Novelas y relatos de Akala Ko Habang Buhay Tayo

The world outside disappears as we cling to each other like we’re the only things left standing in the middle of the chaos. I know what we have is doomed—but right now, it doesn’t matter. Right now, it's just us.

Together, we would protect our pups. Together, we would survive.

Rea‌l. ‍P‌arents. Part‌ners. Survivors of distance⁠ t​hat‌ sho‌uld have destroy‌ed us. W​e have fights. Have hard da‍ys. Have mom⁠e​nts w‍hen w‌e wonder wha‌t the​ f⁠uck we’ve done. But we have this⁠ too. T‌his walking thro​ugh the city. This shared‌ li‌fe. This daug‍hter betw‍een us. This choosing​ each other eve⁠ry day‍.

We are not getting a break as we imagined, but life has been a blessing. The end

“Hindi mo ba naisip na . . . baka ‘yong nasa alaala mo, ikaw at ako pala mismo sa nakaraang mga buhay natin?” Hindi ko alam kung bakit pakiramdam ko, mas kinabahan ako sa tanong niyang ‘yon. Parang natuyo ang lalamunan ko at hindi makapagsalita, kahit na marami akong gustong sabihin. Pero ano naman ang gusto kong sabihin?

Gusto ng mga itong maging awkward sa kanila ang lahat. "Mama para kang ewan. Magpahinga ka na nga po. Antok lang 'yan, kung anu-ano nang nalabas diyan sa bibig mo." Muli siya nitong niyakap. "Natanda na si mama, anak. Hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan kita magagabayan, pero hanggang sa kaya natin, lalaban tayo. Hanggang sa marami ka pang hindi nararanasan, kasama mo akong mararanasan ang mundo."

It’s been living. And now, so are we.

Bumigat ang aking paghinga habang dahan-dahan kong inangat ang aking paningin sa kaniya. “Y-You're... alive.” ⚘ little ⊹ lies ··································································································································

Even if it’s difficulty, dahil masama man o mabuti ang nangyayari sa buhay mo, Diyos lang ang nakakaalam ng katapusan ng iyong kwento. Kahit nalilito ay pinangako ni Tala sa sariling uunawain at susundin ang mga huling bilin sa kanya ng mama niya. “Tatlong bagay naman ang ‘wag na ‘wag mong gagawin lalo tungkol sa iyong buhay pag-ibig.” patuloy na pangaral ni Mahalia sa anak gamit ang iniwang diary nito. Napansin ni Tala na sa capital letters pa sinulat ng mama niya ang ‘WAG na ‘WAG.

The walls we erected to protect our peace now seemed brittle, vulnerable to the storm gathering on the horizon. A sense of trouble loomed ever closer, a dark shadow creeping over our idyllic existence. Like an ominous cloud, it reminded us that all good things must end. Life is a tapestry woven with threads of joy and sorrow, never one without the other. The hardest part of life is enduring it, navigating the storms, surviving the trials, and finding the strength to continue.