The Words

Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Consequences

 

May 12, 2012. Monday. Later that morning, she just finished breastfeeding their babies when Jimmu and Barbara came in. 

Barbara asked solicitously, “How are you, Maggie?” 

Margarita replied, “I’m fine, Barbara.” 

Jimmu spoke up, “We deeply apologize for the mess Ericka had caused, Carlos, Maggie.” 

Margarita asked about Ericka, “Where is she?” 

Barbara answered crying, “She was detained for a while. She has gone insane.” 

Jimmu expressed his gratitude over Carlos, “Thank you for dropping the charges, Carlos. We shall leave tomorrow and seek psychiatric treatment for Ericka in Japan.” 

Carlos responded, “What she did was still wrong. But I guess I should partially be blamed for what she had turned out to be. This is the least I can do for you, Jimmu, Barbara especially now that we know Ericka’s condition. My wife and our babies are all safe now.” 

When the Hanamichi couple left, Margarita asked Carlos questions. 

She wanted confirmation, “So you filed charges against Ericka?” 

“Your life and our babies’ had been endangered,” he responded, “You had been in a critical condition for a while. I couldn’t just sit down as if nothing happened.” 

“I’m glad you drop the charges,” she calmed him down with a kiss on his lips. “Whether Ericka became insane or not, you still need to drop the charges. Ericka was blinded. She loves you, Carlos.” 

“I never knew about her pregnancy,” he told her. 

“Yeah, she told me about it when we were in Tokyo last August,” she confessed. “What would you have done if you knew about her pregnancy?” 

“I’m not sure. As she said, I was busy trying to be worthy of you,” he answered her question honestly. 

“I don’t care if you were an illegitimate child,” she said. “I have always loved you since the day I started to know the meaning of the word crush.” 

“But I don’t feel that I’m worthy of you. You were also very young then so I waited until you’ve reached your career goals as well as mine,” he confessed. 

“Even if you’re not a billionaire, I would still marry you,” she told him. 

“But at some point I also doubted it. I thought you just married me because of your pride. The situation at the orchard compromised you,” he told her. 

“It was just an excuse coz I can’t wait anymore to be your girlfriend,” she confessed. 

He kissed her lips, “I was determined to marry you long before. I’m glad you were still free when I came back for you.” 

“I have always been yours,” she told him then kissed his lips. 

“You have always owned my heart,” he kissed her back. 

Don Alvaro and Doña Eleanor came in. 

Doña Eleanor teased them, “The babies are just a day old. Don’t think yet of giving them little sisters or brothers” 

They smiled. 

Her parents gave them each a hug. 

They also looked at the twins sleeping comfortably in their bassinets. 

Bob and Rhena also came telling them of Rhena’s six-week pregnancy. 

Willard and Angeline visited them too. 

Kenji and Hazel called up checking on them. They were so happy about the babies and looking forward to get home to see them. 

Junie and Nina also came late in the afternoon. They told them that Nina was two months pregnant. 

Carlos commented, “Guess, it’s a baby made in Shanghai!” 

Junie answered, “Yes, Carlos.” 

Margarita recalled, “Rhena is six weeks pregnant. Just two weeks difference.” 

Paul and Yvette visited the following morning while Hubert and Olivia did it in the afternoon. 

When they went home, the employees as well as the people whom they helped through the foundation and through the medical clinic had set up a welcome home party for them. It was a joyous gathering by the spacious garden of Puerto de Amparo. 

Later that night they stayed on the bed by the nursery. When the babies both woke up hungry, Carlos assisted Margarita in breastfeeding them on the U-shaped soft cushioned breastfeeding bed specially made for twins.

Baby Carl rested by the right side of her body while Baby Margz rested on the left side. The babies sucked milk from her breasts. Carlos was by her legs, stroking them gently on his lap and looking attentively to her and their babies. 

He asked, “How long will you be breastfeeding them?” 

She answered, “At least for a month, I’ll let them suck milk from my breasts. Then afterwards I’ll use breast pump to collect milk from my breasts and have them suck it from feeding bottles. We could also add up infant milk formula by then.” 

He smiled, “You knew very well how to take good care of them.” He bent down to kiss the exposed cheek of their babies. “Be good to Mommy, babies.” 

She asked him, “Do you think we could have gotten married if Ericka decided to tell you about the baby?” 

He answered, “The only woman I wanted to marry was you. For sure, I would have acknowledged the baby but I could never have married her. It would be unfair to her coz I wouldn’t be able to love her back.” 

She informed him, “She told me you might have questioned it because you always used protection and she also had been with other men within the duration of your affair. Then when I asked her why she didn’t tell you, she said she didn’t like kids. She also told me she had gotten pregnant a couple of times and she all had them removed.” 

“She may be rich, pretty and sexy like you but she doesn’t have your heart. You would never ever kill an innocent child,” he told her. She was a little sleepy already. He arranged the pillows by her back. 

When their babies had enough milk and already removed their mouths from her nipples, he put them both on to his chest – Baby Carl on the left and Baby Margz on the right. 

He leaned back and walked to their cribs. He put down Baby Carl first on his blue bed. He kissed his nose and whispered, “I love you, my baby boy. Sleep tight.” 

Then he put down Baby Margz on her pink bed just beside Carl’s. He kissed her nose and whispered, “I love you too, my baby girl. Sleep well.” 

Margarita felt overwhelmingly happy as she watched her husband laid their babies to their beds. 

He joined her on their bed inside the nursery. They were spooning both looking at the left side where the cribs of their babies were.

“You’re not just a good husband. You’re also a good father,” she kissed his hands which were on her chest. 

He replied, “I have a good wife as well. And she’s also a good mother.” He kissed the base of her right ear. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” she said it back. “But why didn’t you tell me right away?” 

“I was afraid you might not believe it so I just showed it in every possible way,” he answered. 

She tilted her head to kiss his lips then said, “We must wait for at least a month until we can make love again.” 

“I won’t mind. I’ll wait until you’re ready,” he whispered to her lips and kissed them over and over again. “Let’s sleep now, Mommy.” 

“Yes, Daddy.”