The Heaven's Wildcard

Chapter 34

I can still feel my father's hunger. When he hugged me, I was left with no space to breathe. But it could be because of the tiring week that I wasn't able to eat and sleep properly that I lost consciousness. Pagkagising ko ay natagpuan ko ang sarili sa ospital. This time, I'm not here as a nurse. I'm a patient.

Staring at the ceiling, I had a short flashback of everything. In a fast-forward movie, I saw how Yuri reappeared in my life. I saw how my anger turned into understanding. There was empathy, and the more I knew him, the deeper our connection got. I liked him in the past. I let my guard down, thinking that I wouldn't feel the same way again because of his heart.

"Maurice." Tumayo si Dad mula sa pagkakaupo sa gilid ko nang mapunang dilat ang mga mata ko.

"D-Dad, you're here?"

"Hmm. Dad is here."

My eyes were wet right away. "I-I have a father with me."

Nahawaan ko ang ama na kanina naman ay tuyo ang mga mata.

"H-How long did I sleep?" paos ang boses kong tanong.

He glanced at his watch, then back to me, he said, "Three hours. . .You're probably tired and sleepless because of everything that happened."

I nodded. "Hindi ako makatulog, Dad. I feel like a thousand eyes are watching and blaming me for what happened to him. I-I'm so tired, Dad . . . I'm hungry . . ."

Nakatakas ang higit pang luha sa mga mata niya. Mabilis niya iyong pinalis kahit nakita ko naman na. "Dad bought you a soup. Do you want to eat now?"

"A s-soup?" I can feel my lips chipping.

Tumango siya habang inilalabas sa bag ang isang plastic bowl. "Y-Your favorite soup."

I chuckled with tears. "W-What do you know about my favorites?"

He bit his lips. In between his talks, he would sob. "When you're a child, you always eat Mamá's chicken soup."

"H-How did you know?"

"Because you're the only kid who sneaks at midnight to open the fridge."

"A-And how did you know that too?" My eyes are watering again.

"I just know."

Umayos ako ng upo sa kama dahil tapos na siyang ihanda ang pagkain. "D-Dad, tell me how did you know those."

Gamit ang paa niya ay hinitak niya ang isang upuan papunta sa gilid ko. Then he sat there, stirring the soup he was about to feed me. "Because I would wake up at two to check on you and I would see an empty bowl at your side table."

"You checked on me? At two?"

He filled the spoon with soup, blew it, and held it near to my mouth. "Ah."

"D-Dad. You checked on me?" I still asked despite his avoidance.

He sighed. The time he nodded his head, his tears dropped too. "B-Because that's the least that I could do for my daughter."

"I-I always thought you n-never cared for me." It's hard to talk. It feels as if I have swallowed a fishbone.

"I have to take the bowls out and bring them to my room."

"T-That's why you always walk downstairs with bowls in hand," I recalled a memory. And Mamá would always say, 'You ate my soup again, Davidos.'"

And he would nonchalantly sit to eat breakfast, confident that Mamá wouldn't be mad but proud that he liked her chicken soup. If she knew that it was me eating her soup, she would've thrown me out that early.