Under His Hoodie

Special Chapter

Nakatulala lang siya sa akin habang sinasabi 'yon. A moment later, his lips turned up widely. "I have a question."

"Ano?"

"Your lips look lonely, would they like to meet mine?"

I giggled, remembering how that line got me during our teenage days. Napakapit ako sa braso ni Nazareth nang siniil niya ako ng halik. It was a soft, tender kiss. It made me feel like my lips were fragile as his hands made their way to my cheeks to support it more. Hanggang ang halik na iyon ay unti-unting lumalim. Binuhat niya ako at pinatong sa countertop. Our kiss was becoming more tense and intimate.

A soft moan escaped my mouth.

"Let's go upstairs—"

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Mabilis kaming napatayo nang diretso ni Nazareth nang marinig si Kye. Pababa ito ng hagdan habang pumupungas-pungas pa. Parehas sila ng pajamas ni Nazareth kaya ang cute nilang tingnan. I cleared my throat and fixed myself.

"Anak, nagising ka ba?"

Kye went to us right away and what surprised me was . . . he hugged both of us. My heart melted because of it. Mabilis kong sinuklian iyon. Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Nazareth. We both smiled at each other because I felt it too.

"I love you po . . . Mommy, Daddy," Kye uttered.

"More than your marshmallows?" I asked.

Halata sa anak namin ang pagdadalawang-isip.

"Pwede po both po?"

Nazareth chuckled. Ginulo niya ang buhok ng anak namin at hinalikan ito sa tuktok ng ulo. Pagkatapos, niyakap niya kaming dalawa ni Kye. His eyes were closed as he embraced both of us, lips turned up to a genuine smile.

Slowly, even it was a faint sound, it was clear to me what came out of his mouth.

"Home."

Walang katumbas ang pagmamahalan naming dalawa. It was usual to have misunderstandings. But love, above all, was both comfort and pain. Kapag may problema, malaki o maliit, kaya naming dalawa. Basta magkahawak kaming dalawa ng kamay, walang makatatalo sa kung anong mayroon kami. Because all those years, that was what happened—we overcame a lot of things. A lot of painful mishaps. Sa huli, mata pa rin namin ang nagtatagpo. Nakangiti. Wala mang bitiwang mga salita, kung paano namin tignan ang isa't isa, sapat na 'yon.

But I was wrong.

I was pregnant with our second child. I hadn't told Nazareth yet. Even Manang Rosalinda, Angelita, and everyone else. I didn't tell anyone; I wanted it to be a surprise. Plano ko sana ay sa birthday ni Nazareth para mas memorable. I was so excited. My heart was beating so fast the day I found out I was carrying our second child.

Napansin kong hindi ako dinadalawan. Tapos madalas akong antukin. Madalas din ang mood swings ko. When I woke up and felt my tummy churning, it occurred to me that maybe I was pregnant, so I bought two pregnancy test kits to find out. I was right. I was pregnant. Pinigilan ko ang sarili kong mapatili.

I caressed my tummy gently. Halos mapunit ang labi ko sa lawak ng aking ngiti.

"Your father will be happy once he finds out . . ." sabi ko.

Sa pagtatago ko, nahuli ako ni Kye. He was looking at me while I was busy eating my food. Wala si Nazareth dahil nasa kumpanya ito.

"Bakit, anak?" I asked.

His innocent eyes went down to my food then met mine once again.

"Mommy, why are you dipping your watermelon in patis?" Kye asked. He looked lost.