36
"Mama!"
Nahulog ang hawak kong lapis nang tumakbo papalapit saakin si Cali. The little girl wraps her small arms around my knees. Napaurong ako sa yakap niya kaya nalaglag ang hawak kong lapis.
"What's wrong, baby?" I asked her softly.
She glanced at me and started crying. She hugged me, so I got the chance to squat and carry her. I worriedly wiped her tears.
"What's wrong?"
She cried loudly as an answer to my question. I glanced at my office door and saw Rye, wearing his office attire, enter. He was smirking a bit, so my eyebrows arched.
"What? I didn't do anything to her," he defensively said, and put his hands up. Cali looked at him, still crying.
"Bad, papa! Bad!" She exclaimed while sobbing and put her face on my neck when Rye started to walk towards us while chuckling.
I glared at him.
"What did you do?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I didn't do anything. I just told her that she couldn't enter your office since you're working and she's noisy. I told her you don't like noisy people, then she cried and ran here."
Hindi ko alam kung paano patatahanin ang batang umiiyak nang walang tigil sa bisig ko kaya nagpasya si Rye na kunin s'ya mula saakin. Cali doesn't want to be carried by Rye, but when Rye told her that he'd buy a strawberry ice cream for her, she frowned and let him carry her.
I watched Rye whispering and calming the baby girl. After a few seconds, Cali stopped crying but was still sobbing and looked at Rye. I sighed and sat on my swivel chair and got the pencil off the floor. I continued doing my sketch as my two visitors sat on my couch.
They're busy talking to each other. Rye loosened up his neck tie and brushed Cali's hair using his fingers. Cali sat comfortably on his lap and facing him. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. I heard the little girl giggle after he did that.
I licked my lips and narrowed my eyes at my sketchpad.
"Sinong nagdala sa kanya dito?" Tanong ko patutukoy kay Cali. Ang mga mata ko ay nasa ginagawa pa rin.
"Her yaya,"
"Where's her yaya?"
"I told her to go home because I'm here." Rye casually answered.
I nodded and looked at him. The two-year-old girl was busy tapping on her papa's phone, and Rye was resting her head on the couch.
"How's your case?" I couldn't help but ask.
Galing s'yang trabaho at sa pagkakatanda ko ay isang mabigat na criminal case ang hawak n'ya ngayon. I don't know the details of his work since I didn't ask because I didn't need to know. I just know that he's working on a criminal case right now because he mentioned it last time.
"Fine," he answered tiredly.
I nodded my head and didn't ask for more. I got back to what I was doing and let Rye rest peacefully while Cali was playing a game on his phone while sitting on his lap.
I opened my laptop and checked if I had email from a client when Rye spoke.
"I heard Arthfael got home yesterday."
I stopped. Parang may bombang sumabog sa pandinig ko matapos ang sinabi niya. Nakaawang ang labing inilipat ko sa kanya ang tingin ko at hindi maiwasang manginig ang kamay.
Rye's eye fixed on my reaction. He was serious and seemed curious.
"I just heard from Rastiel. He was attending his birthday party later..."
