I blinked at the sunlight pouring through the window, utterly stunned. It's 2PM, says the alarm clock. Shit. Nag tanghalian siguro sila kahit wala ako.
Did I seriously sleep through the entire morning?
I sat up slowly, my hair is completely a mess and pillow lines stamped on my cheek, whispering to no one in particular, "That was a good hell of a nap," I mumbled. The room was hazy with mid-afternoon light, and for a second, I honestly couldn't tell if it was still today or already tomorrow.
I immediately went inside the bathroom to fix how I look. Paglabas ng banyo, nadatnan ko si Janine na nakaupo na sa corner ng malaki niyang kama.
She looked at me with the same emotionless eyes, "Kumain na kami. Masyadong mahimbing tulog mo." She then tapped her side. Telling me to sit beside her without actually saying it.
"Ginising mo sana ako." Sambit ko habang umupo.
"I did. Sabi mo 'eeh, wag mo kong gisingin ayaw ko pa!'" She said. Mocking me. Tumawa pa siya nang bahagya habang sinasabi 'yon.
"Liar." I stated.
"You asked for five minutes multiple times." Tumayo siya at tinignan ako.
"I'm a light sleeper, Janine." Sambit ko kasama ang pag irap.
She just shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal, but I saw the smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. No, I wasn't buying it. Either she didn't try hard enough, or she was just enjoying the idea of me sleeping soundly after waking up too early this morning.
I don't know, but I could be wrong. It seems like she's enjoying how pissed I get whenever she pushes something that I don't agree with.
"Bumaba na tayo. You need to eat your lunch." Aniya.
Tumango lang ako at sabay kaming naglakad. Walang nagsasalita, I'm still comfortable.
Yumakap sakin si Reese nang makita ako.
"Mama, I tried waking you up. You said you'll follow me but you didn't." Pa-cute na sambit nito habang nakakapit sa hita ko.
"Reese," Janine tried to pull Reese away from my leg. "Go back to your coloring book." She strictly said.
I should surely not interfere between them and react much on how she handles Reese. I get that so well. However, I'm also not a robot. It does not sit right with me. The way Janine treats Reese is a bit much for me. it's as if she does not have any room even for small mistakes.
"You need to loosen up. Masyado pang bata si Reese. Let her be a kid and act like it." I suggested when we both sat down. Hindi ko na napigilan pa ang sarili ko sa pagsalita dahil sa nangyari.
"Yeah. Nandyan naman na si ate Judith para bantayan siya. Kung hindi kasi sasawayin, mawiwili." She sipped her coffee. Coffee sa ganitong panahon. Ang init-init!
"Have you ever stopped to wonder what your kid actually wants? Masyadong mahigpit pakikitungo mo sa bata. She's only a kid." Malumanay na sambit ko. My words were calm, yet they sounded like I wanted to prove a point.
I don't want to sound rude. Ayaw ko rin namang mag mukhang nangingialam. I just really don't like the way she treats her child.
"I'm sorry. There's just too much stress. Hindi rin basta-bastang bata si Reese. Everything under my name will soon be under her name too." Paliwanag niya.
And yes, I get that too. It's just that... she's still a kid. But then again, we live in two different worlds.
I'm not a robot or anything. I'm just a girl living a pretty normal life. I run my own business, handle things on my own, and work for everything I have. Nothing's ever been just handed to me.
BINABASA MO ANG
CAPTIVATED
General FictionEMPIRE SERIES #1 How do two hearts that once beat the same find their way back after everything broke? And if you're already okay now, living fully without them, is going back still worth it? This is a story of what stays, what fades, and what love...
