The Bobby Andrewz Show

Chapter 12 - Nanay Knows Best

Chapter 12

The house was quiet.

She could smell the inviting aroma of newly cooked rice co-existing with the invigorating scent of crushed orange and cinnamon as she walked towards the small kitchen next to the living room.

In her twenty five years as a housewife, she had already developed a rare sensitivity to the “essence” of people and things around her.    

She would, for instance, know if her children were lying to her just by observing their body movements, the sound of their voices and the smell of their clothes from excessive perspiration.

That gift, she thought, came naturally to mothers who spent a huge portion, if not all, of their time taking care of their brood.

Her husband had been gone for almost five years now working as an engineer in the Middle East.

Although the decision to work overseas was a mutual agreement between her and her spouse for financial reasons, she still could not shake off the pang of guilt streaming in her veins for letting her kids grow up without a physical father around.

She made up for it though.

For five years since her husband had left to work abroad, she had worked hard to perfect her dual role to her children as Tatay and Nanay.

She became the disciplinarian and the shoulder to cry on at the same time. 

She was the cook, the maid, the teacher, the mentor, the decision maker and the “bouncer” should anyone make the mistake of touching her kids the wrong way.

She raised her kids by herself the way she and her husband had planned to when her eldest son Bobby came out of her womb and she was proud of that accomplishment.

Did she think she should rightfully be called Super Nanay Toyang by their whole barangay?

Oh hell yeah.

“Good evening Nanay.”

Nanay Toyang turned around and was surprised to see her son Bobby coming out of the bathroom behind the living room holding a bucket of cleaning tools.  He was wearing a pair of wet rubber gloves and a makeshift apron.

“Anak, anong nakain mo at naglilinis ka?”  Nanay Toyang asked Bobby what prompted him to clean their house all of a sudden.

 “TGIF ‘Nay.  Did you forget?  You’re hosting the Bingo tomorrow sa plaza so busy ka.  Nagluto na ko ng dinner at naglinis na’ko ng buong bahay so no worries ka na.  Rest ka na lang sa Sunday after the Bingo.”

Bobby told his mother that he already cooked dinner and cleaned the whole house so all his mother had to do after the Bingo event was rest the following day.    

Nanay Toyang sensed the tension in her son’s voice.  It was subtle, almost non-existent, but nothing escaped her trained ears.

She looked at Bobby’s shaky hands as her son almost dropped the bucket on the floor but she decided to play along.

Something was up.

Nanay Toyang knew what to do.  She would wait patiently until Bobby spilled the beans. 

She was not really worried as she knew her son well.  Bobby had always been a responsible kid and ever since his father left for the Middle East, Bobby had taken up the role of being the man of the house, protecting his mother and his younger siblings as if they were his own.

Bobby grinned awkwardly at his mother.

Nanay Toyang braced herself.  If Bobby would ask her for permission to attend an event or buy something that was within reason, she would definitely give in.  Bobby had already won half of his battle by exerting an effort to positively influence his mother’s decision.

But if his request had anything to do with his silly fixation to television, a waste of anybody’s time, the answer would be a coldblooded “No”. 

Nanay Toyang heaved a sigh, smiled back at Bobby and waited.

TheBobbyAndrewzShow.2014

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