Isang linggo kaming hindi nag-uusap ni Klaus. After he took me home, we never talked again. I was struggling to think. Especially that Dheia knows about us. Isa din iyon sa dahilan kung bakit ayaw ko muna makipag-usap kay Nicklaus.
It's Christmas break. My parents will come home for Christmas. My sister will probably come home, too, with her husband.
Jackie : Wow, tahimik niyo naman. Vacation era na yata, ah.
Dheia : True. Si Allen nabubulok na d'yan sa Baguio.
Quinn : Si Riley nga nasa Japan. Hayop na 'yon.
Riley : Annyeonghaseyo.
Allen : Konichiwa 'yon, tanga @Riley
Jackie : Kapag 'di mo ako inuwian ng pasalubong, sayonara ka sa akin @Riley
Nicklaus wasn't still viewing the group chat. I guess he doesn't want to talk to me either. Well, it's fine. That's for the best, anyway.
My parents arrived before the noche buena. Kasama nila ang mag-asawa. Sinalubong ako ng yakap galing sa Mommy ko. I smiled and hugged her back. My Dad greeted me as he kissed my forehead.
"Merry Christmas, Blair." My sister greeted. Bumeso ako sa kaniya at sa asawa niya.
"Are you eating well here, Blair?" Dad asked.
Tumango ako. "Yes. But most of the time, I eat outside."
Mom eyed me. "Enough of fast food, Blair. That's not healthy. You're in the medical field. You should know that."
Nagkatinginan kami ng kapatid ko. She just shrugged. It feels different to have people in our house. Nasanay akong walang tao at walang ingay sa bahay. Now, it's different. It's probably the first time this year when I felt home.
"How's your studies?" hindi matigil ang tanong tungkol sa akin buong dinner.
I sipped on my iced tea. "Good. Hospital duty ko na this January."
My mother looked at my Dad. "Is that necessary?"
My father shrugged. "It's fine. It's up to Blair."
Kumunot ang noo ko. Tumikhim si Ate at nagpunas ng napkin sa bibig. Her husband was silent and felt out of place to talk. My father smiled at me.
"What is it, Dad?"
Si Mommy ang sumagot. "We've been thinking about your moving abroad with us."
"Yeah. We talked about this, Mom. After graduation, right?"
Tumikhim si Daddy. "Well, we're thinking, if you
want to move earlier after this sem or the next, we can move it."
I stopped.
Hilaw akong tumawa. "What about my studies?"
"I've talked to Columbia. They said you can shift to another program or finish your degree there."
"Columbia University, B..." My sister looked excited.
Dad nodded. "They looked at your previous grades. And they said if you wanted to give it a try, they can move things around for you."
I sighed.
"This will bring you great opportunities in the future, Blair. Think about it."
I just smiled. "No, I'm fine here, Dad."
My mother rolled her eyes. "See, I told you, Rico. Napapabarkada na ang anak mo kaya ayaw na umalis dito. Look at Allen, my gosh. Sakit ng ulo ni Bianca doon."
