Rewind

Chapter Seven: The Box

I was surprised to see Mommy standing amidst a sea of fetchers waiting for their daughters, sons, and wards at the waiting area of the exit gate of our school. My weariness and sleepiness seemed to go away when I ran to her and gave her a very tight hug.

"How was school today, Brie?" she asked, then got the books I held in my arms.

"Just normal," I replied, then began walking by her side to our car. "The only miracle that happened today was that the teachers didn't give us any homework for today."

She smiled. "So, that means you'll be able to help me with packing up and cleaning. We're leaving for my condominium tomorrow afternoon, remember?"

"Mommy, it's only temporary, right? I chose to stay with you for the meantime, but I won't be packing all of my things. Some will stay in my room, some are coming along with me. I'll sort them out when we get home."

"Alright then. Now, will you hold your textbooks for me?" she asked, handing me back my books. "I'll just get the car keys from my pocket and start the car."

--

"Here are some boxes, Brianna," said Aling Berna quietly. "I'm sorry that you're leaving the house with your mother. Alam mo, ma-mi-miss namin kayo."

I gave her a pat on her shoulder. "Aling Berna naman," I grinned. "I won't be gone forever. I'll still be visiting here."

She smiled back at me then went out of the room and shut the door.

Now, what should I bring with me, I thought. I had a lot of valuable possessions inside my room. There were books, DVDs, and stuffed toys that meant a lot to me and I know that I couldn't possibly survive without them hanging around in my room. Or that's how I think of it.

I began to examine my bookshelves, which held over seventy books, both fiction and non-fiction. I took a closer look at all the titles; there were several classics such as "Jane Eyre" and "Lés Miserables"; newer titles such as "Raven's Gate" and "The Fault in Our Stars"; and books authored by some of my favorite international celebrities like Amy Poehler, Julie Andrews, and Fred Astaire (yes, there's an eighty-year-old woman residing inside my body, not that you care).

I eventually decided to take at least one book per genre and subject. In total, I selected eleven books which topics range from science to medieval history.

Next, I opened my closet. Most of my articles of clothing were sweaters, long-sleeved shirts, and jeans; the rest were dresses, skirts, and my school uniform. Don't mistake me for being boyish, though. I dress up in jeans and sweaters majority of the time simply because I'm comfortable being in them.

I unzipped my travel bag and put in three pairs of jeans, five shirts, three sweaters, three pairs of socks, two dresses, and two skirts. I didn't really mind using the same piece of clothing within a week, as long as it's laundered, of course.

--

After an hour, I was finally done with all the packing up I had to do. I went to Mommy and Daddy's room to check if Mommy was done packing up, too.

Seeing that the door to their room was open, I took a peek inside. Mommy was still sorting out the clothes she was going to bring along with her.

"Mommy, I'm done packing up," I whispered.

She turned her head around. "That's good! Now, if you don't mind, could I ask you to get something for me in the attic? There's a box there with the label 'Lea's Stuff' and it contains a lot of important documents and things."

"Sure!" I replied. "I'll bring it down once I find it."

"Thank you, love," she smiled. "I know I could always count on you."

--

The attic, as I expected it to be, was the darkest, most cramped area of the house. There were cobwebs in every corner and it gave you an eerie feeling that there may be rats in the area. If I really had my way, I wouldn't have come up here. But I didn't want to disappoint Mommy.

Despite the uninviting ambiance the attic gave me, I was fascinated with all the boxes and containers which occupied majority of the attic's space. Most of the labels on them were really funny, others brought nostalgia.

However, as I continued my search for the box labeled "Lea's Stuff", a huge, black velvet box caught my eye. A big letter "B" was stitched on it. 

"B for...Babes?" I muttered. I shrugged off the thought, anyway. Besides, it could belong to anyone, and I'm pretty sure Aling Berna wouldn't be an exception.

I hope Mommy wouldn't notice if it took me long to retrieve her box, I said to myself. I just knew that I had to see what was inside that black box. Something tells me I really had to open it.

I sat down in one corner of the attic and dragged the box near to me. I slowly lifted its cover, took a look inside and the first thing that I saw was...

A photo of Mommy and Daddy kissing???

--

I sat there speechless, my eyes opened wide. So the box actually belongs to both Mommy and Daddy. And "B" certainly did stand for "Babes". 

My hunch was right. It was a box of all of their favorite memories together. They sure could keep a secret, huh?

"And those two keep on denying that they hate each other," I chuckled and shook my head. "Alam ko naman na hindi nila matitiis ang isa't isa. Sila pa. I mean, if they really hate each other now, one of them would've come here, got the box, and burned every single thing that's in it. I know how they are when they're mad."

I wanted to laugh so hard in amazement, but I had to keep myself quiet lest I be caught by anyone snooping around here. 

Discovering the contents of that box was like discovering a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was filled with photos, scrapbooks, love letters, small stuffed toys, and even old VHS tapes. I marveled at the sight of it all.

After much thought and after scanning the contents of the aptly nicknamed "B-Box", I concluded that maybe Mommy and Daddy could still have another chance at being a couple. And it wasn't the lawyers or Mommy and Daddy themselves who would do the fixing.

Everything was all up to me now. I just needed to formulate a plan and execute it smoothly, of course, with the help of this box and its contents.

Oh, boy, I said to myself. The game is on!