Nine Days With Jude [CLAVERIA #1]

DAY 2

AFTER getting ready, lumabas na ko ng room ko and went downstairs. At the end of the staircase I saw my mom smiling at me. I gritted my teeth in anger. The audacity of this woman is really beyond the roof.

I just continued walking downstairs at nilagpasan ko lang siya. I did not bother to give her a single glance nor a single breath.

"Kumain ka na muna," she said.

I stopped pero hindi ko siya nilingon. "Nagmamadali ako."

"Hindi ka na kumain pagdating mo kagabi hindi ka pa rin kakain ngayon, baka manghina ka niyan."

Nilingon ko siya finally and glared at her. "I told you nagmamadali ako. I'm going to meet an important client so if I were you magpapahinga na lang ako to prepare for dialysis later."

She's sick.

She has chronic renal failure so she needs to undergo dialysis three times a week and she's been doing it for six months already.

I was about to turn my back on her again pero nagsalita ulit siya, "Gusto lang kitang makasalo sa pagkain. Hindi ko na kasi maalala kung kailan kita huling nakasabay kumain."

I sighed and bite my lower lip.

Wala akong nagawa kundi sabayan siyang mag-breakfast. We went into kitchen and saw the maids preparing our meal.

They greeted us pero hindi ko sila binati pabalik. I never had a maid before, nasanay akong mag-isa. Pero dahil sa sitwasyon ng magaling kong ina, wala akong choice kung hindi mag-hire ng maid. I don't know what their names are because they are unimportant for me.

Binilisan ko ang pagkain para makaalis agad ako but one of the maids added something on the table.

"Ano 'yan?" tanong ko.

"Spaghetti, anak."

I removed the lid of the bowl and it smelled familiar.

"Naaalala mo ba noong bata ka pa? Palagi kang nagpapaluto sa'kin ng spa—"

"Yeah, I remembered. Naaalala ko pero pilit kong kinakalimutan tapos pinaalala mo pa sa'kin ngayon."

She bowed down her head. "S-Sorry, anak. A-Akala ko kasi magugustuhan mo. Paborito mo kasi ang luto kong Spaghetti noon."

"To make thing clear, I love spaghetti in general so don't think na special ang luto mo. Isa pa...busog na rin ako."

"Kahit...kahit tikman mo lang, anak. Gumising ako ng maaga para lutuin ko 'yan."

"Sinusumbat mo sa'kin?"

"Hindi, anak. Hindi sa ganon. Sige na anak, kahit tikman mo lang."

I stared at her and stared down at the bowl. "Fine, kung 'yan ang ikatatahimik mo."

I ate one forkful of it, and the moment I had a taste of it, several memories waved in. The smell and taste is so familiar that it triggers a lot of good and happy memories.

I chewed slowly as I remember how happy we were bago mawala si Daddy.

We were a perfect family.

Pero sinira iyon ng babaeng nasa harap ko ngayon and I will forever be loathing her for that.

Agad akong kumuha ng tissue at iniluwa ang kinain ko. "It tastes so awful. Next time hayaan mo na lang na mga katulong ang magluto."

Tumayo na ko at nagmadaling umalis.