Ethereal Haven

09

i was busy baking some cookies when i heard our doorbell ring, dali-dali kong tinanggal ang apron ko then i run outside to see who's ringing our doorbell

"PAPA!" i jumped out of joy when i saw Papa standing outside our gate with his black luggage. I hurriedly opened our gate and let him in.

"buti sumakto na ngayon bakasyon mo Pa?" i asked as we walk towards the front door. Ngayon nalang ulit kami magcecelebrate ng pasko sa Pinas, ako kasi lagi dumadayo sakanila sa Canada tapos di pa namin nace-celebrate ng mabuti ang Christmas Eve kasi may lipad ang isa sa kanila lagi.

"kaya nga nak e. Namiss ko 'tong bahay" he said, he was about to enter our house pero pinigilan ko siya at ako ang naunang pumasok. I faced the door and wait for Papa to open it

"Welcome home, Papa" i said as i open my arms to hug him

"I'm finally home" he said as he hugged me back, bumitiw ako sa pagkakayakap ni Papa nang bigla kong naalala ang cookies na bine-bake ko tapos tumakbo ako sa kusina. I heard him chuckled bago ako makapunta sa kusina.

"makakauwi ba si Kuya sa Christmas Eve, Pa?" i shouted from the kitchen while taking out the cookies from the oven.

"siguro? di niya sinabi sakin Schedule ng flight niya ngayong December e" sagot naman ni Papa mula sa living room "i'll just take a nap at my room, nak" he continued i just said okay then i transferred the cookies to the tupperwear

i hope Kuya can make it to Christmas Eve, if not, sana makabawi siya sa New Year's eve so we can welcome the new year together.

"ang dami na talagang nagbago dito 'no?" tanong ni Papa sakin habang naglalakad kami sa Plaza "wala pang malalaking malls dito noong panahon namin ng Mama niyo" he added

"totoo?" tanong ko

"oo, pinakasikat na mall dati ay ang Brickstone Mall at Citi Mall" sabi ni Papa while looking at me

"e pano kayo nagde-date ni mama noon?" tanong ko ulit. Papunta na kami ngayon sa savemore to buy ingredients for our noche buena

"may sine noon 'dun sa Brickstone, tapos uso pa noon ang group date" natatawang kwento ni Papa. I can imagine him being sweet towards Mama when they're still at my age

pagtapos naming mag-grocery ay umuwi na kami ng bahay

"oh my god! KUYAAAA!" i shouted when i saw Kuya lying down at the couch while watching a series in Netflix. He sit down properly and open his arms so i run towards him and give him a hug

"kailan ka pa nakauwi? pano ka nakapasok dito?" magkasunod kong tanong as i sit down properly and looked at him.

"kakarating ko lang, bahay ko rin 'to so i have my spare keys" he said as he showed me his black leather key holder. I rolled my eyes at him and he just chuckled

"you should take a nap instead of watching Netflix" sigaw ni Papa mula sa kusina "punta tayo sa sementeryo mamaya to visit your mother" he added

"wala bang makain dyan?" tanong ni Kuya at pumunta siya sa kitchen, malapit ng maglunch time at pagod siya sa flight kaya siguro di makatulog kasi gutom.

pinatay ko ang TV at sumunod na rin sa Kitchen. I saw Papa preparing some ingredients

"what do you want for lunch?" tanong ko kaya tinignan nila akong dalawa "i'll cook for you guys" i added

"niiiice! gusto ko ng sinigang na baboy" sabi ni Kuya, i looked at Papa and he smiled as he put down the knife and remove his apron then he sat down in the high chair infront of the counter top table