These Triplets Aren't Mine

Chapter 4

Marangal

"Did you kill him for me?" I don't understand... why am I holding a gun?

My hands trembled in horror. I raised my gaze at the man walking towards me, his face is so blurry. I couldn't see him, but for some unfathomable reason, there is delight in his voice.

I thought he was going straight towards my direction, but I just watched him passed me. When I looked behind me, he was standing in front of a lifeless man, drenched in the pool of blood on the floor. Shit. I dropped the gun. Did I kill him?

Tears run down on my cheeks. I feel like I did something I shouldn't have. I feel like I've lost something really dear to me.

"You don't have to dirty your hands, Era. I would have done it for us." The man laughed in complete insane tone that he seemed to be losing his mind with impish glee.

I didn't want this to happen. With a confused mind and regretful heart, I grabbed the gun on the floor and pulled the trigger.

"Mama! No cry cry!" My body feels so heavy. I can't breathe. Para akong nadaganan ng malaking bato. It was the same dream again.

"Alis diyan, Dos! You're heavy!"

"No! Mama's crying!"

Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang aking mga mata. Isang linggo na rin ang mga bata rito sa bahay pero hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako masanay-sanay na magising sa ingay na ginagawa nila.

Dos is lying on my chest and caressing my cheeks while his two siblings are watching on my both sides. I'm proud to say that I learned how to differentiate them now. Uno has a birthmark on his neck. The one with a mole near his mouth is Dos. Tres has freckles on his shoulders.

"Mama! Did you have balungot?" I looked at Dos with a confused expression. I don't understand what he was asking.

"What's balungot?" He gaze upon me as if I was stupid for not knowing that. Minsan kahit hindi nila sabihin, mababasa mo naman sa mukha nila kung gaano sila ka-judgemental. They don't practice discretion at all.

"Mama, when you have bad dreams, it's called balungot." Proud na proud niyang sabi habang tina-tap ang ulo ko na animo'y may malaking bagay na itinuro sa'kin. Hindi ko mapigilang hindi matawa. Parang nawala lahat ng bigat na nararamdaman ko kanina dahil sa kanila.

"Who taught you that?"

"Papa!" Sabay-sabay nilang tugon. Proud na proud din sa ama nilang nagturo ng mali sa kanila. Mas lalo tuloy akong natawa.

Ano ba 'yang Papa nila, parang 'di nag-grade two.

"A bad dream is not balungot, it's bangungot." Pagtatama ko sa kanila. "Your Papa needs to hire a teacher for himself. Mali-mali mga tinuturo sa inyo." Napanguso si Dos sa narinig, tila 'di sang-ayon sa sinabi ko.

"Papa said he discovered the Philippines!" Pagmamalaki nila sa'kin. Napakagat ako sa aking labi, ayokong tumawa lalo na't mukhang seryoso sila sa sinasabi nila.

Hindi lang mali-mali tinuturo ng Papa nila, sinungaling pa.

"No. He didn't. Kapag nag-school na kayo, malalaman niyo kung ano ang totoo-"

"It's a secret from the past. Hindi nga niya sakop Philippines kasi ligaw pa no'n si Papa sayo." Namula ang pisngi ko sa sinabi nila. Tama lang siguro na nilayasan nila ang Papa nila dahil kung ano-anong kinukwento niya. Hindi naman totoo.

Kapag nakilala ko ang Papa nila, sasampalin ko siya ng Philippine history book.

"How about your Mama? What did she teach you?" Pag-iiba ko ng usapan. They tilted their head at me.