Hearts Series 3: Hearts in Chaos

Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Eleven

The Truth

One time I was just having a normal dinner with my parents at home. Hanggang sa mapag-usapan na nina Mommy at Daddy si Stephen at Shiloh. Bahagya naman akong natigil sa pagkain at nakuha na ng topic nila ang atensyon ko.

"I really commend Stephen for raising his nephew on his own." ani Daddy.

Tumingin ako sa kaniya. "Dad, isn't Shiloh Stephen's son?" I asked.

Daddy turned to me, too. "What? You don't know, Iris?"

Umiling ako kay Daddy.

"Hija,"

Bumaling naman ako kay Mommy ngayon. I got confused...

"Do you remember Stephen's older brother?" Mommy asked me.

Unti-unti naman akong tumango and that's just when I realized of the possibility about Shiloh...

That he could probably be Stephen's older brother's child instead. At nakumpirma ko pa nga iyon sa sunod na pinaliwanag sa akin nina Daddy.

"Shiloh is the child of Stephen's older brother. Anak nito sa pagkabinata. But then the mother of the child died, and then Stephen's brother left..." Daddy said.

Umawang pa rin ang labi ko. I didn't know it. At ngayon ko lang nalaman ito. Pero bakit inaako talaga ni Stephen na anak niya si Shiloh? "But, Dad..." I looked at my father. "Stephen calls Shiloh his son..." I said. Instead of a nephew ay mas anak ang turing ni Stephen kay Shiloh...

Tumango naman sa akin si Daddy. "Yes, Iris. Siya na kasi ang nagpalaki sa bata. At si Stephen na rin ang parang tinuturing na ama ni Shiloh." He said.

Nakaawang pa rin ang labi ko pagkatapos ng nalaman. I didn't know...

So the next day at the hospital I also asked Stephen himself about it. Nagkatinginan kami pagkatapos kong sinabi sa kaniya ang nalaman ko sa parents ko.

He sighed. And then he finally told me the truth. "Yes, Shiloh is my brother's son... But he already left him to me. Kaya ako na ang tumayong tatay sa kay Shiloh." He said.

I don't have a child yet. So I probably don't know how to raise one yet. And I even think that it's kind of scary... From giving birth to a human being to raising a child... The thought scared me sometimes.

But then Stephen managed to raise Shiloh on his own. Nakayanan niyang magpaka-tatay sa isang bata.

I looked at him. And I wanted to ask him why he didn't tell me right away? Pero tingin ko ay hindi ko na rin dapat masyado pang kwestyunin si Stephen tungkol sa bagay na ito. He probably has his own reasons.

"What happened..." But I still asked him. Naglalakad na kami ngayon sa hallway ng hospital at wala pa namang tawag na emergency sa amin o ano. We're still on little break.

Bumaling ako kay Stephen at nagkatinginan kami. I put my hands inside my pockets. Stephen sighed. And then he looked ahead of us in the empty corridors. Ang sabi-sabi pa nga ng ilang nurses dito ay may nagpapakita raw na white lady rito since it's almost always empty and no one is around here most of the times. Tahimik din talaga ang pasilyo na 'to sa floor na ito. Pero hindi ko na iyon mas naisip pa. Mas inisip ko ang pinag-uusapan namin ngayon ni Stephen. Na siguro kahit may magpakita pa ngayon na multo sa harapan ko, I just wouldn't mind it while Stephen is explaining to me now.

"I just hate my brother..." He said. And I just quietly listened to him. He continued. "He just left his son to me. Went to God knows where place. And the last time I heard from him is that he's already married, and his wife probably doesn't want Shiloh..."

Napatingin ako kay Stephen sa tabi ko. Nagpatuloy pa siya. "Shiloh doesn't know."

"But he's aware about his Dad?" I couldn't help it but to ask.

Tumango naman si Stephen. "He does. He just doesn't want to see him either... Maybe because he thinks that his own father abandoned him..."

"Which is the truth, right?"

Tumingin sa akin si Stephen. "I don't want him hurt so I didn't really tell him all the details... I couldn't even properly answer him when he asks about kuya..." tukoy niya sa nakatatanda niyang kapatid.

"But then one day he just stopped asking about his father. Hindi ko alam pero siguro kasi nagkakaisip na rin siya. He knows that his mom passed away a long time ago when he was still a baby. But his dad is still here. Maybe he wondered why his father couldn't be with him, instead. At ako ang narito kasama niya..."

"Ano'ng kinamatay ng Mama niya?"

Tumingin muli sa akin si Stephen. "She was already sick until she gave birth to Shiloh... And later on she died..."

Nalungkot naman ako sa kwento ni Stephen tungkol sa Mama ni Shiloh kaya bahagya akong napayuko habang iniisip pa iyon.

"How old was Shiloh then when your brother left him to your care?" I asked him after.

"He was two years old."

Napaisip muli ako sa sagot ni Stephen. So, he was probably only 17 or 18 back then? If I'm right. Tsk, tsk. "You were still a teenager, Stephen!" I couldn't help it when I realized.

I looked at him. And I could only imagine how he managed to be a dad to Shiloh at an early age.

"May tumulong naman sa akin sa pagpapalaki kay Shiloh." He said.

Bumaling ako sa kaniya. "Sino?"

"It was the Aunt of his birth mother. But she also passed away when Shiloh was about 8 years old. Due to cancer. Cancer nga rin ang kinamatay ng Mommy ni Shiloh, that's why I worry about him..." Stephen said.

"But you always have him check, right?" Dahil naalala ko na ngayon na madalas din pinapa-check ni Stephen si Shiloh dito lang din sa hospital namin.

Stephen turned to me and nodded his head at me.

It's not always the case with children who have parent who were a cancer patient. Pero siguro ay naooverthink na rin ni Stephen at sobrang protective din niya sa kay Shiloh.

"I don't think I'd ever forgive my brother for just leaving his son... Paano kung wala ako? What will he do to Shiloh?"

Tiningnan ko muli si Stephen. He looked like may sama ng loob talaga siya sa kapatid niya.

Bumaling din siya sa akin. "You know about my dad, right? He also left us."

Marahan naman akong tumango sa sinabi ni Stephen. Hindi naman lihim iyon at nasabi na rin sa akin noon ni Mommy noong bata pa ako ang tungkol sa pamilya nina Stephen.

Tumingin muli si Stephen sa harap namin. "He shouldn't have abandoned his own son. Because our own father already abandoned us both when we were young. And it was only our mother who raised us. He already knows how it feels to grow up without a father... So he shouldn't have done that to his own son." He said.

Tuluyan na akong huminto sa dahandahang paglalakad sa tabi ni Stephen. Hinarap ko siya at tumigil na rin siya nang natigil ako roon sa gitna ng mahaba at tahimik na pasilyo. "But you're here for Shiloh, Stephen. And I'm sure he appreciates you. Kaya wala man siguro ang Daddy niya, but you've also become his father, you know?" I told him this.

Stephen was looking at me. Until he slowly nodded his head...

Ngumiti naman din ako sa kaniya pagkatapos.