Sari arrived at the house of her best friend, Dra. Tacia, looking visibly exhausted. She had been juggling work and motherhood for the past three years, and it was starting to take a toll on her. Her eyes showed a mixture of gratitude and fatigue as she entered the familiar home.
Tacia, dressed in her usual casual but professional attire, welcomed Sari warmly with a hug. "Sari, you look like you haven't slept in days. Let me help you with Miyuki," she said softly, her voice filled with concern. Miyuki, Sari's then three-year-old daughter, was asleep in Sari's arms, unaware of her mother's struggles.
"I just... I don't know how to balance it all anymore," Sari confessed, her voice breaking slightly as she carefully laid Miyuki down on the couch. "Ayoko namang makaligtaan ang oras sa pag babantay sa anak ko, pero wala eh, kailangang mag trabaho."
Tacia nodded understandingly, her heart aching for her friend. She had always admired Sari's strength, but even she could see that Sari was pushing herself too hard.
"Sari, diba sinabi ko sayo na hindi mo kailangang gawin yan mag isa, Sari. Let me help. I'll take care of Miyuki while you're at work. You need to focus, and Miyuki needs someone to be there for her. I'll treat her like my own."
Sari blinked back tears, overwhelmed with emotion. "Tacia, are you sure? Pero may trabaho ka din, at alam kong stressful din yun, kukuha nalang siguro ako ng yaya para kay Yuki."
Tacia smiled warmly. "I'm a doctor, yes, but I'm also your best friend. And I love that little girl. And huwag kanang mag hanap ng Yaya, andito ako, tutulungan kitang mapagaan ang problema mo kahit papa'no. You deserve to breathe, Sari."
With that, Sari finally let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Tacia. At habang buhay ko talagang ipag papasalamat ang kabutihan mo."
-------------------
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As Sari sat on the porch of their house, watching Miyuki play joyfully, her mind wandered back to how quickly time had passed. It felt like just yesterday when she held her newborn daughter for the first time, overwhelmed with love and uncertainty about the future.
In the quiet of the moment, Sari's thoughts drifted to Gio the woman who had once been her strength and hope. The one she had envisioned by her side, sharing the joys and struggles of raising Miyuki together. But life had taken a different path. For three years now, she had been raising Miyuki on her own, without Gio, who had once been the center of her world.
*How fast time flies,* Sari thought to herself, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. *I've done it. I've raised her on my own...* But the thought wasn't without a twinge of pain. *Without Gio, without the person who once gave me hope that everything would be okay.
She had come a long way juggling work, motherhood, and the loneliness that had crept in when Gio left. There had been nights when she had cried herself to sleep, wondering how she would manage it all. But she did. She had found her strength in Miyuki, in the pure love of her daughter's laughter, in the small hands that reached out for her every day.
Sari sighed, her heart heavy with both pride and sorrow. She had learned to survive without Gio, to find her own strength in the face of heartache. But deep down, she still wondered what would life have been like if Gio had stayed? If they had raised Miyuki together, the way she once dreamed?
As Sari sat lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a soft tug on her hand. She looked down to see Miyuki standing beside her, a small flower in her tiny hand. Miyuki's face was lit up with a wide smile, her eyes twinkling with the pure innocence only a child could have.
"Mommy, I got this for you!" Miyuki said proudly, holding up a delicate flower she had just plucked from the vase nearby.
Sari's heart melted instantly, her earlier worries dissolving as she took the flower from her daughter's hand. "Thank you, anak," she whispered, pulling Miyuki into her lap, kissing the top of her head. She couldn't help but laugh softly, knowing the vase had been a centerpiece in Tacia's home.
"You know, this flower is even more special because you picked it," Sari said, brushing a strand of hair from Miyuki's face.
Miyuki giggled, wrapping her small arms around Sari's neck. "I love you, Mommy."
Sari held her daughter close, feeling a wave of warmth and love flood her heart. In that moment, all the struggles, all the sleepless nights, and all the heartache seemed worth it. She had raised this beautiful, loving child, and that was her greatest accomplishment.
