Roxana De La Cruz

2. A Mischievous Girl

Christine Evangelista watched as her cute little cousins jumped and ran across the two-story green and white house as they played tag. Ian, Roxana and Ethan were all the same age, while Ian's sister, Milly and Roxana's brother, Rey, were five years older than the rest. Christina had been watching them play for hours, and her smile never left. 

"Isn't this a bit nostalgic?" Her sister, Sylvia, said beside her on the porch. 

"Yes. Remember when we used to play with Tita (aunt) Imelda's children here back then? You and Jasmine once fought underneath that coconut tree until one of the coconuts decided to land on your head! It was as if God was telling you to shut up!" Christine laughed as she threw her head back while her sister laughed. "But now, these children will make memories here now." Christine let out a heavy sigh. 

"It is for the best. Tita Mel said she found a job in Florida in the U.S. and that Ian and Milly's applications have already been approved; they're about to leave by the end of this month. And there's Tita, Beth and Ethan, who are also leaving to go to Hawaii with Anna and Rey going to the U.K. Who will be next, I wonder?" Sylvia looked at her sister, who silently watched the kids. 

"We are still not married, Sylvia. But once we are, any one of us will be next." Christina smiled sadly. Their grandfather and patriarch of the Evangelista family, Danilo Evangelista, had owned various lands in Ilocos Norte, and their family had been more prosperous than most Filipino families. However, they were still not considered 'rich' by such standards. They could afford the education of five of their children and were happy enough with what they had. 

Their lands, full of rice and a single house built on the hardships of Danilo and his father, was what described the Evangelista family. 

"Tina!" A familiar voice rang beside her, and when Christine turned, her smile became so bright she could feel the corners of her cheeks strain, but she ignored it as she picked the little girl up and twirled her around. "Tina! Tina!" 

"Did you have your fun? My little Anna, you have sweat all over you. I think it's time we wash you now, don't you think?" Christina said as she held the girl tightly before walking inside the family home. 

"Tina! Tina! I want to eat hotdogs later! The red ones with cheese inside!" 

"Of course, Anna, anything for you, my love." She cooed as she pecked the chubby cheeks of the girl. 

"I love you, Tina..." 

"I love you too, Anna." 

The girl smiled as she buried her head in her cousin's warm neck. 

~ 

Tina and Sylvia had returned to Manila with Anna and Rey in their condo, and the second term had just begun with a teacher-to-parent conference. Of course, Tina and Sylvia had gone as a guardian and their cousin. 

The teacher sighed as she looked worriedly across at the little girl, who looked to be in her little world, as she began playing with a random piece of paper. 

"Roxana has been a piece of work lately. After her little feud with two of her closest friends, she has been flocking from one group to another, causing chaos. One time, she began to argue with another girl in class; another time, she tried sneaking out, and when she was found, she had been sleeping on the library carpets. I think she's not good at handling loneliness and being a lone wolf. I don't know what to do sometimes..." The teacher trailed off. 

"Oh, I am so sorry about Anna. I promise we'll do something about it. Right, Anna? Please treat your teachers and fellow students kindly," Sylvia looked over at the girl who sat on her lap. She nodded her tiny head before smiling, "When are we going to Jollibee?  You promised we'd go!" 

A peal of nervous laughter escaped Christine's lips, "Soon, Anna..." 

The teacher laughed, "It's quite alright. Children these days only care about having fun and food. Roxana is no different. That will be for all; if you have any questions, please contact me if you can." 

~

That evening, they had gone to Jollibee and went shopping. Anna had sat on the trolley, giggling at her brother trying to ruffle and play with her hair. After shopping, they returned to their condo, and in the middle of watching a show, Anna and Rey were interrupted by the broad smiles on their faces. 

Anna watched as Tina, with a bright smile, brought over a laptop, and then she heard her brother's excited gasp as the computer showed the familiar face of a woman on the screen. "Mama!" He yelled as he jumped. 

The woman and her brother began talking, but Anna could not understand what anyone was saying. The woman on the screen then shifted her gaze to Anna, and Anna could see from the background that it was day, wherever she was, while it was dark in Manila. 

"Roxana...anak, how are you?" The pretty woman asked. Anna could tell she had long, silky black hair, fair skin like hers and small eyes and face. She had circles under her eyes, but she had a lovely smile on. 

"Good." was all she could say. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Tina mouth the words, she's your mama. 

Whenever the girls in her school would be picked up, she would hear the words 'mama' or 'ma'. One afternoon after school, Anna ran excitedly to ate Sylvia, who picked her up and held her by the arms as the mamas of her school would, and then she silently uttered 'mama'. It was so silent she had believed that ate (sister) Sylvia wouldn't pick it up, but she did, and she had felt the slight cringe of Sylvia's body as she put her back down. 

She remembered the slight dip of Sylvia's expression as she said carefully, "Anna, I'm your cousin. You ate. It will always be your ate, okay..??" 

Anna's smile in her eyes vanished while the smile on her lips stayed as she nodded her head. "Yes, ate!" 

Anna's talk with her 'mama' had barely lasted five minutes as she had struggled to say even a sentence to her, but then she remembered those young girls and the smiles on their faces as they walked beside their mamas. She had one, too. Her mama is just in a different part of the world. 

"Alright, anak, I have to go to work now-"

"Mama," Anna uttered the words she heard a thousand times, said once, now twice, as her small lips itched to a smile and her eyes filled with hope, "I want to give you a present." 

The woman on the screen cocked her head to the side as the little girl scrambled on her tiny legs and out of the screen. A few seconds afterwards, she hopped back onto the sofa, but this time with a cupcake. "Mama, please come home soon; I want to give you this as a present!" Anna squealed while holding tightly on the cupcake. 

Gloria looked at the little girl who had looked so much like her. Chubby little cheeks and with that warm little smile. She bit her lip so hard that the corners of her eyes threatened to fall into a flood of tears—my girl.

She held it in and smiled brightly as she approached the screen. "Roxana, I would love to! So promise me to keep that safe, okay? I will come. I will." 

Anna giggled, and then they said their goodbyes to one another. 

Days passed, and the cupcake had been left in the freezer until Sylvia and Christine could no longer keep it there. One day, Anna had taken a chair, hopped on it and opened the freezer, wanting to keep an eye on it. The cupcake had vanished, and Anna's smile dropped. Months came and went, and after another day of school, Anna and Rey made their way home as usual. 

But when they opened the door, an unexpected guest sitting on the faraway sofa had met their gaze. A taller-than-average Filipino man with bronze skin, a shaven beard, and short black hair immediately had a broad smile. 

"Papa...?" Her brother said slowly next to her.