Almost Maybes

Chapter 11

"Morning, mom."

My mom was struck to see me in the TV room early in the morning.

"You're up early. Going job hunting?" she asked.

"No, mom. It's my body clock."

Or should I say the stress hormones in me. They were keeping me awake. I hardly get enough sleep at night.

Mom stared at me for a moment. She was analyzing my appearance, I could say. She was checking if I gained or lost weight.

"You've been staying in your room recently. This is the first time I saw you since last week. Still haven't talked to Romeo, Juliet?"

Mom had no idea of Rex's battle with his affliction. Kuya Ely and I had acquiesced to keep it from mom, for a while, since she worries a lot. Letting her talk to me like this would be way better than informing her of Rex's condition. She would feel sad and slump just like me.

"I talked to him last week."

"O-kay. So how did it go? He broke up with you?"

"He didn't. We're okay and we're not together, mom."

"You don't look okay. You look sleep-deprived," she said. "Stop saying that you're not together. Nobody's going to buy that shit."

"I'm on an experiment. Trying to stay up for three days."

She gave me that look whenever she was about to discipline me and give her speech that would eventually wake up the angels in me.

"Don't even try, Ivy. Sleep is important. Don't skip meals, either. Problems are part of your life. What would life be without it? So, stop sulking here. It isn't the last day he would talk to you. That kid must be up for something."

Yeah, I guess she's right. Life wouldn't be meaningful if we don't learn how to handle problems and overcome them. Not everything goes as we want it to be. Life was a long story we had started to create. Life gives us meaning. Life itself helps us discover who we are.

And sometimes life is just like love. They both can be cruel. But I don't think Rex was up to something. He wasn't even allowed to leave his hospital room.

"Have you seen Ely?"

"I think he is still asleep. He stays up late these days. I wonder why," I said.

"He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I didn't say anything. Never mind."

"Mom, tell me what? Is he really seeing someone? Can you at least say something? I'm tired of guessing."

"He's waiting for her to come back."

"Come back from?"

"Why didn't he tell you this? Just act like you don't know a thing, 'kay? She's studying abroad. That's all that I know,"

"No way!"

"What's with that reaction?" mom asked.

"I need to talk to him when he wakes up. I hope he's not waiting for the girl I have in mind right now."

I had a gut feeling about this. If I was right, Kuya Eli should treat me to dinner.

"I heard she's nice."

"Everyone is nice, mom. Kuya Ely must be crazy."

"If she makes him happy, don't ruin that happiness, Ivy. Everyone deserves better in this world. Let Ely be part of that everyone, 'kay?"