AUDREY
"Good morning, Mom!" He walked inside the room, carrying a tray in his hands. At ten years old, he was already the height of an average teenage boy. Arthur, by contrast, was wearing a light blue shirt that made his dark hair and eyes stand out even more than usual. He was slowly morphing into his father's image. He just needed to grow a couple more inches in height and people would easily mistaken him for his father.
"Good morning, baby." I smiled before lowering my gaze to the tray. "What is that?"
"Oh, this." He looked down at it and then grinned. "Just a little breakfast in bed."
"Why are you suddenly being sweet?" I narrowed my eyes on him, suspiciously.
"I've always been sweet, Mom." He walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it. Ibinaba niya ang tray sa tabi ko. Excitement shone on his eyes as he looked at me. "Do you remember that concert I was talking about?"
"Art, I already told you I don't like you going out on concerts alone." I sighed and just like that, his face instantly fell with disappointment.
"But I won't be alone. My friends are going to be there and his brother who's in college will be there to look after us, all my favorite bands will be there, too. This might never happen again. Please, Mom, let me go." He muttered.
He'd been hinting about wanting to go to this international music festival since last month with his friends. I had researched about it and it was said that a handful of famous bands from different countries would be playing at the festival. But I'd also come across a few articles about the rampant drug using and dealing going on there. My Arthur was just a young, innocent music lover who just wanted to see his favorite bands and I didn't want him mixed with the wrong crowd. Being an overprotective, paranoid mother, I'd already imagined every worst scenario in my head. What if someone comes up to him and offers him drugs? I mean, given my father's history of drug addiction, paano kung pati siya matulad kay Dad? They say addiction runs in the family, sometimes it's in the genes. And for sure, there's going to be drunk assholes who'll try to pick a fight. How will he be able to defend himself? Paano kung may gulong mangyari sa music festival? Paano kung magka-stampede?
I let out a deep exhale and combed my fingers through his hair. "Baby, I can't let you go to the festival. Saka hindi ba, pati sa Dad ayaw kang papuntahin?"
"Why can't you let me go?" The corners of his lips tugged downward.
"Because there are a lot of things that could possibly go wrong, lalo na at wala ako sa tabi mo. Maybe when you're old enough I'll let you go to music festivals with your friends." I tried to sound cheerful to lighten up his mood.
"But I really want to go, Mom. I don't want to miss this." He couldn't hide the frustration in his voice. "Modern Myth, Unorthodox, and Jaws and Claws are all going to be there! Mom, please..."
"I don't know, Art." I shook my head and bit my bottom lip. As much as I hate seeing my son disappointed, I knew this was the right thing to do. Arthur was practically still a baby. My baby. "Maybe we can go to their concerts instead, huh?"
"I don't want to go the concert, I want to go to the music festival..." His shoulders sagged and his expressions darkened.
"Why the long face, champ?" Dad asked Arthur as we were getting ready to leave. The triplets were already dressed up for school and so was Arthur. I wore an office uniform, a charcoal grey blazer over a maroon blouse and a pencil skirt the same color as the blazer. I had hooked around my arm a Chanel briefcase bag which contained my laptop and some documents I'd taken home yesterday from work.
