All This Time

Daddy's Girl

Author's note: Sa Sunday pa dapat to eh hahahah... oh well, happy fathers day! 🙌🙆

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He was already sitting at the end of the long mahogany conference table, his chair turned to the window, when I got there. He seemed lost in thought and I tried to remember when was the last time I'd seen him like that. I cleared my throat.

"Hello, Sir."

He turned slowly and his pursed lips turned into a nervous smile which reminded me of that one time when I was young when he forgot to bring me home a box of Chocolait like he promised. I was suddenly sure that there's more to this emergency meeting.

"Anak. Menggay. Tayong dalawa lang dito, come in." I carefully closed the door behind me and took the few steps to sit on the chair across from him.

"Yes, uhm, dad. Emergency meeting daw po?"

"Ah yes. But first, kumusta ka, anak?"

"What do you mean, dad?"

"I mean, you handed me your resignation letter this morning. Alam ba to ng mommy mo?"

I looked down at my hands on my lap. I never mentioned my intentions to leave the company to anyone but Jay. I looked back up at his worried face and shook my head.

"Anak... diba we've always told you na you can talk to us? When you said your office felt dark and claustrophobic, diba the next day I had almost your entire wall changed to glass? When you told me about Migs, did I wait even a day to take care of him? Anak, tell me what you need, you know I will do everything in my power to give it to you. Your mom and I are worried about you. May gusto ka ba? May problema ka ba, anak?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and it just made my breathing harder. I was not prepared for this talk. I shook my head again, maybe to shake off the impending waterworks or to just simply say no to his questions.

"Anak... Menggay... Maine... my dearest Nicomaine, tumingin ka naman sa Daddy mo, please?"

I kept my eyes on my lap, but I felt him move to the chair right next to me. His hand appeared on top of mine, so I looked up.

"What's the problem, anak?"

My dad. He's still the same man who said, 'okay anak, kung saan ka masaya' when I chose my dream school and not their Alma Mater for college. Only his hair's mostly grey and his face had wrinkled. I remember how relieved I was that time, when I saw that he didn't have any hard feelings about my decision on where to go to college. But this was his worried face. Earlier, he was all business like in tearing up my resignation letter, but now... he was all 200% my worried dad. My heart ached a bit seeing him like this.

"Dad... I... I'm sorry for the resignation. And I'm sorry for not giving you a heads up. I mean, I'm sure you saw that coming because you didn't look so surprised this morning. I just... I feel like I should go on my own... dad."

I took a deep breath and felt the lump in my throat slowly clearing. That was not so bad.

"What do you mean, Menggay? Do you want to go away? Do you want to go on a vacation alone? Go abroad? Tell me, anak."

"Dad... I appreciate you letting me work here from internship to now and believe me, I am just as grateful as an employee here as your daughter. But... I feel it's time for me to maybe start my own firm?"

"Is that what you really want, anak?" He held my hand tighter.

I looked into his eyes, trying my best not to break down right there and then, and nodded.