Alden
As soon as I open the doors, the twins, rushed directly to the family room and chose a book to read. They both sat on the big pillows on the floor.
I stood by the dining table, trying to see what they are doing, observing them. Maine walked up beside me and I automatically draped my arms on her shoulder, pulling her against me and kissed the top of her head.
I love how she feels. She's so warm and I feel happy.
We looked at the twins and remained quiet.
"Katie," Enzo whispered.
"Hmm?" Katie murmured.
"I think Mister Wichard is our daddy." He tells his sister, still whispering.
"I think too." Katie replied, softly giggling.
Oh God! My kids are so adorable, and smart too. They already know that I am their daddy. They can feel it, like how I felt, the first time I saw them.
They are just so adorable, I already love them. I just met them, but I know that I cannot live my life without them, without Maine.
"I am going to tell them now, I need to." I whispered to Maine.
She smiled and nodded, telling me it's alright.
How am I even going to tell this adorable three-year olds that I am their father? I don't know how to break it to them.
I walk to where they were both reading and sat in the middle. Katie gazed at me and smiled.
"Mister Wichard, do you like to wead?" She asked.
"I do. I love to read." I replied, looking over her shoulder and checking what she's reading.
"Mister Wichard, do you wive here?" Enzo asked.
"No Enzo, I live in the Philippines. It is another country. Do you know what a country is?" I asked.
"No." He answered.
"Well, is it okay if I tell it you some other time what a country is? I wanted to talk to you and Katie first, is that okay?"
"Is Phiyippines far?"
"Yes, Enzo. Philippines is far. You need to ride an airplane to go there."
"Okay." He replied, lowering his head down.
"Katie, Enzo, come here. I want to tell you something." They both got up and I patted each of my leg, so they can sit there.
Maine joined us, but she sat on the couch.
"Enzo, Katie, I will try my best to tell you something important, and I hope that you will understand. Okay?"
"Okay." Katie replied.
Katie leaned her head against my shoulders, and I felt this overwhelming sensation wash over me.
Oh, I hope I will not cry.
"Mister Wichard are you our daddy?" Enzo blurted out again.
Whew! Thank goodness for curious Enzo!
"Yes, Enzo and Katie, I am your daddy."
"You are! Eek!" Katie exclaimed, hugging me and kissing my cheek nonstop. "Mommy, we got a daddy!"
She ran to Maine and gave her a hug. She is so happy. Okay that was easy. Katie is just a free-spirit really.
Enzo, Enzo is different, because instead of joyful shriek, Enzo lowered his head and crosses his arms across his chest. And then, whimpering followed.
"Hey, hey, son. Why are you crying buddy?" Aren't you happy that I am your daddy?" I asked, lifting him up from my leg and cuddling him in my chest. My hand caressing his head.
"I am happy." He mumbled.
"Then why are you crying son?" I asked softly, rocking him back and forth.
"Because you will weave again." He said, burying his face on my chest.
Oh that gesture, I think my heart is going to explode.
"Hey buddy, look at me." I tell him, cupping his face.
He opened his eyes and look at me. His eyes are so sad, it is breaking my heart.
"Is that why you asked me where I live? Because you're afraid that I am going to leave?"
He nodded.
"I don't want you to weave daddy! I wove you!" He cried out, burying his face in my chest again.
Oh to be called daddy!
I am happy but my heart is breaking for the fear he is feeling, afraid that I may leave them. And he said he already love me.
I look at Maine and realized that she is crying too. Her hand in her mouth, Katie's head on her shoulders.
"Come here Katie." I tell her, reaching out my hand to her. She takes it and sat on my leg again.
I gathered them both in my arms and squeezed them tight, letting them feel my love for them.
"Enzo, Katie. I am not leaving okay? Yes I live far but maybe I can take you and mommy with me. Mommy and I have to talk about that first, okay?" I tell them. I spoke slow and clear so they will understand.
"I may leave for a few days, but I promise I will be coming back. Daddy have things to do and has to work, and I have to finish a few things. But I am coming back. I promise." I tell them, kissing the top of their heads.
"Pinky swear, pwomise?" Katie said, sticking out her pinky.
"Pinky swear promise." I tell her.
We look at Enzo who hesitantly put his pinky out but twined it with ours finally. Maine joined in and twined her pinky with ours too.
"Pinky swear pwomise." Enzo whispered.
~~~~~>•<~~~~~
"Hon, I think you better answer your phone. It's been ringing constantly." Maine tells me.
Enzo, Katie and I are all sitting on the big couch, both of them on my side. We are finally watching Trolls and so far we've already made a plan on how to save them from being eaten.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. My assistant is probably worrying now." I answered back.
She handed me my phone and true enough it is Mama Ten calling thru Viber.
"Kids, I'll be right back, daddy needs to answer his phone call."
They both lifted their bodies from mine and took each end of the couch.
"MamaTen." I answered, as I walk to the kitchen.
"Anu ka ba Alden! Kanina pa kami tumatawag sa'yo bakit di mo sinasagot telepono mo! Akala namin kung ano na nangyari sa'yo!" MamaTen screamed on the other end.
"I know, sorry." I tell him.
"E asan ka ba? Sasama ka ba sa amin mag dinner?"
"Hindi po MamaTen and hindi din po ako sasama sa inyo pauwi bukas."
"Ano! Bakit?"
"MamaTen I found M! I found Maine!" I gleefully shouted.
I turned to look at Maine and the kids, they are all looking at me, smiles on their faces. The kid's chins resting comfortably on the backrest of the couch.
"Oh my God! Hindi nga?" He said, surprise evident in his voice.
"Ano yun? Ano yun?" I can hear Sam asking in the background.
"Yes! Can you believe that? After four years of searching, I found her! At dito lang sa Chicago. Kaya pala ganon na lang yung saya ko talaga, the minute the plane landed kasi andito yung hinahanap ko."
"I'm glad anak. E pwede ba namin ma-meet si M? Ano na nga ulit ang pangalan nya?"
"Maine, Maine po. Tatanungin ko po muna."
"Pwede mo naman sya isama sa dinner."
"Uhm, sandali lang po. MamaTen tawagan kita. Mag usap muna kami."
"O sige, tumawag ka agad ha kasi naka reserve tayo dun sa restaurant ng seven."
"Sige po." I turn the phone off and left it on the dining room table.
I sat beside Maine on the love seat and gathered her on my side. The twins are now lying on each end of the couch. Enzo is dozing.
"Is everything okay?" Maine whispered.
"Yes, my assistant is just worried. And he's asking if I am still joining them for dinner. I told him no." I tell her, kissing her temple.
I really love the feel of her skin on my lips.
"You should go."
"Nope, he's asking if I can bring you. He wants to meet you."
"I want to meet him too."
"Next time. They're leaving tomorrow."
"They're leaving tomorrow? That means you're not joining them?" She asked, lifting her head from my chest.
"Nope, I'm staying. We need to talk about everything Maine. And Enzo is right, I can't just leave. I have you three to think about now. We need to come to terms about all these, hon." I tell her, pushing her down on my chest again.
I love how soft she feels.
"Well, tell you what? Why don't you call back and tell him to come here instead? I'll serve dinner."
"No hon, I don't want you to go through all that trouble."
"It's no trouble at all. I have the makings of steak dinner. Remember how Frances complained about carrying the grocery bags? It's because I ordered steaks from the butcher and she went to pick mine too when she went to get hers."
"Okay, if you're sure about that." I replied.
"Yes! I'm sure. Go!"
"Okay." I got up, grab my phone and called MamaTen.
~~~~~>•<~~~~~
"It's on Chestnut and Dewitt hon." Maine tells me. I am giving the condo directions to MamaTen and Sam.
Maine is busy in the kitchen and the twins are excited to meet my friends.
"Which hotel are you staying?" She asked.
"The Drake."
"Oh that's close. Just tell them to walk going south on Michigan Avenue and once they hit Chestnut, turn left, then that's it. It's on the corner of Chestnut and Lake Shore Drive."
"Narinig mo yun Sam?" I asked him.
"Yes, ang ganda naman ng boses ni Maine, sosyal na sosyal!" Sam teased.
"Syempre ako pa ba?" I teased back.
"O sige na, punta na kayo dito. Na-inform na din ni Maine na you're coming sa doorman, just tell them unit 3812, okay?"
"Yes sige, alis na kami, now na. Ay Alden?"
"Yup?"
"Yung boses mo, ang saya saya."
"It's because I am Sam, sobra!"
"I know, I'm glad. O sya, see you in a few minutes."
"Daddy, can you help me tie this please." Katie asked.
Daddy, I can't believe that I am a father and someone is calling me dad.
"Yes, princess. I can help you tie that." I take the take the doll she is holding and tie the ribbon on her dolly's dress.
"I am your pwincess?" She asked, gazing up at me, her nut brown doe eyes, shining with glee. Her eyes are just like her mom's.
"Yes, my love, your are my princess." I tell her, kissing the top of her head.
"I want to be your pwincess daddy." She tells me, hugging me tight.
Maine is looking at us, her hands clasped in front of her heart. "Thank you." She mouthed.
"I love you." I mouthed back.
"Mom, can I have a puppy?" Enzo asked, mouth full of the baby carrots his mom is cutting for the salad.
"We already talked about having a puppy remember?" Maine replied, cupping his chin and giving his nose a kiss.
"Yes, I can have a puppy when I am five yeaws old." He said, putting another baby carrot in his mouth.
"So that means another two years. Right?"
"Oh-kay!" He said sighing.
"Hon, can I help you with anything?" I asked her.
"Oh yes, if you can pull out two extra chairs from the storage closet. Enzo, sweetie, can you show daddy where the chairs are?"
Enzo got up from his chair, takes my hand and lead me to the hallway.
"It's in there daddy." He tells me, pointing at a double door closet.
"Okay, lets see if we can find that chair mommy wants us to get." I said opening the doors. I searched and found the chairs on the back part of the walk in closet. There's a lot of stuff in here, but mostly toys and clothes of the twins.
"Son, help me find the chairs." I tell him, I want as much interaction I can get from him.
"It's ower there daddy!" He said, pointing to where exactly the chairs are, instead I look at the other direction.
"Where? Its not here!" I tell him, lifting a folded duvet.
"Hi hi hi. It's not there daddy! Ower there!" He tells me again, giggling.
"Oh here?" I walked the other side close to the chairs.
"Yes! Hi hi hi hi." He said. I love how his giggles sounds.
I opened a box and looked inside.
"It's not here Enzo! You're kidding me." I look at him, giving him a scrunched face.
"Hi hi hi hi, it's not in the box daddy! Ower there!"
"I can't find it Enzo! Help daddy please!"
"Daddy, look, look, it's ower there!"
I stood by his side and knelt down. He directed my face to where he was pointing.
"There daddy! See, ower there!"
"Yes! I see it now! Good job Enzo! You are very good son!" I said, kissing the top of his head and messing his hair.
"Dad!" He whined, fixing and flattening his dark hair again.
"Ha ha ha. Okay, help me get these chairs out."
He tried lifting the box that's on top of the chair but failed.
"The box is so heawy daddy. I can't cawwy it." He said. "I don't have the mushles like yours." He said, flexing his arms.
"When you get older, you'll get this muscles too, for now, you will be daddy's little helper okay? We are the men, so we don't let mommy and Katie do the heavy stuff okay?"
"Yay! I am daddy's little helper!" He said, pumping his fist in the air.
"Yes, we got this!" I tell him giving him a fist bump, but he doesn't know how to. Of course.
"Here son, put your hand in a fist like this," showing him my hand. "And then you bump it into mine. It's our secret okay? Every time we help mommy and Katie we do that. Got it?"
He nodded.
"I want to do it again daddy." He asked, folding his hand into a fist.
I bumped mine into his and that earned me a smile from my little helper.
"Fish bump." He whispered.
"Alright now help me carry this chair." I lifted the chair and he hold on to the backrest, lifting it.
He is so cute, trying really hard to help carry the chair.
"Hon, where do you want these?" I asked Maine as we enter the family room.
"Oh just by the dining table. Katie is helping me set up the table." She tells me. "Oh look how strong our little boy is, helping daddy carry the chairs."
"Yes, mommy! I am daddy's wittle hewper. Daddy said, we don't let you and Katie, cawwy heawy stuff! It's for men only!" He said, proudly.
"Ooh! That is so sweet Enzo! You and daddy are my hero!" Maine tells Enzo, giving him a kiss.
"What about daddy, mommy? Don't daddy deserve a kiss too?" I teased.
"Yes mommy! Daddy gets a kiss too!" Katie tells her mom.
"Oh alright! Daddy gets a kiss too."
Maine walked closer to me and tiptoed, so she can reach my lips, and as soon as her lips touched mine, I went in for the kill, dipping her and kissing her hard.
The twins giggled uncontrollably.
"Hi hi hi. Daddy do it again, please!" Katie asked, giggling.
Maine looked at me, eyebrows raised.
"Hey! How can I say no to that please?" I teased her.
I moved closer and snaked my arms around her waist.
"You want this!" She tells me.
"Of course I wan this." I whispered.
"Kiss! Kiss!" Enzo and Katie both shouted.
And so I dipped her again and kissed her.