Aliw na aliw na nakatingin sakin si Xavier as I chewed on my cheeseburger. We were seated sa Sweet X eating burgers, fries, and milkshakes kasi nagutom na kami coming from the exhibit. I swallowed what I was chewing and frowned at him. "What?" I asked him. "Wala. You just really love cheeseburgers no?" He chuckled as he took a bite on his. It was a comment not a question.
Well, may deeper meaning naman talaga why I love cheeseburgers.
"My dad used to bring me cheeseburgers all the time nung bata pa ko." I admitted. I don't know why I'm telling him this. Siguro kasi palagi nyang hinihirit yung fact na I really like cheeseburgers. Or parang sya lang nakakapansin non.
"Di ko inexpect yon. Kala ko you just love them." He rested his chin on his left hand waiting for my story. I placed my burger down. Tutal naman nasabi ko na sakanya, so I might as well tell him the whole story.
"My family wasn't like this before. Yeah, may pressure from them, pero they were normal parents. My mom stayed at home most of the time to take care of us so medyo normal pa rin yung childhood namin, except those extra science classes she taught us after school. There were a lot of those especially on anatomy and biology. I was in grade 2 and I already memorized all the names of the bones we have on our body and by grade 3, I've moved on to muscles and by grade 4 I've dissected frogs, twice. That was our normal. Inaabangan ko palagi yung daddy ko na makauwi from his shift sa hospital. He brings me home cheeseburgers and we'd watch TV hanggang makatulog ako. Yun na yung bonding namin." I shook my head and smiled a little. That memory was so long ago pero yun lang yung binabalikan ko if I wanted to remember my family. I used to be a daddy's girl.
"Wow, kala ko normal na yung childhood ko. Namiss ko ata yung extra science classes.I need to have a serious talk with my mom." He joked, sensing na medyo sensitive saakin yung sa dad ko.
"Yeah, medyo OA nga yon. It was to prepare us for med school." I made a face. I hated those extra classes. It pacified my mom that Holly was bibo with those classes and Hilda was too young to even process some of the things she explained. It only came in handy kasi I breezed through all my science classes.
"You were groomed for med school since you were 6 years old?" On-point yung assumption nya. He took a bite from his burger and I sort of just watched him chew. Buti nalang mukha lang akong nag iisip kahit naka titig na talaga ako sa lips nya.
"Medyo weird nga yon, but it was better than how we are right now. A hundred times better. My mom eventually missed working full-time sa hospital so she went back. Then suddenly wala na silang oras saamin. We grew up, Holly attended college and two years after nung turn ko na, I diverted from the grand plan and nandito nako ngayon." I smiled naturally, kahit I didn't feel like smiling.
It was sad. Losing my family like that. Masaya naman kami dati e until they treated me as a disappointment. My dad mostly. Just because hindi ako sumunod sa gusto nila. Just because I wanted different things.
"Cheeseburger felt like the home I remembered." I finally said and started eating again.
I didn't want to feel nostalgic anymore kasi napaka tagal na nung huli ko tong inisip. Ayokong maiyak habang kumakain kami.
"Okay dahil dyan, may cheeseburger ka araw-araw." Xavier smiled at me and natawa ako. It was actually sweet even though I know he's only distracting me from my thoughts. I appreciate that he's taking this lightly at hindi na nya ko tinanong about the heavy stuff. Like he felt I didn't want to say anything else apart from what I was willing to reveal. I have a feeling din naman that eventually malalaman nya yon lahat. Lalu na kasi makikilala nya pa yung pamilya ko.
BINABASA MO ANG
Saving Harper
FanfictionHarper is driven to prove to her parents that she made the right decision of pursuing her own path rather than follow her family's long line of medical career. As a result, she has deprived herself of enjoying the simple things in life including lov...
