everything. I
“You’re stupid,” umiiling kong sambit. “You’re stupid, Chester.” Halos matawa ako sa narinig mula sakaniya.“Paris–!”“Sa tingin mo talaga papayag ako?” I asked. “Nang ganon-ganon lang? Do you think I’m that stupid and narrow-minded that I would just divorce you while you’re in the middle of… while we’re in the middle of something that I do not understand?!” I exclaimed as my tears started to fall. Hindi ko na napigilan ang pagtaas ng aking boses. Kung iniisip niyang ganoon ako kababaw at tatanggapin na lang ang hinahamon niyang divorce, nagkakamali siya!Unless…“D-Did I do something wrong?” My voice broke. “Did she tell you something about me k-kaya gusto mo akong hiwalayan?”I saw how his eyes widened and his lips parted. Parang tinakasan ng dugo ang kaniyang mukha dahil sa sinabi ko.Stupid stupid boy.Kahit sinabi niyang gusto niya ng divorce, halatang halata ko sa reaksyon niya na hindi niya gustong ganoon ang naiisip ko. See? He still doesn’t want me to believe that I’m in th
Three days. It has been three days since we got back from Tagaytay. Biglaan kasing nag-aya si Chester noong gabing iyon na umuwi na kami kaya wala na rin akong nagawa. At mula noong gabing iyon, hindi na kami nag-uusap.Well, we had dry conversations, but that’s about it. He’s dry when he talks to me. Kahit pa pilitin niyang magpanggap na walang problema, sana aware din siya na alam kong may problema.Pero kahit na…Hindi ko magawang kulitin siya tungkol doon. I sighed. Hay, hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko.“The Lorente’s are back in business,” Dad said out of nowhere habang nagbbrowse siya ng balita sa kanyang Ipad. “Do you know them?” he asked me.I pursed my lips and slowly nodded. Lorente. Apilyedo ngayon ng Mommy ni Chester.So they already settled things? She really got what she wanted.Kung ganoon, ano pang problema? Bakit ganoon si Chester?“You’re silent,” puna ni Dad. “Are you sure ayaw mong sumama kina Faureen sa Okada? You’d be bored here.”Nilaro ko ng tinidor ang s







