Regret

Special Chapter

Irene's POV

I was savoring the rare quiet of a leisurely lunch with my co-workers—something I hadn't had the luxury of enjoying in months.

As I sat in a cozy corner of this quaint little restaurant, the sun softly filtering through the windows, casting a warm glow over the room, I let myself relax for the first time in what felt like ages. No schedules, no rushing to band practice, and most importantly, no dealing with Ely's endless stream of "Mommy, bored ako!" or her new obsession with whatever chaotic game she was playing on her phone.

Ang tagal na rin since I've seen these girls. Sabay kami nagteach sa PYSB, pero I took a break para matutukan si Ely, my 16-year-old bundle of energy, joy, and... stress.

Kaya minsan naloloka ako sa bahay, kasi Ely's the type of kid who gets bored easily. Pag walang ginagawa? Nako, maghahanap talaga yan ng kalokohan. Kaya kahit anong bonding, I try to keep up para lang hindi mabagot.

Sabi nga nila, idle hands are the devil's workshop, diba?

Originally, I planned to bring Ely today, pero tinamad daw. "Mommy, dito na lang po ako sa bahay and build my house in Minecraft," sabi nya.

Pfft, Minecraft.

Wala na akong alam sa mga ganyang games, pero pinabayaan ko na lang. Eh baka mas mabuti nga na hindi sya sumama, she's probably happier at home playing whatever that game is kaysa magbored dito with a bunch of moms.

Win-win situation.

Minsan nga, nagiging curious ako sa mga pinagagagawa nya, especially when I hear her screaming stuff like, "Patayin mo! Patayin mo!" or "Ay, tanga, ikaw pa yung namatay!" Doon pa lang, na-alarm na ako. One time, I stood behind her silently habang naglalaro sya, trying to understand the chaos on her screen.

As usual, she was too absorbed to notice me.

"Bobo mo," she muttered, eyes glued to her phone, fingers tapping furiously.

Grabe.

Kumunot na noo ko and I cleared my throat.

Nothing.

"Tanga! Patayin mo nga kasi, 'di ba?!" she practically screamed, obviously frustrated.

At that point, hindi ko na kaya. I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Katherine," I said, my hands now firmly on my hips. Napalingon siya, looking at me with an annoyed expression as if I was disturbing her world-saving mission.

"Bakit, mommy?" Tanong niya, her tone dripping with irritation.

"Anong bakit? Ikaw, bakit ang dami mong sinasabing bad words?!" I asked, trying to sound as stern as possible, pero deep inside napapa-facepalm na ako.

She blinked at me. "Mom, mild language lang yun," palusot nya. Tumaas ang kilay ko, not buying it.

"Mild or not, hindi mo dapat sinasabi yan, lalo na kung may kasama kang ibang tao. Baka ma-offend sila," I lectured.

She shrugged. "Mom, sila Mackie lang naman kausap ko. Wala yun."

"Still," I continued, mas ginagalingan ko pa magpamewang, "di maganda. Baka pati yung ibang kalaro mo ma-offend."

Suddenly, she smirked.

"Mommy, gusto mo turuan kita?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

"What game is that?" tanong ko, kahit sure akong ayaw ko talagang malaman.

"Call of Duty. Barilan po," sagot niya, very nonchalantly.

"What?! You're playing violent games now?!" I gasped.