Hello, Love, I'm Home!

xxiv: Sinigang na Tilapia

RJ's POV

With Yaya and Kaiah away, including some of our help in the house, I did work inside Kody's room nang sa ganun ay mabantayan ko sya. Payapang natutulog pero alam kong maya maya lang ay gigising narin to. I smiled at the sight of him holding unto his mom's shirt as if it was his blanket. I have to confess, whenever I'm out of town because of work and couldn't get home, I also do sleep with Kathryn's shirt on my chest. Nakakatulog ako ng mahimbing pag naamoy ko sya. Oo na, ako na ang clingy.

I glanced at my watch. It had been a long, exhausting day for my wife.

When the front door clicked open, I could almost feel the weight of the world lifting off her shoulders as she stepped inside. Her shoulders were slumped, her hair slightly frayed from the day's battles, but there was a softness in her eyes now—relief, I think. "Love, I'm home!"

She didn't notice me across her. I stood by the kitchen, waiting for her to settle in, hoping she wouldn't bring work back with her into our small sanctuary. She deserved this, a break. A real one. I made sure to greet her with the kind of silence that said it all: no rush, no demands, just peace.

She dropped her bag by the couch, kicked off her shoes, and gave me a tired but genuine smile.

"Hey, love, you're there pala eh," she said, her voice still carrying the weight of the day, but there was something else now—an invitation to simply be present.

"Welcome home, wife," I said, pulling her into a hug, feeling the tension in her body slowly melt into mine. "Kumusta naging araw mo sa shoot?"

She sighed, deep and full, and for a moment, she didn't speak. She just stood there, leaning against me, as if trying to hold onto this small moment of quiet before the world called again. After a while, she pulled away slightly, looking at me with that familiar softness that was always reserved for times like this. "Nakakapagod, Love. Kelangan ko ng pahinga," she said, her voice still warm but hollow from exhaustion. "I don't want to think about work na muna tonight. Please, don't make me think about it."

"You don't have to think about it," I said immediately. "No work talk. Just rest."

She looked up at me, brows furrowing slightly, and then her lips curved into a mischievous smile. Teka bakit kinabahan ako? "What's for dinner?" she asked, her tone playful but with a hint of hunger—both for food and a break from work.

I chuckled, walking over to the fridge. "Anything you want. I'll cook whatever. You deserve it."

She paused, considering the question as if she had all the time in the world. Then, unexpectedly, she looked up at me with a curious glint in her eye.

"Sinigang na tilapia," she said, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

I blinked. "Sinigang na... what?"

"Sinigang na tilapia. You know, the maasim soup with the fish. But with tilapia."

I stared at her, taken aback. Sinigang na baboy, I was familiar with pati sinigang na bangus and tuna. Sinigang na hipon, definitely. But tilapia? That was new to me.

"Sigurado ka?" I asked, half-laughing, unsure if she was serious.

"Yeah. I'm craving it."

I raised an eyebrow. I could tell she was serious, and, for reasons I would never fully understand, she had set her heart on it. I could have suggested something more straightforward—like a classic sinigang na baboy—but this wasn't the time for that. If she wanted something as unusual as sinigang na tilapia, who was I to argue?