Painting the Stains of Our Endless Journey

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

I will become a father!

When that thought always came into my mind, I still couldn't believe it. There were a lot of things I was scared of, but somehow those excite me, too. I know what my wife's going through and I won't think less of it. 

What's weird is that she has a lot of cravings at midnight. Aalugin na lang niya ako sa pagkakatulog ko at saka niya ako bubulungan ng gusto niyang kaining pagkain. In the first few weeks, she was asking me for sweets. Sometimes I would pack up our pantry with different kinds of sweets—from pastries to chocolates. I thought her cravings would only go by far that, but the next time I knew she was asking for sour foods.

I was in great despair at that moment. Saan ba ako maghahanap ng maasim na pagkain? Hindi naman ako makakalabas para bumili ng pagkain dahil madaling araw na. I even asked her before going to bed kung anong gusto niya, pero wala raw. I thought I would be sleeping well, but I guess this was part of the journey. I don't like experiencing less of it thus I enjoyed giving everything for her and make her the happiest pregnant in the world.

Some other days, she got mad at me for no reason. I even had to look online if it was part of pregnancy or if she just hated seeing me around. I felt a bit of relief upon reading those articles online.

Kapag nasa shop naman kaming dalawa, hindi niya pinalagpas ang pagkain niya sa favorite niyang blueberry cheesecake. My father even gave her a whole cake to satisfy her cravings. Nang iuwi naman niya sa bahay 'yon at hindi pa nga niya nakakalahati at naghahanap na ng ibang pagkain. I was already out of options to do. 

All those things I've been doing during my wife's pregnancy were questionable. I would do everything for her and I wouldn't miss a single chance to do what she deserves in this world. After all, I wasn't doing this for her, but for our baby who will be coming in a few weeks.

I couldn't wait to see my baby boy Limer.

My wife and I attended some activities where we met some pregnant couples as well. We did everything we could to make this moment special for both of us. Synestine joined a rental yoga glass which she said doesn't want to continue after going to her first class because she thought she won't be able to do it again, but I insisted on her doing it and so she tried and persisted. 

Eventually, every time her yoga glass ended, she would want to do it again once she would be okay after giving birth. I supported her for whatever she was planning.

All those times, I was working in a nine-to-five corporate job. It was hard for me to do it since I thought I should be with my family. I kept checking on her while I was at work just to make sure everything was going well for her at our house. I thought of quitting my job so I could look after her, but she said I didn't have to do it dahil kaya naman niya ang sarili niya. I was only worried for her.

One day, she called me frantically and I knew at that moment, I had to come home quickly.

"Calm down, babe. . . We're almost there. . ." I told my wife while I was driving the car to the hospital. "Just take a deep breath. . . We'll get there soon. . ."

Hindi na ako mapakali dahil anytime now ay pwedeng manganak na si Synestine. I don't want anything bad happen to her kaya naman binilisan ko ang pagmamaneho. I was trying to be more careful dahil basa ang kalsada dahil sa ulan kaninang umaga. Nabalita pa sa TV na may magkasunod na bagyong papasok sa bansa. I knew I just had to bring my wife safely to the hospital and I can finally breathe fine.