Romans & histoires Into Her New Life

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Today isn’t the end of anything… it’s a new beginning.” Pero sa mata ni Liza, tila kabaligtaran ang sinasabi ng kanyang ina. A new beginning for whom? Kasi kung para kay Cynthia, oo. Pero para kay Liza… parang unti-unting nawawala ang dating mundo nila—yung simpleng buhay, yung tawanan sa maliit nilang apartment, yung instant ramen sa hatinggabi habang nanonood ng teleserye. Ngayon, lahat replaced ng chandeliers, designer gowns, and a man whose world she could never belong to.

How could everything fall apart this way? With nowhere else to go, I returned to the streets, rain pouring down heavily. Wala akong payong kaya basang-basa ang suot kong damit habang naglalakad ako sa kawalan. I held my belly, and for the first time, I whispered to the tiny life growing inside me, "Anak, I don’t know what to do. Wala na akong matatakbuhan. Hindi ka tatanggapin ng Lolo't Lola mo... Ayaw sayo, ayaw satin ng daddy mo..."

Ngunit nang makita niya ang unang pagsikat ng araw sa bagong lupa, alam niyang may bagong pag-asa. At ngayon—buntis siya. Sa kanyang sinapupunan, isang buhay ang umuusbong. Isang inosente. Isang bunga ng pag-ibig at pagkalito. Isang paalala ng lahat ng nangyari, ngunit isa ring pag-asa na may mas magandang bukas. Habang tinatapik niya ang lumang papel, narinig niya ang tinig ni Jinky mula sa kusina.

She should call him to say sorry. Napangiti siya. From now on, she will live her life in holiness. No more erotica. No more lustful desires. She will strive to live the life that Jesus has given her. Indeed, she was once dead to lust and passion, but now she has been alive in Christ Jesus. She will fight the good fight. She will finish the race. She will keep the faith. Tumingala siya sa langit. Her testimony has been a moonlight serenade to Him and to all who believes in Him. This is a hymn of love, peace, and joy. A remembrance of forgiveness. The End.

It's a blessing, she once told herself as it had been a long-life dream of hers to taste a bit of tranquility at home without hearing the long-repetitive lectures of her mother. But now that the wish had come true, she needs to adjust her lifestyle like any other young adults who are living on their own. She needs to have weekly schedules of going to the nearest farmers market. She have to learn how to budget --- maybe she'll stop her monthly subscription to Pornhub for a while. She made raspberry sounds while rolling her eyes when she finally saw the red light lit up an arrow na nakaturo pataas sa elevator. 'Sa wakas!' Sigaw niya sa sarili.

Kumuha na rin siya ng makukutkot mula sa estante na naroon. She has learned so much since leaving Luis's dominance. Like drinking, which she had never done before. In the first few months she was gone, she drank almost every day and every night. She resumed her life in a distant country in order to show off to the merciless man that the woman he abused was capable of providing something more. She goes out with new friends to have fun, but she isn't completely satisfied because something is still lacking.