Wounded Heart (Heart Series #1)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Congratulations, love! I am so proud of you, my engineer," halos pa-sigaw na sabi ni Altair. We were together today to see the result of my board exam. I still can't believe that I already passed my licensure exam. It feels surreal. Oath taking na lang at makukuha ko na ang license ko. Bukas, siya naman ang mag-e-exam.

"Thank you, love! You are one of those people behind this," I said meaningfully. "Next week, ikaw naman, love."

"Kaya nga, e. Kapag nagkaroon na 'ko ng license, dito muna ako mag-a-apply ng trabaho. Gusto ko may experience na 'ko bago ako pumunta sa tito ko sa Manila."

"Pa'no 'yan, love? Saglit lang ako rito sa Tagaytay tapos sa Manila na 'ko. Ako na rin ang ipapadala kapag may conference sa ibang bansa. Hindi na tayo magkasama..." I looked down. Wala pa man ay nalulungkot na 'ko.

He lifted my chin. "Shhh... don't worry, love, kakayanin naman natin, e. You'll be the best engineer, and I'll be the best architect."

"Natatakot ako. Paano kung hindi natin kayanin?" A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Love, kakayanin natin 'yan. Hindi tayo susuko. Besides, matagal pa naman 'yan. For now, let's just celebrate." He wiped my tears and hugged me. Everything just feels so right whenever I'm between his arms. It feels home.

When Mom heard the news, she called the family for another family dinner. By next week, we'll be having despedida for kuya. Ang bilis talaga ng panahon.

"Hey! Congrats, Trixie. Anyway, what was your rank?" Tita Anne asked.

I smiled a little. "Top 8, tita. I wasn't really expecting it so I'm so glad."

Nanlaki ang mata ni Tita Shane. "Really? Top 8?! Oh my gosh! Congratulations, Trixie!" She looked at everyone with pride.

"Well, it runs from the blood. Right, kuya?" dagdag ni Tito Greg at tumingin kay Dad.

"Of course. Everyone of us ranked either first or second," Dad remarked and gave me a meaningful gaze.

He's right. Dad and my uncles ranked first or second in their licensure exams. My cousins were topnotchers in engineering or architecture board exam. Meanwhile, I placed eighth. I see nothing wrong with that when I gave my best. I just can't believe that Dad doesn't even appreciate that.

"Is the exam hard, Trixie? You nearly missed the top ten, huh."

Tumikhim si Kuya Zyrus. "I see nothing wrong with placing eighth, Tito Ariel. Besides, can't we all just be proud for Trixie?" Kuya said with evident annoyance on his face. "My sister originally wanted to take accountancy or fashion design yet she chose to follow you. Isn't that enough to see her sacrifices?"

They all remained silent. I smiled to myself. How lucky I am to have my brother. He might be the favorite in our family but he made me feel love. This is the reason why it's hard to let him go. With him in Spain, hindi na niya basta mapupuntahan.

"Oh! Trixie, I'll hire you as my model for my upcoming collection. Don't worry since it would be happening in more or less a year pa naman," Tita Shane said after a few moments of silence.

I felt excited on working with Tita Shane. "I'm so excited, tita. Do I need to go to New York for that?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well... most of the time, yeah. But sometimes, we shoot in Manila for posters and magazines. May mga interview din."

"Oh, I'm sure that would be fun!"

Sandali lang ang dinner at nag-uwian na rin sila. I get my DSLR and sat to the bench near the pool. I took several pictures of the moon with its undying beauty. "Being in your crescent phase doesn't make you less. You still look incredible," I whispered while looking at the moon.