Remember the Time || Bruno Mars

[9] bernadette

"Bruno?" With her hand on the doorknob, she cranes her head outside of the door, her eyebrows furrowed in question.

"Momma!" I greet her with arms wide open and saunter over to her. She was still the jolly, beautiful and, gentle woman I have known all my life.

Happiness and excitement immediately lit up her eyes once she beheld me, running up to me and wrapped her arms on my torso. "Son, I missed you."

"I missed you too, ma." I tightened my embrace on her and kissed the top of her head, closing my eyes briefly to treasure this moment.

She unlocks our hug and rests a hand on my cheek, her dark eyes looking into mine compassionately. "God knows how proud I am of you, son."

"I seriously wouldn't have done it without you, ma," I respond to her, flashing a grateful smile and gave her another kiss on her forehead and a gentle squeeze on the arms.

Missing was an understatement of how I felt this very second. My mom was my hero, the very woman who gave me the opportunity to live life. She supported me through thick and thin—even agreeing to my plans on being in the music industry no matter how pathetic my dreams seemed to sound like. She would have wanted me to go to college, even saving up the money she got from her singing gigs and at restaurants waiting tables after my dad and she separated. But when I broke the news to her of me moving to LA and pursuing my career, I would've expected her to break down into one of those lectures but instead, she just flashed me one of those sweet and encouraging grins and said, "Welp, this is going to be for your sisters then."

No one could compare to how much of an amazing person she is and I'm not just saying that because I'm her son but when her co-workers and neighbours are asked, they would agree immediately. She is my rock, my mentor. I wouldn't have gotten the talent of singing if it wasn't for her beautiful voice. She raised all six of us by herself and never heard a single complaint from her, keeping the food on the table for us allowing us to eat three times a day. She read and sang us to sleep, always finding time to bond with her children even if it seemed impossible with her day and night shifts. I always believed she was Wonderwoman, though.

She was a woman full of love and compassion, always there when any of his six brothers or her mother—my grandma—is in need of assistance. She never said no, risking everything for the welfare of everyone she truly cared about. I'm standing here right now, doing what I promised her to do and hopefully making her proud. And I plan on doing that for the rest of my life.

"Momma Bernie!" I hear my older bro exclaim behind me emulating my exact actions from earlier, as I walked over to Cassie, his wife Cindia and son Liam, Josh and our luggage, leaving Eric and mom in their own little reunion bubble.

Once all the greetings were over, we men had to put all our suitcases inside the little yet cozy flat. I realized a lot has changed over the years and with us coming back in here, the place got too congested at once with our presence. She really needed a better place to stay at.

I enter the somewhat living room where Josh, Eric and Cindia were engrossed in their conversation and the kids, along with Liam, were chasing and wrestling each other around the area.

"You guys seen Cassie?" I inquire, interrupting their catching-up chatter as their heads turned to me.

"I saw ma drag her to the kitchen," Eric replied, his thumb pointed to one side of the room.

"Thanks," I mumbled, nodding and proceeding to the kitchen area. Once I entered the room, I found my mom cooking, speaking with Cassie who was helping her out. "Hey, beautiful ladies."

They turned their heads to acknowledge my presence, my mom rolling her eyes playfully and my girl smiling calmly. It looks like she got the hang of everything.