Baby Madness

Chapter 34

a/n: I wrote a song for Chloe and his Dad haha thank you Moriah for giving life to these words~

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I slept for 15 hours after that tortuous four-day trip to Singapore. Iyon na yata ang pinakamahabang tulog na nagawa ko pero paggising ko ay inaantok pa rin ako. Pagtingin ko sa oras, 4 A.M. pa lang. I wanted to sleep again but my hunger won this time.

Lumabas ako sa kwarto at pababa na sana pero may narinig akong ingay sa kwarto nina Czanelle at Clark. I carefully opened the door and peeked inside. Czanelle was clutching the comforter and she looked like she was having a nightmare because of her troubled expression. I approached her and was about to pat her when her eyes suddenly fluttered.

"Ate . . ." she whimpered while looking at me. Dahil baka magising si Clark ay pinabangon ko siya at bigla naman niya akong niyakap habang pinipigilan ang pag-iyak niya.

"Shh. Okay, don't cry. Let's go."

Binuhat ko siya at lumabas kami sa kwarto. She was hugging me tightly and for the first time, I didn't flinch. It seemed like I became accustomed to this kind of proximity with my siblings.

Pagbaba namin ay dumiretso ako sa kusina. Nilapag ko siya sa upuan at tiningnan ko kung ano pa ang pwede kong makain dahil gutom na talaga ako. I was about to open the lid of the pan when I heard footsteps shuffling toward our direction.

"Chloe?" the voice called and I froze when I realized it was Mom's.

I didn't see her when I returned yesterday so I assumed she had an appointment with someone, maybe her doctor. After I learned her condition from Dad, I couldn't approach her the same way I did before. It felt like the wall I built between us had thinned and weakened but I still couldn't break it down completely.

Lumingon naman ako sa kanya at nagpabalik-balik ang tingin niya sa amin ni Czanelle.

"Mommy," Czanelle feebly called and Mom immediately carried her.

Nagkatinginan kami habang buhat niya si Czanelle. For a second, I thought she had forgotten me since she wasn't saying anything but when she smiled at me, I suddenly felt embarrassed so I turned around.

"You haven't eaten anything yet, right?" tanong niya at naramdaman kong papalapit siya sa akin.

"Yeah," mahina kong sagot.

Narinig ko ang pagkalansing ng plato at kung anu-ano. Nanatili akong nakatalikod sa kanila dahil pakiramdam ko ay namumula pa rin ang mukha ko sa hiya kaya naman kinalma ko muna ang sarili ko.

"Kumain ka na," she said. Muli akong lumingon at pagtingin ko ay nakahain na sa mesa ang kanin at ulam. "I . . . I don't know if you like—"

"It's okay," sabi ko naman. "I like adobo."

Ngumiti siya sa akin at mukhang nakatulog na si Czanelle habang karga niya. Dumiretso siya sa sala at naiwan naman akong mag-isa rito. I heaved a sigh after that awkward moment. She remembered me but her eyes seemed hesitant and distant.

Huminga ako nang malalim para kalimutan muna 'yon. Nagsimula akong kumain at napatingin ako sa gilid. Most of the time, he would be there, flashing a teasing smile or eating quietly. Ngayon ko lang na-realize na nasanay na ako sa presensiya niya rito sa bahay. Damn it.

Umuwi rin kaya si Katrina sa probinsya nila? He still likes her. For sure he would be delighted to see her in the place where they had shared many memories.

Napatigil naman ako bigla sa pagkain. Wait, was that jealousy? Oh, God, did I really feel that toward Katrina? Napailing na lang ako at mabilisan kong inubos ang nasa plato ko. Pagkatapos no'n ay dumiretso ako sa sala kung nasaan ang dalawa. They were already asleep.