Baby Madness

Chapter 17

Bumalik ulit ako sa room para kunin ang phone ko at ang comforter saka ako naglakad papunta sa sala pero agad akong napatigil nang nasa tapat na ako ng room nila.

"She must be worried."

Hah. As if.

I was about to walk away but I suddenly heard a series of whimper. Dahan-dahan akong pumasok sa kwarto nina Czanelle at Clark at umiiyak si Clark kaya naman nilapitan ko siya. He was still asleep and he might be dreaming something bad so I tried to touch him but I momentarily stopped when I realized I don't know what to do.

Should I wake him up? Should I carry him?

My mind was filled with doubts but when he started to cry, I ran out of options. My hands made their way to his tiny body and I remembered Jazer's word when he let me carry Clark before. I carefully put my hand on his back, the other one supporting his neck, and held him in my arms.

He continued to sob and mumble so I decided to bring him out of the room since he might wake up Czanelle and that would bring me trouble. Pagkalabas namin ay dinala ko siya sa sala at nang makaupo ako sa couch ay nagpakawala ako ng buntong-hininga. When I looked at Clark, his now peaceful face came into view. It seemed like his nightmare ended.

"Seriously, kid? Pagkatapos mo akong pahirapan?" sabi ko at sinandal ko ang ulo ko sa couch habang nasa lap ko ang bubwit na 'to.

Tahimik lang kami pareho at mukhang nakatulog na ulit siya nang maayos kaya hindi ako masyadong gumalaw. Bigla naman akong napaisip kung bakit ko 'to ginagawa. I swore not to get swayed again by this kind of feeling, didn't I?

Hindi ko alam kung bakit naalala ko na naman ang parents ko. I remembered how Dad would always play with me while Mom would watch us happily. Memories resurfaced and I felt sad when I could only recall several of them. That was expected since I had only spent my first three years with them. After that, everything had changed. They weren't the parents I knew anymore, and I wasn't the child they left here alone either.

I tried hard to push these memories in the back of my mind because I did not want to ruin this night. Napatingin ulit ako kay Clark at bigla akong naawa sa kanya. Isang taon pa lang siya ay nalayo na kaagad siya sa mga magulang namin. He might not be able to recognize or remember them after some time.

Before I could drown in these upsetting thoughts, I decided to bring him to his room do that we could both rest. Dahan-dahan akong pumasok at nilagay ko siya sa higaan niya at kinuha ko naman ang phone at comforter ko sa kwarto nila na naiwan ko kanina. Dumiretso ako sa kwarto ko at humiga na dahil parang napagod ako kahit 'yon lang ang ginawa ko.

Maybe I need more hours of rest.

***

Alam n'yo kung ano ang nakakainis? Kung kailan weekend, saka naman ako nagigising nang maaga. Peste.

I woke up at 6 AM and I forced myself to sleep again but my mind was already on its active state. Wala na rin akong nagawa kundi bumangon at balak ko sanang mag-breakfast nang maaga pero pagbaba ko ay naabutan ko na ang dalawang bubwit at isang bwisit sa sala. Great.

"Ate!" sigaw ni Czanelle nang makita niya ako. "Ate's awake na!" sabay takbo niya papunta sa hagdan.

Bumaba naman ako at sinalubong niya ako sa dulo. Even Clark ran toward me and that made me reminisce what happened last night. Both of them encircled me as we walked to the living room. Parang napapagod na agad ako habang tinitignan ko sila na sobrang active kahit ang aga-aga pa.

Uupo na sana ako sa couch pero napatigil ako nang makita kong nakatingin sa akin si Jazer. After that incident, it felt like he would tease me every time we see each other. When he suddenly approached me, I was tempted to run but was petrified instead because his hand landed on my forehead.