Destination XYZ

Six

Third Person

Greggy wanted to distance himself from Irene for a couple of weeks since their heated conversation at the café. He didn't want to say things without thinking about it too much.

He was at his father's office as he was being called. He didn't know what it was for but here he was, waiting for his father to arrive from a meeting with other architects, engineers, and contractors.

He was fiddling with a pen and noticed a safe box on the side of his father's desk.

He eyed it, and raised an eyebrow, he was surely going to ask why it was there once his father will come. He heard the door creak, making him turn around and stand up to greet his father. "Pa!" He smiled.

Luis only nodded and signaled him to sit down. "Ano problema, pa? Ba't pinatawag niyo ako?" He obeyed his father on sitting down, his eyes trailing to where his father was.

With a heavy sigh, Luis looked at his son, "Your ma... well, your ma wants to tell you something..." He started. "It's better that she'll tell you herself... I just knew this now, Regy..." He sighed.

He felt his heart pounding hard in his chest, it felt like he was suffocating. He didn't know what to feel but nervous, overwhelmed, and scared of what he was about to know.

As words didn't fly out of his mouth, he nodded. "I'm sorry, Regy." His father bit his lip. "Whatever it is Pa, it might not be that ba-"

"Emma..." Luis cut him off, his voice seemed cold. Greggy looked back to the door and saw that his Ma has come. He had never been that close to his mother, but there they were. Father, Mother, and Son. All in one room, surprisingly not in each other's throats.

"Gregorio..." His mother walked toward him. Greggy stood up to greet his mother but was stunned to watch as his mother grabbed both his arms and knelt down. His eyes widened and tugged his mother's arms to stand back up. "Ma? Anong ginagawa mo, masama yan sa arthritis mo." He said wanting his mother to get up.

"Greggy, I'm sorry..." She cried. Luis stared at his wife coldly, he know for sure that what she did was unforgivable to Greggy.

Greggy glanced at his father and threw him a confused look, but all his father did was shrug. "Sabihin mo na't para matapos na tayo dito."

His mother cried on the floor holding both Greggy's hands. "I'm sorry, Greggy." He grew impatient out of her sorry's. "Ma? Anong sorry? Bakit sorry? Anong ginawa mo ba?"

"I was the one who kept all the letters from Irene."

And with that, he felt his world freeze. It was like a bucket of ice, cold water was splashed on his face. He blinked, far too many times. He heard it well, but maybe, just maybe, he heard it wrongly. There's no way his mother could've done that...

He looked at his mother who was not looking up at him, "You... You did what?" He stammered, finding it hard to look at his mother's eyes.

"I hid it... And I kept yours too... I'm sorry... I really, really am..." Emma said in a shaky voice, a sob then escaped from her mouth.

There was it. The confirmation. His mother did it. He felt took a step back. Analyzing every word she said at that very moment. His heart started to beat loudly, deafening him.

"I'm so sorry, Gre-"

"Nasaan ang mga sulat?" He said, his head hanging down. He held back his tears as he didn't want to appear broken. Which, obviously, he was. The suspect has been under his nose over the years and he didn't even notice.

"Nasaan ang mga sulat." His voice rang again. This time it wasn't even a question anymore.

Luis placed the safe on top of his desk. "Here." Greggy looked at his father and furrowed his eyebrows, "Püta." He cursed, he left his mother on the floor and head towards the safe.