THE CROWDED MARRIAGE

Chapter 1 (Book 2)

Maeve Dominique Valencia

"Hi, baby!"

The moment I stepped into our condo, I welcomed my child. I missed my baby so much.

"Good evening, Mommy!" she greeted me, wrapping her small hands around me. All my exhaustion melted away the moment I felt her hug.

I hugged her back, letting her hold on for as long as she wanted. Palagi kaming ganito tuwing nagyayakap-I always wait for her to be the first to let go, because I don't have the heart to do it.

"Kumusta ang Maery ko?"

"I am good, mommy! I was a good girl while I was with my nanny Jane!"

I softly ruffled her soft hair filled with lots of girly clips.

"You're always a good girl to me."

Sa totoo lang, sa trabahong mayroon ako, never naging sakit sa ulo ang anak ko. Even when she was a baby, she rarely cried with me. She has always been a blessing to me. Kahit na siya ang unang baby ko, hindi niya ako pinahirapan sa panganganak, at ngayon na isa na akong ina at nasasaksihan ang kaniyang paglaki, palagi akong nagpapasalamat na mayroon ako siya.

She's only turning four, yet I can already see how smart she is. She's a kind child too-the kind that everyone around her can't help but love.

She's always smiling too. People who see her often tell me she takes after me. She's like a mini me, and I believe it, kahit si Isha, who knows Ivory well, always says how Maery inherited so many of my attributes.

Yet when you really stare at her, especially when she smiles, her eyes are just like her father's. Ivory rarely smiles, but I can see it so clearly in Maery... the same crescent-moon eyes that show pure happiness.

I know, because I love his eyes. I've stared at them more times than I can count, especially when he smiles. They're so rare that I always make sure to take my time and commit them to memory.

Well, I'm glad that most people who know my kid don't know about Ivory. Only Isha and Felix know he's the father, while the others who know I have a child are just common friends or my coworkers in New York. I don't really have a choice but to show them a picture of my kid because of my line of work. I need them to understand that she's my top priority aside from my work.

I wanted to be honest with them, because I can't put my work above my kid. Kapag may emergency, o kung kailangan ako ng anak ko, I need to be there. Thankfully, the friends I've made and my close colleagues respected my choice to protect my daughter's privacy.

I'm far from the spotlight now, unlike before, but I'm still close enough to it. I prefer it this way... yung nasa likod lang ako ng camera, hindi nasa unahan.

I still use my social media, but only for work. I've removed everything that shows what's really happening in my life and reality.

"Mommy, do you have a pasalubong with me?" she asked in her cute little voice.

She's so adorable when she speaks Tagalog. I make sure to teach her because I want her to know where she really came from.

"Yes." I handed her another sketchbook, this one decorated with Disney princesses. "And also this." Then I showed her a dictionary book.

Actually, she loves reading. Nagsimula siya sa mga pang-bata na libro, and at first, ako pa ang nagbabasa sa kanya. But once she started learning, sinasabi niya na siya na muna ang magbabasa, and I would correct her if she mispronounced a word. I was really shocked, though, when she suddenly asked for a dictionary. She's only turning four, and yet she's curious about complicated things.