Delgado Cousins 1: Anthony Wayne Delgado (To Love Again)

CHAPTER III: STRANGER

Chapter III

Stranger

Napansin ko na lang din ang suot niyang pantulog. It was a long white dress sleepwear at pinatungan niya lang din ng mukhang terno rin nito na puting robe that's make of silk.

While I was just wearing my pajama bottom and a plain white T-shirt bilang pantulog ko.

"Good evening," I greeted her before I went to the fridge to get myself some water.

"Did you... wake up in the middle of the night?" she slowly asked me.

Bumaling at tumango naman ako sa kaniya. At iyon lang din ang naging sagot ko...

MILLIE

I watched him as he drank the water from the glass...

He woke up in the middle of the night...

Habang ako naman ay hindi pa makatulog simula nang mapag-usapan namin siya kanina ni Don Antonio.

I still can't believe what he went through...

My parents passed away when I was very young. And I consider that the only sad part in my life, because when I came to the orphanage ay hindi rin naman kami napabayaan doon kasama ng iba pang mga bata din na kagaya ko. And that orphanage was long been supported by Donya Maria Delgado. She loves to do charity work. While her husband was busy with the family's businesses.

Pagkatapos ay inampon pa nila ako. They gave me a home and sent me to school until I finished my study. So I still grew up well with enough roof over my head, food, and clothing...

But what Anthony Delgado went through was just... painful...

And almost unimaginable.

Does he still think about what happened until now? It's been several years since then...

Pero kaya ba siya nagising ngayon kalagitnaan ng gabi, did he had some nightmare about the past?

Tinapos niya na rin ang pag-inom ng tubig. At nilapag ko na rin doon malapit sa sink ang baso ko. At kinuha niya pa iyon para hugasan kasabay ng ginamit niya rin na baso. And my eyes widened as I stopped him. "You don't really have to do it. Ako na," sabi ko sa kaniya.

Pero umiling lang naman siya sa akin at bahagya pang ngumiti. "Ayos lang. Sanay din naman ako sa mga gawaing bahay." sabi niya.

Bahagya na rin akong tumigil...

I just stood there and just waited for him to finish washing our glasses...

"Kami lang ni Mama habang lumalaki ako. She was working, so I had to learn the work at home, at least." he said.

I stayed looking at him while he was faced with the sink. He had to learn house chores to help his mother. Tipid na rin akong napangiti. Naisip ko lang that he was a good boy... a good son...

Bahagya akong lumunok bago nagsimulang magsalita. "I heard that your mother passed early..."

He turned to look at me. Pagkatatapos ay tumango naman siya. Pero iyon lang iyon at wala na rin siyang sinabi pa.

Then I realized that despite what he went through he's not that aloof type. Sa katunayan ay pwede rin siyang maging friendly kagaya ng pakikipag-usap niya sa akin ngayon na parang magaan lang din kaming nag-usap dito sa kusina...

But of course, there are still parts that he wasn't yet comfortable to talk about so he would stop saying anything...

Kapag may ayaw siyang pag-usapan o ayaw niyang sagutin ay tumatahimik lang siya...