Baby Madness

Chapter 49

Hindi ako nakatulog nang maayos kagabi. Actually, these past few weeks, I was terrified to sleep. Another day would go by and that thought made me feel restless. At ngayon ang pinakakinatatakutan kong araw. Mom and Dad would be here this afternoon.

Nandito ako ngayon sa kubo sa garden namin. I was up early and I needed an open space to breathe. Nandito rin sina Czanelle at Clark at mukhang nag-e-enjoy sila sa paglalaro ng lupa. I guess being in the province made them appreciate nature more. Kids nowadays couldn't keep their eyes and hands off gadgets so seeing them playing with each other outside was like a breath of fresh air.

"Ate, look!" sigaw ni Czanelle habang puro lupa na ang damit niya. "Clark looks like Dopey!"

Tiningnan ko naman si Clark habang may suot siyang beanie sa ulo at sobrang luwang ng damit niya sa kanya. He definitely looked like one of dwarves in Snow White.

"Are you Snow White?" tanong ko kay Czanelle habang pareho pa rin silang tumatawa.

"No, I'm a dwarf, too," she giggled while putting one of my beanies, which looked oversized on their heads. "You can be Snow White!"

"Snow White is a princess," I replied. "I'm not."

Sakto namang lumabas si Jazer mula sa pintuan habang may hawak na dalawang bowl ng oatmeal. Kanina pa kasi tinatawag ni Nanay Meling ang dalawang 'to para mag-breakfast pero mas excited silang maglaro.

"Hindi pa ba kayo kakaing dalawa?" tanong niya habang nakatingin sa dalawa.

"Ah!" Czanelle exclaimed. "Kuya can be the Prince Charming!"

Nagkatinginan kami ni Jazer pero agad din akong umiwas. The awkwardness was still there. He sighed after the kids ignored his question while I started to panic because he was walking toward this place. Nilapag niya ang pagkain sa wooden table sa gitna at umupo sa tapat ko habang nakatingin sa dalawa.

Damn this guy.

We watched the kids in silence but the tension between us was too hard to ignore. Ilang araw na rin kaming ganito. I don't know if this was a good or bad thing.

"Ikaw, hindi ka ba kakain?" tanong niya.

"I'm not hungry," I replied as I turned to his direction.

The moment our gaze landed on each other, I instantly knew we missed the connection we once had before everything turned precarious.

Bigla ko namang naalala ang mga sinabi ni Mom sa video na 'yon. Do I really have the courage to allow myself to get hurt even more?

I held my gaze and offered a handshake.

"Let's clear this mess once and for all," I said, earning a confused face from him. "I know—"

Napatigil ako sa pagsasalita nang bigla niyang abutin ang kamay ko. However, instead of a handshake, he stood up and gently pulled me along with him.

Tiningnan ko pa sina Czanelle at Clark pero mukhang hindi nila kami pansin dahil busy sila sa paghuhukay. At kung minamalas ka nga naman, si Kuya Larry pa ang nakakita sa amin.

"Alis lang ho kami sandali," sabi ni Jazer habang palabas kami ng gate at ngumiti naman si Kuya Larry.

"Sige lang," he responded while raising his thumb at us.

This time, ako naman ang naguluhan. Nagpahila na lang ako sa kung saan habang nakatingin sa kamay niyang hawak ang kamay ko. Nang inangat ko ang ulo ko ay doon ko na-realize kung saan kami papunta.

I could still remember the first time we went here. The time he made me a bracelet of flowers. The time we waited for the rain to stop. We were back in the gazebo.