Banana Crescencio (ViPe Series #2)

Chapter Two

Victoria

"Mashed potato, Mommy!"

I am about to give her what she wants pero naunahan ako ni Mommy dahil mas malapit naman sa kaniya.

I am just silently watching my daughter as she eats. She's happily eating her dinner which is weird for me, dinner is not her thing.

Even though kahit pagsabihan because she needs to eat, she doesn't like it. And I don't want to push her dahil baka magsuka lang siya. That happens twice already.

She's not fond of eating dinner even if she's just a six years old little girl. She's always ranting about 'why do I need to eat dinner?' 'I feel full every night.' and sighs and pouted at me. Like an older woman, but now, she's eating without pouting and ranting.

She's enjoying every bit she does.

"Is the food good, sweetie?" My Mommy, Ashlyn's grandmother asked her.

"It is po, Mamita. Can I have mashed potato at home?"

"Of course." Ako na ang sumagot.

"Yay! Thank you so much, Mommy!" So lively.

"There's something wrong with your daughter." I heard my Mommy says which I agree with. We are with Mom and Dad while eating dinner, of course. We are eating outside. A family date.

Ashlyn is my daughter. My parents and I take care of her because really, I don't have a husband and I don't need one.

Tinulungan nila ako.

"Mamita, there's nothing wrong with me. I'm happy po." My Mom and Dad look at me confused while I am just staring at my daughter, observing her.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit siya masaya.

She's happy? Does the food make her happy?

"Is there a reason why you are happy, Baby?" I can not stop myself to ask.

Looking at her. We both have the same color of eyes but hers is different. There's a distance on it. Nangyari lang naman 'yon when we realized that she is listening when we are talking about her real Dad.

She's my biological daughter and her Father— ibang usapan na 'yon.

She became distant. She's silent and not lively like this. It feels like she knew the whole story. Like she's in pain. Hindi niya naman narinig ang lahat but still, hindi pa naman oras para malaman niya ang totoo kung bakit wala ang Daddy niya.

Hindi kami nag ingat.

I don't want her to know the exact details because there's a chance— there's a chance that she wouldn't understand it.

As far as I remember. After she heard what Mommy said to me, lumabas siya at lumapit sa amin. Nagulat akong nandoon siya at nakinig. She asked and then that started everything.

She hates her father daw 'cause he hurts me. She knows that he hurts me but I won't let her know what the guy does to me.

"There's a reason po, Mommy!" She smiles sheepishly.

"Why are you happy, apo?" I just stare at my daughter when she smiles at Mom widely. There's a spark in her eyes that we never saw.

Something is really different, but not a negative one.

"Mamita, Grandad, I met someone today."

"You met someone? A little kid? Do you have a crush on him?" Dere-deretso kong tanong sa anak ko. But she shooked her head at me.

"I meant a girl, Mommy. Not a little kid because I don't want to play with them and don't want to have a crush on them."

"Then who did you meet, Baby?" Umiling sa akin si Mommy. Alright, I'll let her ask Ashlyn for a while.