I didn't know they were planning on going home from the US. Wala silang nabanggit na bibisita sila kaya ganoon na lang ang gulat ko nang malamang nasa bahay na sila.After lunch pa sana kami uuwi ni Daisy pero after breakfast kami umalis. Masyado akong excited na makita ulit sila. Ilang buwan na rin 'nong huli kami nagkita nang personal."Ai, chocolates ha," sabi ni Daisy when we were just a few minutes away from home. Sa bahay kami dumiretso kasi makikisalubong din daw siya."Para ka namang hindi galing sa states," I said, chuckling."Biglaan 'yong uwi ko, Ai. Kaya hindi ako nakabili nang marami. Ubos na ngayon kaya bigyan mo 'ko," she murmured. I just shook my head smilingly at her.Nang matanaw ko na ang bahay namin ay parang gusto ko nang bumaba. But of course, I didn't. I can't afford to hurt myself right now.I almost ran inside our house, leaving my things in the car. Maging si Daisy ay narinig ko ring mabilis na nakasunod sa akin.When I entered the house, there were luggage a

Ilang minuto kaming nakaupo lang sa loob ng sasakyan niya. Nakahawak lang siya sa manibela at nakatingin sa harap. He's been asking me for a chance to hear him explain, but now that we're here, he can't seem to find that courage to give answers to my questions."My dad was abusive," I heard him say. Mabilis akong napatingin sa kanya. He was just looking ahead still. "I made myself believe that we're fine. Because in the eyes of other people, we're the perfect family. Kasi doctor siya at may anak siyang magdo-doctor din. No one wants to let the world know how he would hurt me and my mom everytime he would lose his temper because we think no one would even listen."I didn't know this part of his life. Well, I didn't know much about him before. We never got to that part where we got to know each other more because before we could even do that, he ran away."When my stepmom and I finally got the chance to leave him, we took it," he murmured. "I wanted to say goodbye but I wasn't able to,"

"Where's my daddy, Mommy?" Paulit-ulit na nag-eecho sa isip ko ang tanong ni Andrei. The time I'm scared to come is here. He's asking who his father is and I don't know what and how to answer him.Seconds have passed and I still can't come up for an answer and Andrei is looking at me expectantly. Ramdam ko ang nginig sa buong katawan ko."Andrei-"I was cut off when I heard somebody knock on the door. I looked at Andrei and I want to say how sorry I am pero nanatili akong tahimik as I opened the door. It revealed Mommy Miranda who's smiling at us."Dinner's ready," she announced. I gazed at Andrei, who's also gazing at me at the moment."Let's go?" Pag-aaya ko kay Andrei and he just nodded. I sighed again. Maybe it's really not the time just yet to tell him.I took his hand at sabay na kaming bumaba papunta sa dining. If it wasn't for Mommy Miranda calling us for dinner, I probably have broken down in front of my son. And I don't want that to happen. I know he still won't understand e

"Hi," Zandrey greeted. We decided to meet at a cafe near Andrei's school. Tinanguan ko lang siya as I took my seat in front of him. Agad kong kinuha ang menu na nasa table namin and scanned it. I was busy doing just that when I realized that Zandrey is just sitting there. His intertwined fingers were under his chin and he was looking intently at me. Mas lalo kong itinaas iyong menu sa mukha ko so he can't see me. I feel so conscious with the way he looks at me. Parang wala lang sa kanya iyong sinumbat ko sa kanya kahapon. I was hurt by my own words. But how come he doesn't seem as hurt as I thought him to be? I ordered first kasi nagugutom ako. I had quite a day at work. Sumakit ang ulo ko sa dami ng reports na kailangan kong i-check. May mga site visit pa ako this week kaya mukhang mas magiging busy ako. "What?" I asked when I saw Zandrey just staring. Nakatingin lang. There's not even a smile on his face. "You went through so much..." he mumbled. I stared back, not backing dow

What Dominic said never left my head. Pero sa tuwing naaalala ko ang ginawa niya, napapailing na lang ako. Kahit pa sa kanya mismo manggaling 'yon, hindi ko alam kung paniniwalaan ko. Ang hirap lang kasing paniwalaan ng isang bagay na hindi mo naman nakikita. "Nagugutom na naman ata ako," Daisy suddenly said. Every weekends ay napapadalas ang stay ko sa shop. Tinutulungan ko rin kasi si Daisy sa preparation ng wedding nila. She wanted to have it as soon as possible para daw hindi muna ganoon kalaki iyong tiyan niya. So whenever I don't have site visits on a weekend, kami ang magkasama. Nagkukwento siya ng mga latest happenings sa kanila ni Dom. While I was still not 100% convinced about his intentions, nakikita ko namang he really cares and I think that's important. At least Daisy has someone who takes care of her while she's pregnant. "Lunch na tayo, Ai?" Daisy mumbled. She already ate almost the whole pizza I ordered. Almost because I only ate 2 slices. And I thought she wouldn