P.R.N

13

"Ma...Pa..."

We were eating out for dinner. Tinamad kasi magluto si Mama kaya nag-aya nalang si Papa sa favorite restaurant niya.

"Yes, love?" Mama asked.

"My NMAT score passed PAU."

My score even qualified for the scholarship program of PAU— I wouldn't take it. Maraming estudyante ang mas kailangan yung scholarship.

"I knew it! Congratulations, anak!" My mom held my hand and slightly squeezed it.

Si Papa naman ay ngumiti sa akin. "I'm proud of you, Vienne. Always."

"Oh my goodness, I think I'm gonna cry..." Biglang sabi ni Mama na nagpatawa sa amin. Hinawakan ni Papa ang kamay niya.

"Kalma..." Natatawang sabi ni Papa sa kanya. "Iyakin." Pang-aasar pa nito.

Sinamaan siya ng tingin ni Mama.

"Huwag kang maniwala dito sa Papa mo. When you graduated, he cried himself to sleep." Panlalaglag ni Mama.

Hindi talaga pwedeng hindi bumawi.

Ang mature.

"He asked me, "Did we make it, love?""

Parang hinaplos ang puso ko sa narinig. Whenever I think about the care our parents give us, it makes my heart warm. We are so lucky that we have them as our parents.

No pressure. No violence. No discomfort. Just love and care.

I wish everyone could have this.

"Let's not be emotional, please. Let's just eat." Sabi ko.

--

Cole's first semester just ended, and here we are— celebrating at his place. This guy needs more friends, really. By celebrating, I mean drinking. It's fine. We're responsible drinkers.

We don't drink everyday. I don't encourage alcohol drinking because it causes harmful effects in the body especially in the long run. In our case, we drink because it's our way of unwinding. Wala naman kaming napapabayaan na responsibilidad. That's what's important. Being responsible.

I haven't seen him for a month due to his schedule but he, for some reason, keeps me updated. I think that's how close friends goes for him.

"Tyrone and Xavi broke up." He suddenly told me.

Napatigil ako saglit at agad na naisip si Xavi. I chose not to voice it out.

Not your business, Erica Vienne.

"For an aspiring doctor, you don't value confidentiality, huh."

Natawa siya sa sinabi ko. "Come on, it's you..."

Laki ng tiwala, ah.

"What happened?"

"I don't know..." He sipped his drink. "Xavi suddenly stopped attending class... Tyrone looks like shit..."

Oh.

I was dumbfounded for a moment. I didn't know what to feel. I saw the way Xavi cried. I saw the look on her face. She was really heartbroken and helpless.

Is heartbreak really that bad? That it would stop you from functioning?

"I don't know how to reach out to Xavi, but she might fail if this continues..." There was worry in Cole's tone.

He must be worried, of course. They're his friends. Baka nga naiipit pa siya ngayon sa gitna.

I sighed. "Let her be for a moment. She'll get by."