That One Eventful Night ✔️

22

It was Sunday morning when Adesina woke up with her head throbbing. Months ago, she had thought she would never see her aged mother and her special one with her naked eyes. Mama Tri and Gino were sitting before her, waiting for her to wake up.

Like a lost kitten, she stumbled on walking towards them, hands in front of her, wanting to be picked up by them. Mama Tri was the one who stood up first, holding her closely. "My darling child, Mama missed you so much. You looked more gorgeous than you were before, and taller...and thinner...your hair, so soft and so long now..." the old woman was uttering a comparative essay on the changes of her favorite daughter. She was holding on to her very fondly.

No one could describe the feeling she was feeling when holding Adesina once again after losing her for many months. For her, it felt a year perhaps.

Adesina was wearing a white hospital dress. Everyone could clearly see the changes in her body. As she was diagnosed with cyanosis, the doctors were looking for various diseases that may have affected her before. Due to her role as the main support for her sisters, she has lost too much of her blood, causing oxygen deficiency in her body. Lack of oxygen caused her fingertips to be blue.

When it was time for Gino to hug her and hold her close, the door opened and revealed someone whom she'd also never thought of seeing in this room. Adiline was first to notice, that something was wrong with the two. Gino, not knowing who he was, slowly hugged Adesina who was staring at Ghaun. "Langga, I missed you...I can't...I-I'm supposed to utter beautiful words but I-I don't know how."

Before anyone else could interrupt their scene, Ghaun decided to leave the room, but it was still noticeable by her. Finally, she turned her attention to the man she secretly loved in the past years. Though Ghaun was still at the back of her mind, she could only see Gino who was staring at her with wistful eyes. Her heart warmed as she sensed the love in his eyes. Her hands found their way to his cheek to caress it as if its sole purpose was to hold his breath-taking face.

Adiline seemed to know that the reunited family wanted more space than they all thought at first to be little. She cleared her throat and said, "I think we should go outside for a while. We'll let you guys bond first. Adesina can come if you wish. I'll go first."

"Yeah, I'll go out too," Maki then second the motion. Without wasting time, everyone was out. Mama Tri did not waste time too to check her daughter.

"Anak, why did you never call me? Did they hurt you? Oh, look at you, my child. We've sent you too many letters yet you sent not a single one. What happened?"

"But I sent my letters...how?" she furrowed her brows as she listened to her Mama Tri. Gino was storytelling about the orphans in the manor who have missed her so much. "Ruby can now walk, my Vette. Sage and Napoleon went to the city for the first time and she lost a tooth because of it. It turns out, Elynah likes Paine and Paine likes her too. They clicked when I introduced her to him. At first, I thought I would be hurt, but I realized that you're the one I love..."

Gino thought there was something wrong he spoke of. He retracted his hand who was holding hers and kept it to himself. He then adjusted his seat so he could look at her clearly and understand what she was currently feeling.

"Love me? Oh, Gino..." she let out a groan, a sound that means he was too late. Why only now? But she realized earlier that she loves him. She loved him first, and he loves her now, why won't they click?

Trinidad was the first to say something in between the silence that engulfed them. "Have you found someone else, anak? Perhaps, was it the guy who walked out earlier?" She was keen on her surrounding that even the secret details, she'd know.