"Hey guys, is it okay if we drop by my stepdad's place?" Liza asked.
"Basta ba may pa meryenda eh!" teased Enchong.
"Dude, nay masarap na bbq place dun!" dagdag ni Enrique.
"Libre, libre!" chants echoed inside their bus.
Kakatapos lang ng San Francisco leg ng ASAP US tour nila kahapon at kasalukuyang bumabiyahe sila patungo sa kanilang next leg of show.
Tinawagan ni Liza ang kanyang stepdad para sabihan na papunta na sila. Makalipas ang isang oras ay tumigil na sila sa harap ng isang suburban house. Simple lamang ito, may tatlong kwarto sapat lang sa mga nakatira dito.
Isa isa silang bumaba ng sasakyan.
"Kids! Look who's here!" sigaw ng stepdad ni Liza.
"Hopie!!!", sigaw ng mga kapatid ni Liza habang tumatakbo para yakapin siya.
"Enrique!", squealed Kaycee, ang bunso niyang kapatid na babae. Aliw na aliw si Quen kay Kaycee dahil sobrang attached ito sa kanya kaya naman karga karga niya ito papasok ng bahay.
"Hey guys, you might want to freshen up or relax for a while, Daddy David prepared some snacks.", offered Hope to her co-stars. Alam niyang malaking pabor ang pagdaan nila sa Milpitas lalo na't mahaba pa ang babiyahiin nila.
Habang abala sa tsibug ang mga kasama niya, nilapitan ni Daddy David si Liza." Hopie, can I talk to you for a minute? " Niyaya ng stepdad niya si Liza sa labas para makapag usap ng pribado.
***
"Bye Hopie! Bye Quen! Thanks for dropping by." paalam ng mga bata.
"Bye, kids! I love you." paalam ni Liza sa mga kapatid tsaka yinakap ang kanyang stepdad sabay sabi "Bye, Daddy. I'll wait for your call."
"I will let you know as soon the as I get the results.", seryosong sagot ni Daddy David.
Habang nasa bus na sila at bumabyahe na ulit napansin ni Quen na tahimik at malalim ang iniisip ng nobya, "Babe, you ok? Is there something wrong?".
"Later.", matipid na sagot ng dalaga. Alam ni Quen na hindi pa handang magkwento si Liza kaya umakbay na lamang ito sabay kiss sa noo.
Gabi na nang dumating sila sa kanilang hotel kaya dumiretso na lahat sa kanikanilang mga kwarto para makapagpahinga. "I'll order room service, what do you want to eat?", tanong ni Quen.
"I'm not really hungry, I'll eat whatever you're having. I'll just go take a shower first.", mailap pa rin na sagot ni Liza.
Napansin ni Quen na matamlay si Liza at halos di ginagalaw ang pagkain nito. "Hey, why aren't you eating your carbonara that's your favorite, right? Is there something wrong? I thought you'd be happy that you were able to visit your siblings eh bakit parang mas nalungkot ka pa?".
"Daddy David talked to me kasi eh. Quen, they think he has cancer. He'll get the confirmatory results in two days.", maluhaluha nitong sagot. "If the results are bad, he asked me if I could take the kids with me for a while. He'll undergo medication and he doesn't want the kids to see him in pain. Quen, what if he can't survive? What will happen to my siblings, they're too young!", at tuluyan na ngang umiyak si Liza.
Nilapitan at niyakap ni Enrique ang kasintahan "Don't worry, ok? He'll be fine, we'll help him." assured Quen.
Tuloy pa rin sa pag-iyak si Liza kaya kinarga nalang ito ng nobyo papunta sa kama para makapagpahinga sabay bulong," Everything will be alright. I promise. "
***
Kakatapos lang ng last show nila sa states. Kahit very professional si Liza, she can't help but be agitated. Today lalabas ang confirmatory results ng Daddy David niya and she has been waiting for his call the entire day. Alam din ito ni Quen that's why he opted that they go back to their room instead of going shopping with the rest of the cast.
Paglabas ni Quen ng banyo ay narinig niya na may kausap si Liza sa telepono. This is it. The moment of truth.
"Don't worry about it Daddy, they're my siblings of course I'll take care of them. Don't think about the expenses, just focus on getting better." mangiyakngiyak na sabi ni Liza. "Talk to them, I'll arrange their papers and tickets." paalam niya sa stepdad.
Lumapit si Quen kay Liza na nakaupo sa kama "So?", Quen asked.
"Will it be okay if we both become the kids' guardians? I know I'm asking too much but"
"Shhhh...", pinutol agad ni Enrique ang sasabihin ni Liza "Babe, I told you I will always support you, right? I'll be whoever you need me to be. If I need to be a dad to three makulit but cute kids, I will. Tsaka maganda na rin to makakapagpractice tayo para expert na tayo pagdating ng twenty-four babies natin! Hehe", biro ni Quen sa nobya.
"Quen naman eh puro kalokohan!". Tiningnan ni Liza si Quen. He gave her the look. The look tells her that despite the jest he meant every word he said. He will do whatever she needs him to do. Life ahead may seem tough but she will tough it out with him beside her. You'll never be alone, he promised that to her. This is him keeping his promise. Suddenly she felt like the weight has been lifted. She can do this. They can do this. Together. Looking at Quen's eyes she said, "I love you."
Quen held her face with both hands as if she's the most precious girl in the world, well, she is. In his world at least. "I love you. So so much. We can do this." Quen gave her the sweetest kiss and made her forget all her troubles even just for the night.
