"I want to be okay.
I want to be fine."
ABALA ako sa pagtingin sa newsfeed ko sa Facebook habang hinihintay si Aries. Sasamahan niya kasi ako sa check up ko sa OBgyne today. Tita Cherrypink referred me to her OB before.
"You should eat first."
Nag-angat ako ng tingin. Arion is wearing an apron.
"Kakain kami ni Aries sa labas." Sagot ko.
He suddenly went quiet and turned his back on me.
Madali naman palang makaintindi.
Muli akong nag-scroll sa newsfeed pero wala pang ilang minuto ay narito ulit siya sa harap ko.
"At least bring this vitamins with you. Take this after you eat."
Inabot niya sa akin ang vitamins ko. I didn't know na nabibigyang pansin pala niya na umiinom ako ng vitamins.
Kinuha ko iyon saka muling tinutok ang pansin ko sa phone ko.
"Maleha."
"What?"
"Are you sure you're going to eat outside? I mean, breakfast. You should eat before you go to clinic, and not after your check up."
Hindi ko inaasahan na magiging ganito siya ka-asikaso sa akin but we never know kung ginagawa niya lang ito dahil nagmakaawa sa kaniya ang pamilya niya na magpaka-tatay sa anak niya.
What if all these things are scripted?
But I could see his sincerity through his eyes.
"Look, Arion, I'll be honest here. Your family is not here. You can do anything you want─like your normal routine. Do not force yourself to treat me like this. We both know you don't care about me or the baby."
He looked sad. "Maleha, I am doing this not because they asked me to do it but because it's the right thing to do as the father of our baby. I am doing this for us, not for anyone."
"Us..." I grins at him. "Only for the baby, Arion. Do not include the word 'us' dahil walang gano'n."
"Maleha."
"We stayed here together for the baby. I want my child to grow up with complete family, like what your family wanted. You... just need to be a father to your child. That's all."
"Maleha, no. I was the one who told them that I will take my responsibility. Bago pa nila ako kausapin, buo na ang desisyon ko─"
"Wala akong pakialam sa desisyon mo. You don't have to explain your side to me because I don't care."
He looks disappointed.
Wala naman talaga akong pakialam sa nga desisyon niya. All I care about is my child, that's all.
"And, stop acting like you really care for us."
Tumayo na ako. I will just wait for Aries outside the house but I automatically stopped when he hugged me behind.
Ang puso ko... ang lakas lakas ng tibok niyon.
"C-Can I just... go with you to your check up?"
I gulped. Hindi ko alam kung papaniwalain ko ang sarili ko sa mga ikinikilos niya but I must admit that I can feel his sincerity through his actions.
"Sasamahan na ako ni Arie─"
"I w-want to be a father to my child. I want to experience that... going with you to check ups. I want to do all the things for you and our baby. I want you... to want me be with you..."
