Someone Who Will Peel Off The Fish Bones (2022)

CHAPTER 4: Normal, like you and me

PRIMO DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. When they entered Narra's house, he could already tell that Narra had a vibrant and happy childhood just like he had. The house wasn't anything extravagant, but it had a homey feel to it. Like his house, Narra's had a single bedroom, a small bathroom, a small kitchen with little space as a dining area, and a living room. The only difference was that Narra's house was filled with scribbles and paintings on the walls. It was obvious that most of the drawings were done by a child and that the parents also drew on it just to make it look more aesthetic.

When Narra opened their refrigerator door to get something, Primo noticed that it was filled with lots of pictures of Narra and her dad. Primo had to stop himself from smiling at the cute baby pictures of Narra. He couldn't believe that she was the same little girl who pestered him to play with her back then. Primo wished he hadn't always tried to turn her down because right now, he would give anything just to have her pester him. Unfortunately, the Narra he knew now wouldn't do that.

"Stop staring at my pictures." Narra scolded him when she finally stood up from getting a pitcher of water. Primo scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. He just couldn't help but stare at it so much that she caught him. "Here, take this." Narra handed him a glass of water.

Primo gladly took a sip from the cup and just stared at Narra who walked towards her bedroom. When she glanced back at him, Primo almost choked on his water. Narra maintained her poker face.

"Just wait there. Don't touch anything, and... stop staring at my pictures," she warned. "I'll just carry the speaker outside since my dad would throw a fit if I let a guy inside my room. You do understand that, right?"

Primo nodded, smiling a little. So Narra was a daddy's girl. Come to think of it, all the pictures in their house only included Narra and her dad. Before Primo could stop himself, he blurted out, "How about your mom?"

Primo wanted to crack his head open. Something must be wrong with him. He might be getting cocky just because they were childhood playmates and next-door neighbors. Surely, Narra would flip out because he's being too nosy on things that's out of his business. He was mentally preparing himself for Narra's anger when she surprisingly remained calm.

"My mom died after she gave birth to me."

Right then and there, Primo wanted to die. He couldn't believe he just asked her something so personal like that. It would've been better if she got mad at him, but she didn't. For some reason, he felt bad.

"Uh... Narra, I..." Primo fumbled over his words, not knowing what to say. What would he say if he was in Narra's shoes?

Narra gave him a small smile. She appreciated that he wanted to make her feel better, which was why he seemed to be looking for the right words to say. But it wasn't a big deal to Narra anymore. Meanwhile, Primo was taken aback by how gentle her eyes were when she looked at him.

"It's okay. I don't feel bad about it anymore," she said. "My mom loved me even before I was born. My dad also always made sure I felt his love growing up and even until now... To be honest, Dad took care of me so well I never felt that Mom wasn't here. He was able to show me how much love he and Mom had for me."

Narra stared at the pictures on their refrigerator door. She took a picture that was under the others and placed it above them. It was a picture of her young self with all their neighbors at the compound. Narra couldn't help but smile at the memories.

"Besides, one doesn't have to be one's own blood to be family, right? Just because my biological mom died, it doesn't mean I don't have a mom," she continued. "I have plenty of loved ones who act as my mom, who love me like I'm their child. So really, it's okay. Talking about her doesn't really hurt me that much anymore. Don't worry about it."