After Daylight

8. When Yllak Confessed to His Dad

SANDRO

"Yllak and the kids are going out for a drink love." I told my wife as I settled on the seat next to her after reading my eldest son's message. We were in the beach house in Saud which Louise and I bought when Yllak was two months old.

My ever beautiful wife who has bore me our children frowned at me. "Bakit?"

I laughed. "I did not ask."

She made a face. "Kapag mga yan naging manginginom."

"Yllak is a responsible kid. He'll take care of his siblings." I told her reassuringly.

"And Naomi is sumbungera. She will tell me what happened." Louise said, rolling her eyes.

I laughed. "Naomi will always be Naomi."

Louise just stared at me then smiled. "Ang lalaki na ng mga bata Sandro. Patapos na si Yllak sa masters. Celestina is starting to fulfil her own dream on studying law. Naomi is in college and taking the same path that I took, Si KM thirteen na at binibigyan ng love letter."

I smiled, kissing her knuckles. "You raised them well Louise."

"Paano kaya kung si Kate nakatuluyan mo? Edi lahat ng anak mo puro maarte." She snickered.

I made a face then raised a brow. "Naomi is maarte. I wonder who she got it from."

"Ewan ko Sandro. Nasanay siguro na bine-baby nung siya pa lang yung bunso."

"That girl is still stuck up on Alexander. I can't believe you made me agree on her studying in Singapore."

Louise grinned. "And I can't believe you fall for it every time."

I rolled my eyes. My wife is still a vixen. If our own kids got that from her, good luck to their future boyfriends.

---

Louise was the first to sleep that night. I stayed behind and waited for the kids to come home. True to what Yllak told me, they came home before ten.

"Papa! Papa!" Naomi's voice echoed in the house.

"Ate Naomi nga!" KM hissed at his sister, widening his eyes.

Naomi just sticks out her tongue at her younger brother and came to me. "Papa! Papa! Makinig ka to me or I will kalbo you when you are making tulog and mama will be ma-turn-off tapos maghahanap siya ng bagong asawa and you will no longer be my papa and I will be ma-depress and we will become a broken family and we will only see you in the weekends kasi hiwalay na tayo ng house and you will be drinking away your brokenness while holding that glass of alak tapos I will play nakakalungkot music so you will dama ta moment!" Naomi hissed.

I rolled my eyes. "What is it Naomi?" Hindi ko talaga alam kung kanino nagmana ang anak ko na ito.

"Si KM nakipag-make out sa restroom ng bar!" She exclaimed, widening her eyes with a triumphant smile on her lips.

I turned to look at KM who was scratching the tip of his nose with a guilty expression. I turned back to Naomi who looked like she was waiting for an answer.

"I'll talk to him. Goodnight Naomi." I told her, dismissing her. Baka mamaya sabihin din na may babalik na ex-boyfriend ang mama niya at siya ang magiging bagong papa niya. No Naomi. That ain't happening.

"Hmm. Susumbong k okay mama sa umaga para sure," She kissed me on my cheeks. "Goodnight papa. Sana magising ako bukas na si mama ang kamukha ko."

"Is there something wrong looking like me?" I asked.

"Looking like you is so wrong in madaming ways!" She exclaimed and walked away.

"Don't mind her papa," Celestine spoke, rolling her eyes. She kissed me on the cheeks. "Goodnight papa. I love you po."

"I love you to Celestina." I told her, smiling.

Celestina left the living room. Yllak and KM were sitting on the couch in front of me.

"What's up?" I asked them.

Yllak raised his hands. "Can we drink with you?" He asked.

I laughed. "Go get some wine in the cellar."

Yllak stood up to get what I asked him. I turned to KM. "So, what's up KM?"

"I just had my first kiss with someone older than me," He confessed. I only looked at him. "Am I grounded?" He asked.

I laughed. "Do you want me to ground you?"

"No."

"Then I won't."

"That's it? You won't ask me why I kissed someone?"

I shook my head, chuckling. "No. I've been there KM."

He sighed. "Kinabahan ako sa wala. Was mama your first kiss?" He asked with curiosity on his face.

"No." I replied, shaking my head.

"They were wild kids before they met each other KM." Yllak spoke, returning with a bottle of wine and wine glass. He poured one for me before sitting down.

"Who told you?" I asked.

"Just saw some old clips in the internet. I even saw a clip of you and mom kissing in a house party." Yllak said, rolling his eyes.

I scratched the tip of my nose. "Well that was when I forgot her birthday and I had to make up for it so we went to Baguio after she told me about the bucket list she wrote on her birthday. I mean the seven things she wants to do with me." I told them.

"What bucket list?" Yllak asked curiously.

"Butterfly kisses, watch Lord of the rings together, go to Baguio, John Hay eco trail but we couldn't do it so we changed it with kiss under the pine trees," I saw KM roll his eyes. "Then something like getting drunk with me."

"What's the seventh? There were seven things dad. What's the seventh?" KM asked.

I scratched the tip of my nose. "You don't want to know."

"Ah." Yllak muttered.

"Anong ah. Ano yung pang seven?" KM asked.

"It's adult stuff KM." Yllak answered for me.

"Like porn?"

I made a face. "What are you saying KM?"

"He asked me to watch porn with me the other day."

"Why?" I asked.

"I was just curious!" KM exclaimed. "Anyway, being in a relationship is a lot of work." KM commented.

"Of course." Yllak answered as if he was agreeing based on experience.

"I would rather stay single." KM said, shaking his head.

I laughed. "Then your suitors will be broken hearted."

"I do not care. I am not obliged to reciprocate their feelings anyway." He retorted.

I chuckled, shaking my head at my sons. I cannot believe I am having this conversation with them.

"Dad." Yllak spoke.

I looked at him with a smile on my face. "Yes son?"

"Reika broke my heart," He started. My mouth parted, astonished. Yllak sighed. "We dated for two years when she moved to London. We lived together too. I thought she was in love with me but it was still Alexander all along. She broke my heart dad and I do not know how to mend it back."

He did not cry but there was loneliness and brokenness in his voice.

"You dated someone older than you?' KM exclaimed from his seat.

I didn't know if I should laugh at KM's remark or shut my mouth to respect Yllak's feeling. I need my wife's opinion. 

--

mwa