Turning Tables (ON-GOING)

Chapter Sixteen

Happy

It's almost nine when I got home. As I entered our house, iyon pa rin... tahimik. No one waited for me. Si Manang lang talaga ang sasalubong sa akin. I sighed.

It will never be the same. I can't make my family complete again. Naalala ko naman iyong sinabi ni Kiel kanina. He reminded me that I'm still blessed kahit ganito family ko. Bakit ang bait-bait naman niya? Pinangiti niya ulit ako, but I don't know if I'll agree with him.

Like, I couldn't tell if I'm still blessed, because all I can feel right now is that I've been cursed and I'm lost. But at least, someone told me heartwarming words, pero hindi parin mawawala iyong hate na nararamdaman ko para kay Mommy. It still stings. Masakit pa rin.

Pagod akong pumasok sa sala. I'm tired and I'm so so hungry. Lumapit si Manang sa akin with a smile on her face.

"Si Dad?" I asked.

What's new? Bihira lang kaming magkasamang kumain ni Dad. If mag-kasabay man, hindi naman kami nag-iimikan.

"Nasa kwarto po" Manang answered in a soft tone. Tumango lang ako sa kanya. "Kumain na po ba kayo mam?"

"Hindi pa po Manang"

"Ay sige, saglit lang po mam ah. QIinitin ko lang po iyong mga pagkain. Medyo lumamig na kasi e"

"Okay Manang. I'll just wait here"

Agad akong sumalpak sa sofa. I took off my shoes and curled up. Pinikit ko ang aking mga mata. I let out a heavy breathe. I wanted to take a nap for a while, but I can't. My tummy's rumbling.

Kinuha ko ang phone ko at nag-scroll muna sa Facebook. I checked my notifications and messages. I remembered Travis na naman. Hindi talaga siya nag-paparamdam.

I went to my messenger to check if online siya, but ang nakasulat lang doon ay active 2 days ago. Grabe na ba talaga ang sakit na nararamdaman niya?

My tummy made noises again. Is Manang finish? Sana kumain nalang ako sa labas pero hinatid ko naman si Kiel, e.

Well, speaking of Kiel. Na curious na naman ako sa kanya kaya pumunta ako sa profile niya. I checked if he has recent posts or pictures. He shared a picture with a quote. As I read it, it was a verse from the Bible. Woah, ma-Ginoo?

Mathew 5:5 "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

Parang kasing katulad sa sinabi niya kanina sa akin. Para ba 'to sa akin? But ang feeler at assuming ko rin naman.

I looked above the picture to see if there's a caption, pero wala naman. He shared it thirty mins ago, so maybe it's a message for me? I liked the picture, but after a few seconds, I pressed the love reaction. Maganda naman rin iyong message ng bible verse e.

When suddenly, Kiel's name popped up in my messenger. I changed my position. Nag-indian sit ako sofa namin. I tilted my head.

Ezekiel Conrado: Hi Elodie

Pati ba naman sa chat? Emotionless siya. Wala man lang emoji, pero fine whatever. Agad naman akong nagreply. Not like me who always uses emojis, so the person will know that this is really my expression kahit naka-chat lang kami.