Taped-Up Heart

LVIII. Four Years Ago

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Four Years Ago

I smiled while looking at Achaia and Avis talking to each other. He really looks like Achaia's mini me. Grabe. Mas lalo ko lang napatunayan na magkamukha nga sila ngayong magkatabi na silang dalawa.

"I love Tony Stark," Achaia said.

"Tony?" Avis asked.

"Iron Man."

"Oh! I love, love Iron Man! I love!"

Napangiti lalo ako.

"Pwede na sana," sabi ni Yannie bigla. "Sayang."

I shrugged at her.

"Look at the way he looks at Avis..."

"What about it?" I asked.

"Ganyang ganyan ka rin tingnan ni Achaia noon. Like he's so in love with you. Patay na patay talaga 'yan sa'yo dati. The only Tiu that's loyal," sabi pa niya.

"Sus! Baka hanggang ngayon hindi ka pa rin nakaka-move on kay Adami ha?" I teased her.

"Oh, gosh, Asia! Walang ungkatan ng past," she laughed. "Di ba, Adami?" she asked Adami who was sitting on the couch.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Wala, sabi ko kung sineryoso mo sana ako noon edi sana may kasing cute na rin tayo ni Avis ngayon," she said.

Para naman siyang nabulunan kahit walang kinakain.

"Uso move on, Yannie," he said.

I laughed. "Bagay kayong dalawa. Kayo na lang kaya? Single and single, perfect match," I teased them.

Adami smiled at me. "Bagay din kayong dalawa," he said as he looked at Achaia. "Single and..." he frowned. "Taken, sayang perfect match na sana. Perfect family na."

Napa-iling na lang ako sa kanya.

"So?" Yannie asked.

"So?" I asked back.

"Paano na 'yan?"

"We'll talk about it... once Avis gets discharged."

She nodded at me. "I'm sure he'll agree to your terms, after all, all he wants is to be a father to Avis, so just give him that at least. He may have hurt you in the past, but he's a great guy, you know? And he really loved you. That's one thing I won't ever doubt."

I looked at Avis and Achaia again.

We'll both try to make this work.

No matter what.

* * *

"Yeye!" Avis immediately hugged Mr. Adam Tiu when he saw him. Kaagad naman siyang binuhat nito. It's been a week since Avis got discharged at nandito kami ngayon sa mansion ng mga Tiu para makilala niya na ang buong pamilya nila.

I only smiled at Adami and Achaia's other brother, Asahel. Wala pa naman sina Achaia dito sa baba. Tanging ang tatay pa lang at dalawang kapatid niya ang nandito.

"How are you, Avis?" Asahel asked as he stooped down until he was on Avis' level.

"I'm good!" he happily exclaimed.

"Do you know me?" he asked.

Avis shook his head. Lumapit naman na ako sa kanilang tatlo. Karga pa rin naman ni Tito Adam si Avis. "Avis, this is Tito Adami," I said.

"I know him," he smiled.

"This is Tito Asahel. He is also your father's brother."

"Another Tito?" he confusedly asked.

Napatawa naman sila. I nodded at him. "Yes, you have five Titos and one Tita. You'll meet them later, baby."

"Okay, Mama!" he said, but it sounds oh-tay when he says it.

"Asia, hija," yakap sa akin ni Tita Alisa, ang nanay nina Achaia. Bumaling naman siya kaagad kay Avis. "Avis, come to nainai," she said as she got Avis from Tito Adam.

Tumango lang naman ako kay Achaia at ngumiti ng bahagya. Lumapit siya sa akin. "Can we talk?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure..." ngiti ko sa kanya. Nagsimula naman siyang maglakad papunta sa likuran ng bahay nila hanggang sa makarating kami sa isang indoor garden.

"It's nice..." I said as I looked around.

"Yeah, my mom loves gardening," he said. "Anyway, I want to talk about us... how our set up with Avis will be. I'll be fine with any condition you have, I just want to know ahead of time so I know what to do and what not to do."

Tumango ako. Since nakalabas si Avis ng hospital, hindi pa namin napaguusapan na dalawa kung paano kami magco-co-parent na dalawa.

"Actually... anything is fine with me," I said. "I mean you can take him whenever you want to. As long as wala kaming importanteng lakad na dalawa, pwede naman siya."

Umupo kami sa isang bench. "I just think that what I did before - hiding Avis from you, was unfair. So this is the best I can do for you, para man lang makabawi ako at least. Kasi kahit na galit ako sa'yo, karapatan mo pa rin naman na makilala ang anak natin at makilala ka ni Avis pabalik."

He smiled timidly at me. "I'm sorry."

Umiling ako. "It's fine now. You've already apologized to me and I already forgave you. Like you said, we should keep moving forward. We'll never be happy if we'll keep on blaming each other for what happened in the past."

"Wala na ba talaga?" he asked.

I looked at him. He wasn't looking at me, his eyes were on the ground, trying to avoid his gaze away from me. Inalis ko na rin ang tingin ko sa kanya at tumingin din sa paanan ko.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."

I looked at him. "Achaia."

"Asia."

"Together or not, we'll still be the greatest parents ever. You'll still be a great father to our son, and I will be here to help you. To make you understand him more. I just know it."

"You're a good person, maybe even one of the best," I said.

Napangiti naman siya sa sinabi ko. "You're praising me way too much. I'm not that good, we both know that."

"Oh, please, you really are," I smiled at him.

"Asia," he called. "You're also a good person, and not just maybe, because you are really the best."

"Thank you, Mr. Tiu."

He smiled. "Always welcome, Ms. Dela Cuesta."

"Sometimes I wish to just go back in college... when everything still wasn't this complicated. When life used to be easier... and fun... and... just happy, you know?"

"Yeah... college was the best part of my life yet also the worst," I chuckled.

"I guess we feel the same about that part."

Katahimikan.

"I used to ask myself before 'how can someone not take a person back?', but I reminded myself that true love doesn't come back... it fucking stays."

"'True love has a habit of coming back', isn't that the saying?" I asked him.

"Maybe..." he shrugged. "But the soul will always go back to wherever feels like home to it."

"Are you home yet?" I asked him.

Tiningnan niya ako sa aking mga mata bago siya ngumiti ng bahagya sa akin. Dahan-dahan ay umiling siya sa akin. "Not yet, Asia. Not yet."

I looked back at him the way he looked at me.

He smiled at me again, but this time, it was a different kind of smile. "Or maybe, I'm never coming home, Asia... because I already lost my home... four years ago."