Loving a Believer

Chapter 30: Heart-to-heart Talk

F A R A

I woke up alone in the bed. I flashbacked to what happened last night. It was real right? It wasn't a dream. Storm and I had reconciled last night...

I stretched my arms before getting off the bed. I took a hair tie from the drawer of the bedside table and tied my hair up. I checked Eli if he was in the crib; he wasn't there. I assumed that Ate Rachel took him.

I went straight to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. I pulled a towel hung on the side and gently wiped it onto my face. Afterwards, I got out of the bathroom.

Bubuksan ko pa lang sana ang pintuan ng bedroom nang biglang may magbukas niyon mula sa labas. Bumungad si Storm, buhat-buhat si Eli na may hawak na slice ng bread loaf.

"Good morning," Storm greeted me with a slight smile on his lips.

"G-good morning," medyo may pag-aalangan pa na sabi ko. Parang may aftershock pa ako sa pagbabati namin kagabi.

"Go downstairs and eat your breakfast," he told me.

"You're not going to work?" I questioned.

He shook his head. "We'll talk, remember?"

"Um... yeah."

"Come back here pag tapos ka na."

"Okay."

I went downstairs and ate my breakfast.

I wondered what would we talk about. Aren't we okay? I thought. Or maybe he will just open up something. Probably a work or ministry problem... or something else?

Binilisan ko ang pagkain ko. Saktong pagkatapos kong maghugas ng mga pinagkainan ko, narinig ko ang boses ni Storm sa living room. Pumunta ako roon at nakita kong nakaluhod siya sa floor at pinapanood si Eli na naglalakad gamit ang baby walker. Nang makita niya ako, tumayo siya. "Ate Rachel, pakibantay na lang muna si Eli," bilin niya kay Ate Rachel. Lumapit siya sa akin at inaakay ako paakyat sa hagdan, patungo sa kwarto.

"What are we gonna talk about?" I asked him as we walked into the room.

"It's about the thing that I've been hiding from you," aniya kasabay ng pagsara ng pintuan.

Napatitig ako sa kanya na may pagtataka. Humarap siya sa akin kaya nagkaharap kaming dalawa. The expression on his face was serious. He held my shoulders and took a deep breath. There were hidden emotions in his eyes. I suddenly got curious.

"First of all, one more time... I wanna say sorry," he told me with sadness.

"For?" I asked.

"For keeping this secret from you..." He gulped. As I gazed intently into his eyes, I saw tears forming in there.

Later, his arms wrapped around my waist. Sinubsob niya ang mukha niya sa balikat ko. Nang magtagal, narinig ko ang mahinang pag-iyak niya. And his cry wasn't just an ordinary cry. There was pain and sorrow in it.

"S-Storm..." I uttered. Naguguluhan kasi ako. Bakit ganito ang iyak niya?

"I'm s-sorry. I had a child with Demi."

My brow furrowed. "I know that..."

"T-the child was alive; one was alive. Our children were twins, a girl and a boy. The girl didn't die when Demi gave birth to them. She hid her from me for a long time... Then, she confessed to me when we met in our batch's reunion because the child wanted to see me."