A Case of Love (COMPLETED)

Chapter XXXIII

Their most awaited day has come. Lea was rushed to the hospital. Lora kept pacing back and forth outside the delivery room. She hopes and prays for Lea and her babies' safety.

"Push!" doctor instructed.

Lea screams at the top of her lungs for that last push. She delivered her first baby safely, one left. Her mom is giving her mouthful of support, squeezing her hand. Wiping every drop of sweat on Lea's forehead, she mumbles words of encouragement "Lea, you're doing great. Kaya mo yan"

Drops of sweat and tears turned into a frisson of delight when she heard her second baby's cry. In her feeble state, she held her babies both in her arms. Tears flow down from her eyes in felicity as she stares at them. They are her bundle of joy in her glum world.

Her purpose to continue living.

Her reason to keep breathing.

Her strength to strive harder.

They resemble so much of him, it pokes her heart. Right at that precious moment, she made up her mind. She wants to finally let go of what was gone and start over with her little ones. Mending a broken heart ain't easy at all. It takes time and courage to bounce back to its shape.

But looking at her little girls, Nathalia Carmen and Carmen Isabelle, she fought a good fight.

After a month of vacation, Lora has to go back to the Philippines. Lea offered her a position at her firm but Philippines is Lora's life. Though she'd miss her besty again but has nothing else to do about it.

"What if he finds out about the kids?" Lora asked Lea as soon as they reached the doorstep.

Lea heaved a deep sigh. "So ... be it. No matter what I do siya parin naman ang ama eh pero kung ako lang I don't want to see him for the rest of my life. I don't want to hear anything about him anymore ...." she leans on the door, crossed arms.

Sadness strikes once again but no more tears left to cry for her. Her eyes are tired of crying but the pain never eased a half.

" .... the pain remains eh. Maybe it will haunt me for life"

"There's always a perfect timing for everything, Lei. Maybe not now or next day or even on the day after tomorrow but one day you'll find yourself again. Manang, find forgiveness in your heart na"

"How? It's hard to sweep it all away in my mind, eh. I feel betrayed. It's so hard, Lor"

"Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. You forgive someone for your own sanity. Hate is a heavy baggage, Lei. You can't move on unless you drop it. And the sad truth about life is we cannot forget someone we used to love. They'd stay forever maybe not in our heart but in our mind"

"Why are you so good about this, attorney? Wala naman to sa law school, ah" she grinned.

They both giggled.

"Hay naku! Kaya ayokong naaattach sa lalaki, eh. Ang sakit sa ulo! I gotta go now, Lei. Keep in touch and my inaanaks ha! Update me"

"Sure" she smiled.

Being a full-time mom of twins is like a daunting task. You have two mouths to feed, two little ones to hush and if only you can multiple your body it's facilely doable. Sleep deprivation overwhelms Lea's first nights as a newbie. Her hands are full in those first days of motherhood. Being a bookwork as she is, numerous books about babies on her side table are piled up. When things are in a muddle and her mom wasn't around to lend a helping hand, she'd flip the pages of her book for help.

Her mom would just laugh about that thought.

She once told Lea, "Carmen, anak, not all things can be learned through books. You're a mom now, not a student. Books don't shape a woman to be a great mom, experience does"

That hit her hard. Through the help of her mom she progressively got used to few mommy duties; changing diapers, knowing baby language, soothing them during their fussy times and swaddling. Everything about this is foreign to a long-time career woman like her but it's the best part of her everything.

"Sweety, tahan na please. Let mommy take a nap, anak. I haven't gotten enough sleep" she hushes her little one on her arm. Mentally praying not to awake the other little girl from deep sleep. About to breastfeed the baby in her arms, she heard the other cry. She could only pursed her lips to stretch forth her very last patience.

Woah! Lei, welcome to motherhood

     ************5 years later ***********

The sun shines to her face passing through the curtains ajar. Her alarm turned inept as small kisses on her face woke her up. Little arms wrapped around her, giggling.

"Momma! Momma! Mr. Sun is up" Isabelle pouts.

"Momma, make us pancakes please" Nathalia pleads.

Lea answered her girls with groan and droopy eyes. "Can momma sleep for five more minutes?"

And the young ladies retort in chorus, "No"

Time passes fast as they're turning five now, slowly becoming their own person. As they're growing up, Lea could sense easily who among them resembles a lot of their dad, it's Isabelle. She's the sweet type of kid. Everytime Lea arrives tired from work, Isabelle would sit on her lap and give her a peck on the cheek. Nathalia, on the other hand, resembles Lea a lot. She is the fussy one, Lea's newly found match.

She never heard of him for the last five years.

Those passing five years were tough. The demands of her profession and solo parenting are, sometimes, giving her a hard time to juggle. Motherhood has been keeping her busy for those years. It becomes her evasion from the heartache she longs to heal. They say time heals all wounds but it's just a notion. Time erases the pain as they said but it's just a conception. The travail of the past remains as the affection ceases. Time didn't heal her as the agony perdures to this very day. Time dried up the tears, unspoken words turned vague but heart remains fragmented.