Serie 4 - In Daddy's Arms (On Hold)

CHAPTER 1

Zyrene Kate Dela Cruz

People don't really choose to be born, it just so happens.

Living... just a six letter word that can be beautiful, or a total disaster.

I wasn't lucky enough in the life lottery, I was born but immediately got abandoned. Parang isang kasalanan ako na kailan man walang magkakagustong angkinin, miski sarili kong mga magulang ay ipinamigay na lamang ako na parang tuta.

Sanggol pa lamang ako ay naninirahan na ako dito sa bahay ampunan, at kung tutuusin ay malapit na rin akong mapalayas rito.

Eversince I was a child, I've always wanted for someone to adopt me—some did attempted to do it, but they aren't lucky enough to work for my papers, some even just abandoned me.

You see, if you are slowly getting older in an orphanage, the lower your chance of being adopted. Now that I'm already seventeen, it would be a damned miracle or a dump person to choose to adopt me, but I'll never loose hope, as long as I still have a remaining time.

Three months before I turn eighteen...

"Ano ba naman yan!" reklamo ko atsaka ibinato ang marker sa pader na nasa harapan ko.

Inis na inis akong nakatingin sa folder na nasa harapan ko. Wala na akong natitirang pera galing sa allowance ko pero mukhang kailangan ko nanamang bumili ng panibagong folder.

Kasalukuyan kasi akong gumagawa ng cover ng project ko sa isang major subject namin at imbes na General Biology ang isulat ko ay General Bilog.

Masyado ko atang minahahal ng todo si Bilog ko at pati sa project ko ay siya ang naisusulat ko.

Bilog is my cat, I got him about a year ago from the streets. Pauwi dati ako ng school at nakita ako ng maliit na kuting na nahulog sa imburnal, kaya pahirapan maligtas, pero noong nakuha ko na siya, ipinaglaban ko talaga na ampunin namin siya ni Sister Sierra.

I'm not mad that up to this day I still stay here, it's just that, the anxiety and jitterness of being kicked out in a matter of time haunts me. I don't know where will I stay or will the nuns be kind enough to let me stay here until I finish University.

Speaking of University, I also don't know if I'm able to enroll to one, no one would support on financial needs even if I have the ability to.

Gusto ko maging isang Architech, magaling ako sa pag-guhit at marunong din sa sining ng matematika. Madalas rin akong mabigyan ng gantimpala tuwing may mga programa sa paaralan.

Isa pa, mahal ang kursong Architecture, mula sa gamit at projects, kahit wala ng tuition kung sa public university ka naman mag-aaral pero wala pa rin akong sapat na pera para pag-aralin ang sarili ko.

Iniligpit ko muna ang mga gamit ko ay baka pag-laruan pa ng mga bata na kasama ko sa silid.

We're seven in this room, there are two double deck beds and my space is on the second level. The four youngest, Sheena, Shiella, Trisha, and Hana are around three to six years old and are all siblings, they're on the first level on both beds. I don't know much about the children's parents, all I know is that both of them are in jail on being guilty on selling and using illegal drugs.

There are also two other teenagers on the other second level bed. Ian and Mia, fraternal twins, both thirteen years old.

Mia did not chose to study, but rather she's contented on helping the nuns on facilitating the orphanage, she's usually the one cooking for our lunch and dinner, if we're lucky to have extra funds then there would be breakfast, but that is very rare. Ian on the other hand is studying, but he's—I mean 'she's' still on 5th grade since she's a repeater.