Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between

Chapter 8 - My Sacrifice

"Trish, paano nga ulit sabihin ang good morning in Bikol?" It was Cassie's first morning in Naga after arriving with the whole Robredo family yesterday afternoon. 

She had already visited some of Aika's favorite snack places courtesy of her girlfriend.

 At the insistence of Aika and her mom, she stayed at their family home instead of a hotel. They reasoned that she was their guest and that the accommodations within the city were already full due to the festival. 

In hopes of returning their hospitality, she woke up early to help prepare the breakfast spread. Tricia, who was miraculously awake, was on her phone at the dining table.

"Tagal-tagal nyo na ni ate di mo pa rin kabisado" the younger Robredo says nonchalantly. She quickly moved to cover Tricia's mouth.

She was sure she knew the greeting, but to be safe, she needed a native speaker to confirm it for her.

"Sshh may makarinig sayo. Ano ba? Sige na turuan mo na ako." She looked around, scared someone had heard what the other girl said. Luckily, no one else was around.

"Sige, marhay basically means good tapos lagyan mo nalang ng time like aga, hapon, banggi which is gabi. So for good morning, you say marhay na aga." Trish patiently explained it to her.

She repeated the phrase several times, making sure her pronunciation was right. 

She was in the middle of preparing coffee and tea for the family when she heard footsteps going down the stairs. 

She saw Aika descend, and when she smiled at her, she lost every thought in her head. She was about to say something when she spotted the Robredo matriarch behind her girlfriend.

"Marhay na Aika—aga. Marhay na aga po Ma'am Leni, Aiks." She was so tempted to facepalm herself when those words came out of her mouth. 

She only had three words to say, three words she had been practicing before she saw them. Kasalanan to ng ngiti mo, Aika.

"Marhay na aga man, Cassie. Kumusta tulog mo?" she was staying in Aika's room while her girlfriend temporarily stayed in her mom's room with the rest of her siblings. 

She didn't want to be an inconvenience, but the Robredo matriarch said it was no big deal. Although, Aika did promise her she would find an excuse for them to stay in the same room for the rest of their trip.

"Okay lang po, ma'am. Tea niyo nga po pala." She offered her boss a steaming cup before she gave Aika her own cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Cassie. Saan nga pala kayo pupunta today?" She shrugged and looked at her girlfriend, hoping she could answer the question.

"Mag-iikot lang kami, ma tapos visit namin si papa." Aika explained. 

They had several stops for the day before participating in the city festivities, but her trip home will never be complete without visiting her dad's grave.

'Sige, punta rin ako kay papa later. In case di tayo magpang-abot kay papa, sa church nalang tayo magkita, okay?" Her mom was a fervent believer.

She and her sisters grew up observing traditions that her mom and dad followed. So with Cassie joining their family practices, her heart can only feel warmer.

"Okay, po. Ikaw Patty, sasabay ka kay mama?" She loves her sisters, but babe time is babe time.

"No na siguro, te. Mag-iikot rin kami ni ano later. Speaking of ano, malapit na sila mag-boarding. Gisingin ko na si Jill para magkasama kami susundo." With that, Tricia stands and leaves them to do what she just said.