"Mama? Ma! Pagbuksan niyo po kami!" Mira frantically knocked on their family home's door, annoyed that we've been here for several minutes already without anyone letting us in.
"Maybe your parents are out, babe," I said, trying to keep my smile at bay. It goes without saying that I find my girlfriend adorable when she's irked. Kaya nga gustong-gusto kong inaasar ang isang 'to, e.
"Nandito ang mga 'yon," she assured me. "Wala naman silang pupuntahan —"
Her statement was cut short when the door finally opened, revealing Myron. His hair was a bit disheveled, and he was still in his pajamas. The sight of Mira's brother made me grin.
"What's up, My?" I told him. Si Mira naman, kasabay ko ring nagsalita ng, "Aba, Myron Theo. Anong ginagawa mo rito?"
"Yow, Kuya." Myron initiated a fist bump with me, as per our usual greeting. Then he turned to his sister and said, "Anong klaseng tanong naman 'yan, Ate? Banned na ba ako sa sarili nating bahay?"
"Alam mo namang hindi 'yan ang ibig kong sabihin." Mira smirked. "Wala ka palang pasok?" she added before stepping inside the house.
"Duh. Foundation Day kaya ng Pierceson."
"Ah. Malay ko ba naman kasi, 'di ba?"
"Hala siya. Para namang hindi ka alumnus ng Pierceson, Ate."
"Che! Ang dami mo pang sinasabi." Mira obviously ran out of retorts, and Myron, sensing victory, snickered. "Nasaan ba sina Mama, ha?" my girlfriend added, sounding miffed.
"Ewan ko lang kung nasaan si Papa." Myron shrugged. "Si Mama naman, nasa kusina, busy sa pagluluto ng —"
"Paella!" Mira exclaimed after sniffing the air. "Paborito ni Vren! Teka, alam ba niya na dadalaw kami?"
I laughed, and Myron did the same. "Let's just say that I slipped a text message to My before we went here."
"Loko ka talaga, Mr. Montevilla," Mira remarked, giggling as well.
"Call me anything you want, but I'm not missing the chance to taste Tita Monica's specialty again," I told her with a sly grin.
Tita Monica, probably sensing our arrival, yelled from the kitchen, "Myron! Nandiyan na ba ang ate at kuya mo?"
"Wala pa po, Ma. Kinakausap ko lang po ang sarili ko rito," was Myron's sarcastic response, which earned him a whack on the head from Mira.
"Opo, Ma, nandito na po kami ni Vren!" my girlfriend amended before turning back to her brother. "Ikaw talagang bata ka. Kapag tinatanong ka nang matino, sumagot ka rin nang matino!"
"KJ talaga," Myron muttered miserably while nursing the nape of his head, where Mira's blow landed. "Masama na bang mag-joke?"
"Cut it out, you two," I told the Custodio siblings before things could take a turn for the worse. I swear, sometimes they could be worse than me and Vince. "Why don't we join your mom in the kitchen? Maybe we could help with the cooking."
"Hindi na kailangan. Tapos na akong magluto," Tita Monica replied, emerging from the kitchen. "Kumusta, hijo? Naku, ang tagal na nating hindi nagkita. Lalo ka yatang gumwapo, ah."
I chuckled as I took her free hand for a blessing. "I'm fine, Tita. Is it just me, or you look more gorgeous than ever?"
"At nagbolahan na po sila," Mira announced, making everyone laugh. "Ma, nasaan po si Papa?"
"Nasa puso ko, 'nak." Tita Monica smiled goofily.
"Ano ba 'yan, Ma!" Mira rolled her eyes as Myron and I burst out laughing again. "Kanino niyo naman po natutunan 'yan?"
"Kanino pa, kundi sa kapatid mo," Tita Monica replied, chuckling.
As if on cue, Mira glared at her brother, who was grinning. "Ang ganda ng itinuturo mo kay Mama, 'no? Puro kalokohan!" Turning to her mom again, she asked, "'Di nga Ma, nasaan po si Papa?"
"Nandito, bakit?" Tito Ted entered the living room, wearing a kind smile on his face. "Vren, kumusta?"
"Okay lang po, Tito," I replied, taking his hand for a blessing as well. I caught sight of Mira's smile as she watched me doing so.
"Pa!" Mira gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "Miss ko na po kayo."
"Miss ko na rin ang baby girl ko," he replied as he put an arm around his daughter's shoulder. "Tamang-tama ang dating niyo, ah. Tara nang magtanghalian."
****
Table talk in the Custodio household was enjoyable, as usual. Unfortunately for Mira, though, it was filled yet again with amusing anecdotes about her, obviously for my benefit. But somehow, the topic soon shifted to a much more serious one.
It started with Tita Monica's question of, "Vren, hijo, matanong ko lang... Kumusta 'yong ex-girlfriend mo na may sakit?"
Mira and I exchanged looks. "Paano niyo po nalaman ang tungkol do'n, Ma?" she asked.
"Nabanggit sa amin ni Myron, 'nak."
I cleared my throat. "Actually, Tita... patay na po ang ex-girlfriend ko."
"Susmaryosep... kailan pa?" she inquired, astonished.
"This week lang po. Kahapon po ang cremation ni Isabella."
"Isabella ba kamo ang pangalan ng ex-girlfriend mo, hijo?"
"Yes, Tita. Her name's Isabella dela Merced."
"Isabella... dela Merced?" Tito Ted repeated slowly, obviously wanting a confirmation.
"Opo, Pa," Mira answered. "Bakit po?"
Mira's parents exchanged looks.
"W-wala naman, 'nak," Tita Monica answered quickly —too quickly — while her eyes remained on her husband.
"Nakita niyo ba ang business magazine na iniuwi ko, Ma?" Myron interjected. "'Yong ipinamigay sa amin sa school? Sabi sa akin ni Ate, nandoon ang tatay ng ex-girlfriend ni Kuya Vren. 'Yong Arkin dela Merced? High-profile businessman, Ma." He then turned to me, grinning. "Kasama ka rin sa isang article, Kuya! Nasa listahan ka ng most eligible bachelors in the country. Ipinagyabang ko nga sa blockmates ko na future bayaw kita!"
I chuckled, my attention momentarily shifted from the weird reaction of Mira's parents earlier. "Really? Ano namang sabi nila?"
"Na ang swerte raw ni Ate." Myron snickered. Even Tita Monica and Tito Ted joined in the laughter.
Mira, on the other hand, smirked and said, "Kung alam lang nila na mas maswerte ang lalaking 'to," she pointed at me, "dahil pinatulan ko siya."
And just like that, the conversation was steered back to a familiar direction. We finished lunch, bellies full and in good spirits.
Although, if I'm being honest, I left the Custodio residence later that day still feeling curious. Obviously, Mira's parents knew the dela Merceds. I was positive that I saw Tita Monica's face turn pale when Myron mentioned the name of Bella's dad.
What was that all about?
****
I thought today would just be another typical day at work. Unfortunately, it turned out I was wrong.
Yesterday, after visiting her family, Mira and I decided to call it a day earlier than usual. Instead of heading back to Medialink, I dropped her off at her place and insisted that she give herself a break, since I plan to do the same. Even without both of us voicing it out, I knew that this whole Bella situation left us physically and emotionally exhausted.
This proved to be a good thinking on my part, because I was considerably revitalized after last night's good rest. Kahit si Mira, halatang nakapagpahinga nang maayos kaya maganda ang timpla nang sunduin ko siya sa apartment niya kaninang umaga. In fact, she was such in good spirits that she mentioned she's now ready to "squeeze the truth out of Chase", to which I agreed.
Anyway, with my girlfriend away to do her own thing, I spent my bit of free time inside my office, contemplating about things. Most of my thoughts were still centered on Mira's parents' response after hearing about Bella and her dad. Given their unusual reactions, I could confidently deduce that Tita Monica and Tito Ted knew the dela Merceds personally.
I was still trying to make sense of the Custodios' apparent connection to the dela Merceds — something I did not see coming — when my phone rang, jolting me out of my preoccupation. I checked the caller and got a bit surprised to see that it was Tita Ivana.
"Vren?" Her voice was shaky, reminiscent of the time she called to tell me that Bella had ran away from the hospital. I instantly realized something was up again, and wondered what the problem could be this time.
"Hi, Tita. Is everything okay?"
"Vren... Bella... there's a child."
"What? You're not making any sense, Tita."
"You better come here, hijo." She was already crying at this point. "Please. We need to talk."
"Alright, Tita, I'll be there," I assured her. "Are you home? Is Tito Arkin with you?"
"Yes, I'm home. Arkin's out. Just... just come here, hijo." Tita Ivana heaved another sob before ending the call, leaving me equally puzzled and anxious.
****
I drove as fast as the morning traffic would allow me. The gate was unlocked and the front door was slightly ajar when I finally reached the dela Merced residence, so I had no trouble entering.
I headed straight into the majestic living room and was greeted by the sight of Tita Ivana, still crying, kneeling in front of a little boy who was in tears, too. His right arm was bandaged.
I froze, feeling like I just got hit by a speeding truck. Suddenly, everything that Tita Ivana said in the call earlier made sense.
"Vren... Bella... there's a child."
And, like a sinister vision, Chase's mocking smile came into mind.
"Easy, Vren. You'll know everything in time."
By now, it felt like I was falling down a dark tunnel. What ended my travel down the memory lane was a flashback of Hollier's graduation party. I remembered that night clearly, even though it happened many years ago.
Genesis, Andi's little sister, was finally graduating. We all had to attend the celebration. Genesis was part of the gang, too.
The party was held on the last week of October. Genesis, that silly woman, had to graduate late. She could've done so on time if not for her happy-go-lucky attitude.
Grey Light was invited to perform. I conceded, even though there's a lot of work to be done in Medialink. I couldn't say no, especially when it was Bella who asked for the favor. Genesis was her best friend's sister, and everybody knew she was a big fan of our band.
After hours of partying, my then-girlfriend and I got wasted. One thing led to another, and...
Something happened to me and Bella.
My feet were heavy as I took a couple more tentative steps, as if every inch of my being was dreading the inevitable. Yet there was no denying that I just got caught in a cruel twist of fate.
The little boy standing a few paces away from me was awfully familiar. It was him — the kid who almost got hit by my car a few weeks ago. The kid who was tearfully asking for his mommy. The kid with the bandaged right arm...
Zac.