The Vocal Enthusiast (Algorithm Band Series #1)

Prologue

"Hey, bubba, what are you watching?" I asked my sixth-year old daughter. She was lying on the bed while busy watching YouTube on her iPad.

Lumapit naman ako sa tabi niya dahil patutulugin ko na rin siya mamaya. It's getting late, she's still a baby and she is not allowed to sleep late.

What the hell? Did my daughter ignored me? Because she did not respond to my question.

"Won't you really ignore me?" I asked again dahil hindi niya ako pinansin sa tanong kanina. I brushed her straight black bouncy hair trying to get her attention.

Good thing napunasan ko na siya at binihisan na rin ng pantulog niya. She really likes to wear Snow White pajamas, napabili tuloy ako ng maraming pajamas ni Snow White and other Disney Princesses.

"I'm busy, Nanay, don't you see it?" she replied instantly. Kailan pa natutong magtaray 'yung anak ko ng ganito? Sabagay, mana-mana lang pala sa pinagmanahan niya.

Well, what do I expect? His father was stubborn before, pero hindi ko lang sure kung hanggang ngayon ganoon pa rin siya.

Isla, anak manang-mana ka talaga sa Tatay mo. Bulong ko sa isipan ko.

"Can I join?" I asked again while staring at her.

"Sure," she replied shortly. Inilapit naman niya sa akin ang iPad niya para parehas kaming makanood, she's the one holding her iPad.

Nanlaki naman ang mata ko sa nakita ko. She's watching his father's old live performances! Napalunok tuloy ako bigla ng wala sa oras.

I didn't know my daughter still watching his father's performances on YouTube! I thought hindi na siya na nonood ng mga videos ni Raizle.

It's been a long time since I caught her watching Raizle's live performance videos on YouTube. At nang makita ko talaga siyang nanonood, bumalik lahat sa akin ang mga alaala ko sa ama niya! Tingin ko nga sa akin na mana ni Isla ang pagiging fan niya sa tatay niya.

Since die-hard fan ako ni Raizel before. Well, another thing, Isla did not know that the man he was watching on YouTube was her biological father.

"I thought you don't like him." I cleared my throat first before I replied to her. Yes, my daughter said before that he doesn't like Raizle for some personal reason—and she never bothered to tell me why.

Hindi na lang ako nagtanong pa dahil baka pagtalunan pa naming dalawa. it's hard to argue with her, hindi lang ako mananalo.

"Yes, I still don't like him," she answered weakly. At ang buong atensyon niya ay nakatuon pa rin sa panonood niya sa tatay niya. I just continued staring at her face.

My poor Isla... If you only know.

She gets her thick brows, color and shape of her eyes from his father, and the rest sa akin na niya nakuha. Kapag naka face mask siya para siyang girl version ni Raizle.

"You don't like him but you still watching his performances," I returned the answer to my daughter.

"Yeah, I said that, Nanay, but what I said; I just don't like him but not his songs! I love their music po kaya," she said and giggled like a die-hard fan!

Medyo conyo ka rin pala, anak, mabuti na lang pinalaki kitang magalang kahit madalas masungit ka.

But wait? Did she giggled? What the fuck!

I know she only said she doesn't like Raizle, para hindi ako magtanong pa sa kaniya ng marami, but the truth is— she really admired him— his own father.

No doubt, she's really my daughter.

"What do you like about his songs? Together with his bandmates or just him," I continued asking.