I was still in my pajamas when I went out of the room. Nagising ako dahil parang... may ingay akong naririnig which I shouldn't hear so early in the morning. Our mansion was so wide that a commotion like this shouldn't have reached my room, but it did.
As soon as I walked out of the room, I saw almost all our maids pacing all over the place. Nang madaanan ko ang room nila Mommy, I finally realized that this commotion was caused by her.
I should've gotten used to this. Hindi na naman bago 'to. Pero nakakagulat pa rin.
"Make sure that my favorite is there! Did you check? Did you check?" I heard my mom's voice sound frantic from inside their room.
"Nandito na po sa isang luggage, ma'am," one of the maids said.
"Really? Did you check?" There was a pause. "Well, check it again."
I rubbed the sleep off my eyes before I went inside the room. Magulong-magulo ang loob. Muntik panga akong mabunggo ng isang maid sa pagmamadaling kumilos kung hindi lang n'ya ako mabilis na naiwasan. The maid looked nervous as she apologized, but I just waved my hand, dismissing her so she could continue what she was supposed to be doing.
"Mom? What are you doing?" I asked.
"Oh, my sweet little baby." Si Mommy ay hindi na makatayo sa dami ng nagkalat sa loob ng kwarto kaya ako na lang ang lumapit sa kanya. She quickly enveloped me in a tight hug. "Good morning."
"What are you doing?" My voice was muffled by her thick fur coat. Amoy na amoy ko ang mamahaling pabango n'ya.
Humiwalay ako sa kanya and I just noticed na sobrang nakaayos ang buhok n'ya and she was wearing full make-up. Halatang may pupuntahan.
"Oh, honey, today's my flight for my Europe tour. Hindi mo ba alam?"
I was still disoriented. Naistorbo kasi ang tulog ko because of the commotion. But even with my usual self, hindi ko pa rin alam na ngayong araw na pala ang flight n'ya. Kung hind inga lang sinabi sa 'kin ni Ashton na may Europe tour si Mommy, hindi ko pa malalaman.
"But I'm sure you'll be okay." She kissed my head. Napatingin sa relo at eleganteng nanlaki ang mga mata. "Oh, no. I have to go. Otherwise, I'll be late on my flight."
Pinanood ko s'yang magmadaling kumilos. Nanatili akong nakaupo sa malambot na kama.
"Have you told Dad?" I asked.
"No. But he knows about this tour." Hindi man lang n'ya ako tiningnan.
"So, hindi alam ni Dad na ngayon ka aalis?"
Mom sighed and looked at me.
"Honey... your Daddy Tim is already at work. Besides, sanay na naman s'ya sa mga ganitong lakad ko."
Yeah... 'yung mga lakad n'yang umaabot ng two weeks and sometimes more than a month kapag masyado s'yang nag-enjoy. At may mga times na hindi rin s'ya nagpapaalam kay Daddy Tim.
I watched my mom as she fixed herself, making sure she didn't forget anything. Mas lalong tumingkad ang kaputian n'ya dahil sa itim na fur coat na suot, plus her red hair. I got most of my features from my mom. Maliban lang sa buhok at mga mata kong itim na itim na nakuha ko kay Daddy.
Mom is half-Irish. Mas malakas nga lang ang dugong Irish n'ya so she looked really foreign, especially with her light green eyes. I wanted to have those light-colored eyes, but... well, I guess my father wanted me to have his black hair and eyes too. Kung hindi kasi ay magiging sobrang kamukha ko na si Mommy. Though, her facial features were strong compared to mine na maamo ang mukha.
"What's going on?"
Nakita ko si Kuya Ashton na nasa pintuan. Mukhang nagising din dahil sa komosyon at humihikab pa nga. Magulo ang buhok at walang damit pang-itaas. Only wearing his boxer shirts.
