HIDING HIS DAUGHTER (TAGLISH)

CHAPTER 15

ANGELA'S POV

"Argh!" Daing ko habang binubuksan ang mga mata ko – my head is killing me so bad, parang may martilyong pumupukpok sa loob ng ulo ko. I can’t recall anything from last night; the only thing I’m sure of is that I was drinking way too much.

Nililibot ko na ng paningin ko sa kwarto nang makita kong tatlong Kuya ko ang nakatayo sa tabi ng kama ko. Lahat sila ay hawak ang mga sintido, parang sila rin ay nahihirapan sa sakit ng ulo – ano na namang pinaggagawa ng mga bibe na 'to ngayon?

"Hayst! We told you na saglit ka lang at konting inom lang, diba?!" Kuya Alvin is lecturing me again, his voice full of frustration. I know he’s just worried, but right now all I want is to make the pain go away.

"And you said you’d call me nang gusto mong umuwi na para sunduin kita!" Kuya Anthony added, his jaw tight like he’s holding back his anger. Mukhang galit na galit siya sa akin, and I can’t blame him – I broke my promise.

"But instead, you came home so drunk na hindi ka na makalakad ng maayos! At hindi pa ako o ang mga kapatid mo ang naghatid sa'yo – iba pa!" Kuya Adrian’s voice is sharp, and I can see the disappointment in his eyes. That’s what hurts the most – letting them down again.

"Pero nak, ang gwapo naman ng lalaking naghatid sa'yo ah! Ang bait pa – binigyan pa ako ng mansanas bago umalis!" Mom suddenly walked in carrying a tray with medicine and soup. Dad followed behind her, his face serious at parang may maraming iniisip.

"S-sino po ba talaga siya? Who brought me home last night?" I stammered, feeling my hands shake a little. Kailangan kong malaman kung sino siya – baka may nagawa akong kahihiyan na naman.

"I was already asleep when you got home, anak. Your mom was the one who talked to him." Dad said, then looked at Mom to let her explain further.

"Mommy?" Tanong ko ulit, my mind racing trying to remember even a tiny bit from last night.

"Freus daw ang pangalan niya, e." Mom told me, and I felt my whole body freeze. Freus – that name sounds so familiar, pero hindi ko maalala kung saan ko narinig.

Kuya Adrian suddenly coughed hard. "F-freus? Are you sure, Mom?" He stammered, looking like he just heard the most shocking news ever.

"Do you know him, anak?" Mom asked Kuya Adrian, but I answered first before he could say anything.

"H-hindi po! I don’t know him!" I said quickly, even though a part of me knows I’m lying. Parang may bumabalik sa isip ko, but it’s all blurry and confusing.

"But you know what, nang ibaba ka niya sa kama, ayaw mo na siyang paalisin! You kept hugging his arm and saying ‘ang bango mo naman’ over and over again!" Mom giggled a little, but I just wanted to hide under my blanket.

"Oh my goodness, Angela! What did you do?!" Kuya Adrian groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"What the hell were you thinking last night?!" Kuya Anthony shouted, pacing back and forth across the room. I know I messed up big time – I just wish I could remember how.

"You really need to start thinking before you act, Angela" Kuya Alvin said quietly, shaking his head. Dad just stood there and sighed – hindi man siya nagsasalita, pero mas ramdam ko ang disappointment niya.

I closed my eyes tight, feeling so embarrassed I could die right there. Did I really do all that? Why can’t I remember anything? It’s so frustrating not knowing what you did wrong.

"Plus he carried you all the way up the stairs – so gentle, parang binabantayan ka niya na parang baby." Mom added, and I felt my cheeks burn hot.

"Really? He did that?" I asked, still not believing any of this is real.

"Is he your boyfriend, anak?" Mom suddenly asked, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"W-what? No! Hindi po!" I stammered, my mind going blank.

"Just asking, sweetheart. Before he left, he stared at you for a long time at may sinasabi siya na parang Korean. Anong sabi niya ulit? Something like ‘saranghae’?" Mom tried to remember, tapping her chin.

I swallowed hard. Saranghae means "I love you" in Korean – and I know exactly one person who speaks Korean fluently: Jaiden. But he’s not just good at Korean – besides Kuya Anthony, Jaiden can also speak Spanish, French, at iba pang lenggwahe.

I grabbed my phone and checked my recent calls. There was a number saved under a string of letters – hindi ito basta-basta letra, code 'to! Only Jaiden knows how to make codes like this. Sh*t! Anong ginawa ko kagabi sa kanya? Did I say something stupid? How will I ever face him again? I might just punch him first – bwisit talaga!

I quickly checked my body to make sure nothing bad happened while I was drunk. Wala namang masakit sa akin, so that’s a relief. He didn’t touch me – if he had, I’d make him pay for it.

The door suddenly opened and Althea – my daughter – ran in.

"Mommy!" Sigaw niya, then climbed up on the bed and snuggled into my arms. "I missed you last night!"

"Hmm, I missed you too baby. Are you hungry?" I asked, kissing her forehead and running my fingers through her long hair.

"Mommy, where did you go? I looked for you everywhere nang matulog ako." She said, and the whole room went quiet.

"She was out with friends." Kuya Anthony said quickly, but Mom shot him a look – hindi pwede sabihin sa bata na umiinom ako.

"W-what’s out with friends, Uncle? Is it fun?" Althea asked Kuya Anthony, her eyes full of curiosity.

"N-no, baby. It’s just something adults do sometimes." I said, pulling her closer to me. Ayokong malaman niya– not yet, not when she’s still so young.

"Mommy, what is crush? Axel said meron crush daw sha shakin." Althea asked, and we all smiled – her Tagalog is so cute when she mixes it with English.

"Huh? A crush? On you?!" Kuya Anthony exclaimed, looking like he was ready to find this Axel kid and talk to him.

"Bawal 'yan, Althea! You’re too young for that!" Kuya Adrian said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A crush is when you really like someone – like when you think they’re very special. Kids often have crushes, and they usually don’t last very long." Kuya Alvin explained carefully, always making sure to give the right answer.

"Why do you ask, baby? Did Axel do something?" I asked, starting to feel worried.

"He kissed me on the cheek at said ‘I like you so much, Althea!’" She said happily, but I felt my blood boil a little. Sinong bata ang humahalik sa mukha ng ibang bata without asking first?

"I need to talk to his parents – kailangan nilang malaman that even kids need to respect other people’s space." I said out loud, and Mom nodded in agreement.

"Mommy, when will Daddy come home? I want to play with him and build blocks together." Althea asked, and I felt tears start to form in my eyes.

"I don’t know, baby. But I promise he’ll come back someday." I said, even though I know it’s a lie. Iniwan na niya tayo, and he’s never coming back.

"I hate promises, Mommy. Because promises are meant to be broken." She said sadly, and my heart broke into pieces. She’s too young, but she already knows how much promises can hurt.

He left us for my best friend Cath – ang taong pinagkakatiwalaan ko ng buong puso. The man I thought I’d spend my whole life with chose her over me at over his own daughter. Paano ko ipapaliwanag sa kanya na ang tatay niya ay hindi na babalik?

"Mommy, why are you crying? Don’t cry, please." Althea said, reaching up to wipe my tears with her small hands.

"I’m okay, baby. Mommy’s just a little sad right now." I said, hugging her tight. I looked over at Mom, Dad at my brothers – all of them looking at me with sad eyes. Life is really hard sometimes, pero alam kong kailangan kong maging matapang para sa anak ko.