Waxing Crescent (Completed)

When it Rains, it Pours

Mark Masa

It was almost 1 in the morning and P' Vee was finally put to sleep when I found myself sitting in front of his family at their living room. I was again caught in an awkward situation when P' Vee's mom insisted for me to stay for the night.

I was able to convinced P' Vee go home after spending hours of comforting him at the hospital's rooftop. In fact, it was easy to drag him as he refused to let go of my arm and just followed me like a child clinging to his mother. Though I made him to follow me, I cannot say that he is now ok. He never spoke a word to me or to anyone.

I asked P' Copter to drive us to P' Vee's house and decided to stay until I was able to put him to sleep. He was so exhausted and drained that he closes his eyes as soon as I laid him to bed. I stayed long enough to stroke his hair making sure that he will not panic if he wakes up and find me not on his side. And when I was so sure he is already in his deep sleep, I slowly made my way down stairs careful not to disturb his sleeping parents. But the whole family was already waiting for me down stairs.

I sat on the sofa opposite P' Vee's mom and dad while P' Yoo was sitting behind his parents. My hands settled on my lap and those were the only two things that I locked my eyes with. I could feel a cold sweat passing over me colder than the wind on the rooftop of the hospital. I don't know why I have this gut feeling that they already know about the relationship between their son and me.  I bit the inside of my lip as I prepare myself to what is coming.

"Mark, thank you. Thank you for bringing our son home." I raised my head to look at the woman with the most heart-warming voice. She strongly reminds me of my own mother.

"You don't have to thank me auntie. P' Vee is a good Phi to me so helping him is no big deal." Lies. P' Vee was more than a senior to me.

"Did you know that not even his mother can convince him to go down that rooftop Nong Mark? But our son obeyed you so easily like a little puppy." The head of the family that looks more like P' Yoo rather than P' Vee looked at me with his dark and solemn eyes. There was no trace of anger or judging in them. I can feel his gratefulness as he gave me a small re-assuring smile.

"Nong Mark. Uhmm.. I want you to know that my parents here and I are aware of you and my brother's relationship. So you don't need to hold it all in ok?" I flicked my eyes towars P' Yoo trying to digest what he just said and bowed my head even lower. I can feel my face heated up. I don't know what face to show to P' Vee's parents.

"Mark, dear." P' Vee's mom came to sit beside me and put her slender arms around my shoulder.

"It's ok Mark. We are sorry to make you uncomfortable like this. But we want you to know that we are so grateful for your existence in our son's life. Vee had already told us about you. He was always talking about how good you were to him, how you were all patient and how you change his perspective on love.  And getting to know you today affirmed all those words. I am so happy to have finally met you Mark. So I hope you are not being hard with yourself meeting us too."

"Auntie. I..I don't know what to say." I don't know if I'm even worthy of all those praises P' Vee told his parents about me.

"We admit that it was not easy at first to accept this kinds of things Mark. As parents, all we want is for our son to have a brighter future. I will be a hypocrite not to admit that all I ever wanted was for him to marry a woman that will be a good wife to her and for them to give us cute little grandsons/daughters."

"Po!."

"Dad."

"No Honey, Mark should hear this. If he'll be a part of this family, I don't want to lie to him. Do you understand my sentiments right Mark?" I can only nod with the words from his father.