Uncovering the Camouflaged Daughter

28

It has been a week since that incident at the mall. The agent and Tita Liza have met too and it's all settled now. Unti-unti na akong bumibili ng mga gamit for my clinic. Mommy's helping me with the furnitures I need.

Daddy went home that day na parang walang nangyari. I ignored him the whole day, and it doesn't look strange for him. I am still upset. I am still wondering who was that girl is, and why can't he just answer my call in front of that girl.

"Mommy?" tawag ko. Nilingon ako ni Mommy.

"I've read something... you know like, it's a story and I just wanna ask you something related to it..."

"Yes go on, darling... I'm listening," sabi niya at tiningnan ulit ang cellphone niya.

I cleared my throat and shifted on my seat to face her.

"So... the story was like a family story... Then the daughter in this story caught her father in the mall, dining out with other girl... Uhm.. and the daughter... uh.. decided to not tell her mom, cause she doesn't want her mom to get hurt.. So if you were on the Mom's place, would you get mad at your daughter if she hid it from you?" I tried not to sound suspicious.

Mom looked at me and she stared at me. Kinagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi ko. I hope she doesn't get suspicious of what I am blabbering.

"Is the Dad cheating?" Mom asked which made me blink a couple of times. Napalunok ako, she doesn't think that I'm bluffing right? I hope not.

"W-well.. I haven't the s-story yet, 'mmy.. But I'm just asking if you're the Mom in that story, would you get mad if you're daughter won't tell you what she caught?" Umiwas ako ng tingin kay Mommy.

Mommy let out a breath and bit her lower lip before answering, "Well... Hmm.. If I were the mom... I don't think that I would get mad at my daughter, it wasn't her fault that she caught her Dad dining out with other girl. If it were me, I would get mad at the Dad. Cause that's how I love my child, darling, you could do no wrong in my eyes." She tucked my hair behind my ear.

I nodded, "What would you do, Mommy, if ever Dad cheats on you? I'm not hoping, just hypothetically speaking."

She looked down and smiled bitterly. She sighed. "That's... hard. I never did imagine that your Dad will do that. But okay, just hypothetically speaking... There are only two choices, darling.." I listened to what Mommy would say. "One is, I would give up but what I am afraid is... you and your brothers are going to have a... broken home. I've always wanted my children to have the family that they deserve, cause I had it. I grew up having a family that I can run to, the happiest family, we may... faced certain circumstances when we were thrown out of the country... but we had each other."

I nodded slowly.

"The second choice is, I'm gonna stay... but I know to myself that I am hurting. If I would choose the second choice.. I am not staying because I love your Dad, still, but because I am afraid of you and your brothers would have a broken home. I won't be staying because I'm happy, I'll be staying for you guys to be happy even though I'm hurting. As a mom, I would always choose what's best for my children... what would keep you in peace... Kayo ng mga Kuya mo ang palagi kong pipiliin, anak... Kahit ano pang mangyari, kayo ang patuloy kong pipiliin. Kung bibigyan ako ng sampung hiling... sampung beses ko kayong hihilingin ng mga Kuya mo..." she caressed my face and smiled a little.

How can you be so selfless, Mom? When will you choose yourself too? Kailan mo pipiliing pasayahin muna ang sarili mo? It's just hurting me because I just can't process it in my mind... that she will still choose us over everything.

I might've saved the whole world in my past life to deserve and have her as my mother.

Kami pa rin ang iniisip niya kung magloloko ang Daddy. At sana naman ay hindi. Sana matupad yung hiling ni Mommy na mabigyan niya kami ng buong pamilya.