Accidental Baby

Chapter Thirty Eight

ANAIS

"Tita Marian!" I swung the door to her flower boutique open. The fresh fragrance of different kinds of flowers wafted up my nose. It was like an indoor garden in here. Everywhere you look there were flowers beautifully arranged together, making the place look like an ethereal fairy forest that lures mortals with its beauty. It was a work of art.

Tita Marian turned her head to me. She stood in front of the workshop table along with her other staff, busily arranging different kinds of soft colored flowers together.

"Anais." She smiled when she saw me.

Lumapit ako sa kanya at binigyan siya ng halik sa pisngi. "How are you, Tita?"

"I'm doing good. May hinahabol lang akong orders para sa kasal kaya medyo maraming trabaho." She told me. "What brought you here anyway?"

"Wala lang. I just stopped by when I saw your boutique."

"How's your parents and your siblings?" She asked, her hands busy with the bouquet she was arranging.

"They're all good." I answered, picking out one of the white lilies that was on the table and bringing it to my nose to smell it.

"Kumusta na ang baby mo? I miss Cookie and Toffie."

"Toffie's getting ready to go to preschool this school year and Cookie's going to be in first grade."

"They grow up too fast." Tita Marian shook her head, smiling. "I remember Pio and Sam when they were little. Parang gusto ko tuloy ibalik ang oras. Having kids is a bit handful but you'll miss it once they get older."

"Bakit hindi kayo magbaby ulit ni Tito Seth?" I joked, chuckling.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm in my 40s, Anais."

"Mom was forty-one when she had Toffie. Kaya pa yan, Tita." I encouraged.

"Oh you. Maybe kaya pa talaga. Elizabeth, Mama Mary's cousin, gave conceived John the Baptist at eighty-eight." She laughed. "Sa edad namin, wala na sa plano namin ni Seth magkaron ng isa pang anak. But if it's God's will, it will be done."

I nodded my head, agreeing to what she said. "Anyway, Tita, I just want to buy a bouquet of flower."

"Para kanino naman?" She asked.

"I'm giving it to a friend." Dahilan ko.

"Oh, alright. Sandali lang, gagawin kita." She said.

She asked me what kind of flowers I wanted for my bouquet. She threw some roses and peonies in different hues of pink and put a few angel's breath. The flowers and the colors blended perfectly with each other. Tita Marian made it into a round bouquet, wrapping the bottom of it with an off-white paper and tying a cute light purple ribbon to keep it together. 

"It's beautiful, Tita. It's exactly what I want." I told her after it was done. "Thank you so much."

"You should've told you wanted flowers. Sana ako na lang bumili sa'yo." Froilan laughed as we walked out of the office building. For the past few days, si Froilan ang naghahatid sa akin sa bahay. I'd been intentionally leaving my car at home so he could drop me off. Froilan's house wasn't too far from us and he didn't mind. Kung iniisip ni Coco na boyfriend ko siya, paninindigan ko iyon. I'd show him na hindi lang siya ang may kayang makipagrelasyon sa iba.

"Ano ka ba? Kunwari lang nga." I rolled my eyes, holding the bouquet of flowers in one hand. "You're just going to pretend you gave this to me, okay?"

"You are crazy. Bakit kasi kailangan pa natin magkunwari? Pwede naman natin totohanin." He smoothly said, winking at me. 

"Akala ko ba ayaw mo ng girlfriend?" My brow cocked.