Before The Next Teardrops Fall

BTNTF One

Let's meet Maelee Daine at Aldrin Mendoza Richards, ang panganay at pangalawang anak ni Alden at Maine Richards ng Arrange Marriage: Destined? and Parting Time (AMD2).

IT WAS a year after that crazy day. It was chaos and at the same time nerve wracking, heart wrenching moment of their lives that they could and would never forget.

Why, you may ask? Muntik lang namang mamatay ang mommy nila sa panganganak sa kanilang bunso. Today is their youngest sibling's first birthday.

Maelee was watching Maine from a distance as she seated on her rocking chair situated next to the baby's crib, as her Mom watched everyone go in and out and about the entire garden area passing her like she doesn't exist.

Alam ni Maelee na ilang sandali na lang ay tutupakin na naman ang kanyang Mommy dahil ayaw itong payagan ng Daddy niya na magkikilos.

Maelee was watching her Mom sulking in her place when she saw her Dad came and gave her Mom a hug. Ayos. It's showtime! She smiled at herself and slowly put down what she has in her hands, balloon strings.

"How are you, love?" She heard her Dad asked her Mom lovingly. She smiled again.

She always sees them hugging, kissing and just up on each other faces all the time. Yes, they argue, they bicker, they fight, but there are more loving in the house than fighting.

It is not really a fight because her Mom will basically fall into a complete silence and her Dad will go crazy to find a way that would make them talk it out in a loving manner and it always ends up in a close door "conference".

Mind you, it is a privately closed door conference, if you get the drift. Gosh, my virgin mind.

How private is it? Don't ask, it will just give her nightmares to think of it. She may not have any experience in that department but she's not oblivious about it, Biology and Anatomy taught her that.

This is maybe the reason why they have this one year old bundle of pure cuteness and joy, Alliraine Maisie, who's celebrating her first birthday today.

Baby Ali was the Richards family's surprise gift. Forty-seven na kasi ang Mommy niya when she conceived again. Thanks to her Dad, who can't get his hands off her Mom.

"I'm bored!" Sagot nito nang may kalakasan sabay halik naman ng Daddy niya. Hindi na talaga naubusan ng pakilig ang ama nila sa ina nila.

She always sees and feels the love oozing out of her parents pores and she's always dreaming of having what her parents have in the future... and she knew it may not happen.

She knows that her dad's species, not only an endangered kind, but extinct. Sa madaling salita, wala nang katulad ang Daddy at Kuya niya.

With the guys that she had met in college? Hooo!! You're shit out of luck. Patunay na endangered na ang gentlemen at faithful na lalaki.

Most of them are either full of themselves, a human size jerks and/or a class "A" assholes with a brain of a mustard seed, puro mga self-centered, mayabang at maingay na lata lang.

None of them carries her dad's breed and characteristics. Sa paningin niya, ang Daddy at ang Kuya na lang niya ang natitirang matitino sa mundong ito. The rest, aasa lang siya sa wala.

Mahohopia lang siya like everyone says when they were hoping against hope, then at the end of the day it was just that, broken and wasted hope.

"You're bored? How come? Ali is a hand..." Her Dad said after that breathless kiss.