SAUDADE

tatlong pu't tatlo

Third Person

"You ready, moy?" Xavier's shaking hands stroked hers, a smile on his face as they stopped just right in front of the massive main door of her parent's house. Issa smiled and nodded once, "Let's get this over with..." She uttered.

He tightened his grip on her hand and opened the door for her, he waited as she stepped inside the house.

A gush of wind washed over her face and sent shivers to her spine, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Yana, kung ikaw yan... Guide me tas kalmahan lang dapat yung reaction nila, please lang huhu' She spoke to herself inside her mind.

Xavier closed the door and looked at Issa. "Saan sila?" He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders up and down and looked around the house, "Baka nasa veranda." She pointed the way towards the place and then looked at him. He nodded, "Tara..."

They moved towards the glass sliding door and saw Issa's parents sitting beside each other on the retractable chair with both of them holding different books on hand. She slid the door open and her mother turned her head. "Oh?" Irene smiled.

"Good afternoon po... Tita, tito..." Xavier smiled and nodded once to each of Irene and Greggy.

Greggy heard the commotion and turned his head around to the direction Irene was looking at, "Oh..." He smiled and stood up from his seat. "Nandito pala kayo, hindi naman kayo nag-sabi..." Irene went to her daughter and hugged her before moving to Xavier and made beso.

"Hindi ako nakapag-luto ng karamihan... I have chef the day off kasi birthday daw ng anak niya..." Irene smiled and explained.

"It was a quick change of plan lang..." Issa reasoned out and smiled at her mother. She then looked at Xavier and he looked back at her. Greggy and Irene stood there in silence, waiting for someone to speak up.

"What brings you both here?" Her father asked her.

Issa swallowed a lump on her throat and looked at her mother, biting her lower lip. "Mommy, Dada... Can we talk inside?" She asked her parents who looked confused but still agreed.

"Sure, sure... Bakit? May problema ba?" Greggy asked as he placed his hand on Irene's back, guiding her inside the house as he closed the sliding door behind him. Issa wetted her lips on their way to the living room. "Ano kasi, Dada..." She started, looking at her father then to Xavier.

Irene felt nervous, sitting down beside her husband on the long couch in their living room as Issa and Xavier sat in front of them. They waited for Issa to say something again, "Remember when I told you about Xavier? Kuya Alfy told you diba na... Na... May nang-yari sa amin?" She said in a small voice.

Her mother widened her eyes but didn't open her mouth, "Mommy..." Issa called out to her mother, "Dada..." She looked at her father, "I'm pregnant..." She broke out the news.

"Ano?!" Greggy exclaimed, looking at her and then to Irene. "Pero... pero diba sabi mo negative yung results when you checked?" Irene asked her daughter.

Issa nodded and tightened her hold to Xavier's hand. "The doctor said it was too soon to tell nung nag pregnancy test ako..." She answered her mother.

The room was filled with silence not until Xavier spoke again. "Wag po kayong mag-alala... I will marry Issa and be a father to our baby... She is not alone in this and I will be there for her every step of the way. We might not planned to have a baby this soon but I am happy that I got to make a family with her..." He explained.

"If... Uhm... I want to talk to you about the wedding soon po..." He looked at her parents before looking at Issa. "That's if Issa will agree on... I don't want her to be pressured into doing something she doesn't want to..."