Baby Madness

Chapter 59

"Do you want to stay there?" bigla niyang tanong kaya hindi agada ko nakasagot.

"S-stay? You mean . . ."

He smiled. "Yeah. In the Philippines."

I just stared at him for a few seconds, refusing to believe what I just heard. Did he really say that? Could I really stay there?

"Why?" I carefully asked. I wanted to know why he said that.

"Your performance as the deputy CIO was praised by the board members," he said. "Because of your strategical planning, we managed to raise the profits of our company, as well as our subsidiaries. Now, you have been granted the rights to be the CIO of one of our subordinate companies either in the Philippines or US. The question is, can you do it?"

His statement lingered in my head for a while. I never thought I'd hear praises from the board members because half of them were in the Mao faction. I just did my job as an information officer but this kind of accomplishment made it more gratifying to the point that I almost teared up. I was given a chance and it was tempting but I knew I already had my answer before I could think about it.

"I'm beyond grateful, really . . ." I looked at Dad and smiled. Looking at his expression, he must already know my decision. "But I want to get my Master's degree. Besides, I still have a lot to learn from my CIO. I can surely do it but not this early. So can you ask me that question again after some time, Dad?"

I knew some people would think I wasted an opportunity. Queenie would probably yell at me for choosing this path rather than staying with my family but this was my way of becoming better. I wanted to be someone I could be proud of.

"Of course," Dad replied with a gentle smile on his face. "I knew you would say that."

Tumayo naman siya mula sa kama ko at naglakad palabas ng kwarto pero huminto siya nang nasa pintuan na siya.

"You've grown well," he said as I watched his back. "I'm beyond proud of you."

"Dad . . ."

My voice faltered upon hearing his words. He's a man of few words so I get flustered and moved whenever he says anything heartwarming.

"I know you've been chasing my back since you were young and you've been supporting me these past few years." He turned around and looked at me right into my eyes. "This time, take the lead and keep moving forward. And if you stumble, I'll be right behind. Because this time, I'll be the one supporting you."

He walked away after saying those words and my throat hurt trying to hold back my emotions. I breathed deeply and clutched my necklace. I must face him head-on. That would be the only way to show my resolve.

"Thank you, Dad," I whispered.

This time, I am only looking forward.

***

"How are you feeling? Excited? Nervous? Both?"

I rolled my eyes at him. Bakit ba kasama namin ang isang 'to?

"Shut up, old man," I ordered.

"Ah, nervous, I see."

"Why are you even here?"

"What? Am I not allowed to have a vacation? Philippines has a lot of beautiful beaches, right?"

"Are you really looking for beaches? Or is it the one with a different spelling?"

"Hey! Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Yeah."

"You . . ."