Selfless

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Pagkatapos kong gawin lahat ng dapat kung pagtuonan ng pansin sa trabaho ay inangat ko ang aking paningin sa wall-clock na nakalagay sa ibabaw at lumaki ang mata ko sa gulat nang makita ang oras ay alas otso na ng gabi. Agad kong inayos at nilagay sa lalagyan ang mga  ginamit ko panglinis saka nagmamadaling hubarin ang gloves. I fixed my hair and changed my clothes tapos ni-lock ko na yung locker pati na din yung room para makaalis na ako.

It's freaking eight in the evening kaya wala nang masyadong sasakyan. After waiting for minutes para sa jeep o kahit anong pwedeng masakyan, wala talagang dumadating kaya naman naglakad nalang ako kesa naman maghintay lang ako sa wala tutal ilang minuto lang naman ang lalakarin ko pauwi galing dito. 

It was a good long walk at eksaktong alas otso y kwarenta ako nakarating sa bahay. I guess the kids were already sleeping dahil madilim na yung bahay at tahimik na din. I carefully went inside and when I went into our living room, the lights went on and then I heard a small pop then next thing I knew, there were little confettis up in the air saka meron na din sa floor.

"Mama, happy mother's day. We love you so much!" malakas na sigaw ng aking mga anak na may party hat pa sa ulo. Patakbong lumapit ang dalawa sa akin at narinig ko naman ang malakas na tawa ng aking kaibigan na nasa gilid ng switch.

I kneeled so that they can kiss me. They both kissed me on the cheeks then hugged me tightly. Sa sobrang saya ko ay may namuong luha sa aking mga mata not to mention how I looked so beat up today parang naglaho lahat nang mayakap at mahalikan ako ng aking mga anak.

With tears in my eyes, I looked at Aine while she's genuinely smiling while looking at us too.

I closed my eyes again to feel the warmth and comfort that the hug had brought. This was the reason why I don't want to fight back anymore because I knew what I would be losing once I start to do something with all those abuses. They're my precious little ones that I am willing to protect until I die. They were the only people that brought me this comfort in life and made me feel lucky.   

After the dramatic hugs and everything, Aine went near me and looked at my bruises but I shook my head. I still don't want to talk, baka sa susunod na... yung ready na akong pag-usapan.

"Basta mag-ingat ka, Pia. I don't want you getting hurt again for the stupidest reasons. Ako na ang makakalaban nila." sabi niya sa akin at tumango naman ako dahil ayoko naman nang patagalin pa ang pag-uusap namin parte dito.

"Sige, uuwi na ako. Just text me if you want to talk about it, okay?" she said.

"Okay, Aine. Salamat talaga ah and I promise, I'll tell you once I'm ready." I replied.

Tiningnan ko siya habang naglalakad siya palabas sa aming apartment. I looked at my two kids who are busy minding their own business. Brian and Brion are both good kids. They're the best kids that I could ever ask for and I was thankful that I was blessed with these adorable kids. Kahit papano ay hindi naging malungkot ang paghihiwalay namin ng kanilang ama and mas bearable naman ang mga challenges sa buhay because I have them... they're my best comfort.

Thank you, God, for this day. You always give me surprises na alam mo ang nakakapagpasaya sa akin. Thank you for giving me wonderful kids that made my life wonderful.

When we were in bed and cuddling, I kissed Brian and then he went to sleep while Brion struggled in sleeping because of how he probably ate too much sweets for today. I let him drank water then after a few conversations with him about what he's doing in school, his eyes start to feel droopy.

"Mama, I love you. I'm sleepy na..." he said while his voice sounded so cute. I kissed and caressed his cheeks while looking at his eyes.

Those deep brown eyes that he inherited from his father...