"GO JAYDIE!" Kaela screamed from the side as Jayden sprinted across the field. The 200m sprint was the last event of the sports day.
"YES!" Tricia and Kaela fist-pumped the air when Jayden was the first one to break through the finish line, the rest of the fathers a distance behind.
"Jaydie, you won!" Kaela ran up to Jayden, Tricia trailing behind.
"I told you I would." Jayden picked Kaela up.
"You were so fast!" Kaela was amazed at Jayden's speed. All that suspect chasing did come in handy after all.
"Water?" Tricia smiled as she handed Jayden a bottle of cold water.
"Thanks...Did I look cool while running?" Jayden winked.
"Just because you came in first, doesn't mean you get to be all cocky, Rivera." Tricia rolled her eyes.
"Too bad, Robredo." Jayden wrapped his arm around Tricia and pulled her in for a kiss on the forehead.
"Everyone's looking..." Tricia smacked Jayden in embarrassment.
"Kaela, can you bring your Mummy and Daddy over for the award ceremony?" One of the teachers called out.
"Medal time!" Kaela cheered as she held Jayden and Tricia's hands, pulling them towards the podium.
"1st place for the 100m sprint goes to Kaela's Daddy!" One of the teachers announced as the children approached their fathers to hand out medals. Kaela was no exception.
"And the overall 1st place for the individual and family events goes to Kaela!" The teacher handed over a mini trophy to Kaela, who was standing on the podium.
"Yay Kaela!" Jayden and Tricia cheered proudly as Kaela waved at them.
"Kaela! Is that your Mummy and Daddy?" A boy ran up to Kaela.
"Uh..." Kaela looked up at Jayden and Tricia.
"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Tricia and this is Jayden. What's your name?" Tricia bent down to match the height of the boy, reaching out her hand for a handshake.
"Aryan!" The boy shook Tricia's hand, flashing a toothy smile.
"Aryan's my best friend!" Kaela informed. Although it didn't mean Kaela had told Aryan that she didn't have a Mummy or Daddy. In fact, she'd always watch longingly as Aryan's parents came to pick him up after school daily.
"Mama, Papa! Kaela's over here!" Aryan waved to his parents, who made their way over.
"Hi Kaela, congratulations on winning 1st place!" Aryan's mum gave Kaela a warm smile.
"Thank you, auntie!" Kaela liked Aryan's mum. She was always smiling.
"Oh god, where are my manners...Nice to meet you, I'm Aryan's mum. You can call me Aisha!" Aisha introduced herself.
"Pleasure is ours too. I'm Tricia and this is Jayden." Tricia returned the introduction.
"What do you work as? My Mama's a lawyer and my Papa is a businessman." Aryan looked up at Tricia and Jayden as he asked.
"Trishie's a doctor and Jaydie's a policeman!" Kaela answered instead.
"Wow, that's cool! But why do you call them Trishie and Jaydie...not Mummy and Daddy?" Aryan was confused.
"Aryan!" Aisha stopped her son. She had heard about Kaela's situation from the Sister that usually picked Kaela up. Kaela waved at Jayden and Tricia, wanting them to bend down.
"Yes, cutie?" Tricia whispered.
"Can I tell Aryan the truth? That you and Jaydie are not my Mummy and Daddy?" Kaela whispered back.
"What does your heart say, Kaela?" Jayden asked.
"I shouldn't lie to my best friend. Friends should be honest with each other..." Kaela bit her lip.
"I think you're right, cutie." Tricia affirmed Kaela.
"Aryan, I want to tell you something." Kaela mustered up the courage. Aryan blinked in confusion.
"I don't have a Daddy or a Mummy." Kaela confessed.
"Oh..." Aryan processed the confession.
"Do you still want to be friends?" Kaela held her breath.
"We'll always be best friends, Kaela! I like you for who you are!" Aryan gave Kaela a big hug, melting the adults' hearts. Children didn't care about such things.
"We're so proud of you, cutie." Tricia praised Kaela, Jayden giving her a thumbs up.
"I'm glad that I told Aryan the truth." Kaela realised it wasn't as bad as she thought.
"I think we all deserve dessert. How does waffles sound?" Jayden suggested.
"Yes please!" Kaela nodded vigorously.
~
"When are you coming to visit again?" Kaela asked the moment they arrived at the center. The last 4 days with Tricia and Jayden had passed in a flash.
"I can't give you a date for now...but we promise to try our best." Tricia hesitated.
"Kaela, do you mind if I talk to Tricia and Jayden for a while?" Sister Maria signalled to another Sister to take Kaela aside.
"Don't go without saying bye!" Kaela reminded the adults.
"We would never, cutie. We'll come find you later." Tricia assured.
"How can we help you, Sister Maria?" Jayden turned to the older lady.
"It's about your relationship with Kaela." Sister Maria broached the topic.
"Is something wrong?" Tricia got worried.
"I know both of you have a special connection with Kaela but considering the circumstances and Kaela's age, I'm worried about giving Kaela any false hope or building an over-reliance on you." Sister Maria let out a tiny sigh. Tricia and Jayden exchanged worried looks.
"I'm sorry, we didn't think that far...is there anything we should take note of from now?" Tricia suddenly felt guilty.
"Is there a way to avoid whatever you mentioned, Sister Maria?" Jayden was equally concerned.
"There's nothing to be worried about for now...but if you have plans on visiting often then we might want to think about how we are going to help Kaela understand the relationship you share." Sister Maria gave them a warm smile.
"I think we're on the same page about wanting to continue visiting Kaela." Tricia looked at Jayden, who nodded.
"Then we might have to go through that talk then..." Sister Maria actually favoured this option.
"Or..." The younger Sister interjected.
"Or what, Sister?" Jayden and Tricia turned to the Sister.
"You could consider...adopting." The Sister dropped the bomb after getting a nod of approval from Sister Maria.
"I wasn't going to bring it up just yet but since Helen over here couldn't hold back...Have you guys thought about adoption?" Sister Maria looked at the couple.
"We...haven't really talked about this." Jayden hesitated, unsure of what Tricia thought.
"I'm not asking you to make a decision now. Beside, given that it would be an international adoption, it's going to be a long process." Sister Maria didn't want to pressurise them.
"If you ever need help, let us know. In the meantime, here's some information that will come in handy." Sister Helen slid a file and some brochures to the couple.
"Like Helen said, give it some deep thought, although no pressure, and let us know if you have any questions. Other than that, I think Kaela's waiting for you to say goodbye..." Sister Maria got up, prompting Tricia and Jayden to follow suit.
"Trishie! Jaydie!" Kaela hopped right into Jayden's embrace as she spotted them.
"I think you need a shower, cutie. You're all sweaty!" Tricia swiped the sweat off Kaela's forehead.
"Are you two leaving now?" Kaela sighed.
"We have to get to the airport to catch our flight, I'm sorry cutie..." Tricia let out a resigned smiled.
"It's okay, I know that you and Jaydie are really busy people. I'll miss you..." Kaela reached out to Tricia for a hug.
"We'll miss you loads too, cutie." Tricia gave Kaela a big hug.
"Be a brave girl and take care of yourself, okay? Eat all your veggies and don't be picky with your food." Jayden reminded.
"Yes, Sir!" Kaela 'saluted' Jayden.
"Come on, Kaela." Sister Helen beckoned for Kaela to come to her.
"Bye bye..." Kaela waved as Tricia and Jayden got into the car, refusing to leave until she could no longer see the car. Indeed, goodbyes were never easy.
~
"About..." Tricia and Jayden said in unison.
"You go first." Jayden chuckled.
"I was just thinking about what Sister Maria and Sister Helen said earlier...what do you think?" Tricia wondered.
"Can I hear your thoughts first?" Jayden returned the question. He didn't want his answer to burden Tricia.
"Promise that you won't change your opinion because of what I say?" Tricia held out her pinky.
"Promise." Jayden hooked their pinkies.
"It says here that in order to qualify for international adoption, the basic condition is that you have to be married while you and your spouse need to have a minimum combined annual income of USD40,000." Tricia pointed at the list of criteria.
"I think we hit the income criteria and as for the other one..." Jayden's eyes didn't know where to look.
"The other one...?" Tricia repeated.
"Give me one year. I want to be with you for the rest of my life but before that, I have to put an end to my parents' accident. I want to be fully present and available for you, free of any possibility that I may hurt you in the process of finding closure." Jayden held Tricia's hand.
"Is this a proposal?" Tricia raised an eyebrow.
"It's my promise. Will you wait for me?" Jayden was serious.
"30th December 2024. I'll be waiting." Tricia did the math.
"I'm sorry but make do with this for a while..." Jayden took the napkin in front of him and folded it into a ring, slipping it onto Tricia's ring finger.
"Taylor Swift said I'd marry you with paper rings but I didn't think you'd take it literally, Rivera." Tricia was tickled.
"I'll get you the shiny things, I promise." Jayden held up his hand in a swearing position.
"I'll still marry you with paper rings, pangga." Tricia smiled.
"I'll marry you with all I have, sinta." Jayden kissed Tricia's hand.
A/N:
How cute can we get <3
Also, doesn't Kaela Robredo-Rivera sound like a good future?