Our What if's

Chapter 5 (Wakas)

This is the last chapter. Epilogue na ang next. Thank you for reading!

Five years later...

I put on my sunglasses as I walk myself out of NAIA Terminal 3, my Burberry honey beige cotton gabardine knee-length trench coat hanging on my left forearm, and pulling my Isaac Mizrahi Ingram large suitcase and shopper tote bag with my right hand.

Nothing much has changed in the Philippines, except that the heat of the summer is really extreme although it's just 9:00 in the morning, unlike in Toronto that has cooler summer and only reaches 20-25°C.

Good thing that I wear a black fitted crop tank top paired with a black high waist ripped jeans, and white Nike Air Max 97 Ultra 17 LX to complete my airport attire.

I immediately saw my parents and my brother when I got to the terminal arrivals area. They just arrived in the Metro yesterday from the province, but my mother insisted on picking me up today that's why they're all here.

I remember my younger brother was already taller than me then, but now he's even taller and  he's not as thin as before. My mother and father didn't seem to have aged, and they look well. My family is in good shape, and that's enough for me to see that my sacrifices have paid off.

We went to the open-air parking section right in front of the terminal arrivals area, and I saw the familiar Innova of my Tito, with kuya Atoy, still the family driver.

He put my luggage inside the trunk before we pulled off and it didn't take long before we reached my Tito's house, where I used to live in when I was still working in BGC.

Being in this house brings back lots of memories and it feels like it's just yesterday when I was last here, I can't help but reminisce.

Nadatnan namin sa kusina ng bahay, ang asawa ng Tito ko, na abalang-abala sa pagluluto ng paborito kong sinigang, at ng iba pang Filipino food na sobrang na-miss ko.

I learned to cook noong nasa Canada pa ako, pero most of the food that I can cook are just the easy ones, like the vegetable dishes. May alam din naman akong lutuin na pagkaing Pinoy but it's very rare that I cook those, only when a few Filipino friends visit me in my pad.

Napuno ang bahay ng sari-saring kwento nila tungkol sa mga nangyari noong wala ako.

Kasama na doon ang pag-graduate ng kapatid ko sa senior high school at pag graduate din sa community college sa probinsya, ng kursong BS Information technology, at ngayon ay nagtatrabaho na sa Accenture.

Ganoon din ang pinsan ko na si CJ na ngayon ay nasa fifth year naman sa BS Chemical Engineering sa UST. Kuya JC's long term girlfriend, now fiancée, is coming later for lunch to finally meet me in person although nagkakausap na rin naman kami dati thru Skype.

Ibinilin ko sa nanay ang tote bag na puro pasalubong (mostly chocolates) ang laman at sila na ang bahalang humanap kung alin ang para sa kanila doon. The rest of my things will be transported through air-cargo, ang expected na dating noon ay sa Wednesday, at nandoon ang iba pang mga pasalubong ko sa kanila, gaya ng mga damit at gamit sa bahay.

Habang nagkakatuwaan pa silang lahat sa pasalubong at sa pagkukwentuhan, pasimple akong nagpaalam na magpapahinga muna sa kwarto ko. Hinayaan naman nila ako dahil alam nila na pagod nga ako sa byahe, at tatawagin na lang daw ako kapag manananghalian na.

I brought my suitcase with me para makapagpalit din muna ako. It's just past 10am at may ilang oras pa ako para makatulog. Hindi ko na namalayan na nakatulog na pala ako agad pagkatapos kong magbihis, at nagising na lang nang mag-a-alas dose na, sakto naman na tinawag na ako ng nanay para kumain.