SAUDADE

siyam

Third Person

2012

Irene sat on the bench inside the mausoleum. Her eyes staring at the grave where no name was written. She felt her heart heavy and her eyes started to water.

She had been contemplating on whether or not she made the right decision. Giving someone else her daughter's identity.

She longed for her daughter. And she knew deep in her heart that the Yana who she has now will never equate to Yana who was long gone.

Her tears started to fall as she looked down and memories of her daughter started to flash on her mind.

"Anak... Anak, I'm sorry..." She whispered to herself. "Hindi ko kayang mawala ka sa'kin..." She cried.

"If she's carrying your heart, that's enough for me to remind me of you..." She mumbled as her eyes pierced through the blank stone. "Yana understands..." A voice came fron behind.

Her head turned and saw her husband closing the sliding door and walking up to her. "We don't know what happened that night, Ai..." He sat down beside him.

"Nagkataon pang sira ang CCTV nung gabing yun..." Greggy sighed as he placed his arm over her shoulder and held her close to him.

Irene frowned and rested her head on his shoulder. "Kamusta sila Alfy?" She asked her husband and pursed her lips.

His hand started to stroke her back, "They're doing good... Binisita nila si Yana sa boarding school, they even took her to the London Eye..." He looked down.

"I miss her..." She sighed. "I miss her too, Ai... Ni-hindi lang naman ako binigyan ng pagkakataong makabawi sa kaniya..." He gritted through his teeth.

Irene pulled back from him and looked at him in the eyes, "You have another chance, Ai... Binigyan tayo ng isang pagkakataong magmahal ng isang bata ulit... She was a blessing in disguise..." She convinced herself.

Greggy looked at his wife and frowned, "I know... But..." He paused.

"But nothing... We just have to love her how we loved her." Irene stated and pressed her lips together.

And there's nothing Greggy wants more than his wife to be happy. And if she is happy with this set-up then beat it.

He has to make up to everything wrong he has done.

"Uwi na tayo... It's getting dark na..." He kissed the top of her head and she silently nodded. They stood up slowly as their eyes left the blank stone beside Irene's father.

They big their quiet goodbye's and proceeded to finally go out of the mausoleum. Greggy opened the car door for Irene before he went inside as well. He instructed the driver to go back home and they leaned back in their seats.

Irene and Greggy were in their own windows. Staring out on the void as distance filled the gaps on the center.

When Yana left, Greggy felt as if a part of Irene had also left. That a piece of Irene shifted. Something with her changed.

But he knew he too changed. Losing a daughter and just adopting a new one made him rethink his decisions once or twice. But as long as Irene was happy, he could careless.

❘༻༺❘

2015

Day by day, affection and attention faded away. Irene's jewelry business broke out in the market, her time was now dedication on supervising her pearls.