☽ ▬▬ nakaupo, tulala, nag-iisa sa mga kuliglig sa labas, at baka naman, ako'y pakikingan ▪ sitting outside, staring into space, for someone might listen for once
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When you have a Filipino parent, they never really call you by your real name. Runa might not have looked like it, but she was. Well, 1/4 of her anyway. Her father was from Italy and her mom's parents were Japanese and Filipino.
Runa's family called them Wana, because their middle name, "Aruna" meant "moon love" in Japanese, and in Filipino, "moon" is "buwan". So, Wana. Her full name is Venice Aruna Beltran. Venice because their dad thought it would be nice. And, of course, her parents met in Venice.
She was finishing up her dinner when her mother put down her cup of water louder than usual and pursed her lips. Runa glanced at her but thought nothing of it.
"Wana," her mother began, "Are you done? We have to tell you something."
Runa glanced down at her half-eaten dinner. It doesn't look like I am. Why would you still ask? No, don't think that. You're a good kid.
"Yeah, I'm done." She got up and put her leftovers in a container. As she bent down to put it in the refrigerator, her bangs shielded her eyes from the bright dining room lights.
"Maria's coming back."
She slammed the door harder than she intended to before freezing, suddenly alert. "Maria? As in Kalinda?"
"Maria Banai, yes."
"When?"
"Next Friday."
"...Okay..."
The next few hours were a blur. Should they have been happy? Her closest friend was coming home. After 4 years, though, was it still home to her? Was Runa still home to her? Wait. Was she ever home to Maria?
They wondered how Maria's apartment had looked now. Was it dusty? Did anyone still inhabit it? What was it like in Barcelona? Did she still keep the plastic bracelet they had gotten her for her 8th birthday?
She asked herself too many questions. She didn't feel happy, not excited, just...blank. Overwhelmed maybe? Yes, overwhelmed.
"Lina...?" They hesitantly pushed their older sister's door open. She lay on her bed with her hair tied up, surrounded by sheets of paper and textbooks. Runa knew she was busy studying, like always, being a college student and all, but she wanted to ask for advice, at least once. After all, they had always handled things by themself.
