Joy is not infinite.
In between, there's pain, frustration and longing.
On the day of our flight back to Canada, our whole family was there.
As usual, umiyak na naman ang Nanay ni Nel habang nagpapaalala sa kanya na magpakabait.
Huwag daw akong bigyan ng sakit ng ulo lalo na ngayon at wala siyang trabaho.
Tumulong daw siya sa mga gawaing bahay.
At ang lagi niyang paalala, mag-aral si Nel ng maigi para lalong bumuti ang buhay naming dalawa.
I like how Nanay, iyon na daw ang itawag ko sa kanya, always included me in the conversation.
Lalong navalidate na part ako ng family nila ng sabihin ni Tatay na kabilang na ako sa mga Garcia.
Nakakataba ng puso lalo na at umpisa pa lang ay maayos na ang trato nila sa akin.
Estee came with us too.
Sinama niya ang manliligaw niya who calls himself a new Christian.
I don't exactly know what it meant but he didn't bristle when Hugo introduced me as Nel's girlfriend.
O baka naman napagsabihan na ni Estee?
Maggie was also there.
Blooming pa din ang new bride.
Very sweet sila ni Hugo.
Laging magkahawak ang kamay at kung magtinginan ay para pa ding nagliligawan.
They were obviously still in the honeymoon phase.
Mama came to see us off.
When I brought up the idea of moving to Canada, dadalaw daw mana siya to test the waters.
Saka na daw niya pag-iisipan ang permanent migration.
Baka daw kasi hindi niya kayanin ang lamig.
Isa pa, iniisip niya ang mga properties nila ni Papa.
I told her to take her time.
Hindi naman madalian ang desisyon na mag-migrate siya.
I did emphasized na gusto kong magkasama kami para maalagaan ko siya ng maayos.
She said I will know the answer kapag nakadalaw siya sa amin ni Nel.
When it was time for us to board, the embraces were tighter and the reminders were repeated.
Mag-ingat daw kami lagi. Paalala ni Nanay.
We told them we will let them know us soon as we land.
Nel and I took our suitcases.
Sinamahan kami ng buong family sa entrance.
We were met with the porters who readily offered a cart but we declined.
Bago kami pumasok, we hugged all of them.
As soon as we were in, we looked back with hearts filled with joy and love.
I don't know which one was harder.
The very first time I left?
Or this one?
I guess it doesn't really matter.
Kapag may maiiwan, laging masakit ang pagpapaalam.
There will always be a part of me that will be left behind.
The joy of seeing our families and the pain of saying goodbye.
But always, there is the hope that we will meet again.
Nel is less affected.
Sanay na daw kasi siya.
She did mention that she was excited to come back.
Iyon daw ang motivation niya para hindi siya masyadong maging malungkot.
"But for now, let's focus on what's ahead of us—my schooling."
Excited na siya to embark on a new career.
Dahil hindi naman kami kasal, she said she would pay me back.
I told her not to be stupid.
"We're as good as married, Nel."
She gave me a strange look.
"Come on. Don't tell me you don't know what I mean?"
"I don't."
"We can be considered as common law di ba?"
"I think so. Bukod sa we share the expenses, I promised to love you for the rest of my life."
Her smile was different.
More meaningful.
"I promise to do the same."
After saying that, she surprised me by raising her pinkie finger.
"What are you doing?"
"This is the closest I have to giving you a ring."
Iangat ko daw ng kalingkingan ko so we can seal the deal.
Tawa ako ng tawa lalo na ng nilabas niya ang camera.
"This is not official until we take a picture."
Not content with the photograph, I raised my hand and pulled her in for a kiss.
Skylar offered to pick us up.
She was kind enough to bring two jackets.
It was the dead of winter.
When I checked the weather forecast, the temperature was -35C on our arrival.
Nanunuot sa buto ang lamig.
I waited for Skylar's text bago kami lumabas ni Nel.
Thick snow was falling and the wind whipped our cheeks.
My skin prickled from the impact.
We really are back in Canada.
Skylar got out of the car and gave both of us a quick hug.
She opened the cargo at dalawa sila ni Nel na nagpasok ng mga suitcases.
Sabi ni Sky, sa loob na kami ng sasakyan magkuwentuhan unless we want to freeze our asses off.
I sat beside her sa passenger seat while Nel made herself comfortable sa backseat.
Once we were all inside, Skylar asked how the trip was.
"It's good. Really good." Sagot ko then glanced at Nel who was looking outside the window.
It was very white.
Heavy snow pelted the windshield and I could hear the wind.
The car shook from the pressure and I could barely see in front of me.
We arrived during a snow storm and visibility was poor.
Skylar drove slowly.
When I looked at the other cars, they were driving at the same speed.
I thought of how a few weeks ago, Nel and I were basking in the eternal sunshine.
The heat made me want to take my skin off.
Hindi ako lumalabas sa umaga dahil sobrang alinsangan.
The airconditioning was working nonstop pero it wasn't enough.
Now, we are back in the frozen tundra.
The sky was covered with gray clouds with the sun hiding behind it.
The dreary darkness made me a little nostalgic but it was funny how despite the stark contrast of where we were a few weeks ago, my heart was glad to finally be back home.
THE END
YOU ARE READING
6ix Days Book Two
General FictionA second chance. A new life. Will moving to Canada make....or break.... Lise and Chanel's relationship? All rights reserved. No part of this work may be published, distributed, extracted, re-utilized, or reproduced in any material form, including p...
