A message tone interrupted the noisy room. His phone has been beeping since last night. He knew whose calls and messages were they from and he didn't have any plan on answering them nor read them. He's irritated with the non stop beeping but he did not bother turning his phone in silent mode. Aside from his constant sighing, the TV turned up so loud, the alert tone from his phone kept him sane. 

He didn't want the silence the 4 walls of the room gave him when he entered it the night before. He wanted to be in the middle of chaos. Yes, he indeed put himself in the middle of chaos. He actually caused it.

Now, he wanted silence. He cannot think properly with all the noise but that's what his heart wanted. Or maybe he just misses the noise created by his kids? The arguing, the bickering, their laughter and their stories or just their voices?

He got up to drink water and he noticed a message coming from his daughter. He hurriedly opened his phone and read it. 

Hi Dad! Have you arrived in Batangas already? You haven't replied to my message last night. I'm worried. Call us when you miss us! 

He immediately covered his mouth to stop the impending wail. He was touching his phone screen with his thumb at the part where there was a smiley and a heart emoticon. He rocked himself while sitting on the edge of the bed to somehow put himself at ease that someone's there hugging him. 

He suddenly remembered how the old lady hugged him last night. 

---------------------------

He bawled like a kid in kindergarten who got bruised in the knee when the old lady asked him if he was okay. 

"Aigoo...Park your car on the side so we can talk it out. Can you drive?"

He sniffed, nodded and parked his car on the side of the road. Good thing there was no traffic enforcer that time, he could've been fined due to the traffic he caused. 

The old lady bought him water and handed it to him. She let herself in inside his car and just looked at him. 

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