HIDING HIS DAUGHTER (UNDER EDITING)

CHAPTER 27

ANGELA'S POV

"My grandchild!" Dad said as he pulled Althea into a tight hug, Mom did the same thing too.

Althea's cheeks turned all red again - parang kamatis na naman ang pisngi niya dahil sa kanila. You could tell she was happy.

"Let's eat first na!" Kuya Alvin cut in, clapping his hands like he was really in a hurry to dig in.

"Tamang-tama! Gutom na gutom na ko!" Kuya Anthony chimed in, rubbing his stomach like he hadn't eaten in days. I just shook my head, lagi naman siyang gutom e, parang bata lang.

Then Althea spoke up, "Daddy..." - and everyone's eyes immediately shifted to Jaiden. You could see the surprise on their faces, kasi hindi pa sila sanay na tawagin siya ng ganun ni Althea.

Mom smiled warmly at him, "Dito ka na lang kumain, Freus!"

Jaiden looked a bit awkward, scratching the back of his neck as he said, "Ah, nakakahiya naman po, Tita..."

"Naku, huwag ka nang mahiya iho! At saka, Mom nalang ang itawag mo sa akin ha?" Sabi ni Mom.

"Alright then, Mom..." Jaiden said with a small smile, and you could tell he was starting to feel at ease here.

Dad nodded, adding, "And you can call me Dad na rin, son."

Jaiden beamed at both of them - parang biglang may pamilya ulit siya, at totoo namang parte na siya ng pamilya namin ngayon.

"Sige na nga! Kumain na tayo, ang tagal na! Gutom na ako ulit!" Kuya Anthony whined again, making all of us laugh.

We all headed to the dining table - nakaayos na lahat ng pagkain sa gitna, ang dami-dami pa namang ulam. Dad sat at the head of the table, with Mom across from him. I was seated across Kuya Alvin; Althea was right in the middle of Jaiden and me. Jaiden was across Kuya Adrian, while Althea faced Kuya Anthony. Mukhang maayos naman ang pagkakaupo ng lahat.

"Magdasal muna tayo bago kumain," Dad said, and we all bowed our heads.

Althea led the prayer. "Dear Papa God... Thank you for giving me the strength to survive every single day. Thank you for waking me up today, and for having Daddy here with me, along with Mommy. Thank you for each day that comes, for the food we're about to eat, and for all the blessings you give us every single day. Amen." I couldn't help but smile - ang galing ng anak ko.

"Amen!" we all said in unison, our voices mixing together like we've done this a thousand times before.

The boys started serving themselves right away - bilis nilang kumilos, 'di naman halatang gutom na gutom na sila. But Jaiden didn't get his own plate first; instead, he scooped rice onto Althea's plate, even asking her what she wanted to eat. Parang talagang ama na talaga siya sa anak ko, hindi na parang estranghero.

"Daddy... You'll sleep here na ha?" Althea blurted out suddenly, and I nearly choked on my own saliva. My Kuyas did the same - mga kuya ko talaga, parang laging hindi handang makita ang eksenang ganito. Palibhasa mga walang girl friend.

"Hindi puwedeng magtabi sila ng Mommy mo!" Kuya Adrian said quickly, his face all red like he'd seen something he shouldn't have.

Althea frowned - parang hindi niya naiintindihan kung bakit ayaw ng mga kuya ko. "Bakit po bawal? Eh diba po dahil anak na ako nila, ibig sabihin po pwede silang matulog magkatabi? Paano po ako makakakuha ng baby sister kung hindi sila magtabi?!" she argued back, and I had to hold back my laughter. Ang galing na niya magsalita ng Tagalog ngayon, dati kasi puro English pa siya e.

Dad and Mom burst out laughing - talagang napasigaw pa sila ng tawa. My Kuyas were coughing like they'd swallowed their food wrong.

"Water nga po para sa mga Kuya ko!" I told the maids, and they quickly rushed to get glasses of water for my brothers.

Once they'd calmed down a bit, Kuya Alvin asked Althea, "Where did you even learn that stuff? Bakit mo alam yang mga bagay na yan?" I was wondering the same thing - saan ba niya nakuha ang mga ganitong ideya?

"I read it in Uncle Anthony's book po!" Althea answered honestly, and Kuya Anthony nearly spit out the water he was drinking.

"Putang*na!"* Kuya cursed under his breath, and I shot him a sharp look - alam kong hindi niya sinasadya pero hindi dapat marinig ng bata yun.

"Mommy... What is pu-" Althea started to ask, but I quickly pinched her cheek to stop her from finishing the word.

"That's a really bad word, baby," I told her gently, brushing her hair away from her face.

"That's why you're not allowed to say it ha?" Kuya Adrian added, nodding at her seriously.

Althea looked confused - parang hindi niya naiintindihan kung bakit bawal sa kanya pero pwede sa kanila. "Eh bakit po pwede kayo magsalita nun?" she asked, her eyes looking from one face to another.

"Baby, just listen to us okay? Hindi lahat ng bagay na ginagawa namin ay pwede gawin ng bata," Jaiden said softly, and Althea looked at him before nodding slowly.

"Opo, Daddy..." she said, then went back to eating like nothing had happened.

Bakit ba kay Jaiden lang siya sumusunod agad? Parang may favoritism yata ang anak ko e.

I pulled out my phone and messaged Kuya Anthony: "Kung ano man yang mga binabasa mong libro Kuya, wag mong hayaan na mabasa yun ni Althea ha!" I hit send, and I saw him reach for his phone when it beeped. He read my message and then looked up at all of us.

"Hindi ko naman pinabasa yun, Angela! Hindi ko nga alam kung saan niya nakuha yung libro ko e!" he said out loud, making everyone turn to look at him.

Althea tilted her head and asked, "Uncle... Who are you talking to po?" Kuya Adrian and Kuya Alvin were trying so hard not to laugh - mukhang sila pa ang mas natutuwa sa eksenang ito kaysa sa amin.

"Ah wala naman baby... Wala lang," Kuya Anthony said quickly, trying to play it cool.

"Sure ka po Uncle? Hindi ka naman po nababaliw na di ba? Kasi sabi niyo po sakin dati, kapag nagsasalita ng mag-isa, ibig sabihin nababaliw na!" Althea said matter-of-factly, and that's when all of us - except Kuya Anthony and Althea - started laughing so hard.

"Malapit na yan baby... Malapit nang mabaliw yang Uncle mo," Kuya Adrian teased, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Oo nga! Onti nalang talaga e!" Kuya Alvin added, slapping Kuya Anthony on the back.

"Ibig sabihin po ba itatakwil na natin si Uncle Anthony?" Althea asked, looking at Dad and Mom like she was really serious about it.

Dad laughed even harder - parang hindi na niya mapigilan ang tawa niya. "Bakit naman apo?" he asked between laughs.

"Kasi po sabi sakin ni Uncle Anthony, walang baliw sa pamilyang Hernandez! Ang baliw po kasi itatakwil daw!" she explained, and I just shook my head. Kung ano ano talaga ang sinasabi niya sa bata.

Dad kept laughing as he said, "Oo nga apo... Malapit na nating itakwil yang Uncle mong yan kung hindi pa siya magbago!"

I turned to Althea and asked, "What else do you want to eat, baby? Gusto mo ba ng ibang ulam?"

"I want this shrimp po, Mommy!" she said, pointing at the plate of garlic shrimp. I was about to get it for her when Jaiden stopped me.

"I'll do it," he said softly, then reached for the plate. He even peeled the shrimp for her carefully - hindi niya pinapansin na nakatingin kami sa kanya, parang natural na sa kanya ang gawin yun.

"Dy!" Kuya Anthony complained suddenly, looking at Dad like he wanted help.

Dad just glared at him and the other Kuyas - parang talagang seryoso na siya ngayon. "Umayos ka, Anthony! Sa inyong apat, ikaw pa naman ang nanganganib na mawalan ng mana!" he scolded Kuya Anthony.

"Dy... I'll change na po, I promise!" Kuya Anthony said quickly, raising his hand like he was taking an oath.

"Then do it na! Wag kang puro salita lang!" Dad said firmly, not backing down.

"Kailan ba ako nagsalita na hindi ko ginawa yung sinabi kong gagawin ko?" Kuya Anthony asked, looking at his brothers for backup.

"Palagi naman!" Sabay sabay na sabi nila Kuya, making all of us laugh again - mga kuya ko talaga, lagi silang nag-aaway pero alam mong mahal nila ang isa't isa.

I started eating my food, but Jaiden kept adding more viand to my plate - parang hindi niya napapansin na punong-puno na ito.

"Don't put too much na ha... Baka hindi ko matapos yan," I told him, pushing the plate a little away from him.

"Finish it," he said simply, looking straight at me. I just sighed - alam kong hindi ako mananalo pag pinag pipilitan niya.

"I'm on a diet pa naman e!" I argued back, but he just shook his head.

"Hindi ka na diet ngayon... Kaya ubusin mo na yan lahat," he insisted, and I could tell he wasn't going to let this go.

"Jaiden..." I whined, but he leaned in a little closer and whispered, "Finish it, or I'll kiss you right here in front of your family." His voice was low enough that only I could hear him - pero ramdam ko naman ang tibok ng puso ko nang bigla.

I just rolled my eyes and started eating again - sige na nga, uubusin ko na. Sinabi ko bang ayaw kong ubusin? Baka lang kasing mabusog ako ng sobra.

It would've been fine if it was just the two of us - pero andito pa naman ang buong pamilya ko e.

Wait a minute... Bakit parang naaadik ako sa mga halik niya ngayon? Parang gusto ko nalang laging halikan siya kahit saan man kami mapunta.

Grabe naman self... Hindi ka ganyan dati e. Nung una nga ayaw mo pa sa kanya tapos ngayon parang hindi ka makapagpigil. Ano bang nangyayari sa akin?