ALEXIS and the Bet

Chapter Seventeen: Why Love Hurts

I saw mom downstairs watching TV. I approached her and wrapped my arms around her. I snuggled closer to her, allowing her motherly hug to absorb my sorrows.

“Ano’ng problema natin anak?” she asked me in a gentle voice.

“Wala naman po, Ma,” I lied. “Gusto ko lang po kayo yakapin.”

“Anak, si Mama, may ESP ‘yan. Lahat kami meron nun. At ramdam namin kung may problema o dinadamdam ang mga anak namin.”

“Ma, magagalit po ba kayo sa ‘kin kung sasabihin ko na…”

“Na ano, anak?”

“Na in-love po ako.” I suddenly shut my eyes tight, afraid that mom would get furious at my confession. I only heard her sighed.

“Hindi naman ako magagalit. Lahat naman tayo, pagdadaanan iyan. Pero mas gusto sana ni Mama na mas pagtuunan mo ng atensyon ang pag-aaral mo.”

I gave her a nod. I allowed silence to fill the room first before I asked, “Ma, bakit ganoon? Sa mga movies, parang ang sarap kiligin at ma-inlove. Pero bakit parang ang sakit pala sa bandang huli?”

Mom fell silent for a moment, and I knew she was gathering her thoughts to come up something wise to impart on her daughter. “Ang totoong love, hindi lang puro sarap at happiness. ‘Di ba nga sa mga sinusulat ni Mama sa novels niya hindi lahat may happy endings? Ganoon din sa totoong buhay. Ang love may katapat na sakit din ‘yan, at dahil sa sakit na iyon, mas tumatatag ang puso natin para sa susunod na may dumating na bagong love, alam na natin kung ano ang dapat gawin.”

I felt her kissed the top of my head as she hugged me fiercely. “Bata ka pa. Marami ka pang love na pagdaraanan. ‘Wag mo isipin na ito na ang huli, dahil hindi pa nagtatapos dito ang kwento ng buhay mo. Ang buhay natin ay parang never-ending story. Kahit na nasaktan ka o nakita mo na ang love at happiness, life goes on pa rin. Kahit na nasasaktan ka ngayon, maaaring bukas ay hindi na. Tulad nga ng sinulat ko sa nobela ko, ‘Love teaches us to be strong’.”

Mom really had a knack for explaining things to me. She never ran out of answers to give me, from why is the sky blue to why falling in love hurts. Maybe that was why she ended up as a romance novelist because she had a way of interpreting love in different ways.

“Ano gagawin ko para mawala ang sakit na ito, ma?” I asked.

She fell silent again before she said, “The truth shall set you free.”

“Ano ibig niyo pong sabihin?” Did my mom have any idea what I just did with my friends? About the bet and all?

“Malalaman mo rin ano ang ibig sabihin nun sa tamang panahon.”

I turned to face her and gave her a grateful smile. “I love you, Mama.”

She gave me a warm smile and said, “I love you, too, anak.”

“PAPA! Si Mama at ate nagdadrama na naman!” Daniel shouted as he dashed upstairs to find dad.

Mom chuckled. “Ano na lang kaya kapag si Daniel na ang sunod na na-inlove?”

I smiled at that thought. I hope little brother would not grow and turn in to a jerk, breaking the hearts of the girls in school.

***

I spent the rest of my free time alone in the school library that afternoon. I wanted to be alone for the moment with out Benjamin and my friends to confuse me. I needed to find the answer, to find out, what mom had meant about the truth setting me free. I searched it through books, through poetry, through any literary composition about love that were available in the library. I even Googled “define ‘the truth shall set you free’” but the results were not what I was looking for.