When Love Lasts

19

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of FICTION. All characters are used in FICTITIOUS manner.

First week of March...

Irene's POV

"Gwen, are you coming or not?" Greggy shouted.

"'Eto na." Gwen makes her way down.

"Napakakupad, para kang pagong. Tara na, Mama La is probably waiting for us." he said and carried our things.

He opened the door for me before going to the driver's seat.

"Kuya how 'bout me?"

"Kaya mo na yan, malaki ka na" he uttered.

"Bastos talaga, kanina ka pa ha" she said and went inside the car.

Mahaba-haba ang biyahe namin dahil sa Batangas kami pupunta. Maingay pero tumahimik noong nakatulog kami ni Gwen.

"Irene, we're here." nakaramdam ako ng tapik sa balikat ko. "Ako na magdadala ng mga yan Gwen bumaba ka na" I heard him say.

Nagmulat ako ng mata at tiningnan ang paligid. We are already in front of a not-so-modern house.

Inalalayan ako ni Greggy na bumaba sa sasakyan at pumasok na kami. The moment I stepped inside, I was so amazed by the look of it. Everything is almost antique. The piano, the portraits, the figurines, everything.

"There's my Thirdie." I heard an old woman approaching us. She's much more beautiful in person. Bumaling siya sakin, "The most precious last born of the Marcoses, hello hija, welcome to my home" humalik siya sa pisngi ko.

"Hello maam, these are for you" I handed her a circular box of pink roses.

"Ah! My favorite! And please call me Mama La" she said. "Kumusta ang biyahe? Are you guys hungry? Sakto ang dating niyo, we'll have our lunch now"

"Mama La did you cooked?" Gwen asked.

"Your sinigang? Of course I did. Dun na tayo sa kusina" she said.

"We also brought foods Mama La. We cooked it ourselves." pagmamalaki ni Gwen.

"You know how to cook?" Mama La was shocked.

"Ate Irene taught me. I also learned to do household chores"

"That's surprising, knowing that you don't like to spend time with your kuya's girl before. I should thank Irene. Napatino mo itong bunso nila, ni hindi nga mautusan yan noon" she told me.

Again, ganon ba kalala ang mga ipinakilala ni Greggy sa pamilya niya?

"Kumain na tayo, I'm hungry." singit ni Greggy.

Habang kumakain, panay ang paga-asikaso nila sa akin. They treated me so special. I felt so welcone. Oh how I missed my grandparents.

The three of us are sitting in the garden, drinking tea, when Mama La came. "May I just borrow my apo for just a minute." she said.

I smiled and nodded then she pulled Greggy away.

"He's the favorite" Gwen suddenly said.

"Greggy?"

Tumango siya. "It's because he's named after Papa Lo and they look almost the same."

"Hindi ka ba nagseselos?"

"Na siya ang paborito? Why would I? Ayokong ako ang maging paborito Ate. Yeah mom and dad spoiled me but with our grandparents? When they chose you, wala ka nang takas. They're so sweet to you but the pressure that they will give? Hindi ko yon kakayanin."