Blood and Honor (Voiceless Series #1)

Twenty Six

Malik

Warm. Soft. Cushy.

I can feel tiny hands playing with my hair, which made me realize that I am not in my bedroom. Bagamat inaantok pa rin ay iminulat ko ang aking mga mata at napagtantong hindi panaginip ang ang lahat. All those sweet revelations were real.

"Good morning daddy!" A cheerful cute voice greeted me the moment I open my eyes.

Napangiti ako ng mapagtantong pinaglalaruan ng aking anak ang aking buhok. 

"Good morning baby," I greeted back. Kinapa ko ang kabilang gilid ng higaan at walang Tana na naroroon. Kumunot ang aking noo at bago pa man ako makapagtanong ay nasagot na ito ni Harley.

"Mommy's cooking." ani ni Harley.

I tried to move which was immediately stopped by Harley. "Wag likot. Papangit ka," dagdag pa nito.

And now it is clear. Hindi lamang basta pinaglalaruan ni Harley ang aking buhok. Pakiwari ko ay may kung anu-ano siyang ikinakabit rito. Nang aking kakapain ang aking buhok, agad itong tinapik ni Harley palayo.

I chuckled because of that. She took her attitude from Tana. Very feisty. 

"What are you doing baby?" I asked as I tried to look up at her dahil nasa uluhan ko ito nakapuwesto.

"I'm making you look pretty," tugon naman nito.

Napangiti ako sa sabi nito. "But Harley, daddy's handsome, not pretty." sabi ko naman.

"That's why we are working on it," sagot naman nito sa akin kung kaya't mas lalo ako natawa.

Hinayaan ko na lamang ito sa ginagawa niyang pagpapaganda sa akin. After all, it just feels so nice to be taken care of like this. My baby is a very caring child. It makes me proud so.

At habang busy si Harley sa aking buhok, inabot ko na lamang ang aking cellphone na nakapatong sa side table. I am sure that social media was blown with my latest Instagram upload. 

Notifications flooded my phone the moment I turned on my data.

"Wow daddy, are you famous?" tanong ni Harley na ngayon ay nakadukdok sa aking cellphone kung kayat ang kulot nitong buhok ay nakasayad na sa aking mukha. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na magkakaroon ako ng ganito ka cute na anak.

Well who wouldn't like Harley? She look exactly like me and took her mommy's nose and hair-  making her look like a saint. Kung may makakakita ritong lasing, panigurado matatakot 'yun kapag nakita niya si Harley na gumagalaw at nagsasalita baka akalain niyang Santong buhay ito. 

"You could say that I am famous," sabi ko na lamang kay Harley na muling ipinagpatuloy ang ginagawa sa aking buhok.

And just like what I initially thought. My post last night earned so many reactions and comments. The photo shows a slender tan arm wrapped in a cute cotton ball with long black curly hair in contrast with the white sleepwear of the woman.

Yes, it is a photo of Tana hugging Harley while sleeping. The photo reveals only their bodies and not their faces since Harley's face is tucked into her mommy's chest. At tanging leeg lamang ni Tana ang lantad sa litrato. 

A photo of a woman and a child would surely knock people who know that I am still a bachelor. But what made it even more controversial is its one-word caption.

Home. 

I just did not mind the comments. Bilang isang photographer, sanay na ako sa ganitong atensyon at spekulasyon ng mga netizens. And as a photographer who captures moment, Tana and Harley is a moment.