Chapter 50
Maingat kong binuksan ang pintuan ng kwarto matapos makabalik mula kay Duke. Nagpaalam siyang tutungo sa opisina para may asikasuhin saglit. He will soon then go to the mall and buy Iesha's favorite doll.
I can't imagine him walking inside a toy shop and looking for that certain stuff. Pero naiintindihan ko rin naman dahil mamayang gabi ang unang beses na haharap siya kay Iesha bilang ama niya. Gusto niyang magpabibo sa anak namin at ako man sa lugar niya, iyon din ang nanaisin.
Bilang ina ni Iesha, alam ko na hindi siya mahirap paamuhin. She may be a little snob and spoiled sometimes but she can be the sweetest. Lalo pa sa mga taong malapit sa kaniya. I'm very much confident that everything will turn out fine once they meet each other.
"Hi, sweetie."
Mula sa panonood sa tv habang nakaupo sa gitna ng kama ay nilingon ako ni Iesha. Her lips immediately stretched out for a smile when she saw me.
"Mowmmy! Work is done?"
Tumango ako kahit pa wala naman akong ginawa sa buong oras ko sa labas. Hindi ako nagkamali na sinadya ni Mommy ang papuntahin dito at ipagawa ang bagay na alam niyang wala naman akong kinalaman ay dahil kay Duke.
Sometimes, I was thinking that she was a cupid in her past life and really good at match making. Maging ang mga tao kasi na tila imposible nang magkabalikan ay nagagawan niya pa ng paraan.
Naupo ako sa tabi ni Iesha at niyakap siya. She leaned her head on my shoulder with that bubbly smile plastered on my chest.
"Nainip ka ba?"
Umiling siya. "No. I was watching a cartoon awhile ago but it was Filipino so I couldn't understand some of their words."
I chuckled. "Don't worry. You will soon learn to speak it fluently since we will be staying here for good."
Tumango siya at hindi na sumagot pa. Itinuon ko sa flat screen tv ang mga mata at sandaling nanahimik.
"Iesha..." malambing na tawag ko makalipas ang ilang minuto.
"Hmm, Mowmmy?"
"You want to meet your daddy, right?"
Mabilis siyang umalis sa pagkakasandal sa akin at hinarap ako. Her eyes turned wide. They even shone like the rays of the sun.
"Yes, Mowmmy! Am I finally going to meet him? Is he now interested to see me?"
Hinaplos ko ang buhok niya at marahang ngumiti. Nakaramdam ako ng kaunting kirot para sa kaniya lalo pa at ang dating ay hindi naging interesado si Duke na makilala siya kaya't hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa iyon nangyayari.
"It's not like he isn't interested to meet you, Iesha. For some reason that you won't be able to understand now, your father didn't have any chance to see you closer. But he already knew you before. Trust me, anak. Your father was there when I gave birth to you..." I smiled and tapped the tip of her tiny nose. "He loves you so much, Iesha."
Sandali siyang natigilan, tila nag-iisip.
"Would I be able to meet him then?"
Tumango ako matamis na ngumiti sa kaniya.
"Yes, sweetie. Soon, you will."
I don't want to drop any exact details on her. Alam ko naman na sigurado nang magkakakilala na sila ni Duke mamaya pero pakiramdam ko, mas maganda kung magiging surpresa.
Duke:
I'm already at the mall. Do you mind if we meet each other later tonight at the restaurant nearby? Let's meet there before we go to Iesha.
