Once Upon An Us

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
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"Nak, do you still know who I am?" I hear my dad ask, his Filipino accent sticking out in the middle of our dinner. It takes me aback, slightly confused about why Dad asked that.

"Arturo? Why are you asking that? Gosh, the things that run inside your head are unbelievable," Mom comments, continuing to eat.

"What made you ask that, Dad? And yes, I remember who you are," I answer. What Mom said was true. Sometimes, he'll come to us, asking trivial questions that didn't make sense. Or dad jokes that aren't even funny but it still makes us laugh.

I love how he's the easygoing type of dad where his kids can always go whenever they want since there isn't a wall between them. I think a relationship like that is essential.

A goofy dad is the best dad, after all.

"Nothing. It's just...you like to isolate yourself whenever you study so I thought you have forgotten about us," he says, his voice mixed with concern. "We literally have to call you so many times just to come down and eat with us. Right, hun?"

My mom nods. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself. We understand that it's your finals week, but it's quite alarming that you would rather choose your studies than your health."

I know it's bad, but I can't help it. I have always been strict on myself as soon as I learned how to pick up a pencil and write. It becomes a habit of mine, eventually. Whenever I have exams, quizzes, or even homework, you can find me glued onto my study chair, completely isolating myself. I like to get things done in one go without any distractions. There was even a day where I hadn't eaten a single meal as I was working on a project the whole day. And that's where my habit gets bad.

Worrying my parents is the last thing I want to do, but I only do it for one reason–to repay everything they had given me and offer them a life where they don't have to work every day and tire themselves.

There are times when we argue about this issue. "Don't ever feel indebted to us for giving you a life you deserve to have. You don't need to repay us since you don't owe us anything," they often say. It's not like I feel the need to. I just want to, out of my gratitude.

I wasn't born into a wealthy family. You can say we are a part of middle-class families and we can afford our basic necessities like clothes, bills, and food. But we didn't start off like that. I saw how they put their blood, sweat, and tears to get to where we are right now.  Even Lev and his family knew that.

I sigh and reply, "I'm sorry, Mom. Don't worry, it's the final day of our finals week so it won't happen again." I give them a reassuring smile which leaves them satisfied.

"Good. Make sure to have fun after that," Dad says.

After dinner, I offer to help Mom in washing the dishes, but she declines. "Just go upstairs and review. Don't mind me here," she says.

As I am going to my room, I catch a noise, sounding like someone is entering through the window. Already knowing what's happening inside, I find myself smiling.

I twist the knob to open the door, and the first thing I see is a struggling boy, attempting to climb my room. "You really should stop entering the house through my window, Lev," I remind him as I lean on the doorframe. Lucky for him, I forgot to close the window earlier when I went down. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to enter.

Wait, I forgot to close it? Good thing no one tried to rob us.

With only his whole face seen, he greets me an almost inaudible 'hey', smiling as he waves his hand. He drags himself upwards, and eventually sets foot in my room. "I tried climbing without a ladder this time. I thought trying something new," he says, removing his slippers before flopping his body on my bed, feeling himself at home.