Best for Us (GU #3)

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One: Vanessa Gerleen

"ITO na ba lahat ng gamit mo?" tanong ni Mommy nang inspekyunin ang dadalhin kong dalawang bag na ngayon ay puno na ng mga iba't iba kong gamit.

Technically they were all different set of clothes that I'd be using in school since Gainesville doesn't require its students to wear uniforms.

I nodded at my mother. "Yes, Mom. If ever may nakalimutan po ako, uuwi na lang po ako dito para kunin."

Mom heaved a sigh as she looked at me, her eyes were kind of sad. "I can't believe you're leaving me too. Una, si Kuya Miles mo tapos ikaw naman ngayon ang malalayo sa akin. Why do my precious children have to grow up so fast?"

Natawa ako pero lumapit na rin kay Mommy, umupo doon sa tabi niya sa kama. I draped my arm across her shoulders then leaned my head against her upper limb. "Uuwi naman po ako tuwing weekends. Saka pwede mo naman po akong dalawin kahit anong araw doon sa condo."

There was a sigh from her again but I felt her hold my hand that was in her shoulder. "You take care there, okay? Saka lagi kang mag-update. You're required to text me atleast three times a day, one is always before you go to bed."

Inalis ko ang ulo sa balikat ni Mommy para tingnan siya saka ngumiti. "Sure, Mom."

I always thanked God for my parents. By blood, they were not really my biological parents because the latter both died when I was young - seven years old to be exact - when a supertyphoon hit our province. Nagka-landslide at kasama ang mga magulang ko sa nasawi. Si Mommy Gemma ay isa sa kapatid ni Daddy, ang pinakamalapit sa amin na kamag-anak kaya siya ang kumupkop sa akin.

Growing up with that tragedy in my memory was hard. Even at my young age, the emotional stress was heavy. But it helped that the whole Silverio family was there, supporting me, at every step of my recovery.

Hanggang sa tinuring na lang nila akong sariling anak. And I became that one, not just in papers since they promised they wouldn't change my last name in respect of my parents. That was why I was extra blessed since I had my second parents plus I had an instant siblings - Kuya Robert and Kuya Miles.

But another catastrophe hit my life when Kuya Robert died because of an accident. That time, I felt the pain again. Masakit na dalawang mahal sa buhay ang mawala, lalo na noong nadagdagan pa iyon. Buti na lang namulat na ako sa katotohanan na ang buhay ay mabilis. People aren't meant to live forever in the world, anyway. Time will come you need to face death and even how much you want to prevent it, there's nothing you can do.

That was why Mommy Gemma always reminded us when we were younger to live our lives to the fullest. Treat each day as if it's the last.

And I was planning to do that. In this new chapter of my life, I will do what only matters, what only makes me happy. That only meant I would have to throw everything away that makes me feel otherwise.

Yes, everything.

So, after Mom left me to cook downstairs, I immediately went to the storeroom slash waste room. Actually, it was just a spare room here in second floor where we have decided to put all the things that we wanted to store some more for future use; or the things we would not be needing anymore so it had to be thrown.

Hence there was a divider.

I looked at the doll house I was holding and sighed. This was the last doll house I've gotten. And my first reminiscence of him. Actually, first and last. The one and only thing. Kaya nga siguro hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa ito mapakawalan sa kabila nang nangyari two years ago. Because it felt too special. It felt it was just for me. Or perhaps, that was just me. That was just how I saw it then.