Frozen Heart (KARA FANFICTION)

Chapter 20: A Morning of Surprises

Ara was proned on the bed of her hotel room and was sleeping quietly when her phone ruthlessly rang in a deafening volume effectively disturbing her peaceful rest.

"Tsk." She hissed while blindedly searching for her phone. It took her a while to finally get hold of her cellphone that it already died out. For a while she had thought she could go back to sleep but then whoever could be calling her, wasn't simply done with her just yet. The phone began to annoy her once again with its irritating noise. Quite exasperated, she fumbled for the object of her early morning agony. She struggled, almost knocking the lampshade off from the bedside table in the process before she felt the rectangular apparatus in her palm.  She hastily took it the moment it touched her skin. Then she swiped and accepted the call without checking who it might be.

"Hello?" She answered with her eyes still shut. The sleepiness in her coarse voice was completely evident. 

"Hello anak? Asan ka ba? Kagabi pa kami hindi makaintindihan ng pagtawag at pagtetext sa'yo pero hindi ka namin macontact. Nagtext ka lang ng 'I'm going out' aba'y tumilaok na't lahat ang manok ay wala pa rin ni anino mo dito sa bahay. Sumikat na nga ang araw pero ni magparamdam man lang hindi mo ginawa. Kahit isang text lang wala. Anak alalang-alala na kami sa'yo." Her mother suddenly bombarded her with a sermon she had long heard since time immemorial sending her head to an abrupt spin. She quickly put her phone in a good distance from her ear to confirm who the caller was. It didn't take her a minute she immediately rolled on her back and sat up upon seeing the word MOMS in dark, bold letters at the screen of her phone. Suppressing a yawn, she placed the phone back on her ear and uttered some words to soothe her obviously worried sick mother.

"Sorry Ma nawala sa isip ko pero wag na po kayo mag-alala. Nasa isang hotel lang po ako."

"Anak wala namang problema sa amin ng papa mo kung lalabas ka. Pero sana naman sabihan mo man lang kami kung nasaan ka. Pareho kaming hindi nakatulog ng ama mo sa kakaisip sa'yo. Yung kuya mo halos galugarin magdamag ang buong Ageles makita ka lang. Anak akala namin...akala namin bumalik ka na naman sa dati. Please lang Vic umuwi ka na." Hearing her mother's voice at the brink tears, Ara felt her heart constricting into a tight knot. She might be cruel and stern as both the ends of the earth combined but despite everything, she was still capable of love. She treasures her family more than and anything her lavish world can offer and like any other child she also has this soft side especially for her mom.

Samantala ganun na lang ang takot at pag-aalala ni Elizabeth para sa anak dahil minsan na itong kinain ng matinding kalungkutan na ilang beses na nitong muntik ikapahamak. Isang linggo itong walang ginawa kundi ang magpakalunod sa alak. Kung saan-saang bars nila ito matatagpuan na halos gumapang na sa sobrang kalasingan. That was Ara's darkest and most vulnerable state. Her family couldn't even look at her because it pained them seeing her like that. They knew she was suffering like hell and how broken she was into tiny little pieces. Fortunately, after that dreadful agonizing week, it was like Ara woke up from the worst nightmare. She stopped drinking and went on with her life as if nothing happened. But her family knew that something did change. It took the young lass some time before she could smile and laugh with them but still, they knew she wasn't completely back. Their Ara wasn't completely back. Ayaw naman nilang ipilit kaya kahit papano nagkocope up silang lahat. Hinayaan na lang nila ito basta nakikita nila na kahit papano nasa maayos itong kondisyon. Pero kagabi nung nagpaalam itong aalis at madaling araw na ay hindi pa bumabalik. Dun sila nagsimulang mag-alala lalo na ang ina nito. Takot na takot si Elizabeth na baka nauulit na naman ang mga nangyari noon.

"Moms..." Tawag n'ya dito. Ayan na nga at nagsisimula na s'ya pagaanin ang loob ng ina. She usually calls her that depende sa mood n'ya at madalas para maglambing sa ginang.