Busy being Yours

SC 5. Two and a Half Years

Pagod ako so gusto kong paiyakin ang sarili. Miss na miss ko na din ang J&J, and ang pagsusulat in general hahaha.

Kamusta na kayo? Hope that you're all safe and well.

Jason's already 37 and June is 35 in this timeline. 6 years after the epilogue.

Happy reading and stay safe!

xx

I looked at her after we both are done signing the papers.

"I love you." I mouthed.

"I love you..." Bulong niya pabalik.

She's crying, her hands are shaking, and she's holding on to me for support.

Maging ang mga tuhod ko ay nanginginig din at nararamdaman kong nangingilid ang mga luha ko. I held her hand tighter and gave her a reassuring smile. Tiningnan niya rin ako at sinuklian ang ngiti ko.

Thank you, Lord.

Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang beses na akong nagpapasalamat na si June ang asawa ko. Every time I wake up and see her sleeping soundly in my arms, I always tell myself that I'm the luckiest man alive. It was always like that... Always like this...

But at the same time, I knew that this moment is different. This moment is special. This is the day that I swear I'll always remember until the day that I die.

"Congratulations, Dr. Andres, Dr. Jimenez..." The judge smiled at us both. "Maya..." She looked at our daughter, sitting still in between me and my wife. "Ryan..." Tiningnan din nito ang isa pa naming anak na kandong-kandong ko, "Congratulations. You're officially adopted."

Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili at tuluyan nang napaluha. June was also sobbing as well as she hugged our seven-year old daughter that was still in shock.

"Mommy, hindi na kami babalik sa ampunan?" She whispered, nanginginig din ang boses.

June shook her head, wiped her tears and smiled at her. "Hindi na, Ate. Sa bahay na kayo ni Ryan uuwi lagi. Hindi na 'yung pabisi-bisita lang."

"Daddy?" Tawag ni Ryan sa 'kin. I looked at him and laughed at how confused he looked, agad kong pinunasan ang mga luha ko. "Ba't kayo malungkot? Hindi ba ako behave?"

"Hindi." Pareho kaming natawa ni June. "Very good ka, anak. Masaya kami ni Mommy." I hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek.

"Masayang-masaya." June added before snatching him from me and showering kisses all over his face.

It was my turn to hug our daughter, mas lalo lang akong naiyak nang makitang umiiyak din ito.

"Thank you, Daddy..." Bulong nito sa 'kin. "Thank you kasi pinili niyo kami ni Ryan."

I buried my face on the crook of her neck and held her tighter.

Parang bumalik sa 'kin lahat ng pinagdaanan namin bago dumating ang araw na ito. It was a very rough journey. Ilang beses na kaming umiyak, napagod, at nawalan ng pag-asa ni June. Legal domestic adoption was not the easiest thing to do in our country, at araw-araw ay ang pagpapadali lang nito ang tanging dasal namin ng asawa ko.

We fought for our kids for two and a half years. June and I gave our all, and we can finally say that we finally did it.

"Thank you for coming into our lives." I hugged Maya tighter after kissing her forehead. "Gagawin namin ang lahat para sa inyo."

xx

Jason and June asked the kids' for their opinion about changing their names. Walang problema sakanila ang kasalukuyang mga pangalan ng mga anak nila because they never really thought about naming their children, they both just wanted to have one.

But during the process of adoption, Maya told the couple that she wanted to be named Anna, after Frozen. While Ryan only said Jason, his favorite person in the world. So the couple also filed for naming their kids Anna Maia J. Andres and Ryan Jace J. Andres.

For more information about the Philippine adoption system:

https://youtu.be/JNW-je4f5PE

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/lifestyle/2019/9/6/Adoption-in-the-Philippines-methods.html?fbclid

https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/how-to-adopt-a-child-in-the-philippines-a-step-by-step-guide-42963

https://saklawph.com/domestic-adoption/