When I Escaped

Chapter 13

"We can't talk here. You're mom will arrive soon." si Robert

I nodded. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako sumama sa kanya gustong gusto ko na kasi malaman yung lahat ng dapat kong malaman.

Hindi mga lihim ang sumisira sa mga bagay-bagay kundi ang hinala.

We sat in a cafe at binilhan niya rin ako ng pagkain. "Shall we start?" he asked.

"Wow ha, ano ba to meeting?" I murmured while eating a donut. "Okay talk" dagdag ko.

Kinamayan niya ako. "I'm Doctor Robert, a private physician hired by your father to aid your mom, I'm willing to help because I have so much debt to your father." he smiled. "And as his bestfriend."

Alam ko na hindi ito ang time para sa kalokohan pero I burst out laughing. "Akala ko jowa ka ni mama." then I shook hands with him.

He handed me a brown envelope and I opened it. Nang nakita ko my eyes widened and my chest is being hammered.

"Hindi ko po naiintindihan." umiling ako.

No, this is not happening. I saw pictures of brain and bones but I can't understand, hindi naman ako doctor.

Dr. Robert breathe heavily at tumulon ako ng laway. "Your mom has been keeping her sickness because she doesn't want you to worry."

I'm also sick, sick of crying. Gusto na ng luha kong umagos pero pinipigilan ko. Truth hurts, sabi nga nila.

Why? Bakit hindi niya sinabi?  Bakit dapat pa nila itong ilihim? Alam ko mahal ako na mama pero bakit ganito?

"Why?" my eyes start to water.

"She has stage 3 bone cancer and last year she had underwent CT scan and we found out she had benign brain tumor."

I was shocked, not knowing what to say. How could she keep this to me and Travis knew this all the time?

"Do everything to cure her." I managed to say.

"You got to help me convince her to undergo chemotherapy and surgery." he said. He stood up and gave me an address.

"Yes doc and by the way." I paused. "Alam mo ba kung anong nangyari kay dad?" mahina kong tanong.

Umiling siya. "Some things are better left unknown."

I walked in an empty street towards home, I was crying na parang biik na iniihaw. I thought about everything.

I remembered how my dad used to manage all his problems and what he taught me is just to "keep swimming" just like Dory did and to never give up just what Cinderella did.

Natuto na ako sa mga nangyari, sa nakaaran at marami akong dapat ginawa pero hindi ko nagawa at ngayon hindi na ako susuko.

I opened the door immediately when I arrived and saw my mom put some medicine in his mouth. She first looked at my earrings and she smiled but then she saw I was holding an envelope, her face distorted.

"You don't have to explain mom, I knew everything and I will do everything just to cure you." I assured her.

Nakikita ko na guilty siya at nagagalit ako pero hindi pwede. Gusto ko siyang sigawan pero hindi ko magawa yon dahil mahal ko siya.

"Kasalanan to ni Robert." she said.

"He did what's suppose to be done." sagot ko.

She sobbed. "I'm sorry I don't want you to worry and have pity on me. I just wanted to be a mother who supports her child, who cares for-"