PICO Series 1: 'Til I Find You

PROLOGUE

MAY 1994.

Iyak ng iyak si Louie habang nage-empake ang mommy niya.

"Mommy, noooooo!!! Don't leave us!!"

"LJ. Be a good boy. Look at your sisters, they are not being stubborn like you."

Humikbi siya. Nilingon niya ang mga kapatid.

JC is just playing with her creepy doll in the corner. Natural na hindi iiyak ito kasi isasama ito ng mommy niya.

Si JD naman ay nakaupo lang sa gilid ng kama. Tulala ito na parang may malalim na iniisip. 

Hindi talaga ito umiiyak simula pa noon. Hindi raw umiyak ito noong lumabas ito sa tummy ng mommy.

Jaedeen, Jaechuy, and Louijae are identical triplets. Born on March 3, 1990, and had a 3- minute age gap from each other. JD being the eldest, then JC, and him.

They were a happy family, but not until his dad, Garred Enzares' business slowly became an empire and his mom, Nolla was left unattended.

Tumingin siya ulit sa mommy niya at sa mga ini-emapke nitong damit. Umiyak na naman siya ng napakalakas.

"Mommyyyyyy!! Don't you love us anymore?" bakit sila nito iiwan? Hanggang kailan?

Tumigil sa ginagawa ang mommy niya. Bumuntong-hininga ito saka lumapit sa kanya.

Hinawakan nito ang kamay niya at marahan na hinila siya nito palapit sa nakaupong si JD. Yumuko ang mommy niya hanggang sa naging magkasingtangkad na sila.

"JD, LJ. Always remember that I love you and will always love you until you grow up and until I grow old. It is just that, mommy has to leave with JC, because if we continue to live together, our lives will be more difficult. Do you want to see your dad and I, fight every day? Would the three of you be happy if you see us hurting each other?"

Both JD and him shook their heads. Bumaling sa kanya ang mommy niya.

"LJ, you are the guy. You should be braver than JD. Stop crying now, okay?" His mom caressed his cheeks.

He held his tears back as their mom hugged both of them.

It shouldn't be like this. If he and his sisters can't stop their mom, maybe their dad can.

Kumalas siya sa yakap ng mommy niya at tumakbo sa office ng papa niya sa bahay nila.

"Daddy!!!!!!" he pushed open the door. He saw his daddy staring blankly at nowhere. He remembered JD.

"Daddy!!" tumakbo siya palapit dito. "Won't you stop mommy?! She's leaving us! Why are you not doing anything!!" sigaw niya sa pagitan ng mga hikbi.

"LJ..."

"Daddy!!! I don't want mommy to go."

Louie doesn't seem to know what's stopping his dad. He clearly doesn't want their mom to go, but he looked so powerless, so helpless.

All he did was grab him and hug him tight. Somehow, he felt comforted. They both felt comforted...

. . . . .

Five months after Nolla left, Garred's bestfriend and business partner, Shan died in an accident.

To keep the business going and Shan's shares intact, Garred married his late friend's wife, Kassandra.

Nagalit si Louie sa daddy niya. Kahit pa anong sabihin nitong dahilan, his hopes of getting their family back together shattered into pieces.

So he swore to himself, that one day, he will never abandon anyone. He will be the person his dad failed to be.

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