War: A Business

Chapter 36: Homecoming

    After the taxi driver fixed the engine, we drive out of the area. Thankfully there is no traffic.

   The city is full of activity. Police patrolled the streets with their armored hover-vehicles that skimmed above the roads. The pedestrians are minding their business, following the rules.

   I guess some things don't change.

   Then, we arrived at a grey, giant dome.

   A floating rectangular robotic probe skirted around the taxi, scanning us.
Then, the metal gates opened slowly. We drove inside it.

   The landscape changed into a luxurious, rural subdivision with clear skies, grassy plains, and clean air. But the sky inside the dome is only a illusion caused by giant high-definition Holo-Screens to create the sky above the subdivision.

   We stopped at the front of the black, barred gates of a white, tall, flat house. Our black hover-car is still here. The flowers in the garden are wilting.

   I'm very excited to see them. My heart is pumping. But I'm still nervous. What will be her reaction. I started thinking about the worst things that could happen.

I gave him the payment for the taxi.

"I can tell that you've never seen your family in years? Am I right." he commented in Tagalog.

"Yes." I replied in Tagalog.

"I was an OFW too. I have lots of money then while I was in the Middle Arabian Commonwealths, because of my dream job. Then I quit my job. Then, I worked here. The salary is almost the same when I was in the MAC. But somebody sabotaged me, causing me to lose my job and I ended working here, in a taxi." he rambled in Tagalog.

  I got out of the taxi. The taxi drove away.I took a step forward. I rang the doorbell.

The doorbell rang.

What will I say? What will she say? What if she has a new husband? Will she get angry at me?

All these thoughts bounced around my head, like a rubber ball thrown at the floor with enough force to bounce around the room and then hitting your face.

The wooden, brown door opened.

"Who's there?" my wife asked, walking out of the door to completely see her wearing her slippers with her pink T-shirt and shorts.

"Oh shit." The voice inside my head uttered. "You're on your own. I'm out."

   Finally, my head is quiet again.
She looked at me; stared at me like she saw a ghost.

Do I looked dirty? Do I look a stranger, an another person wearing a leather jacket? Do I look ugly?

  The thoughts bounced again in my head once more.

   She walked slowly. Her messy dark hair moved with it. Her hair had grown longer since I last saw her 1 year ago. Her eyes were red,puffy, and full of eye bags as she were crying, or she never slept for days, or both.

But even that, she still looked beautiful and real.

This is not a dream anymore.

   Her face changed in a expression of doubt, then wonder, and then amazement, and then, surprise, as she walked towards me at the other side of the gate.

   Then I turned my head down in guilt. I'm guilty because she thought that I was dead. I'm guilty because I never even called her. I'm guilty because I left her and our baby behind. I'm guilty because I left her behind, with no one to take care of her.

  I'm guilty because of my selfish actions and my decisions.

"Sorry, who are you?" she asked me, I realized that she haven't saw my face yet.

  I mustered my courage to face her and to say a word.I turned my head up.

"Its... me." I answered weakly. I looked at her face. She looked disappointed, but she still looks beautiful, with her high cheekbones and all. She looked up to me, because I'm much more taller than her. Which was still surprising, because I'm underneath the average height.

  She opened the barred door in the gates.She stared at me with awe.

  The first thing she did is to punch me in the gut and she slapped me in the face.

"Ow." I muttered, even though her punch and her slap is barely painful to me.

"Why did you leave me?! I thought you were dead! I kept your ashes in the room! Are you real anymore?! I'm losing my mind because of you! You left me and our baby behind! You le-"

  Then she hugged me. She is sobbing. I embraced her with my muscular arms.

  My eyes suddenly watered. For the first time in years, I let it all out. Tears fell rapidly from my face; not tears of sorrow, but from joy.

"I miss you. I t-" she tried to communicate while sobbing.

"I miss you too." I replied.

"You stupid, crazy, oblivious, and many other words that I can describe for how stupid and how crazy you are. You handsome devil. Why d-"

"Because to protect you, and our family. To avoid bad people coming to our house, to kidnap our family or worse. Don't tell anyone that I'm here, they're be in danger." I interrupted.

"And thats why I still love you." She smirked.

"And thats why I loved you too. You are smart, caring, beautiful, good in be-"

"Stop it, I already know that. You don't need to recite how awesome I'am." She boasted, while wiping tears from her eyes.

I sarcastically laughed. "Whats the name of our baby?"

"Maria."she answered.

"Its a girl?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Even if its a girl or boy,I still love our baby."

"I miss your lips."

  We hugged and kissed outside the gates. Thankfully there are no people outside. This is the first time in months. I really missed her so much that I cannot believed that I'm home at last.

"Welcome home."

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