Taste Series #1: Taste of Love

Chapter 24

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈 𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁

My eyes landed on the note placed on top of the cabinet. Ang bigat sa dibdib ang naramdaman ko nang mabasa ang mensahe ni Finn tungkol sa biglang pag-alis niya patungong Manila para sa isang importanteng meeting kasama ang kanyang mga kasamahang engineer. The realization hit me that he wouldn't be by my side for the next three days. Ang naisip ko agad ay kung paano ko haharapin ang kanyang pagkawala ng tatlong araw, lalo na't hindi alam ng aming mga magulang ang tungkol sa aming relasyon. Nakakaumay naman kapag napansin nila ni Mommy at Daddy na matamlay ako, lalo na't wala si Finn.

Kaya nakapag desisyon ako, na ako nalang mismo ang mag-aasikaso ng lahat nang gawaing bahay at paglalaba upang mapanatili ang aking sarili na abala at maiwasan ang pagkamiss kay Finn.

Habang bumababa ako sa hagdanan, naririnig ko ang aking mga magulang na nag-uusap sa kusina. I greeted them with a forced smile, trying my best to hide the disappointment I felt about Finn's sudden departure.

“Magandang umaga, Mom, Dad,” I said as cheerfully as I could manage.

“Good morning, anak,” Mom replied, flashing me a warm smile. “You’re up early today. Did you sleep well?” I nodded, not wanting to worry them with the news of Finn's trip.

“Oo, Mom. I just thought I'd get a head start on some chores today.” Dad glanced up from his newspaper, raising an eyebrow. “Chores? Since when did you become so eager to do household work?”

I laughed nervously, hoping my excuse sounded convincing enough. “Well, I just thought I'd help out a bit more around the house. You know, since I have some free time.” Mom looked at me suspiciously, but thankfully she didn't press further. “That's very thoughtful of you, anak. Salamat sa pagtulong mo.”

With a sense of relief, I quickly busied myself with preparing breakfast and tackling the mountain of dirty dishes piled up in the sink. As I scrubbed each plate and utensil, I couldn't shake off the feeling of loneliness that flowed over me knowing Finn wouldn't be there to share the meal with me. Pero kailangan kong maging matatag at mag-focus sa pagpapakitang-gilas para sa aking mga magulang.

I threw myself into one household chore after another. I swept the floors, dusted the furniture, and even tackled the laundry with courage. With every task completed, I hoped that the distraction would ease the ache of missing Finn's presence. Sa buong araw, binigyan ko ng buong-pusong pagmamahal ang paggawa ng bawat trabaho. By dinnertime, I had prepared a simple meal for my family, trying to regain all my energy into making it a pleasant evening together. But as we sat around the table, the empty chair where Finn would usually sit served as a painful reminder of his absence.

“Is everything all right, Summer?” Mom asked, noticing the somber expression on my face. I forced a smile and nodded. “Oo, Mom. Medyo pagod lang po ako konti sa paggawa ng gawaing bahay ngayong araw.”

Dad studied me for a moment before reaching out to pat my hand reassuringly. “You've been doing a great job helping out around the house, anak. We're proud of you.” parang bay may humaplos sa aking puso dahil sa sinabi ni Daddy, knowing that they trusted me to handle whatever responsibilities came my way. But deep down, I wished I could confide in them about Finn and the emptiness I felt without him by my side.