"Sometimes two people don't need an end.. They only need a new start."
"Ginabi ka ata," Des remarked as soon as Drei stepped inside the house. She found them – Ate Des, Kuya Aldrin and Matty – huddled on the living room couch watching some teleserye on TV. "So ano na nangyari sa lakad mo? Everything okay?"
"Well," Drei started as she placed her purse on the empty single sofa nearest to her. Then she smiled at the three set of eyes that was waiting for her to continue. "It's a baby girl!"
"That's great, Drei!" Kuya Aldrin said and Ate Des agreed as they congratulated her.
"Akala ko baby brother!" Matty frowned. He stood up, made his way towards his Mom to give her a hug and then glanced up to meet her eyes. Drei just smiled and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She knew how much he's been wishing that it'll be a boy. Then he cupped Drei's bulging belly. "It's okay na girl ka, baby. Kuya will still take care of you."
"But you can't make me play with your dolls, okay?" he added as he gave the little bump a kiss. "Because Kuyas are boys and boys don't play with dolls!" The adults in the room just chuckled at what he said.
"So it's okay that you'll be having a baby sister?" Drei asked and then he nodded. "It will be fun, trust me!"
"Teka tawagan ko si Mama!" Des said excitedly as she grabbed her phone from the coffee table and stood up. "Naku maeexcite yun pag –"
"Good evening po!" a voice suddenly said and they all turned to see Alex who was standing by the door behind Drei, hands shoved in his pockets. Des just arched a brow at him.
"Ay... Ate Des this is –"
"Yeah, Alex, right?" Des blurted out finishing her sister's sentence.
"Nice to meet you," Alex said holding himself back from using "Ate Des". Des was a petite woman in her late thirties, sharing the same features that of Drei's. He cleared his throat as he shifted from one foot to the other and attempted one of his mega-watt smile, which she returned with a blank stare and a nod. Alex's great when it comes to meeting other people's family. He was charming enough to win over most anyone. And well, he has already proven that to be true because his friends' family adored him. But as Des looked at him with such open suspicion combined with a peculiar kind of mistrust, he suddenly doubted his ability to charm off this one.
"Glad you finally showed up!" she said, there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice though she managed not to make it sound that way. He felt his face getting hot. And from that point onwards it was pretty clear that Des didn't like him at all.
Drei just widened her eyes at her sister, which Des returned by rolling her eyes. And then Drei pointed at the man who was beside her sister. "And that's Kuya Aldrin, husband niya!". Both men shook hands.
"Nice to meet you po!" Alex said trying his best not to be distracted by the look on Des' face. It suddenly made him feel uncomfortable.
"Likewise, Alex!" Kuya Aldrin said cheerfully not minding his wife who was eyeing Alex like a prey. "Maupo ka!"
Matty stared at the familiar face to whom the voice belonged to. Standing tall in his black shorts and V-neck grey shirt, he wasn't a stranger. But as he inched closer beside his Mom inside their living room while he was talking to his Tito Aldrin, he suddenly felt that he didn't know him at all. Only three things came into his mind at that moment. One, he was his baby sister's Dad. Two, his Tita Des didn't like him at all. And three, the combination of one and two was pretty much the reason why his Mom was in trouble. Even if nobody admitted to him the real reason why, Matty's little gut feeling told him it was all because of this man. His Tito Alex.
The excitement that he'd usually feel whenever he sees him along with the fun memories they had faded away all together. He was no longer the cool Tito Alex he knew and suddenly everything changed. He was angry. Right there he realized one thing... it had taken him six months to show up.
"Hey Matty," Alex greeted glancing down at him with a smile. For a moment Matty hung back, unsure what to do or say. "Kamusta ka na?"
"Okay lang." he said flatly.
"How's school?"
"Fine."
Alex suddenly felt the awkwardness of their conversation but managed to keep his cool. Matty wasn't like this whenever they'd see each other. He was always smiling and perky but now it seemed different. Despite noticing the series of unenthusiastic replies he was getting from the little boy in front of him, Alex shrugged off the possibility that something was wrong.
"Nag aaral ka ba ng mabuti?"
Matty stared blankly at him. "Yes."
"That's good to hear," he replied. "So did you –"
"Mom, I want to sleep now." The little boy interrupted out of the blue, looking at his Mom. "Puwede na po ba akong umakyat sa taas?"
Drei's brows creased in puzzlement. "Naantok ka na?" Matty just gave her a nod. Then she placed a hand on his forehead to check if he was having a fever or something. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, Mom." He said nonchalantly. Then his gaze drifted briefly over at Alex then back at Drei. "Just sleepy."
"Okay. Did you finish your homework?" Her son just replied with a nod. "Nagtoothbrush ka na ba?" And another nod came. "Sige na akyat na kayo ni Manang Rose."
Without a word Matty strutted away from the adults, headed for the stairs, with Manang Rose trailing behind him, and leaving Drei with a puzzled look on her face.
'Now that's weird!' she thought as her little boy disappeared from her sight. 'What was that all about?'
"You what?" Johann blurted out stupefied almost choking on his beer and the fact that it was coming from the man sitting in front of him somehow made it more shocking. After giving them a no-show for almost a week and a half, Alex finally appeared looking all calm and recharged, like he had some epiphany during the course of his hibernation. He looked different and it gave Johan that eerie feeling the moment he saw him standing there when he opened the gate.
And now as they sat on balcony of the second floor with a bottle of beer on each hand, Johann stared at him for a moment trying to absorb what he just said with much scrutiny and asking himself if his best friend was joking or not. There was nothing. And all he could see was the humorless look written all over Alex's face. His mouth dropped open. "What the—?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Nope!" Alex arched his brows, gave him a straight smile and shook his head. "Not out of my mind!"
"Then what the hell did you just do?!" The news was just so hard to believe and for one, Johan didn't expect that this seemingly absurd idea was part of his 'back-from-the-dead' appearance.
"I asked Drei to move in with me," he repeated once more and took a mouthful of his beer. "What's wrong with that?"
"Lex, you just asked a girl to move in with you..." Johan gave him a contradicting look.
But Alex stared at him with the same calm demeanor. "So?"
"Di ka ba nag iisip?" he asked again, cringing as he scratched his head. "You're asking Drei to move in with you as if it's the easiest thing to do..."
"Yup, wala namang masama di ba?"
Johan narrowed his eyes on him. "Teka nga... ano ba kayo? Are you guys together?"
"No!" Alex protested. "We're not together!"
"Eh ano kayo?"
"We're friends..."
"You're not answering my question, Bro! You don't ask a girl to move in with you with you if you guys aren't together!" Johan said, making himself loud and clear. "Parang inaya mo lang mag overnight ah! And that's the problem cos you never, not once in your life, asked a girl to move in with you. Ever!"
That was true, Alex never had a serious relationship in his lifetime, except for Cheska. But after their semi tragic ending, Alex started to live with the metaphor that he was a predator and women were his prey. Girls were just a notch on his bedpost and unfortunately Drei was part of that statistic.
"Well you guys did it, right?" he said defensively. "Ikaw, si Pao, si Mickey. You guys asked girls to move in with you! I don't see the difference!"
"Bro, it was different for us," Johan stated matter-of-factly. "All of us were in a relationship with the women we moved in with. Eh ikaw? Ano kayo ni Drei? Are you and Drei in a relationship?"
And Johan's attempt on knocking some sense into him was working. Alex knew his best friend had a point and it made him ask himself the same question. What were they? What's with him and Drei? Sure they fooled around a couple of times, but they weren't even in a relationship. They were just two people who wanted a good distraction but ended up with something that they never expected more than fun – Zooey.
He sighed. "We're friends, Yo... we decided to be friends after nangyari yung lahat and I guess that's okay. We're friends who have a kid together."
"So you asked Drei to live with you because you guys have a kid?"
"Yes at saka gusto ko gawin yung responsibilidad ko as a father to my kid... especially na she'll be giving birth soon and all."
"Na giguilty ka? Is that it?"
"Well yes, I guess part din yun... after all I said nung binyag ni Uel... I mean, I didn't see that coming, na bigla ako..."
"Okay... pero bro, you could be a responsible father even if you guys aren't living together." Johan pointed out. "Madami naman tayong kilalang ganyan... you don't need to ask her to move in with you..."
What Johan said was true; he could still carry out his responsibilities as a father even if they're not living together. Why does he want Drei to move in with him anyway? The thought suddenly caught him off guard.
"I just want to be there for her, bro..." he said with much conviction. For now, this was what he could do for Drei and for Zooey. "At least for the remaining months before manganak siya di ba, I mean baka may mga kailangan siya at lahat... I want to be there. Alam ko naman she needs someone..."
"Whoa! That just sounded weird coming from you, Bro!" Johan commented. From his point of view, Alex never looked more persistent about the idea. He could see how determined he is. It gave him the shivers he couldn't ignore. A changed man? Perhaps. But then Johan knew that there was something more, he could feel it.
"I dunno how you guys would make that work. Pinag-isipan mo ba to ng mabuti? This isn't one of those impulsive decisions you made, like a spur of the moment thing, right?"
"No!" he grumbled. "Yun nga maganda eh, 'cos we don't have that emotional thing between us. We're cool, you know. Di kami awkward sa isa't isa after what happened to us..."
"How sure are you, Bro? Sure ka sa sarili mo, pero how about kay Drei? How sure are you that she feels the same way?"
"Oo naman," He said. But how sure was he? He pondered on that for a while. Everything he knew about Drei's feelings was based on what she told him and nothing more. Alex never wanted to assume and he didn't want to dig further into that. "She told me, and we talked about it."
"Di kaya baka isang araw magulat ka na lang in love ka na pala sa kanya?"Johan fired back. Alex just shook his head in disbelief. "After all you guys will be living in the same house."
"Not a chance, bro!" he retorted and then he let out a soft laugh.
Living with Drei under one roof suddenly made him wonder how things are going to be with them. Waking up and coming home to her every single day, he tried to picture it in his mind. And as the picture became clear, he suddenly found himself so unsure. What if he falls for her? But then again his logical side took over. He doesn't do relationships and commitments, that was how he was built and he didn't want to hurt her. The idea of moving in was all for Zooey and not for them, he reminded himself.
But Johan just gave him a quizzical look, one side of his mouth quirked up into a smile. "Maybe this isn't the right time to ask you that... but who knows, right?"
"Yo, don't start... that's just impossible!" he countered, letting out another laugh.
"The possibilities are endless, Bro! Wag magsalita ng patapos!" Johan mocked.
"Trust me, that won't happen!" Alex answered, so sure of himself. They were better off this way. Then he suddenly diverted the subject as he recalled what happened earlier inside that Ultrasound room in Medical City. "By the way, I met her today."
"Met who?" He was stalling and the thought made Johan smile because as always, Alex was avoiding topics such as this. Maybe this wasn't the right time, yet.
"My little girl..." he said with a smile.
"So it's a girl?" Johan repeated, gazing at Alex who was looking all smitten. Alex nodded proudly. "Congrats, bro! So how did it go?"
"Thanks, bro!" then Alex handed his phone over to show Johan the pictures he took during the ultrasound. "The ultrasound was okay, normal naman yung baby... no deformities and all."
"Wow!" Johan managed to say, particularly surprised at the splitting resemblance of the image on the screen. The nose and the lips, it was Alex's. As he handed the phone back to him he watched his bestfriend glanced at the image once more. Johan chuckled. "Looks like she's your wake up call, Bro..."
Alex glanced back at him as he placed his phone back into his pocket. "Wake up call?"
"Oo, wake up call! Bro, babae anak mo... di pa ba yan sign?"
"Sign?" Alex countered. "What sign?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Bro! You know what I mean!" Johan smugly replied. "Do you want me to say it aloud for you?"
"Na ano? Sige sabihin mo!" he taunted.
"That right there is your karma, bro! A sign that you should stop what you're doing, that you should quit playing! Di ka ba natatakot? You have a little girl, what if mangyari sa kanya ang mga pinag gagawa mo dati sa mga babae mo?"
And Johan's words suddenly pierced right through him. Even if it alarmed him, he tried to keep his cool. "Hey, you're getting too advanced here, bro!"
"Just saying... kaya mag tino ka na... alalahanin mo babae ang anak mo..." Johan reminded and Alex just cringed at the thought. "So teka what about Drei? What's her say with this whole idea of moving in?"
"Well she said she's thinking about it..." he answered. "Actually, before I came here I was at her house. Kinausap ko yung Ate niya and then her parents called and nakausap ko din sila..."
Alex braced himself for the worst when he came face to face with Drei's family, especially when he saw the cold and unimpressed look on Des' face when he came in. It wasn't long when Drei's parents came online via Skype and had a word with him. He couldn't blame them for their hostile treatment. Instead he did his best to show them how serious he was assuming his responsibilities for Drei and the baby – both emotionally and financially. "We appreciate the effort but it's still up to her, Alex." Drei's dad Fred said to him earlier. The decision was solely on Drei's hands and so the least he could do now was to wait. And after that talk, he ended up on his best friend's doorstep in Little Baguio.
"Kinausap mo yung pamilya ni Drei?" Johan repeated, stunned at what Alex just revealed. This was just unbelievable. And Johan tried his best not to smile. "Bakit mo ginawa yun?"
"I just wanted to let them know that I was taking responsibility for Drei and our baby."
"So you asked her to move in with you and then you came over to her house para ipagpaalam siya sa pamilya niya..." Johan said, unable to hold himself any longer, he let out a laugh. "What's next? You guys are gonna get engaged? Parang namanhikan ka lang, bro ah!"
Alex scowled. "Sira ulo ka talaga! Masama ba yung ginawa ko?"
"I dunno you tell me!"
"It's not what you think, bro! Me and Drei... hindi pwede! We're both doing this for our kid, that's it. No monkey business whatsoever!" he explained. "We agreed on that, in fact I even encouraged her to start dating after she gives birth."
"Whatever you say, bro... whatever you say!" Johan surrendered, clearly not buying what Alex had just said. "So if you asked Drei to move in with you, you know that she comes with a package right?"
"Yeah, and I almost forgot Matty for a second!" he cringed.
"See, how impulsive you can be?!" Johan reminded him. "Yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko eh! Hindi ito ganon ka dali, Bro! Alangan naman iwanan niyo yung isang bata, unfair naman yun."
"It was an honest mistake, okay? I was just so overwhelmed after the ultrasound that I forgot about Matty... Sorry, tao lang."
"Well I'm sure Drei just couldn't leave Matty behind just for you. Ano balak mo ngayon?"
"I know that, believe me!" he assured Johan. "She said I should talk to Matty about it..."
"I really think you should. Alam mo naman siguro na Drei is accountable for not only one, but two lives. So now you see kung gaano ka hirap to..."
He winced. "Alam ko... and eto na nag-iisip na ako kung ano gagawin ko..."
"Mag-isip ka ng mabuti, Matty is a smart kid, tandaan mo yan..." Johan informed him. "Here's a dose of reality for you, bro... Papaano niyo eexplain dun sa bagets that you two are not together but you're his baby sister's dad?"
And with that, Alex was suddenly mum. Just when he got past Drei's parents and sister, he was still left with one more challenge – Matty.
He grinned nervously. "And that I need to figure out!"
Deep down he knew that the kid is going to be one tough cookie to crack. He couldn't stop now. And no matter how hard this was already getting, he was still ready to take a plunge.
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Drei asked as soon as she placed herself beside her little boy who was sitting on his bed. She saw how his mood changed the moment Alex started to talk to him a while ago when he was around. Now that Alex left after taking to her parents via Skype, she thought that it was time to have a word with Matty. "You could tell me, you know... so come on, babe, talk to me."
But Matty remained silent. The silence meant that something was definitely wrong. "May problema ka ba? With school? Masama ba pakiramdam mo?"
He shook his head and all she needed to do was read between the lines. "Ummmm okay... I saw what you did when your Tito Alex was talking to you kanina and it was not nice, Matt. Can you tell me what was that all about, babe?"
"I just don't understand Mom..." he started, staring into her eyes. "Bakit ngayon lang siya dumating? Bakit ang tagal niya po nawala?"
And this suddenly caught her off guard. "Well, I told you di ba, your Tito Alex's been busy with work kaya hindi siya makapunta dito sa bahay. Ngayon lang siya nagka free time kasi kaya ganon... remember I told you that before, right?"
Matty just nodded, recalling what his mother told him about why Alex couldn't be around for her and his baby sister. "Ok...pero bakit naman yung mga dad ng classmates ko kahit busy sila they have time to do important things? Bakit siya hindi?"
"Actually, Matt, kakarating lang kasi ng Tito Alex mo from Cebu. He's been there for two months kasi he was given an assignment na mag train ng mga agents nila, so that's why he wasn't around..."
"Pero bakit ganon sabi ni Tita Des, na bakit ngayon lang siya nagpakita?" he asked yet again as if letting her know that he could read between the lines. Drei knew that her son knew about the whole frenzy that involved Alex and now she was faced with the horrible decision of whether to tell him the truth or not. "Di ko lang po kasi maintindihan, nung kailan parang galit si Tita Des, si Ninang Jeannie, si Tito Peter sa kanya pag naguusap po kayo and you were crying, Mom. And ayaw kop o na umiiyak ka. Did Tito Alex do something to you?"
"Well, nagkaproblema kami ng Tito Alex mo, Matt," she said. "May mga bagay na hindi kami nagkaintindihan nung kalian, I was angry and he was angry, so when two people are both angry, it's better to be away from each other for awhile," And then he nodded. "Nung nagkita kami ulit, we said sorry to each other kasi mali kaming dalawa, we talked at kaya ngayon okay na ang lahat sa aming dalawa. Di na kami galit sa isa't isa.. naiintindihan mo ba ako, Matt?"
"Opo, Mom."
"Good," Drei pulled him closer to her and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "So what's wrong?"
"Ayaw ko lang po that you're crying, Mom, that Tito Alex is making you cry, na sinasaktan niya po kayo," he started and she understood him. Matty didn't like to see her like that and even if he didn't elaborate further, she knew that he was hurt with how things happened a few months back, especially when he saw her weeping her heart out on that day she learned that she was almost four months pregnant with Zooey. "I promised Dad that I won't make you sad."
"Well I'm not crying anymore, babe..." she assured him. "Di na ako sad, Matt. Things are okay now and you don't have to worry anymore, okay? Gusto ka makausap ng Tito Alex mo eh, puwede mo ba siyang pakinggan?"
"I don't like him anymore, Mom." he said bluntly. "I don't want to talk to him.
"Di ba you guys are friends naman?" she told him. "He wants to talk to you. I just want you to give your Tito Alex a chance, Matt."
"What's it about?"
"Hindi ko din alam, but he wants to talk to you about something..." she told him. "I just want na maging okay kayong dalawa, can you do that?"
Awareness came to Drei more quickly than she'd imagined possible. It was now pretty clear that Matty has a mind of his own and she didn't want to push her little boy into something that he didn't want to do.
Matty was silent again and Drei could sense his resistance. "I'll try..." he finally said.
But as he said those words, Drei felt the uncertainty. She didn't know if she was greatly relieved or hugely disappointed.
Alex considered his options once more as he pulled up in front of Drei's house and one of those was to just let this all go. Even if this pursuit of Matty's approval was already turning into a battle that he was obviously going to lose, Alex couldn't let himself be defeated. After that appearance he made and voicing out his intentions of taking responsibility for Drei and their child, he was determined to keep his word. It became a routin for him be around Drei often. He'd take her to work; they'd have lunch together and bring her home. He was already a regular visitor around the Buenaventura household and most of the time he'd stay over for dinner before heading home.
With Drei's help he was able to know more about Matty and the things that he likes – his fondness for Marvel heroes, Lego, Star Wars, books, food and the Xbox. If he wants to win over Matty's attention at least he knew where to start. But it seemed that the little boy had his own agenda and was determined to keep it that way. Alex did his best to strike up a conversation but whenever he does, Matty always had an excuse, like he's sleepy or he still has homework to do, just to end it. He sighed over the brief recall of what he has gone through a few days ago.
The other day Alex bought him a complete set of the Fantastic Four, something the little boy has been asking his mom last month. With a cheerful smile he handed Matty his little present expecting a thrill of excitement but to his dismay, all he got was a blank stare and an apathetic reply. Alex thought that maybe he wasn't in the mood, so next day he bought Matty his all-time favorite Jollibee Spaghetti and the same thing happened. They found the spaghetti inside the fridge, untouched, the morning after. Thinking that kids are easy to please and win over, Matty proved Alex wrong. He was now convinced that with Matty, it was different. So here he was again, determined to try his luck for the nth time with the same amount of perseverance he had in him a few days ago. The cold treatment Matty was giving him was pretty clear that it wasn't going to be easy.
Getting out of his car, he glanced over at the brown paper bag he had with him as he walked towards the gate. This was his last straw and he was hoping that this might be the ticket to finally seal the deal. Now or never, he thought to himself as he pressed the buzzer.
"You're early," Drei commented tilting her head to look at him through her glasses. She was lounging lazily on the sofa with a book in hand. It was Sunday and he told her he'll be coming around after dinner but instead found himself inside their living room at four in the afternoon. "I thought may gagawin ka pa?"
"Natapos ng maaga eh," he answered. Then he placed the paper bag he had with him on the coffee table and sat beside her. His attention came across the book she was holding. "Eat, Pray, Love... this is the movie right?"
"Yeap! But the book's better though." Drei grimaced, closed the book she was reading and set it aside. Her attention was now at her baby's daddy who was sitting comfortably at her side. The smell of his familiar scent suddenly swallowed up her senses which suddenly made her want to nuzzle him. She bit her lip over the thought that popped in her head.
"Hello, my princess..." Alex said lowering his head in level with Drei's bulging belly and running his hands over it. "Daddy's here, Zooey!"
This earned him a series of energetic kicks, causing Drei to cringe. "Wow! The diva has awakened!"
"Slow yourself down, princess," he said. "You're hurting Mommy here... hinay hinay lang..." then he gave Drei a lopsided grin. "Are you guys hungry?"
"Speaking of which, saan na yung pasalubong ko?" she pouted at him. "Pag wala kang dala papalayasin kita!"
Then Alex sat up straight and grabbed the paper bag on top of the coffee table and took out a small plastic bag inside. Drei snatched it away from him even before he could hand it over to her. Alex watched in amusement as she screamed with delight while she opened the take out package. "Anong naisip mo at naghanap kang bibingka?"
"I don't know, really," she said while she chewed on her first bite. "Parang bigla kong naisip na kumain ng bibingka ng Café Via Mare... ummm... ang sarap... goodnesss! Thank you, Alex..."
"You're welcome," he smiled. She just looked so adorable while she feasted on her bibingka. He couldn't help himself, he pinched her nose. "Spoiled pregnant woman!" Drei made a face and grinned at him. "Ummm anyways, I think dapat ko na yatang kausapin si Matty personally about the moving in thing? Ano sa palagay mo?"
"I think you really should... but he's not here..."
"Bakit saan siya?"
"He's in Alabang. Sinundo siya ng kapatid ni Anton kanina. He spends time with them at least three to four times a month. Every Sunday kasi they have a sort of get together, so ayon."
"I see, so did they know about us? I mean about your situation?"
"Oo naman and it's not like they care." She chuckled. "Di naman kami kasal niAnton, he was about to propose when he died... Actually, Anton's parents were happy for me."
"That's good, doon ba matutulog si Matty?"
"Nope,pauwi na daw sila sabi ni Tope, yung kapatid ni Anton. Any minute he'll be here..."
"Cool! I just thought na dapat ko na siyang kausapin..."
"I'm sorry Alex if he's been a little tough on you lately. Hindi ako magsisinungaling sa'yo, he sort of knows the thing that happened between us..."
"Pano niya nalaman?"
"Well he overheard us a couple of times talking about you, especially si Ate Des... so much for being discrete huh?"
"No wonder he hates me," he smiled wryly.
"Again, I'm sorry, okay? Hindi ko naman inexpect to eh, kasi when he asked me kung sino yung dad ng baby, I told him that it was you... So one advice when you talk to him Alex... just be honest. That's all I ask from you... kasi—"
Then there was a buzz on the gate, Manang Rose headed out to see who it was and they heard Matty's voice. "Mom? Mom?!"
"And here he is... speaking of the devil..." they both turned to see Matty standing a few steps away from them. "Hi, Kuya! Kamusta yung lakad mo?"
The excitement on his face faded as he saw Alex sitting beside Drei. "Hi Mom!" he said flatly inching his way closer to Drei and then he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he glanced at Alex.
"Hi Matt!" Alex greeted, smiling at him.
"Hi, Tito Alex," and then he looked at his mom. "Mom, magbibihis muna ako sa taas."
The tension was suddenly crackling in the air. Matty was trying to avoid Alex again. "Okay, may gusto ka bang kainin?"
"Busog pa ako, mamaya na po... akyat na po muna ako..."
"Sige go ahead, I'll be there in awhile..."
They both watched Matty heading for the stairs. And then Drei turned her attention back to Alex who suddenly looked grim. "I hope that didn't stop you from wanting to talk to him, did it?"
"Not at all," he sighed. "I'll take my chances!"
Drei found Matty changing into a set of clean clothes when she got inside his room. When he saw her standing by the door, he smiled.
"Kamusta yung lakad mo kanina?' she asked as she came closer to him. "How's everybody?"
"Lolo and Lola were okay..." he said, referring to Marmee and Jerry, Anton's parents. "And Tita Ria and Tito Tope are okay too and Gail can talk now, Mom. Napakadaldal niya."
Anton's brother Tope was married two years ago and his wife Ria gave birth to Marmee and Jerry's second grandchild, Gail, who's now a year and a half. And then Matty went on recalling how the small Sunday get together went. He told her what they did and who was there. It was a usual Sunday affair that the Soriano's do once a month and Jerry's three other siblings would be there along with their families. It was obvious that Matty had a great time with his other family.
"Mukhang nag enjoy ka ah!" Drei beamed. "Well that's good to know that everyone is doing well. By the way, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Mom. Ano po yun?"
"If it's okay with you, puwede ka daw ba makausap ng Tito Alex mo now?" she asked. It was pretty obvious that Matty was avoiding Alex the last couple of days. And seeing the efforts that Alex has been doing were going down the drain, she felt sorry for him. "Alam ko iniiwasan mo angTito Alex mo and I know you don't like him anymore pero puwede mo ba siyang pagbigyan, Matt?"
His brows furrowed. "What does he want?"
"Okay, I'll tell you what it's about," she started. "Your Tito Alex asked me kung pwede daw ba tayong tumira kasama siya. He said he wanted to take care of me until Zooey comes out."
"What did you say?"
"I told him that pag-iisipan ko muna because hindi madali for us. And then I told him that it's up to you..."
When Drei said nothing further, Matty wondered if this was some kind of test. "Will you be mad if I say no?" he asked cautiously.
She shook her head. "I won't be mad, Kuya." She reached over and cupped his face. "It's your decision to make. I just want you to be honest with him as you are to me, okay?"
"Okay, Mom..." he answered briefly.
"So is that a yes? Kakausapin mo siya?" she checked and Matty nodded. "Thank you, babe."
Moments later Alex found himself sitting across Matty inside his bedroom. Alex saw the unopened paper bags he bought a few days ago on top of his study table. There was an awkward silence that hung in the air between them and not once in his life did he feel intimidated by a seven year old, let alone this one.
"So," he started. "Kamusta ka naman, Matt?"
"I'm okay."
"Ummm...I wanted to..."
"To talk to me? Bakit niyo po ako gustong kakausapin?" Matty had a stoic expression on his while he looked at Alex. He could tell that Alex was having a hard time getting things started.
"Right. I needed to talk to you about a few things, ok lang ba?" and then the little boy nodded. "Galit ka ba sa akin, Matt?"
"Yes." He said softly. Alex felt the sting in his words. "I don't like you anymore."
"Pwede mo bang sabihin sa akin why you don't like me anymore?"
"Because you're not taking care of Mom and you're making her cry..." he accused. "Bakit ngayon ka lang pumunta sa bahay namin?"
Alex blinked and cleared his throat. He felt guilty with what happened between him and Drei when all of this started. "I'm sorry, Matt... I'm sorry kasi I wasn't around when your Mom needed me..."
"And?"
"And then nagka problema kami ng dalawa ng Mom mo. We had a fight." He found himself confessing. And the thought that he was confessing to a seven year old boy made it more interesting. "And then we decided not to see each other for a while kasi we were still angry at each other at lahat ng yun was my fault."
Matty felt the sincerity of his words as he sat there listening to Alex. At least he was honest enough to admit that he was wrong. "Okay... and then?"
"Pinapunta ako ng boss ko sa Cebu. I stayed there for a few months and then nung bumalik ako dito sa Manila, naging busy din ako with work..." Alex added.
"Eh bakit yung ibang dads they find time kahit busy sila? Bakit ikaw hindi?"
At that point Alex realized one thing: it was hard lying to Matty. "Hindi pa kasi kami nagkabati ng Mom mo... at ayaw ko siyang kulitin pa baka mag-away lang kami ulit...so hinayaan ko muna siya..."
"Bakit?"
"Sometimes kaming adults, we do that. We leave each other alone, to cool off." He explained. He still couldn't believe he was talking to a seven-year-old. "Kasi if both of you are angry, hindi kayo magkakaintindihan. You will just say bad things to each other."
"Ahhh okay..." Matty answered. Alex's answers were consistent with his Mom's. "Did you talk with Mom?"
"Yes I did, when I was no longer angry... nag sorry ako sa ginawa ko... and I promised her that it won't happen again... I know I hurt her and I don't want to do that again."
"Our teacher said that it's bad to hurt other people's feelings..."
"And your teacher is right." He found himself cringing. "At least we're clear on that now, may tanong ka pa sa akin?"
Matty fell silent. "Ano pag-uusapan natin?"
"Okay, umm... nakausap ko ang Mom mo and I'd like you and your Mom to live with me... but she said na it's up to you daw... so I wanted to ask you personally, Matty... would you like to live with me?"
"Bakit po? Bakit gusto niyo po kami tumira sa bahay mo?"
Alex suddenly felt claustrophobic. "Kasi gusto ko na alagaan ang Mommy mo. I know marami na akong kasalanan sa kanya at sa'yo and gusto ko bumawi sa inyong dalawa. I want to take care of you guys..."
Matty paused for a moment and gave it a thought. His Tito Alex was asking them to live with him. It wasn't a bad idea. He knew that his Mom needed someone other than him to take care of her. And he knew that his baby sister needed her dad to be around.
"May anak ka na ba na iba?" he blurted out.
"Ummm wala pa," And with that question Alex was suddenly taken aback. He was going to be grilled and he was letting this little boy do that. "Your baby sister is actually my first baby...kaya nga I'm asking you to help me out, Matt... kasi I don't know anything about kids... alam ko na you've been taking good care of your Mom and I know it's not easy, but can you help me? Can you help me take care of your Mom and baby sister? Okay ba sa'yo yun?"
He met Alex's gaze. He shrugged. "Will you promise me one thing?"
"Sure, ano yun?"
"Ayaw ko lang po na sasaktan mo po si Mom, Tito. I don't like it pag umiiyak siya because I promised my Dad that I will protect her."
"I promise. I won't hurt your Mom." Alex said with sincerity, raising his right hand as if swearing solemnly. Matty gave him a smug look and a nod.
"Totoo po yan ha," he reminded him and Alex nodded. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Kasi if you do it again, I won't be friends with you anymore."
"You can count on it, Matt. I keep my promises." Alex smiled. "So does this mean we can be friends again?"
Matty gave him a sheepish grin and shook his head. "Not yet, I still have to ask you something..."
"Then go ahead, ask me..." he dared. As soon as he saw the grin on Matty's face he felt relieved that this battle was coming to an end.
"Is my mom your girlfriend?"
And it dropped like a bomb in his face. "No, Matt... she's not my girlfriend."
"Paano ka naging daddy ni Zooey if di mo girlfriend si Mom?"
For a moment he was speechless as he scanned the recesses of his brain for the right words to use. Just be honest, he thought. Alex swallowed an imaginary lump on his throat while Matty stared at him all wide eyed and waiting for his response.
"Me and your mom, we dated for a while pero it kind of didn't work out... I mean we tried to make it work pero..."
"Ummm nagbreak kayo? Is that why nag away kayong dalawa?"
Alex almost forgot that Matty knew the guys that Drei dated before him. "Hmmm parang ganoon na nga..."
"And then girlfriend mo na siya ulit ngayon?"
"No, Matt." He grinned. "Nung malaman namin yung news na she was pregnant we decided to be good friends for Zooey."
"So you don't love my Mom anymore?"
"I love her as a friend, Matt and I respect her. She's a very strong person. And we both love Zooey and you..."
"Uh...okay... can you be my dad too?"
"If you want me to, I could..." Even if he was a spur of the moment thing, he allowed the thought to sink in. If he's going to be there for Drei, he should at least be there for Matty as well. He smiled. "Gusto mo din ba akong maging Daddy?"
"Hmmmm....Minsan naiisip ko din... okay lang po ba?"
"Oo naman, why not? As long as you promise to play basketball and Xbox with me..."
"Cool!" Matty quipped. His face lit up. "Yun lang naman pala eh, kayang kaya ko yan!"
"So is that a yes?' Alex confirmed. "Okay na ba tayo?"
Then Matty stood up from his chair and walked over to him. He offered his hand. "Basta you keep your promise that you won't hurt Mom anymore even if friends lang kayo... and then do you promise to bring home ice cream for us on Friday night?"
Alex shook his hand. "Pssssssh, yan lang ba? Chicken! Call! Ano pa?"
"And will you be with Mom sa PTA meeting ko sa school at sa Family Day at sa open house ng school namin?" he added. They shook hands again. "And will you be there to watch yung play namin school even if it's going to be boring?"
"Yes, sir. It's a deal!" Alex then saluted.
Matty turned around and grabbed a piece of paper on his study table. Then he handed a pen and a blank piece of paper to Alex. "It's a deal. I want you to sign here." He said pointing at the bottom part of the paper.
"Why?"
"Because it's our agreement. I'll write it down later and I'll give you a copy." He said smugly. "Ayaw mo ata eh..."
"Hey, I said yes, right? Okay, I'll sign." Alex shook his head in disbelief and he chuckled. "I'll need my copy okay? Bigyan mo ako dapat!"
"Yes I will..." Matty smiled as he watched Alex signed the bottom part of the paper. Then Alex handed him back the signed paper. "Cool! Now we have a deal."
Then Alex placed his hand on Matty's shoulder. "I want you to know that I'm keeping all the promises I made to you, okay? Andito ako for you and for your Mom, okay?" he assured him. "Kahit ano kailangan mo I'm here, you understand?" Matty nodded.
"Can I get a hug?" Alex asked and then Matty enveloped him into his small arms. "Thank you, Matt. I promise you things are going to get better. Pangako yan..."
Alex knew that this wasn't just some dumb luck he was trying on for a day, this was a permanent bargain. And for once in his life, he never felt sure about something that he risked for. This was going to be worth it, his gut told him. And he intended to keep his words. Words he couldn't ever let himself forget.
His promises to Matty.
And there was one promise he needed to keep... A promise not to fall for Drei.
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Music: Imagine Dragons
Playing For Keeps © 2013 C. Ellaine. All Rights Reserved
All rights reserved. The author retains all copyrights in any text, graphic images and photos in this book. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by ant means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.