Love in a Time Capsule

A Hero's First Love - Chapter 1

"Anak, wake up! We don't want to keep her waiting!"

My mom's voice echoed through my room from what I made out to be the kitchen, as the clanking of metals from the kitchenware drowned out some of her words. Her high-pitched voice always jolted me awake, an alarm more effective than the one I keep on my phone.

I squinted my eyes as I took in the glare of my phone in an attempt to check the time. It was 4:45 AM, almost an hour before the alarm I set on my phone.

I sighed as I rubbed my face harshly in dismay. I screamed internally while kicking the air, feeling dismally annoyed.

"I barely get enough sleep because of my studies, and yet I have to wake up early on my supposed day off!" I said under my breath, careful not to make my mom hear my tantrums.

"Are you saying something?" My mom yelled again from the other side of the house. Too bad for me, my mom's talents included both a loud voice and sharp ears.

"Not really, I said I'm coming!" I lied as I rolled my eyes.

*****

"You don't have to smile, but I don't want you to show me a face like that so early in the morning, Katherine Nicole," my mom said in a stern voice.

I flinched when I heard my whole first name. This is my mom's way of asserting dominance, a way to instill fear in me, especially when I do something she isn't too pleased about. I tried to straighten my face from a frown to a more neutral one before sitting down.

I saw my mom raise her eyebrows as I sat down, and I braced myself for the long discussion.

"You know how important it is for your dad to uphold the family legacy," she said. "It's nothing much, but I hope you pull yourself together for his memory's sake."

I nodded. What else can I say when she puts it that way? My sleep is irrelevant to the bigger things I need to do for the family, I guess.

I waited for the continuation of her sermon, but none. We were both silent throughout the meal. Just as I was about to run out of ulam while still having sinangag on my plate, my mom reached out for the plate of daing and eggs and placed them on my plate.

I caught her eyes, and we smiled.

Mom and I may have our differences, especially with both our strong-willed characters that frequently clash, but we also have our way of making peace with each other without uttering any word.

"Oh siya, take a bath now while I prepare coffee and our packed meals."

Another thing about my mom: she's so frugal that she prefers to bring packed meals on long drives. This time, she packed more than enough for us, in consideration of Ate Lucing, the ancestral house's caretaker who has been taking care of the house for decades.

*****

I sit in the shotgun side with my earphones on but with a volume just loud enough to hear Taylor Swift sing while still allowing me to hear my mom when she has something to say.

Mom understands that I have motion sickness (and she also prefers to focus on the road while driving), so she doesn't say much, but I still keep the volume low, just in case.

"Try to nap if you can so you don't feel nauseated," my mom said. It's becoming a routine now: her encouraging me to take a nap during our long drives to Batangas, and me trying to take a nap but failing to do so.

We reached the toll gate, and I could feel myself light-headed due to dizziness. Thank goodness for meclizine, as the dizziness is less than before—I'm not that nauseous anymore.