The Last Teardrop (TS3)

Chapter 29

Thank you for waiting. Happy holidays!

_______

A knock on my door woke me up the next morning. Masakit pa ang ulo at ang mga mata ko dahil sa pag-iyak kagabi. Good thing no one in the car asked why I cried. Maybe they already felt the tension between me and Asher and just chose to remain silent. Hindi rin naman namin siya kasama sa car ni Edz since he brought his own.

"Kelsey" natigil ako sa pagtulala sa kisame nang muling may kumatok at nang marinig ko ang mabining boses ni Ahma sa labas. Tsaka ko lang naalala na dito ako umuwi sa mansion ng mga Chua.

I quickly went out of my bed and walked towards the bathroom. Pagkaharap na pagkaharap ko pa lang sa salamin, bahagyang namumulang mata at magulong buhok ang bumungad sa akin. Mabuti na rin na hindi masyadong namaga ang mga mata ko. Kaya na 'tong takpan ng concealer at make up.

After washing up and cleaning myself, I went out of the bathroom. I took a deep breath after checking my reflection on my full-length mirror then walked towards my door. Ahma was about to turn her back, ready to leave, when I opened it.

"Oh! I thought you you're still sleeping, my Kelsey. Can I come in?" She glanced inside my room. Sa likod niya ay ang personal nurse na ngumiti sa akin.

"Good morning, Ahma." I kissed her cheek before letting her in. Naiwan ang nurse sa labas base na rin sa request ni ahma.

Ahma looks better now than the past months. Siguro dahil mas nakakapahinga na siya ngayon mula sa pagha-handle ng mga negosyo nila kaya hindi na rin siya masyadong nagkakasakit. Good thing she knows when to listen to her doctor. Unlike Dad na sapilitan pa bago pumayag magpahinga.

"You looked tired. Did you sleep well?" She stared at me with full of concern. Hawak ko siya sa kamay niya kaya ramdam ko ang bahagyang paghigpit ng kapit niya.

"Yes, ahma. I just got exhausted from our long travel from Isabela last night." I lied. "When did you arrive here? Or were you already here last night?"

Sa Laguna kasi nananatili minsan si Ahma. Minsan naman nasa China sila ni Angkong lalo na kapag may kailangang asikasuhin sa negosyo. Pero madalang na rin dahil hindi na advisable para sa kanila na magtravel masyado.

"We just came earlier. I asked Juliana where were you and she pointed you here." She looked around my room for a moment before pulling her eyes back to me. "I heard about you mom. How is she?"

I bit my lower lip. I just didn't expect na mapapag-usapan namin sa Mommy. I knew Mom is a taboo for this family and I totally understood it. Hindi naman madaling tanggapin nang ganoon lang ang ginawa ni Mom at Dad noon.

"Uh, she's okay now." I paused. My mom and my siblings were living here for a couple of months now and I haven't yet talk to Ahma about them. Sina Dad, Tita Monica at Juliana lang ang nasabihan ko noon. "I hope it's okay with you that I brought them here in the Philippines? I just couldn't go a day thinking that they'll stay in Australia after everything that happened. I couldn't take that. I want to make sure that they are safe and far from that bastard!"

Ahma smiled a little while reaching for my face. She held it and caressed my cheek so gently.

"It's fine. Besides, who are we to say no to that? What happened was already part of the past, Kelsey. Your family doesn't have to think of our opinion about staying here, it's their right."

I pouted. Kahit inaasahan ko na ang reaksyong 'to mula kay Ahma, still may kirot pa rin sa akin kapag ganitong sobrang bait niya. She will always be the most understanding person for me. Para bang lahat kaya niyang unawain.