My Only Exception

Chapter 12

"Why are you guys still up? It's late," he kissed his mother.

"We're just about to go to sleep. We were waiting for Seff but he wouldn't be home," Amanda answered.

"Why?"

"He would be sleeping on Raffy's house. Cali woke up looking for him and wouldn't stop crying," she answered. "Have your dinner now, we'll go to bed."

He took a deep breath as his parents retreated to their room. Seff wouldn't be home and would be spending the night with them. He wanted to get his car and see them but he knows he couldn't. He had his dinner and went to his own room after.

He was ready for work when he went down. Ethan found his brother greeting his parents and was about to join them for breakfast.

"Good morning," he told them.

"Hi," Akira greeted him. They were quiet the whole time until his mother asked Seff.

"How's Cali?"

"He's okay, Mom," Seff answered. "I think he had a bad dream. He wouldn't stop crying so Raffy called me. He wasn't feeling hurt or anything but he asked me to sleep beside him."

"It's good if he just had a bad dream," his dad said. "Why don't you just have them stay here or you stay with them para naman hindi ka nagda-drive disoras ng gabi kung hinahanap ka lagi ni Cali?"

"NO!" Ethan suddenly reacted. All eyes turned to him. "I-I'm sorry. I m-mean... It would be better if they will stay here."

"Raffy wouldn't say yes to that. She wanted to have a place of her own," Seff said quietly.

She has a place she doesn't know she owns, he thought.

"I'll go now," Ethan excused himself and stood up. "I have to attend to something."

He drove going to an exclusive village in Makati and parked his car outside a big house covered with a black gate. He took his keys and opened the gate. He walked inside the house painted white and adorned with glass walls. It was spacious and fully furnished. It has four rooms, three floors, and had a big glass window that covers the three floors on his main living room. The master bedroom has a bed good for four people, the living room with black colored couch, the garden with a big space to run and swing, has a treehouse, the kitchen complete with materials for cooking and baking.

It was his.

"Sir, buti nakauwi po kayo? May bisita po ba kayo mamaya?" his caretaker greeted him.

He smiled. "Wala naman po. Naisipan ko lang dumaan. Kumusta po?"

"Ayos naman po Sir," the lady answered. "Regular pa din po namin pinapalitan yung tubig sa pool pero nilagyan din po namin ng cover para hindi nadudumihan. Nililinis din po namin twice a week ang buong bahay. Napalitan na din po namin yung mga kurtina."

He nodded. "May kailangan bang bilhin o palitan?"

"Meron po Sir," sagot nito ng nakangiti.

"Ano po yun? Para mapabili and mapadeliver na agad," he answered.

"Yung titira po Sir. Dalawang taon na po ako naninilbihan sa inyo Sir pero wala pa pong kalahating taon kung pagsasamahin ko na umuwi kayo dito. Alam ko naman pong hindi nyo pinagawa yung bahay para kami lang ang andito," she said. "Lagyan nyo po Sir ng laman."

He smiled. "Susubukan ko po."

Give me a month.

He drove going to work right after checking the rest of the house and made sure that nothing was broken or missing. He hired three helpers for the house na kung tutuusin hindi kailangan madalas linisin dahil wala namang tao. Work was waiting for him and he started it as soon as he took his seat.