Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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Clio's POV

Tahimik naming pinagsaluhan ang dinner na pinadeliver ni Vianca. Hyacinth is devouring the skillet meatballs while Vianca is eating the shrimp enchiladas, and I'm on the pasta e ceci which is an Italian dish.

Parehong mabagal ang galaw namin ni Vianca na animo'y sinasadya namin 'yon. Pinipilit ko lang talagang kumain dahil nakakahiya sa kanila, and maybe, Vianca really eats that way-slow and modest. Dahil nga pareho kaming mabagal ay naunang matapos kumain si Hyacinth.

"Mommy, can I use my ipad now?" Hyacinth asked right after she finished her meal.

"Sure, baby," sagot ni Vianca. Siya na mismo ang kumuha ng ipad ni Hyacinth at inabot 'yon sa kanya. "Just one hour and then we'll go to sleep, okay?"

"Tutto bene!" Masiglang sagot ni Hyacinth saka pumunta sa sofa at binuksan ang ipad niya. She's on her own world now.

Bumalik si Vianca sa silya niya, opposite sa silya ko. She fixed her posture and cleared her throat like she's waiting for this set-up to happen. May gusto ba siyang sabihin?

"You don't need to wait longer to get some rest. Tapos na rin akong kumain," I pushed my plate away, indicating that I'm done eating.

"I'm sorry about what happened, hindi ko nabantayan si Hyacinth." Wika niya sa malamlam na tono. She glanced at Hyacinth who's still busy with her gadget.

"Walang dapat sisihin. We didn't like what happened." Pagpapagaan ko sa loob niya. I was too occupied by searching for some sea creatures, nawala ang atensyon ko kay Hyacinth. "No, actually, I should be the one saying sorry." I voiced out my thoughts.

"You saved her," saad niya para pigilan ang iniisip ko.

"I did," I paused. "But I was almost too late.. she stopped breathing. I didn't know what I was doing earlier, if I'm pushing her chest too much, or if I'm giving her rescue breaths the right way-"

"Clio, you did great," she held my hand on the table, squeezing it to give me assurance. "Thank you for saving Hyacinth," she sincerely said with a genuine smile.

I held onto her hand too. Our clasped hands gave me strength I didn't know I needed. Parang ngayon ko lang naramdaman ang pagod sa ginawa ko kanina at si Vianca ang nagbibigay lakas sa akin.

"You don't need to thank me. She's my daughter too, at gagawin ko ang lahat mailigtas lang siya." Seryosong saad ko rin saka sumulyap kay Hyacinth na nakatingin na pala sa amin. Her eyes fell on the table, with our hands holding. Agad kong binawi ang kamay ko. Baka magalit siya sa akin kapag nakitang hawak ko ang kamay ng mommy niya.

Mukhang nagulat si Vianca sa ginawa ko. Lumingon din siya sa direksyon ni Hyacinth. Our daughter gave us a questioning look.

"Y-your mom is giving me a massage." Kabadong palusot ko.

Hyacinth left her ipad and started walking towards the table. Pumwesto siya sa gilid ko. Nagkatinginan kami ni Vianca. We exchanged a confused look then get back on Hyacinth who's looking at me curiously.

"I can give you massage instead because you saved me earlier." Alok niya habang inaanalisa ang mukha ko. Muli kaming nagpalitan ng tingin ni Vianca. Tila ako nakarinig ng himala. "But it's okay if you don't want to." Bawi niya nang hindi agad ako makasagot.

"No.. I'd love to," agap ko at nilahad sa kanya ang aking palad. "Can you give me a massage, please?" Nakangiting pakiusap ko.

"Sure," she said and sat pulled a chair. Nilagay niya ang upuan sa harap ko at sinimulang i-masahe ang palad ko.

The whole time she's doing it, my lips are curled and my heart is jumping out of joy. I'm glad I saved her earlier. Worth it ang naging pagod ko, kung kapalit ay mahawakan ko ang kamay ng anak ko.

Both Vianca and Hyacinth has the ability to fade my worries away, kaya rin nilang bigyan ako ng likes without exceeding much effort. Just their hands and touches makes me feel at ease. Mag-ina ko nga talaga sila.

Si Vianca, pinagmamasdan lang kami. Kapag nahuhuli ko siyang nakatingin sa'kin ay patay-malisya niyang ibabaling ang tingin kay Hyacinth. And everytime that I caught her, my heart jumps.

"Done," she announced after giving both of my palm a massage.

"Thank you, Hyacinth," ginulo ko ang buhok niya. I wanted to hug her but I reprimanded myself. Baka mabigla ulit siya kapag ginawa ko 'yon. This time, I'll be careful with my actions.

"Thank you for saving me, ma'am," sagot niya sa sinserong tono. I was caught off guard by the next thing she did. She kissed my cheeks and gave me a short-tight hug. "Mommy, I'm sleepy," baling niya kay Vianca pagkatapos ng yakap.

"Let's brush your teeth first," saad ni Vianca at sinamahan si Hyacinth sa bathroom.

Hindi ko nagawang yakapin siya pabalik dahil hindi rin nagtagal ang yakap niya. I was just staring at them blankly at the barhroom. Pagkatapos magsipilyo ni Hyacinth ay pumunta na ito sa kama. Vianca tucked her in the bed, kissed and forehead and whispered goodnight. It seems like that's their routine every night. I wonder how it feels to be included on their nightly routine.

Gano'n pa man, walang mapagsidlan ang saya sa puso ko habang nakatingin kay Hyacinth na mukhang tulog na. Vianca is sitting beside her, caressing her hair gently.

Nagpasalamat lang si Hyacinth, niyakap ako at hinalikan sa pisngi, paano pa kaya kapag tinawag na niya akong mommy o mama? Baka mahimatay ako sa tuwa. I can't wait for that to happen. Hopefully, soon.

"She's starting to like you," mahinang wika ni Vianca. Hindi ko napansing nakatayo na siya sa harapan ko.

"You think so?" Tanong ko, bakas ang tuwa sa tinig.

She nodded, "Hindi na siya ganoon ka-ilap, unlike the first time you met her." Paliwanag niya. "Just be patient with her. Hindi naman siya mahirap pakisamahan at mahalin." Dagdag niya.

"I know," I sighed and smiled. "She's just like you," madaling pakisamahan at mahalin.

"She's actually just like you," saad niya na nagpatigil sa'kin. Just like me na madaling pakisamahan at mahalin? Is that what she meant?

"Gaya ko na madaling pakisamahan at mahalin?" Nag-aalangang tanong ko. Her eyes grew big as if she realized just know what she have said. "What do you mean by that?" Tanong ko ulit pagkatapos hindi makakuha ng sagot sa nauna.

Vianca was about to answer me, but her phone rang, interrupting our intense eye contact.

"Excuse me," paalam niya saka lumayo para sagutin ang tawag. Bumagsak ang balikat ko. Nakakainis naman. Nandoon na e! Naudlot pa.

...

The next day ay tinuloy namin ang mga water activities na nasa itinerary namin. We don't want Hyacinth to feel that we cancelled those activities because of what happened yesterday. Baka isipin ng bata ay kasalanan niya, o 'di kaya ay magtampo sa amin. But we made sure that she's within our sight every minute of the day.

We are currently at the Alegria Beach. The pristine water and the white sand gives a refreshing sight of the overall look of this beach. The sky was blue and the wind is blowing the leaves away of the palm trees.

I heard footsteps behind and the shadow standing next to mine. Just by that, I know it was Vianca. "Mag-lunch muna tayo," she said gently.

"Sure," sagot ko pero nakaharap parin sa dagat. Not because the beach is mesmerizing, it's because I know that if I look back, our eyes will meet and my heart will go crazy again, like it always does whenever we lock gazes.

"What's wrong?" I can feel the concern on her voice.

I shook my head, "Nothing's wrong," I answered then ran my fingers on my hair. "I was just thinking of purchasing a property here at Siargao. What do you think?"

"That's up to you. Pero mo 'yan." She answered, may halong pagsusungit.

Maayos naman ang tanong ko kaya hinarap ko na siya dahil naguguluhan sa inaasta niya. She's looking behind me so I followed her gaze. There are girls in bikinis who are enjoying the clear water.

Nang ibalik ko ang tingin sa kanya ay wala na ito sa harap ko. Nauna na siyang maglakad. I half run the distance between us. Mabilis siyang maglakad kaya nakarating agad kami sa tabi ni Rocco at Hyacinth.

"Let's look for a restaurant to have our lunch." Seryosong wika nito kay Rocco na napatingin pa sa'kin. He's like asking me what's wrong with Vianca. I shrugged and just did what she asked.

Ako na ang naghanap ng restaurant na makakainan namin. I found one with traditional designs. The restaurant is a traditional nipa hut, all materials are made out of wood, creating a simple yet homey vibe.

Iginaya kami ng isang water sa table na pang apatan. The beach was overlooking from here, preskong pumapasok ang hangin dahil sa malapad na bintana, at mas pinaganda pa ang natawin dahil si Vianca ay nakaupo sa tapat ko.

Blangko ang ekspresyon na ipinukol niya sa'kin pero biglang ngumiti pagdating kay Hyacinth. "Find something you want to it here, baby." She gently said then handed the menu on Hyacinth.

"Is pancit, pasta?" Tanong ni Rocco kay Vianca habang nagbabasa sa menu.

"Noodles," nakangiting sagot niya kay Rocco. "Ha un sapore saporito, con verdure e carne. Si abbina anche a varianti come il pancit palabok, il pancit bihon e così via." Masiglang paliwanag niya. (It has a savory taste, with vegetables and meat. It also goes with variations like pancit palabok, pancit bihon, and so on.)

Binaba ko nalang ang tingin sa menu. Kaya ko na 'to. May description naman ng mga dishes e, hindi ba 'yan marunong magbasa? Napailing pa ako.

Habang naghihintay ng mga order namin ay umalis si Vianca at Hyacinth para magbathroom. Naiwan kaming dalawa nitong Italyano nilang kaibigan.

"Che cosa?" Tanong ni Rocco nang mapansing nakatingin ako sa kanya. (What?)

Paano kami magkakaintindihan kung mag-iitalyano siya? I fished my phone out of my pocket and went straight in google translate. I typed my question. It's time to ask this question directly to him.

"Qual è il tuo vero rapporto con Vianca?" Basa niya sa translation ng gusto kong itanong. (What's your real relationship with Vianca?)

He typed something then made me read it.

"Vianca and I are friends," I read the translation. Nagtipa siyang muli bago tuluyang ibalik ang phone. "But I'd like to make it into more than friends if she'd let me." He smiled after I read it.

Akala ba niya natutuwa ako?!