REGAN woke up the next day and the first thing he saw was Rebel sleeping peacefully beside him. Nakatulog pala siya nang makauwi sila ng kanyang anak kagabi at hindi na siya lumabas pa mula sa kuwarto ng mga 'to. Napahikab naman siya bago tumayo at inayos ang kumot sa katawan ni Rebel. He walked out of the room and went to the kitchen before thinking of preparing breakfast for his son. Regan then took a pancake mix from the cupboard, eggs, and milk before putting them above the kitchen counter.
Saglit naman siyang natigilan habang nakatitig sa mga ingredients na nilabas niya. "I don't fucking know how to cook." Usal niya sa kanyang sarili bago ibinagsak ang mixing bowl na hawak niya. He sighed and leaned on the counter as he pulled out his phone and typed how to cook pancakes on Google. Scrolling down, he clicked a video tutorial before placing his phone to the side. "Take one cup of pancake mix and put it on the mixing bowl." Saad niya habang sinusundan ang instructions ng pinapanood niya.
Wala naman siyang measuring cup kaya mano-mano niyang ibinuhos lahat ng pancake mix sa bowl at sinunod na lagyan ito ng tatlong itlog at gatas bago hinalo. Binaling naman niya ang tingin sa screen ng smartphone at nagtaka kung bakit iba ang consistency ng sa pinapanood niya at sa hinahalo niya. Regan then took a frying pan and went to the induction stove and stared at it like an idiot. He pushed the power button of it and placed the pan above the stove before he clicked anything to make it hot.
"Is it starting to get hot?" he asked himself and touched the pan. "Fuck!" sigaw niya nang mapaso siya. Inis na inis naman niyang sinipa ang trash bin dahilan para kumalat ang mga basurang nakapaloob doon. "Motherfucker!"
"Boss, what happened?" paglapit ng tauhan niya sa kanya.
"Nothing. Just leave me alone." Aniya bago kumuha ng butter at nilagay ang isang bar nito sa kawali. "Okay." He said and sighed as if cooking is the toughest battle he's facing. Nang magsimulang umusok ang kawali ay nilagyan niya ito ng pancake batter at mabilis na hinawakan ang spatula at tinitigan ang niluluto niya.
Minutes passed by and Regan could smell the pancake burning and black smoke is coming from the frying pan. He quickly turned the power off and took the burned pancake from it before throwing it to the sink. "Right. I'll just buy a takeout."
"Mister?" bumaling ang kanyang tingin nang marinig ang boses ni Rebel sa kanyang gilid at agad naman siyang lumuhod sa sahig nang lumapit ito saka kinarga. He let the kid sit above the kitchen counter and Rebel turned his gaze to the mess he made beside them. "What are you cooking, mister?"
"Nothing. What do you want to eat?" "Pancakes." Sagot nito at malawak na ngumiti.
Napangiwi naman si Regan at sumulyap sa kalat na ginawa niya. "Aside from pancakes?"
"Cereal will do." Rebel answered and he nodded in relief before taking cereal from the cupboard and milk. Naglagay siya nito sa isang bowl bago niya muling kinarga si Rebel papunta sa dining table at tinabihan. "Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
"Later." Sagot niya at hinaplos ang buhok nito.
Hindi naman na umimik si Rebel at tahimik na kumain habang siya nama'y tinititigan ito. Masarap pala sa pakiramdam na walang pumipigil sa kanya para lapitan ang kanyang anak. It feels like his mind is peaceful and he can live like this for the rest of his life. What more if Rogue is with him too and the three of them will eat together while talking about the random things and dreams they had last night.
"Are we going to see Rogue later?" tanong ni Rebel habang nakatingin sa kanya. "Is he going to be fine, mister?"
"Yes, so you better eat your food and we'll take a bath." He answered.