Love, Pearl

LOVE, PEARL 13

I woke up by the sound of my two lovelies giggling. Hinila ko ng unti ang kumot ko pababa at sinilip sila.

"Mommy Pearl might hear you, anak," Mauri whispered but I heard it.

"Mommy won't. She's sleeping," Ciella told her Dad who's styling her hair. At saan niya naman yun natutunan?

"Ano 'yan?" I spoke that made them flinched. Napatili ang anak namin.

"Nothing, Mom!" Ciella said.

"There you go," Mauri told her as he finished styling our daughter's hair. It was just a simple ponytail.

Kitang kita ko talaga ang pagbawi ni Mauri sa mga oras na wala siya noong ipinapanganak ko si Ciella hanggang sa paglaki niya.

"Ano 'yung pinaguusapan ninyo?" I asked them but they just stared and smiled at each other.

"Sorry, Mommy. Secret po kasi," Ciella giggled.

"Alright. Sige. Kiss, Mommy," I said and she quickly gave me a kiss.

Ngayong pangalawang araw namin sa Baguio. Napagisipan naming pumunta mg SM para bumili ng bagong camera ng anak namin.

Yes, an actual camera.

Mauri and I talked about it before we sleep. Naalala ko tuloy ang mga nangyari kagabi...

We're going to give her the Canon EOS 6D mark ii. Nag kwentuhan ang mag-ama ko kanina noong tulog ako about sa dream camera niya. Noong una ay hindi ako pumapayag dahil alam kong sobrang mahal yun at baka masanay ang anak namin bumili ng ganoong kalaking halaga.

But her Dad, Mauri really wants to spoil our Ciella so much. Pero kilala ko naman ang anak ko, she won't turn her back once she finally get it.

I just want her to pursue those things if that what she really want. I'll support her. We support her.

We took the taxi nalang para madali ang transpo. Medyo traffic kasi at baka mahirap ang parking sa SM.

"So cold," Ciella said and wrapped her hand on my arm. Nasa gitna siya namin ni Mauri.

Dumating kami sa section kung saan mabibili ang gadgets. Napakunot-noo ang anak namin nang makita niyang napadpad kami sa bilihan ng camera.

"Dad, Mommy, what are we doing here po?" she asked, looking up at us, eyes filled with curiosity.

We didn't respond right away. Instead, Mauri walked ahead, speaking to the sales assistant about a specific model. Ako naman, I stayed beside Ciella, her grip on my arm tightening.

The guy assisting us nodded and excused himself to check for stock. I could feel Ciella fidgeting beside me.

"Dad? Hindi na po kailangan..." she said softly, her voice unsure.

Tinatapik-tapik ko ang kamay niya. "It's okay, anak," I assured her.

"This is our gift for you. For being kind and obedient to us. And for being so brave for Mommy," Mauri said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Ciella turned to me. "Mom?"

I smiled and gave her a reassuring nod.

Bumalik ang sales assistant dala ang isang box. "Wala na po kaming stock ng hinahanap niyo, Sir. But we have this one—Canon EOS R10. Complete set na po ito."

"How much?" Tanong ni Mauri.

"92,700 pesos po. Plus the memory card po 250," The guy answered.

Mauri barely glanced at it before saying, "We'll buy it." His tone was cool, decisive—typical of him.