That Summer In Brooklyn

EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

Max

AS I've said before, Brooklyn wasn't the first place that came to my mind when I planned to escape all the miseries I had experienced in the Philippines. Brooklyn in New York City wasn't ideal after all. Traffic, pollution, the number of street dwellers everywhere, and high crime rates. But, Mom's memory lives here, so I decided to take all the risks after cleaving from my father's care. Dito sa lugar na ito ginugol ni Mama ang huling sandali ng buhay niya. I wasn't here back then, drowning in the sea of schoolwork and internships.

Wala pa ako ideya sa affair ni Papa hanggang sa ako na mismo ang makahuli. I walked inside the famous mall with friends when I saw him with a woman the same age as mine. They were busy buying lingerie during my birth. Mom was battling cancer. I am the type of person who doesn't want to be at the center of the public's eyes. So, instead of confronting Papa on the spot, I waited 'till he came home.

It wasn't a civil talk.

"Your Mom is dying. What do you want me to do here? Sulk or wait until she recovers, which by the way, won't happen."

Nagdilim ang paningin ko at nasuntok ko siya. Yes, I punched my own father in front of his mistress and our household chambers. Mama's boy, iyon ako at kuntento na ako na si Mama lang ang kasama ko. Handa na akong umalis at samahan si Mama sa Brooklyn kaso may school work at internship pa ako na kailangan tapusin. I was so depressed and all I had at that time was Sadie.

Sadie became my rock those trying times. She eased the longing feelings I had for my own mother. Hindi niya ako iniwan hanggang sa matapos ko ang lahat ng commitment ko sa Pilipinas. But little did I know, Sadie and I weren't meant to be. Handa na akong mag-propose sa kanya at siya talaga naging priority ko bago puntahan si Mama.

"I'm sorry, Max…."

Iyon lang sinabi sa akin ni Sadie matapos ko mag-set up ng public proposal para sa kanya. That proposal rejection went viral and all I did was to sulk inside my room. Ayokong lumabas at makipagkita miski na sa mga kaibigan ko. My life became a social media meme which I least expected. Maling-mali na ginawa ko iyon at may isang tao na paulit-ulit nagpapaalala ng bangungot na iyon.

"You should at least check if your girl loved you before pulling off that public stunt. You're such a disgrace to my name, Max."

"At least asked me if I wanted to bear your name," I said.

My father slapped me which didn't hurt me at all. Naging manhid na ako dahil sa sakit na nararamdaman ko. Sadie left as well as my own mother. I was so devastated at that time and all I did was cry silently inside my room. Iyon na din ang huling pag-uusap namin ni Papa at umalis na ako ng itira niya sa bahay ang kabit niya. Inalis ko ang apelyido niya sa pangalan ko at dinala ang apelyido ni Mama noong dalaga pa siya.

I came to Brooklyn not as Maximilien Rodriguez but as Maximilien Lewis. I was my Mom's son, not my father's. Brooklyn offered a lot of things to me and it felt like home. Tumira ako sa poder ni Nana Zeny na ginawa ko na legal guardian pagkuha ko ng green card ko. Siya ang huling kasama ni Mama ng nakikipaglaban ito sa sakit at hindi ko maiwasan na ma-luha ng matapos madinig ang kwento ni Nana.

"Proud na proud ang Mama mo sa 'yo at sa tuwing may check up siya, lagi ka niya na-ku-kwento sa mga nurse saka doktor." Nana Zeny said, holding my hand tightly. "Noong naging viral ang proposal rejection mo, agad niya ako pinag-book ng ticket para sayo dahil hindi siya makauwi. Sabi niya kailangan mo siya noon at natatakot na baka kung ano gawin mo."

Hanggang ngayon kapag naalala ko ang mga kwento ni Nana Zeny tungkol kay Mama ay napapangiti ako. Wala na yung sakit dahil sinabi sa akin ni Nana na hindi gusto ni Mama na habangbuhay ko sisihin ang sarili ko. She helped to start all over again and work hard for the two of us and  to pay all the medication debts that Mom had.