The Serrano Family Saga

Stay With Me?

Serrano Mansion
8:00 AM

Emma looks around her bedroom, making sure she does not leave anything behind. She grabs her checklist from the side table:
x | sunscreen
x | sunglasses
x | bathing suit
x | cellphone and charger
    | toothbrush
    | toothpaste
    | shampoo
    | conditioner
    | soap
x | goggles
x | beach towel
x | umbrella
x | shoes
x | slipper
x | shirts
x | pants
x | pajamas
x | undergarments

"Oh, the toiletries! I always forget those." She rushes toward the bathroom and opens the cabinets where she usually stores them. With the toiletries in hand, she grabs the toiletry bag and drops the essentials inside. She then placed the bag inside her luggage. Seeing that everything is already in place, she locks her luggages and drops the key into her satchel.

"Anak, handa na ba lahat na mga gamit mo?" Emma looks behind her and sees her Papa leaning on the doorframe. Fabio has decided to take an office leave today to accompany Emma to the airport.

"Pa, I have everything already. Don't worry about it."

"Sigurado ka ha? Baka tatawag ka na naman in the middle of the night kasi naiwan mo ang toothbrush mo." Fabio teases Emma about an incident that happened years ago during a Girl Scout camping. He does this all the time, teasing her of her little mishaps. Her Papa has never changed.

"Papa, hindi na mangyayari yun. May checklist na ako ngayon para walang makalimutan. Sinigurado yun ni Camila." After the toothbrush incident years ago, her Mama has provided her a checklist of the things she must bring.

"Okay, basta ako, di na ako gigising mamaya." Fabio teases her again. Emma grabs the nearest pillow and flings it towards her Papa. To her disappointment, he has very fast reflexes. He catches it and throws it back at her hitting her in the face. Then he starts to laugh while he claps his hands. Emma thinks that he resembles a seal. Her Papa may look charismatic and intimidating, but at home, he is just another silly cinnamon roll. When their laughs died down, she began to thank him.

"Papa, thank you for helping me convince Camila. I really thought she would not allow me to go with my friends. We will be off to college soon and may not be able to see each other that much. This trip is really meaningful for us."

"Of course Anak, gusto naman ni Papa na masaya ka. At ikaw na rin nagsabi na last trip mo na ito kasama ang mga kaklase mo bago ang graduation niyo. Gusto ko mag enjoy ka. At kung may manliligaw man sa iyo duon, okay lang kay Papa. Basta, sikreto natin yun, di malalaman ng Mama mo."

"Papa, wala namang ganun duon. And after Seth, ayaw ko muna Papa. Baka nga tama si Camila, men will just hurt me." She cried so much because that guy made her believe that he actually liked her. Camila was right, she should not waste her time entertaining idiots like Seth.

"Bakit? Sinaktan ko ba kayo?" Fabio crosses his arm, challenging her argument. Her Papa is really adorable when he gets defensive.

"No. She actually said that you are an exception. What did she exactly say? Oh yeah, she said that you are 'one in a million'." Emma gives her Papa a teasing smile. She knows he loves it when Camila compliments him in front of other people.

"Sinabi niya yun? Di ka nagsisinungaling?"

"Oo naman Papa. Kinikilig ka noh?" She loves to tease her Papa, especially when it comes to Camila.

"Huy, hindi ah... Di ako kinikilig dun. Palagi nalang masungit sa akin." Fabio denies, but Emma can clearly see him blushing. He is also trying to hide his smile.

"Papa, you really are a bad liar." She grabs the pillow and to her luck, Fabio is not prepared, too giddy thinking about Camila's compliment. The pillow lands square at his face.