Never Ending Love

Love from other people may fade, but the love from your family will never abandon you even in your darkest days.

The loud voice of my little brother interrupted me from what I am doing. I am currently answering the activities given by our teachers since there's no class in the meantime. The last time I checked him, he's still playing with his toy gun. Then now, he's clinging to our father and asking him why he didn't bring bread. Every time our father goes home, my little brother will run to him to greet him and get the bread he brought. It becomes a routine that we used to love. But suddenly it changes one day.

"Father, why you didn't buy bread?" my little brother wailing and stomping his foot while tugging my father's T-shirt.

"I didn't have the chance to buy because of the bad news that I received." father slowly explaining to my brother while bending his knees to carry my little brother in his arms.

"I'm hungry," said my little brother.  

What I've seen made me stop from what I am doing. I watched them and became worried because I know there's a problem with the sad and problematic face of my father. Mother came and asked my father what's the matter.

"What's the problem?" confused is written on my mother's face.

"I cannot drive for a while." father with his tired and problematic voice.

" What? Why?"

"The number of people who died and got infected by the virus is increasing day by day. Our town is being lockdown for 15 days. People are not allowed to roam around because it's dangerous, and the police will always monitor our place."

"What! the virus spread that fast? Then it's dangerous to go out, but what are we going to do now? Where can we get money to buy our necessities?"

Watching them as if they lost their strength makes me want to cry. Even if the wage of my father is not enough sometimes, but it's already a big help for our living.

Waking up still feeling drowsy. Looking up to see what time it is, then realized that it is still 4 am, but why can I hear loud voices outside. I overheard that my father and my mother are arguing. At first, I'm still confused about what's the matter. Listening intently to their conversation made me realize that it's all about how can we survive from the following days. Thinking made me wide awake until morning came.

I go to our kitchen. I saw my father sitting on a chair.

"Good morning Father!" I greeted him enthusiastically to lighten his mood.

"Good morning Klare." smiling a little but replaced by a sad one. 

"Have you eaten already?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I cannot give you a proper meal." as he saw me getting the leftover sardines.

"It's fine, Father, as long as we have something to eat." cheering him up because I can see that he felt sorry.
He sighed heavily and went back to his thinking position.

"Zamiel! Zamiel! Come here! There's a food aid that will be given today by the barangay."

Father stood up immediately and went out of the kitchen.
A little smile plastered on my face. At least, we will not worry too much though it just for a few days.

We survived for ten days because of the free food given by our barangay. The following days become our problem again. We are short of food.

As I entered the house together with my little brother, I heard my mother asking a question to my father.

"What are we going to do now?"

"I will try to drive tomorrow." 

"But it's still dangerous." mother whos having a second thought about letting father or not.

"We don't have a choice. I don't want to see my whole family starving to death."

Father decided to drive again despite the danger of the virus and being jail. We want him to rest for a while, but we don't have a choice because we need money. All we can do is to tell him to be careful always and don't restrain himself too much. Now he is back from driving, but he's now battling with the virus and police to earn money for our living.

"How was it?" mother asking father at noontime.

" I earned 90 pesos only." father feeling disappointed.

"It's all right, let's budget it properly. I think that is enough for this day already."

"Okay, don't worry. I will work hard again tomorrow." father feeling determine again.

Father is a trisikad driver. He sacrificed things for our living. Despite everything, we always see his determination every time he goes home from his tiring and dangerous work. Every day we are worrying about our foods to eat because sometimes father earned a small amount of money that's not enough to buy our foods for the whole family. We are also scared for the safety of our father whose battling between the virus and police.

There's this day that got us worried.

"Andra, I've heard that there are many trisikad drivers got to prison." auntie to mother.
Mother got startled for a moment then immediately rush to our aunties' house after realizing what my auntie said.

"What! Luciana? Is it true? Who?" worry is visible on mothers' eyes.

" I also don't know, just heard it from someone."

What auntie said made us more worried.

Every passing minute without hearing anything about father is torture to us.
Few hours had passed, still no news about father.

It started to get dark and still no trace of father. It's the first time that he didn't go home at 5 pm. Many scenarios were already playing in our minds. We are even waiting for him near the road so that we can see if he's already coming.

After how many minutes, we felt relieved after seeing father approaching our house.

"Thank God you're fine." mother almost hugging father.

"Father!" my little brother who run to father and hug his waist.

"Why?" father looking confused by the sudden outburst of my mother.

"Luciana said that there are many trisikad drivers who got to prison. Is it true?"

"Unfortunately, Yes." feeling sad for his co-workers.

"You should stop driving now." mother with conviction in her voice.

"I can't do that. How can we survive from this pandemic if I will not work? And anyway, look what I've brought from driving."  he happily showed us the foods that he brought.

"Foods! Is there a bread father?" my little brother smiling widely.

"Of course, I brought bread for our little Hero."
Mother sighed heavily and watched our father with a pained expression and said.

"Be careful, always. What we are going to do if something bad will happen to you."

"Okay, don't worry, I will do that. For now, let's enjoy these foods that we have."

Still feeling worried about the situation of our father, but I know that we don't have a choice but to go with the flow of life. We salute our father for being a responsible man since we are young. Even the pandemic can't beat the never-ending love of our father to us.

"Come here, Klaire. Let's eat. The foods are delicious." father said with a big smile on his face.
I unconsciously smile as I watched fathers big smile and silently hoping that this pandemic will be over soon.

"Okay. Father, coming."

        
  END