Wretched Choices

Chapter 30

#WretchedChoices

Chapter 30
Afterall

During dinner, our younger househelp couldn't bring herself to look straight at me in the eye. Para bang katapusan niya na kapag nagkatinginan kaming dalawa. Kulang na lang ay lagyan ng piring ang mga mata.

Pigil na pigil ako sa pagtawa pero mayroon pa ring nakakatakas. Mommy even asked me why I was laughing alone while eating dinner last night. As for my excuse, I just told her that I was in a very good mood. Nagpakuwento tuloy si lola sa akin ng mga nangyari sa aking araw para malaman niya kung bakit ako masaya.

I didn't tell them about the flowers I received from someone who wanted to keep his identity anonymous, but I shared my unexpected encounter with Chance earlier.

"Chance?" Mommy looked so surprised as she uttered his name. "Chance Madrigal, Keia?"

Of course, she knew him.

She used to like Chance for me because he had taken care well of me when we were still together before he cheated. She was also friends with his mother, but my mother chose to cut ties with his family after he hurt me.

"Hindi ba't iyon ang dati mong kasintahan, apo?" tanong ni lola.

Nang tingnan ko siya sa kanyang mga mata ay agad ko itong nakitaan ng pag-aalala.

I almost forgot that my grandmother knew Chance as well since I introduced him to my family—thinking that we would have a steady and long-lasting relationship. That was how serious I was with him before.

"Opo, lola," nakangiti kong sagot para mapanatag ang loob niya at maipakita sa kanyang ayos lang ako.

"You look happy," puna ni Mommy kaya nabalik sa kanya ang tingin ko.

Meeting Chance again and reconciling with him was one of the reasons why I was happy right now. Hindi ko iyon maitatanggi kaya mas ngumiti ako kay Mommy habang tumatango.

"I am," I told her. "I am happy that we crossed paths again to talk about the past."

One of the hardest things to do that may seem easy: genuinely asking for forgiveness and granting forgiveness. It's difficult because the pride and pain would tend to rule over you and prevent you from doing these things. Knowing that Chance and I reconciled only means that we've conquered our pride and pain—our wounds were already healed.

"It seems to me that you've already forgiven him," she told me, and her eyes smiled. "How is he? Is he doing well?"

"He was far from the Chance I knew before, 'mmy. He became matured which led him to becoming a better man," I told her and suddenly turned excited as I remembered his daughter. "And, he's also a father now!"

Kung gulat na kanina si Mommy ay mas nagulat siya ngayon. Si lola naman ay natawa na lamang.

"May anak na siya?!"

My mother's shocked expression was priceless.

I chuckled and nodded. "He has a daughter now. Six months pa lang at kinuha niya pa nga ako para maging ninang ng anak niya."

Nagpatuloy ang kuwentuhan namin ni Mommy tungkol kay Chance at sa anak niya habang si lola naman ay bumalik na sa kanyang silid para makapagpahinga. I forgot to airdrop some pictures of Crystal on my phone that's why I just searched for her pictures on Chance's Facebook account. Ipinakita ko iyon kay Mommy. She couldn't get over baby Crystal's overflowing cuteness.

"Mommy, bakit hindi ninyo kaya kumustahin ulit si Tita?" Alam kong alam na ni Mommy na ang ina ni Chance ang tinutukoy ko. "You've been great friends when we were still in a relationship. Kung hindi nga lang kami naghiwalay at nagkasakitan ni Chance, pakiramdam ko ay hanggang ngayon, magkumare pa rin kayo."