The Insiders [Dubredo]

Parent Trap (Part 9)

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Veronica and I decided to slice the cake. We also unanimously, haha, decided to give private space to the President and Vice President of the Philippines. We gave them their share of cake. We sat on the other side of the now empty (except for us) café. We talked about her school, her classmates, her language, her dreams and her frustrations being the daughter of the President. I shared the same sentiments. We tried to teach each other our native languages and laughed at our broken accents. I noticed that the people outside also thinned and only the security were there. We then noticed the President and the Vice President go outside to the veranda.

"Ano kaya pinag-uusapan nila no?" Veronica asked.

I felt a bit worried but I trust Mama. "Work, probably."

Veronica looked at me.

"What?" I ask her.

"They could be talking about non-work you know," She looked down and tapped her dessert fork in the now empty plate.

"Do you know anything?" I boldly ask.

She did not look up. "Maybe, yeah.."

I looked at the two figures surrounded by security in the veranda.

"Can you tell me?"

"I don't know ate, I don't want to make judgements sa iyong mama. She's very kind and nice to me." Veronica confessed.

"But what do you hear?" I hear my voice quiver.

"They're dating daw."

I looked at her.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"As in seriously?" Veronica inquired and I felt like this moment is so hard for us children and yet we're so brave talking about it like it is nothing.

"Sabi," I whispered.

Veronica straightened up. "Well, they're both single."

I looked at her. "What do you feel about that? Your father is living with your mother right?"

"Yeah but they're not married." She said flatly.

I looked at her. She looked at me.

"It's not our fault. Sabi nila it is not my fault but I feel like I'm the one suffering. Haha!" I can sense her hurt. I sat beside her and hugged her.

She suddenly sobbed and cried on my shoulders.

We kept quiet for a time. I looked outside and saw the two figures laughing to themselves. For a moment, I felt angry towards them and pity towards us. But as I look at Mama's face, I realized she's never been that happy since..

"Ate,"

"Yes?"

"Should we stop them from being happy or should we just live our life?"

I don't know how to answer that question.

"Well, I want them to be happy and I want us to live our lives, puwede ba dalawa?"

She straightened and looked at me. "Puwede, pero there will be pain in between."

"Ok lang, we are not put in a position na hindi natin kaya at kakayanin. Look at them," We looked at them. "I'm sure di rin nila ginusto what happened to them but here they are fighting forward because they know, maybe, that they'll get through everything. Of course, there will be pain, because everything's worth it is painful. This world we live in is never easy."

She smiled at me and I smiled back. I am not the friendly kind, I am shy and reserved, but today, I think I've overcome my limitations in a way I did not expect. I felt like Mama, Veronica and the President also has to overcome their limitations by doing what they did now and are doing still to go on living.

"So ok lang sa'yo if they'll date?" I ask Veronica.

"I want Papa to be happy."

"That's a safe answer," I reply. We laughed.

"If I ask you the same question ate, what will be your answer?"

"I want Mama to be happy." We laughed louder.

"Copy paste ka." She said, pouting. I hugged her. I missed Baby Robs.

"So, if them dating makes each other happy," I started.

"Basta we want them to be happy. Support your parents happiness and find your own." She ended and we laughed at ourselves.

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