Gloom Series 6:Beg to be Loved (COMPLETED)

EPILOGUE

Epilogue

XENUS’ POV

“WHAT? You mean my daughter Jhed isn’t the designated guardian of the children?” my mother asked me but I frowned. Ano’ng anak niya? Parang kung mag-usap kami ay hindi niya ako anak.

“Mother, I’m your son and not Jhed,” I corrected her.

“That’s my daughter too because you married her even though she already has a family. But it’s okay, I like her attitude. She is brave and has principles in life. Hard to tame and she’s always serious. That’s why I really love her as my daughter-in-law,” she said and I can even read her amusement.

“I need to change that because it’s one of Jhed’s hate, Mama. She thought Margaret and I were mediating something,” I told her. Wala akong ugnayan sa babaeng iyon kahit iyon pa ang gusto ng lolo ko at ang mga elders.

“So where are they now?” she asked.

“Who?” I asked in confused.

“Your kids, my son.”

“We need to visit Philippines, hon. If you want to see them,” Father uttered.

“Wait, are you able to speak Filipino well? So that we can visit them in the Philippines,” Mama asked him.

“What do you mean by that, Mama?” tanong ko naman at binalingan ako ng aking ina.

“We also studied their language so that Jhed won’t find it difficult to communicate with us and I also want to meet her parents. Maybe, they will swear or cussing at us but we still don’t know.” My lips swelled in shock and couldn’t believe that I just looked at my parents.

Alam kong hindi ako nagustuhan noong una ng parents ni Jhed at naiintindihan ko naman iyon pero hindi naman sila palamura at wala silang sasabihin na kahit na ano na puwedeng ikasakit ng iba. Maliban nga lang sa trato nila noon sa akin. Nag-o-overthink lang ang mga magulang ko na baka minumura na raw sila at wala pa silang kaalam-alam. Kaya naisipan nila ang mag-aral din ng salitang Tagalog. Nasaan kaya si Zemuis at alam kong hindi rin makapaniwala ang isang iyon.

“How’s your learning that language, Mama, Papa?” I asked them. Baka may improving na sila kasi hindi naman kami nahirapan pa ng kapatid ko. Kayang-kayang na naming makipagsabayan kay Jhed.

“It’s just basic, my son,” sagot sa akin ni Papa na taas-noo pa. Ewan ko lang.

“What is basic? You forget so fast! You’re so hard to teach!” sigaw ni Mama at kinurot pa niya ang pisngi ni Papa na ikinangiwi nito.

“It has to be basic, honey. Our kids did it fast even if they were on their own but we even hired a best tutor for our fast learner but we couldn’t,” my father reasoned out and his gaze shifted to my direction. “Why is that, my son?” I shrugged my shoulder.

“Shut up! Ikaw ang panganak!”

“Huh? What panganak is that, honey? I don’t understand,” naguguluhan na sabi ng aking ama.

“Panganak? Y-You sound like you’re—uhm... causing trouble? Something that—uhm brings chaos in other terms?” nahihirapan na paliwanag pa ni Mama.

“Huh? Like that wasn’t panganak at all. I don’t remember anything. Like, our son Xenus who brings trouble then he will put his family in trouble?” And he even made me an example. Nice one, Father. “It’s like it wasn’t a panganak. That’s a palatak.” Napahilot ako sa sentido ko dahil sa sinabi na naman niya. Ano’ng palatak naman iyon?

“That’s not it! What is the palatak?!” Mama complained.

“Stop it, Mama, Papa. Y’all both wrong and I don’t know a word y’all utter either. What kind of panganak is that? In other terms it’s something that someone is giving birth, or— I don’t know either! And what palatak was that, Papa? Palatak po is like a noise, knocktok something. It was pahamak. Pahamak po,” paliwanag ko sa kanilang dalawa.