Obnoxious Oxygen

Chapter Twenty Five

"Oxygen..."

Her eyes shifted to the side again and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from her mouth, his heart sank.

Her lower lip quivered as words slowly made their way out of her mouth. "They're..." She began, yet what followed was engulfed in the tremors.

He held her tight in his arms, hoping for her to feel safe and would wish to stay there for as long as she needed. Gabbana doesn't have to tell him, he already know what's behind her tears. He have expected this to happen, what he hadn't been expecting was the tightening inside his chest. He swear, he never felt that kind of squeeze for the longest time of his life.

"They're going to hurt mom, Oxygen... I can't let them hurt mom." The pain in her voice proves a lot, his baby girl is hurt. "I love my mom, Oxygen. Zander told me about Derek claiming that he's dad's son and turns out that he's indeed my father's son."

He tried opening his mouth to say something but he couldn't seem to find the write words for her. Not once in his life he'd been speechless, but seeing Gabbana soaked in her own tears made him tongue-tied. She wasn't the first woman to cry in front of him but she was the first one to affect him with her tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm not stupid not to understand what Zander and others has to say, setting aside the idea that they love daddy so much, I, too, believe that my dad wasn't at fault. Even that Derek whoever he is. But if I wouldn't blame them, who should I blame?" She said in a hoarse whisper, if it hadn't been a fruit of devastation and tears, he would enjoy hearing her in that voice. "They will hurt mom, Oxygen. I can imagine she'd be throwing a fit into everyone once she learn it. And I will totally understand her. Mom loves dad, I know dad loves mom, the kind of love that he'd kiss the ground she walks on. I just wish, that would be enough to heal mom. Because right now, as a daughter, I can feel so much heaviness in my chest, what more if I were her."

"Gabbana, wala naman na tayong magagawa pa. Sa palagay ko naman, maiintindihan 'yon ng mommy mo-"

"No!" She let out a humorless laughter and shook her head. "You don't know my mom, I do. I know how hard it is for her to deal with something complicated. Much more as complicated as this. Mom won't take it easily, Oxygen. I'm scared of what she might do, I want to be with her, I want to hold her so close the moment they tell her this saddening shit. Oxygen, that's my momma they're gonna hurt."

She talks about her mom like it's her baby. Oxygen wasn't used to this. But then, Gabbana was right. He doesn't know her mom. And he never had to deal with his mom going all dramatic and sentimental all his life, why his mom is the strongest woman he know. He bet his mom can and will fight bulls if needed.

"What if... what if it happened to you? What are you gonna do? Hearing that your dad has a son before you?" She carefully asked. "An illegitimate child."

"My dad was an illegitimate De Salvo, Gabby." He said. "Malabo kasi, e. Hindi ko makuhang isipin. My father had been madly in love with my mom for over a decade before Titanium and I happened, then it took him to patiently wait for another decade for her to marry him. And there's no one but my mom in his life. How he does that, I have no idea. Pero kung sakali man,"

He paused and scooped her closer, she looked up to him waiting for his next words.

"Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. I'm sure my mom is tough enough to handle any given situation, wise enough to hold her emotions and never will let it control her. She feel with her heart and think with her mind. She doesn't mix things up because when you let your heart and emotions move for you, it will get you nowhere." He watched her frown, definitely not agreeing on what he said. He bent down and dropped a kiss on her lips and smiled. "But I'm not saying that everyone should do that, magkaka-iba ang mga tao. Magkaka-iba ng paraan ng magiging pag-tanggap sa bawat sitwasyon. If your mom isn't like my mom, that won't make her less of a mother."