Chapter 2
"Are you joining another competition, Ailani?"
Inangat ko ang tingin kay Mommy na matamang nakatingin sa akin. I chewed my food and swallowed it before replying. Nilingon ako ni Kuya Aiden na nasa gilid ko habang si Kuya Aidan ay tahimik na kumakain.
"Opo. Sa susunod na buwan pa naman po 'yon. Open Championship po dito lang sa Cagayan Valley."
"And how about your studies? Your grade for the prelims?" Nag-angat si Mommy ng kilay.
I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. Nakita ko ang bahagyang paggalaw ng panga ni Kuya Aidan bago bumaling sa akin. Tipid siyang ngumiti at ibinagsak ang kubyertos sa lamesa. Agad akong nagsalita.
"Hindi pa po binibigay ang grado namin. Kadalasan po ay sa pagtatapos ng semester binibigay lahat."
"You are free to do whatever you want but you know what you have to do in return, right?" She sipped on her water.
"Mom, just let Ailani do what she wants without asking anything in return. She's doing well in school, I think that's enough." Ani Kuya Aidan sa malamig na tono.
"How good is 'well' to you, Aidan? If her grades match yours and Aiden, then there will be no problem. I am supporting her but that doesn't mean I will tolerate if she fails in her studies." Mariing sinabi ni Mommy.
Nagtiim-bagang ako habang nakatitig sa aking pagkain. Naunang tumayo si Mommy at nagpaalam na dahil may babasahin pang kaso. Naiwan kaming tatlo sa lamesa.
"Huwag mo nang alalahanin 'yon, Ember. Kailan ka sasabak sa training?" Si Kuya Aiden ang bumasag ng katahimikan.
"Two weeks before the competition. I don't have to train hard. It's not a high-level competition so just a few hours in the training center will do."
"Mananalo ka rin naman," ngumisi si Kuya Aiden.
Umirap lang ako at tumayo na rin. Umakyat na ako sa kwarto pagkatapos makipag-talo sa kambal kung sino ang maghuhugas. We have helpers but Mommy wants us to do the dishes at night so the helpers could at least have an early rest.
Muli kong binasa ang message ni Coach sa akin. Hindi pa ako um-oo sa imbitasyon niyang sumali ay nagpapahiwatig na siya tungkol sa training namin. Umiling ako at humiga sa malapad na kama. I'm busy with school especially that it's already midterms but I'm confident I can squeeze Taekwondo into my schedule.
Gusto ni Mommy na maging Doctor ako. Gusto niyang maging abogado ang kambal pero si Kuya Aidan lamang ang sumunod do'n. Kuya Aiden opted to enter Electrical Engineering and defy our mother. It was of course a problem because Mommy was very disappointed but later on, she accepted it because she still has Kuya Aidan following in her footsteps.
Gusto ni Mommy na Nursing ang kunin ko pagkatapos ay mag-medicine pero umayaw ako. I bargained that I'd take Medicine only if she allows me to enter Medtech. Hinayaan niya ako pero alam ko ang gusto niyang kapalit. I can say I am smart but not as smart as my brothers. And with her high expectations of me, I am quite... anxious.
"Where is Mr. Delgado?"
Iyon ang unang tanong ng guro namin pagkapasok niya pa lamang ng room. Tiningnan ko ang bakanteng upuan sa aking tabi. Hayes Delgado is still not here.
"Late lang po, Ma'am." Tugon ni Angelo, isa sa mga kaibigan ni Hayes sa room.
"Alright. Kindly distribute your test papers," utos niya sa nasa harap.
Huminga ako ng malalim nang makita ang score ko. It was over 100 and I got 72. For me, it's not bad at all. I am more than happy since this is our major and I heard most got a line of five or four.
