This update may be an eyesore for some of you. You may read it or you may wait until the next update. I'm deeply sorry.
Gian x Dani, KiefLy & ThirBea on a Sunday.
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THIRDY
"Isabel, natutulog ka pa ba?"
She flashed me a small smile before hugging me on the side and kissing me on my cheek. I was busy cooking breakfast for everyone. Kauuwi niya lang before I woke up. Nung magising kasi ako ay nagta-tanggal palang siya ng white coat at maliligo palang.
"Sana natulog ka pa," I glanced at the clock. Halos thirty minutes lang siyang nagpahinga. Kulang na kulang talaga.
"It's fine, baby. I waited for this vacation, 'no!" She opened our two-door refrigerator to get some iced coffee.
Ever since she became the Medical Director in Paras Medical, she got busier than ever. But despite her busy sched, when she comes home from work, she goes straight to the kitchen after freshening up. She would often prepare breakfast for us. Francine would always tell her mom that she prefers hot lunch kesa magluto pa si Bea.
"Puro kape nalang laman ng sistema mo. Why don't you just go back to bed?" Tanong ko nang kumuha pa siya ng isa pang bote sa ref.
"I need lots of energy today. It's family day!" I shook my head when I glanced at her. Pilipilit maging hyper pero 'yong mata niya, pipikit na.
Sinara ko na ang stove at nilagay na sa lamesa ang mga niluto ko. I just cooked hotdogs, bacons and eggs. I didn't bother to cook fried rice since we prefer toasted breads for breakfast. Isabel volunteered to wash the dishes. Hindi na 'ko kumontra. Her temper is short lalo na't wala pa siyang tulog.
After setting the table, I went up to wake Francine up. I was surprised to see her studying in her bed already. Bukas pa ang smart TV niya. She was studying about cardiology. A case disease was playing on the Television while she was probably taking own notes on her iPad.
"Good morning, love."
She was shocked when she turned to me. Bahagya pa siyang nanginig. Nagulat ko yata talaga siya.
"You're up early, daddy!" I closed the door behind me before sitting next to her. I kissed her forehead before looking at what she is doing on her iPad. I was right. She was taking down notes on a flowchart.
"Says the one who's studying at this ungodly hour," I glanced at the digital clock placed on her side table. It's 2 AM in the morning. We're supposed to leave at 5 AM para hindi kami masunog sa ilalim ng araw mamaya.
We're going to La Union to spend the rest of the day in the beach. It's been a long time since we had a vacation and we really needed this. I called Manong and Gian three days ago. I asked them to have a family vacation in La Union with us. These past few weeks have been tough for all of us, especially for Francine and Bea.
Last week, I saw Francine breaking down inside her room. I was about to call her for dinner but I caught her crying instead. Her Television was usually loud kaya hindi na 'ko nag-taka. She was stressed about her finals. She almost failed. Nahabol niya naman kahit papaano. Hindi rin nagalit si Bea. Hindi namin pine-pressure si Francine sa academics niya since alam namin kung gaano kahirap ang pagaaral ngayon. But she was the one who was pressuring herself. Lalo na when she knew that Bea had a lot of awards during high school and college. Tapos Dean's Lister pa siya nung college. Sinong hindi mape-pressure, 'di ba?
I can also see how tired Bea is. She's a successful woman. Maraming doktor under her team but she still chooses to go to work. She doesn't want to leave them behind. She wanted to be with everyone in every step of the way.
"You hungry?" I asked Francine. She turned to me before pouting. She was looking at me, and then her iPad. Nagdadalawang isip kung kakain ba o magpapatuloy sa pagaaral.
"It's a Sunday.." I tried to convince her. She finally let out a wide smile before turning the television off. I helped her to fix her bed before we went out.
Sabi ko sakanya ay mauna na siya sa baba because I had to check on Brent in the nursery. As soon as I opened the door, a cold air from the Air-Conditioner welcomed me. I turned the lamp on and I was surprised to see Beau awake. He didn't even cry. I turned the Air-Con off before I went to him. Dahan-dahan ko siyang kinarga.
"Good morning, little guy.." I greeted him in my soft voice. He made tiny sounds which made me smile. Kinuha ko ang gatas at bote'ng gagamitin niya bago bumaba. I was struggling to carry him and his milk which he probably felt that's why he kept still on our way down.
Beau, our second eldest was already in the dining area, seated beside Francine, in front of Bea.
"hello, my love!" Bea greeted as she ran towards me to carry Brent.
"Bakit nung nagising ako hindi ka ganyan?" I joked. Inirapan niya ako bago dumiretso sa dining table. I pulled Brent's high chair and placed it between Bea and I.
Gumawa lang si Bea saglit ng gatas ni Brent before we started eating. Studying wasn't allowed over breakfast but I still caught Francine listening to a case disease discussion. I saw her airpod hidden behind her hair. Hindi ko nalang pinansin at hinayaan ko nalang. Kung aawatin ko siya ngayon, magaaral lang siya sa dagat mamaya.
Francine volunteered to wash the dishes. I told Beau to take a bath already. Sinabay naman ni Bea ang pagpupunas kay Brent sa shower niya. I also helped her and told Francine na bihisan si Brent.
Bea and I took a bath together and of course, it ended up with a little quickie. Napatagal pa kami ng thirty minutes kaya napagalitan ako ni commander. Nagmadali tuloy kami sa pagiimpake at sa paglalagay ng mga gamit sa kotse.
Nag-drive thru kami sa McDo to buy something to eat habang nasa byahe. Four hours ang byahe so I told Bea to take the opportunity to take a nap.
"Sinong kakausap sa 'yo? Aantukin ka," Umiling ako. I told her na dadaldalin naman ako ni Francine kaya matulog na siya. Obviously, it was a cover up. Francine was seated at the back alone. She was studying while Brent and Beau was sleeping.
We brought our Mazda minivan since medyo marami kaming gamit na dala. Nauna na si Francine sa likod kaya si Beau and katabi ni Brent. The whole ride was quiet but it didn't make me feel sleepy since I got more than eight hours of sleep last night.
When we arrived at the resort, some approached us to take a photo. Bea declined some of them dahil kakagising lang niya kaya sa'kin nalang sila nagpa-picture.
After booking two hotel rooms, we went up and fixed our things na. We're planning to stay overnight since holiday naman bukas at walang pasok si Beau at Francine. Bea will do online consultations later this afternoon from 5 PM to 8 PM. I didn't approve it because Sundays are family days but she just wouldn't stop working.
"Hello, lovie!" I greeted Manong and ate Ly's eldest daughter who's the same age as Francine.
We're going to spend today and hopefully tomorrow with Manong's family and Dani. Mama and Papa didn't want to come.
"Tito," Keisha kissed me and Bea on our cheeks before she went back to what she was doing. Tabi na sila ngayon ni Francine na busy rin sa paga-iPad. Napailing ako lalo nang makitang nagaaral sila parehas.
Obviously, Dani was late. Inasar pa ni Manong si Gian dahil naka-score na naman raw siya kay Dani. Tawang-tawa naman kami dahil pulang pula si Dani. Daig pa ang kamatis.
"Cute naman nito!" Pinang-gigilan pa ni Dani si Brent. "Akin nalang 'to!"
"Nako, naiinggit na 'to, Mamuyac." Panimula na naman ni Manong.
"Stop using protections na kasi, uy! You're both married naman na," Natatawang saad ni Bea in her Cebuano accent.
I really enjoy her Cebuano accent. But I find it sexy when she talks in French.
"She wants to play pa. And so do I. 'Di pa namin kaya mag-anak," Natatawang sagot ni Mamuyac.
We spent the whole morning getting lost in the sea. Bea brought Brent with him and did a little dip. He seemed scared at first but he liked it very much. He's three at gusto na nga agad mag-jetski. The resort staff told us that Jetski is safe for brent naman daw but Bea and I didn't want to bring Brent with us while riding the jetski. Bukod sa kabado kami ay baka maglikot siya kaya huwag na. Siguro kapag malaki na siya.
"Kuya, Manong.." We both turned to Dani when she called us.
"'Yong mga dalaga niyo, ayun," She pointed at Francine and Keisha. "Puro aral. Kini-quiz pa nila isat't-isa. Ate Ly and ate Bei will surely get mad if they sees them studying,"
After a little talk with Dani, Manong and I went to our girls. We overheard them fighting about a certain part in their disease case.
"Girls.." I kissed Francine's forehead before getting her iPad and turning it off.
"Today's family day, right?" I asked. The both of them exchange looks before nodding and pouting.
"And what's our rule?" Manong asked, reaching for Keisha's iPad.
"No..?"
"No studying during family reunions and family day," Sabay nilang saad.
"Don't be too harsh on yourselves, loves. Don't be pressured. Everybody has different levels of tolerance. I know you guys get tired too. That's why we went here. Look at your mommies," Manong pointed at Bea and ate Ly who were playing with Brent, Beau and Knox, KiefLy's youngest.
"We all know they're tired. They're doctors, e. But they still went here. They took a rest from all of their work in Manila. You should too," Manong smiled at them. "Do you want their two-day vacation to go to waste?" Pangongonsensya niya pa. Bahagya akong natawa ngunit agad ring tumigil nang samaan niya 'ko ng tingin.
"But.. Mommy's going to work tonight. She said she's going to do an online consultation," Francine pouted.
"Help daddy convince mommy not to work tonight?" Agad naman siyang pumayag.
They kept in touch with their moms. We were planning to have a triple date night by the beach. Agad na naming hinila si Gian papunta sa reception para mag book ng schedule. We chose the 8 PM dinner so we'll still have ample time to prepare and settle down.
By 6 PM ay magaaya na kaming umahon at maligo. Mamaya ay maghahabilin nalang ako sa reception na magpa-room service ng dinner para sa mga bata. I told them to stay in one room para kapag nalaman ni Bea, ate Ly at Dani na magde-date kami ay hindi sila magaalala.
"Lunch is ready!" Manong called. Agad na nagtakbuhan ang mga bata sa cottage.
After that, they went back to swim. Nakisali na rin kami after fixing the cottage. We played Frisbee and beach volleyball. 5:30 na nang makaramdam sila ng pagod kaya maaga kaming nakaakyat. We even saw how the staff fixed and put a table from afar. Nagkagulatan pa kami when we bumped off each other pero sinenyasan ko siyang 'wag ako pansinin para hindi kami mabuking.
"Love, what do you think?"
I was busy on fixing my polo when Bea when came inside the bathroom, wearing a white long slit beach dress. It was backless. Her hair was all curly and she was wearing a light make up. I think she also put mascara on because her lashes were more emphasized. She was holding two pairs of high heels and showing it off to me.
"Which one looks better on my outfit?" She asked and tried them off. Magkaiba sa magkabilang paa.
"The black one looks better," I answered. "But you might hut your feet, love. Mag-sandals ka nalang kaya?"
"Love! Baka naman kasi may biglang pasabog pala!" Napakunot ang noo ko.
"Pasabog? What?" Does she know about the surprise already? Did Francine and Keisha tell her about out set up?
"Kasi look at you! You're all dressed up na para kang mage-escort sa debut!"
"What? This is how I usually dress," Saad ko.
Wala namang masyadong nagbago sa'kin. In fact, I didn't want to look like I'm overdressed because I didn't want her to feel like she's underdressed and not prepared.
She decided to wear the high heels I chose dahil sayang naman raw ang effort nila ni ate Ly. Pinalitan ko na rin ang polo ko para tugma naman sa outfit nila. When Bea went out of our hotel room, I went to the closet and grabbed a pair of his sandals and put it inside the LV paper bag that I brought.
I was holding her hand on our way to the beach. Sa malayo palang ay nakita na nila ito. Nang makalapit na kami sa set up, they started tearing up. Gian, Manong and I were all laughing at them. Siguro kanito sila kapagod to the point na they ended up crying about our surprise.
"Here's some special reserved little wine," I stood up and opened a bottle of wine. I filled each of our glasses equally.
"It's been a long time since we had a little rest like this. Deserve niyo naman 'to. I can tell," Manong leaned on to ate Ly and kissed her cheek.
I sat down again beside Bea, wrapping my arm around her, kissing her bare shoulder. She gave me a small smile before resting her head on my neck.
"Saludo ako sa'ting lahat. Through thick and thins.. Andito pa rin tayo. Magkakasama," Gian looked blankly at nothing before smiling, reminiscing everything that we've been through as individuals and as a family.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you.. Especially Gian and Bea for sticking with this family during our darkest times," I felt Bea smile.
"Anything for our family, Manong." She gave him a thumbs up before laughing.
"Honestly, it was hard.." We all looked at Gian. "It's hard to witness how we were slowly falling apart. It's hard to see Francine and Keisha being aware of what's happening around them at a very young age. I didn't want them to think that it's normal and it usually happens in every single family. I didn't want them to get the wrong definition of love and marriage,"
Among all of us, si Gian ang mapagmahal sa mga anak namin. Dahil siguro ay wala pa silang anak. But I can tell that Keisha and Francine recognizes Gian as their Superhero. Gian takes them somewhere far and peaceful during our darkest time. Dani was usually left alone with us to take care of our little ones.
"I wanted to tell them how sorry I am for what I did. I was an asshole. What I did was just.. so fucked up.." Manong smiled before looking up, trying to stop his tears from falling.
"Sorry.. for everything that I've done ever since.." He looked at us with sincerity in his eyes. "Bea, Gian, sorry if marrying my siblings meant that you'll also carry all the hardships in our family. Sorry if you had to take part of our problems.." He apologized.
"Thirdy, Dani.. I'm sorry if you've been living under my shadows for a long time. Sorry for the pressure people has made you feel throughout your career. I'm sorry if people throws hate at you guys for what I did in the past. You didn't deserve any of it. You deserved all the praises and good things in the world," His tears started to fall. I swallowed an invisible lump on my throat as I felt my tears building up in my eyes.
"Ly, I'm sorry for hurting you.. I'm so sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for everything. I know my apologies won't change anything about the past. But I'm here now. And I will never leave.."
What I admire most about our family is our feet, our hands and our heart.
Because no matter how harsh the wind and life is, we still managed to stand by each other, holding each other with a very tight grip, and walks through every hardship life has thrown at us. And we wouldn't be able to go through everything if it weren't because of our hearts. Our love for each other is just unconditional and our hearts are hard as rock. To the point that we stayed even if everything was hurting us. Even if everything was killing and tearing us into pieces.
"The past has gone by and we've buried it already. Let's cherish the present while it lasts," Ate Ly raised her glass of wine.
"Cheers to the past; the past which tore us into pieces and put us back into shape. The past which made us what we are today," She smiled. "And cheers to the future, and to what the future holds."
Cheers. To happiness and the heartbreaks. To the highs and lows. To the brightest of bright and darkest of dark.
To new heights and beginnings- to a new life. Cheers.