Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

I: Coping up

"Sierra!"

I instantly opened my eyes and rose up from my bed. It was my stepmom. I could hear her footseps. Lagot na naman ako.

Sinalubong ako ng galit at nanlilisik na mga mata ng stepmom ko. I gulped.

"Sierra, alam mo ba kung ano'ng oras na!? Wala ka ba'ng balak na bumangon diyan!?" She screamed at me. I gulped once again. Gosh, she's terrifying.

"O-opo, b-bababa na rin po ako, M-Mommy.." I mumbled. I still wasn't used to addressing her 'Mommy'.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Better hurry up, little snake. Aalis kami ng Daddy mo today, kaya maglinis ka naman dito bago ka pumasok para may kwenta ka. Naintindihan mo?"

Tumango ako. Pagkatapos ay umalis na siya.

Alam ko namang ayaw niya sa 'kin. She loathes me. Kung wala daw ako, mas masaya sila ni Daddy. Kung wala daw ako, walang sabit.

I miss my mom. If only she was here, I would have been able to cope up easily and gather courage for all these.

My tear fell as memories of my mom came back. And another tear. Hindi ko namalayang humahagulgol na pala ako.

"M-Mommy..." I whispered to the wind. Up until now, I still blame myself for my mother's death. If only I wasn't so dense, dapat mas binantayan ko ang kalusugan niya.

I sighed. Here I go again. To brush away the thought, I quickly stood up and went to the bathroom. Naligo na rin ako. After changing into my uniform, I went downstairs.

***

Nakita ko si Daddy at Tita Claudine na naglalambingan sa sala. I used to feel betrayed. But I slowly realized that, Dad, despite of the smiles he shows me, he suffered from Mom's death too. He suffered the most, it caused him intolerable pain upon losing the love of his life.

I learned to go with the flow and adjust myself to my new life whereas I have a new mom. But even if I already accept her, no one can and will replace my mom in my heart.

Dad remarried because I know he felt empty. He loves Tita Claudine, but I know Mommy has a special place inside his heart. I know he loves me too. Before deciding to remarry, he had a discussion with me. A heart-to-heart talk. We talked about how lost we felt after Mom died. How we grieved and how we decided to move on but taking our memories of her with us for eternity.

After that, I agreed. On one condition. Hiniling ko kay Daddy na huwag ipatapon ang mga gamit ni Mommy. I wanted to keep her room, kaya ginawa itong room ko. I gladly decorated every inch of Mommy's room. I also kept her novels, makeup, clothes. I wanted to preserve my memories of her.

As for Tita Claudine, she is elegant. An only daughter of a former Senate President. She is well-mannered and disciplined. I love her as a new part of our family.

As I walked down the stairs, napatingin si Daddy at Tita Claudine sa 'kin. Daddy smiled at me, while Tita Claudine rolled her eyes at me as always.

I managed to form a smile. "Good morning, Daddy and... Mommy," I looked at Tita Claudine, nakasimangot parin siya. "Have you eaten breakfast?" I asked.

"Yes, we have. Kain ka na, anak. Alas otso pa naman pasok mo diba?" I nodded. Dad pointed the dining table full of food, as usual. Our dining table was surrounded by nannies. Our mansion was almost full of nannies and bodyguards. It was like, privacy was forbidden.

I sat down on a chair and began eating. Kumuha ako ng dalawang pieces na waffles with almond butter, a serving of pomegranate salad, together with healthy protein juice.

Nagpaalam na sa 'kin sina Daddy at Tita Claudine dahil may lakad sila. After eating, tumayo na din ako. Kinuha ko na ang shoulder bag ko, nag makeup at nagsuklay, at lumabas.

Manong Fidel, our family driver, was waiting outside. Pumasok na ako sa Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500XD. Nag-earphones ako at nakinig sa favorite band ko, Paramore.

***

"Madame, andito na po tayo." Sabi ni Manong Fidel. I smiled at him at lumabas ako.

I walked towards the automatic glass door. I'm in my third year of college, taking Business Administration, major in Financial Management. I study in Southville International School Affiliated With Foreign Universities (SISFU). A prestigious yet competitive university.

Not only Filipinos study here, pupils here include foreigners. Kaya mahirap din minsan makipag-socialize due to the culture and nation barrier.

Dumiretso na ako sa unang klase ko. I forgot to mention na may awarding pala kaming magaganap ngayon. Sa Philosophy class ko, nagkaroon kami ng class debate regarding if death penalty should take place in the modern world. We were against the idea. At ako ang naging representative ng group namin. Of course, lahat kami nag-research, shared some ideas and suggestions and all that. Pero ako ang nagsalita. And in an international college, it isn't easy to win a debate with flying colors. Especially, mga foreigners pa minsan ang makaka-argument mo.

Sometimes, aabutin ng almost one hour ang debate dahil both parties are logically correct.

Pagkarating ko sa Philosophy class ko, sinalubong ako ng ngiti ni Sir Yuchengco. Dumiretso naman ako sa seat ko.

"Okay. Like I said yesterday, today we'll have a small awarding ceremony for my students who claimed victory in yesterday's debate. I want all of you to stand up and group yourselves according to how I grouped you all yesterday. Am I clear?" Sumang-ayon naman ang lahat sa utos ni Sir Yuchengco. Tumayo ako at pumunta sa side ng classroom kung saan yung mga kagrupo ko.

May isinulat si Sir Yuchengco sa whiteboard kaya napatingin ako roon.

Winners In Debate In Philosophy III

Team One

Representative: Sierra Hyacinth V. Anderson