Dulling Glisters of the Diamond (Casa Fuego Series #5)

Chapter 27

No hesitation

Hindi ako agad nakabawi. Ilang sandali pa akong natulala habang nakatitig sa telepono. Kung hindi si Julius ang sumagot, baka nakapag book na ako ng appointment. But then what happened was not part of the plan and I didn't expect it! I wasn't ready for that! I only prepared myself for a talk with his secretary, not him!

Gaano kaliit ang mundo para mangyari iyon? Out of all the times his secretary could have done her task, it coincided to my call! And to think that I almost fainted even if it was just his voice! Paano ko pa makakayanan kung talagang haharapin ko na siya?

Dahil doon, buong araw akong wala sa sarili. I just snapped back to reality when Javion woke up and Papa arrived. Mataman akong pinagmamasdan ni Papa habang kumakain kami sa mahabang hapag.

"Grandpa, where have you been?" Javion asked.

Pinunasan ko ang gilid ng kanyang labi. He can eat on his own now but he still gets a bit messy.

"Grandpa attended a meeting in a company your Tito Conor is running. The next time, I'll bring you there, okay?"

Ako naman ang mataman ang tingin kay Papa ngayon. I know he also granted Lola's wish for his birthday because he really wanted to go home when he heard Tito Salvador was killed. Isa rin sa mga rason ko ay si Conor dahil nag-aalala ako sa kanya. Hindi man sila magkasundo ni Tito Salvador, ama niya pa rin iyon.

"Tito Conor is amazing," Javion said.

Ngumiti ako. "Yes, he is. He's in Casa Fuego right now so you'll see him there, too."

"Really?"

"Yes!" I smiled.

Javion smiled excitedly. Nang matapos siyang kumain ay hinayaan namin siyang maglaro sa living room. Naiwan kaming dalawa ni Papa sa hapag.

"Uuwi na tayo sa isang araw dahil sa weekend na ang party. Are you really sure you're ready?"

I tore my eyes off him. "It's been six years, Pa. Kung hindi pa ako handa ngayon, kailan pa?"

He sighed and nodded. Tumayo ako para ligpitin ang mga pinagkainan pero hindi naputol ang usapan namin. It's just a different ambiance since I think we're both thinking the same thing.

"I can help you reaching Julius out, Grace. Hindi ko lang ginagawa dahil ayaw kong pangunahan ka. If you need help, or if you want to know something about him, you can always ask me."

"Kaya ko nang mag-isa, Pa. I want to do this in my own pace."

He gave me a small smile. Tumulong din siya sa akin sa paglinis ng lamesa habang naghuhugas ako ng pinggan. For years living our simple life in Australia, I learned to do the household chores. Si Lisa lang ang kasambahay namin tapos para kay Javion pa. It's like none of us, not even my brother and father, needed to hire a househelp. Napagtanto kong si Mama lang talaga ang hindi pwedeng mamuhay ng regular.

"Your brother told me you asked him if he wanted to meet your mother. Ganoon din ba ang plano mo sa sarili mo?"

Natigilan ako. Napakarami ko nang iniisip at isa sa pinakamalaking porsyento ay ang kay Mama. Malaki ang tampo ko dahil sa loob ng anim na taon, ni hindi niya manlang kami sinubukang kausapin. Was she waiting for us to do the first move? But she was the one at fault. Kami pa rin ba ang lalapit?

It wasn't a talk of pride. It was a talk of pain. Na kaya niya kaming tiisin. She couldn't swallow her pride even for her family.

"Napag-isipan ko lang, Pa. Gusto ko sanang sabay kaming dalawa pero hindi ko siya mapipilit. Ikaw? Alam kong isa 'yan sa mga dahilan kung bakit ka umuwi."