From A Distance

Echo

"Ano? Let's go?"

Richard placed his hand out to help her. Instead of taking his hand to help herself up, she crossed her arms and continuously shook her head like a little girl.

"No, no, no. Ayoko pang umuwi!"

Richard takes his hand back and uses it to press the bridge of his nose. Ok, I guess this childish personality is starting to get annoying. He takes in a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Ms. Mendoza, soon your father will start looking for you. Hindi lang ako ang malalagot, pati ikaw din."

He saw Maine look down and she starts to play with the hairs on the unicorn toy she was holding. He then looked over the horizon, trying to figure out how to convince her that they needed to go home.

"Noong dati, hindi niya ako pinapansin. Kahit anong gawin ko, I even used the tabloids as a means of getting his attention...but nothing. Tapos ngayon naman, napaka-overproctive na niya. He always wants me in the house na parang hindi niya ako inignore for all those years. Hindi ko siya maintindihan."

Richard looked over to her and at the same time she looked over to him. Their eyes met, and though it was dark, Richard could still see her eyes glistening as they start to fill with tears. He doesn't understand if this was just her hormones, but he is certain that there is an underlying issue that she still hasn't addressed with anyone.

He sits back down beside her, and he puts his arm around her shoulders. Her tears start to fall, her shoulders moving vigorously as she takes quick breaths.

"Hey, hey, hey. Have you talked to him about this yet?"

She gives him an annoyed look, making him remove his arm from her.

"Hay nako, Mr. Faulkerson. Do you think I'll be like this if I already had?"

He takes out a handkerchief from his back pocket and hands it over to her.

"Why haven't you?"

"Like he's gonna listen. Yeah, I can see that he's trying his best to become my father again but he also can't deny that he's busy. He's never at the house, which is why I didn't see the point of me having to abandon my condo."

"Ms. Mendoza, he only wanted you to be closer to him."

"Closer? Where is he now? Tell me Mr. Faulkerson. Shouldn't he be the one taking me out to make me feel better? Not someone like you, who I don't even know."

Maine saw that Richard suddenly lost the twinkle in his eyes.

"No offence, Mr. Faulkerson. I really do appreciate what you have been doing for me these past few weeks, especially today. But the thing is, if Dad thought that hiring you would make me feel any better, then he's got it all wrong. He only made it worse, because with you being here, it only reminds me that he can't be here. He's so busy, he had to get someone else to take care of me who isn't even blood-related."

Richard felt the pain in her words.

"Is this why you're so cold towards him?"

Maine didn't speak for a while as she tried to gather her thoughts. Richard took it that she might not have wanted to talk about the issue further. So, he tried to change the subject.

"Sandali, kailan mo pa akong tinawag na Mr. Faulk-"

"I guess," Maine cuts him off.

She was still staring out in the open. She closed her eyes, pushing more tears to flow from them. She inhales the fresh air to calm herself down. 

"What makes you so uncertain?"

"My mother. She practically died because of him."

"What?"

"Don't think like that Mr. Faulkerson, I'm not saying that he killed her. She died because of his job. His job that has taken everything away from him; his time, his wife, and even me; his child. I seriously thought that he was gonna stop his campaign when she died, but to my surprise, he still continued with it. He didn't even have time to mourn!"

Richard was shocked by all these revelations that he was hearing. He saw Mr. Mendoza to be such a devoted man. I guess his devotion to his country took away the devotion he should have had towards his family.

"Ok, let me back track. Why did you have to go through all that trouble? Why did you have to make such a noise?"

"Because I thought that by doing all those things, eh madudumihan ang pangalan niya. Pero hindi, all I got was too much noise from the press. Which I hated! And it also made me realise that he's done so much for the country, that they love him so much. While I'm left here, without anyone loving me."

"Ms. Mendoza, don't say or think that. I can see how much your father loves you. He always talks about you to me and how he makes plans of taking you out...to spend time with him. He really is trying."

"Well, he's not trying hard enough because I can't feel the love that you're talking about. If only my Mom was here. She was all I had."

She pauses and starts to tear up again.

"When she was still here, I never felt like this. Yeah, my Dad was already busy but she was there to make sure that I didn't feel neglected. That I had someone who actually gave me their time."

"And so you blame your Dad for taking her away from you?"

"Yes. I probably wouldn't have if he actually started to make time for me, but he didn't."

"Well, how about Nanay? Your Yaya? She's been there for you right?"

"She has, but being with her only reminded me of my Mom. Plus, I moved out of the house a few months after my Mom died. So I didn't really get to spend time with her, apart from the visits I made to the house. Mas lalo 'yong nabawasan noong hindi na talaga ako bumibisita sa bahay."

Richard didn't know what to respond to everything Maine has just revealed to him. He also doesn't know where all of this is coming from.

He doesn't understand how one can ever hate a parent. Having lost his mother, he promised himself to make as much time for his father as possible. He does so because he understands that things could end up being too late. He tries to visit as much as he could but since he's been taking care of Maine, he hasn't been doing so.

"You know, it's best to forgive him now until it's too late. You already lost your Mom, don't wait until you lose your Dad as well."

"I've already lost him Mr. Faulkerson! I already lost him to his job!"

They decide that it was time to go home. Maine falls asleep once again.

Once they got home, Richard no longer wanted to wake her up. So, he picked her up himself, taking her to her room. Nanay follows them there.

"Mukhang pagod na pagod ah?"

"Opo, ang kulit po niya kanina eh. Parang bata."

"Mabuti naman at nakita mo na din ang totoong siya."

"Po?"

"Richard, si Maine dati, eh napaka bait na bata. Laging masayahin. Pero simula nang mamatay ang Mom niya, nawala na 'yon. Nakakalungkot talaga. Namimiss ko na kasi and dating Maine na 'yon."

Richard looks over to her, sprawled on her bed. I'll make you forget the pain, Ms. Mendoza. Promise. I will.

A/N: I hope this wasn't confusing. Tried my best to explain Maine's coldness towards her father. 

Di ako na-orient na 50 plus votes na pala tayo! Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you talaga! Kaya eto, as promised, another update (2 updates in 1 day - pak ganire!).

Next update at 70 votes? Yes? Yes. 

Motivation you ask? Simula na ng realisations sa next chapter. Wait...that was too much info. K. Bye.