Chasing the Sun

070

I woke up earlier than everyone, so I figured preparing food for New and his mom to make up for my sudden absence. I planted a kiss on New's cheek, to which he flinched, but still remained asleep. The clock flashed the time, and it said 6:45 in the morning.

Waking up that early on a Saturday was very unlikely of me, but I guessed I was thinking of a lot of things that my mind didn't sleep at all. I put on my shoes, headed out of the room, and made my way to a nearby cafe to buy some food.

By the time I got back, New's mom was already awake and she was stretching her back as she looked at the window. When she turned to my direction, her eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Tawan!!!"

New must have slept like a log, because his mom screamed so loud that I felt my ears ring. She must have been so surprised seeing me by the door, because she ran excitedly towards me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"How are you? Why did you leave suddenly? I missed you a lot!", She said as she continued hugging me tightly.

Contrary to his son's calm approach last night, she was rather ecstatic that I was once again back with them.

"I had to take care of things, Ma. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, my phone got trashed and I lost contact of you and New.", I said. 

"You brat, you made me worry a lot! I thought you were gone for good.", Finally, she let go of me and held me by the cheek instead. 

"Hahaha, I'm sorry Ma, I won't do it again. Here, I bought muffins for us to eat. Think of it as my peace offering for leaving without notice."

"You believe in the saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' huh?", She said teasingly.

"I guess I do."

I put the bags of food on the table and checked on New, who was still sleeping soundly. He must have been too tired with the treatment that he slept peacefully so I didn't wake him up to eat with us.

"Really, son. Why did you suddenly leave? I really didn't want to be nosy if it's anything personal, but I want you to know you can talk to me, alright?", New's mom as she held my hand. It was just the two of us eating, and it seemed like New won't wake up any sooner. 

I took a deep breath before telling the truth to his mom. With all of the things the three of us had gone through, New's mom made me feel like I could trust her, so I was only a bit hesitant to tell her the truth.

"Well, my dad found out about us."

New's mom wore a worried look on her face, but didn't say anything.

"He destroyed my phone, which explains why I didn't get to contact you, and kept me locked in my room for days."

"Oh honey, it must have been a suffering for you.", She said as she hugged me. This time, it was a relieving hug that felt like a mother's. It felt good receiving it again from her, and even if it was not the same as my mom's, it still felt genuine. 

I told her the rest of my story, including my application to the university's photography competition. Although it was a bitter story to tell, I felt like a big chunk of heaviness was lifted in my heart when New's mom offered her ears to hear me out. 

Ever since my mom's passing, I pretty much had to bear my worries all by myself. Of course, meeting New made the weight bearable, and I was able to find a reason to keep on existing, but in a time where both of us were in situations that needed someone to rely on, I couldn't keep on venting my issues on New.