Tadhana

- 5 : Sights -

Following the previous days, there was no denying that each and every one of them was beat. "Surprises were on every corner, Mama!" exclaimed Sienna, while combing her long, black hair, "Literally... remember... Asher?". She heaved a sigh, as silent as can be, because she knew what was coming next:

"Ooh, yung crush mo noon? Yung nakita mo ulit noong highschool kayo?" her mother asked over the line.

"O-Opo..." her lips inevitably curved up, forming a smile. Good thing she wasn't video-calling her mom.

"Oh? What about him, anak?" the mom's tone was teasing... of course it would be. 

Sienna heaved in a silent breath, before saying, "Mama, magkaklase kami ulit, it's b-basically high school again po! He's... he's back, in my life.". The economist sighed dreamily, yet heavily.

The woman on the other side of the line chuckled, "Basta aral anak ha? Don't worry, I won't tell your dad yet, hehe.".

"Mama, pwede mo naman sabihin kay Dada! It's just a simple crush, is all!"

"Ay 'sus, yung paghinga mo diyan nagsasaad ng ibang meaning."

"Hindi kami, promise, swear!"

"Di ko naman sinabi na kayo, ah."

"Ehhh, kilala kita! Anyways, wala pa si Dada? May business meeting pa siya?"

On the other side of the line, Sienna's mom nodded, "Oo, pero he misses you a lot, mahal, umiiyak siya palagi, pero wag mo sabihing sinabi ko ha,". A bittersweet smile came unto her face, although it was unseen by her daughter.

"I miss him too, and I miss you too, Mama, I'll send you all a balik-bayan box sometime, 'tas uuwi din ako one day! Pag summer na!" the grey-eyed daughter chirped with a closed-eye smile.

"O sige na, diba mag-totour pa kayo sa... ano yan?" after some thinking, she continued, "Ottawa, yes, Ottawa. Ingat anak, always remember to look to God, adya!".

"Ingat din po kayo! God bless po, Mama!" she bade farewell back, with a giggle.

"Love you too!"

And with her mother's sing-song voice ending the call, Sienna sighed with a giggle, as she headed to the shower to get ready for the day. 

-

Since they didn't have the time to really tour Ottawa at first, James took the pleasure - and as he insisted, the obligation - to help his friends get used to their new environment. Instead of taking his car, they all decided to commute instead.

Taking the bus, the three friends sat down, with James opening up a newly-bought map of Canada's Capital. "Okay, so kayo yung pumili ng mga destination kanina ha, para sa plano natin," James spun his pen between his fingers, pointing to a point on the map, "So kay Sienna, Parliament Hill, papunta na tayo doon, okayyy?". He then proceeded to emphasize another point, "Tapos, lunch tayo sa labas, siguro sa may lunch district, tapos we'll go to Peace Tower, yung gusto ni Sonia, ganon.". Finally, James proceeded to the final section for the tour's outlining, "Tas sa huli, we'll go have dinner sa may Rideau Canal, tas mag-crucruise tayo through the waterway," James proceeded to close the map, excitement filling his heart and his friends', "Ang romantic kaya doon sa canal na 'yon, pang k-drama huhu.". The purple-haired cafe owner lifted his index finger to his lips, thinking about the said scenario.

"Tas kapag sa kanal na, mahuhulog lang tayo," laughed the brown-eyed accountant.

"Kaya pala alam na alam mo eh," teased the purple head replied, "Hulog ka ng hulog eh,".

Sonia couldn't help but burst into laughter, alongside James. At first, Sienna just snorted, however, the joy was so contagious, and she soon caught it too - laughing alongside her friends. This led to others giving them weird looks, but they didn't mind. 'Besides, we're just laughing, anyways.' Sienna thought to herself.