Five nights straight kami nakakarinig ng pang-aaway at pagtataray ni Mom kay Mama. Enjoy na enjoy naman yung isa kasi she missed her ex-wife's attitude daw. Yun tuloy, mas lalo lang naiinis si Mom. 
 

 

Ayaw niya kasi na hindi pumapatol sa kaniya si Mama. So mas lalo niya pino-provoke but it just won't work. 
 

 

Nag-start na ang classes ko sa La Salle. Hindi naman ako mahihirapan maghanap ng friends because my best friend since high school is also taking the same program as I am, dito sa Taft. Loyal 'to sa green. She's been studying sa Zobel since high school. Doon kami nagkakilala. 
 

 

Ate will be dropping me off sa university before she goes to pick up her boyfriend from the airport. Kuya Kang attended a conference for med-students sa Korea kaya dadaan na din daw dito sa Pilipinas for a short trip, and para makilala ni Mama. Bago siya bumalik sa New York. 

 

 

"Sabay kayo ni Yvo uuwi later?" ah, right. Kuya's also studying here sa La Salle. He's in third year. Engineering naman ang program niya. 

 

 

"Hindi ko pa alam kay Kuya. He has a date yata after class?" 

 

 

"Yvo has a boyfriend?" 

 

 

I softly chuckled. Among us siblings, I'm the only one who's gay. Ate is assuming na Kuya is also gay because wala pa siya ini-introduce na girlfriend until now. 

 

 

"Not a boyfriend, Ate. But he's courting someone." 
 

 

"Do we know the guy?" she asked, an intriguing question. 

 

"Ate, you're so kulit! Kuya's straight kaya. He's courting a woman." 
 

 

"Ohh, akala ko he's gay na din." 

 

 

Ate is biual. Back when she was in first year college, she had a girlfriend. They were together for a year and a half but eventually broke up. After 'non, sabi niya hindi na daw siya uulit. She was traumatized daw kasi. She fell hard tapos in the end, her ex-girlfriend cheated on her with another ex. 

 

 

Kaya, ayun. It took her a long time bago maka-move on. Kuya Kang waited for a year din before he started courting Ate. Then, before they graduated this year, naging sila. Ate Zari is fully healed naman na and I can see how happy she is and how healthy her current relationship is. 
 

 

My parents support what I like naman. From my choice of course and field of study, to people I befriend and date. I never introduced someone naman sa kanila kasi wala pa akong dine-date. Mama and Kuya are soooo protective of me. Back in high school, lagi si Kuya nakadikit at nagbabantay sa akin, shooing the boys.. and well.. girls.. away. Mom also requested na wag daw muna ako makipag-date.. for now.. kasi daw I'm still young and baka daw mag collapse siya kapag may in-introduce ako sa family. 

 

 

Sometimes talaga medyo OA si mommy, lol. Pero I understand naman how she's doing all these to protect me. Bunso daw kasi ako. Hays, the life of a bunso. 

 

 

"So.. do you know the woman he's courting?" I shook my head sa tanong ni ate. 
 

 

"Girl, i've only been here for a week?" 

 

 

She chuckled. "Yeah but you have friends na, right? Cian and Elaine?" 

 

"We won't know anything about Yvo's girl unless she belongs sa circle natin." umirap ako. 

 

 

Ate Parked her car na sa drop-off area where Cian and Elaine are waiting for me. Cian's parents are my parents' best friends so we're basically like sisters. 
 

 

We saw each other na the other day when sinamahan nila ako to process my enrollment. It hasnt been long din naman since I last saw Cian because her family went to the US for a vacation last month. Very close kasi kay Mommy si Tita Lucianna, they are best friends since birth. Neighbors ang parents nila, tapos sa same hospital pa sila pinanganak sa California. Then kahit young partners nila, magbest-friend din kaya para na talaga kaming magkapatid ni Cian. 

 

 

"Sila Mom will go straight to the hotel for dinner?" tanong ko kay Ate. 

 

 

Mommy and Mama are both in Batanes. The family was supposed to go there kaso under circumstances, only the two of them were able to go. Siguro, that's better na din kasi at least they got to spend time together nang silang dalawa lang. Good thing na pare-pareho kaming magkakapatid na hindi available para masamahan sila. Maybe life itself is cooperating with us. 

 

 

"We'll have the drivers pick them up. Yun ang huling sinabi ni Mama when I called her this morning. Pero if your mother changes her mind, baka sunduin natin." 

 

 

"Let's just have someone bring Mama's car kaya? Para naman they have more time together pa. Malay mo before you return to the states, hindi na ako ang bunso." 

 

 

Sabay kami natawa ni Ate sa idea ko na iyon. I would always joke around about that kahit na alam kong impossible naman mangyari yun. Although, of course if they undergo to the same processes they did para mabuo kaming tatlo, medyo impossible na mag-anak sila ulit because they are divorced and I'm already 18. Parang hindi naman magandang tingnan kung mag-aanak pa sila Mommy. 

 

 

And yes, all three of us came from Mama's eggs and were carried in Mommy's womb. Actually, si Kuya pala came from Mommy. Kami lang ni Ate ang galing kay Mama. Anyway, yes, again. I started school early, all three of us. Kaya si Ate graduated early din. Ewan ko ba, maganda at matalino ang genes ng mga magulang namin. It's something I could brag about, 'no. 

 

 

"Mama will be the one who'll get pregnant this time, for sure. Hindi na siguro papayag si Tatiana na mabuntis." 

 

 

"And Mama would be okay with her abs and muscles being ruined?" I asked. 

 

 

"Well.. if they want it then..'' natawa si Ate ulit. "Why are we talking about getting another sibling anyway? Shouldn't we be concerned na muna if Mama is still alive when they get back?" 

 

 

Wala kaming masyadong alam with how our parents' trip is going. Mahina kasi ang reception sa Batanes kaya hindi namin masyadong nakakusap. Pero whenever she has the chance, Mom would always rant about how annoyed she is kay Mama. If I know, sa inis niya na lang nilalabas ang kilig niya. 

 

 

"Ewan ko ba, ate. Why do I feel like a baby would be enough to get them back together again?" 

 

 

"That's not always the solution, Xia. Maybe for others. Pero I don't think it'll work for our parents. Let's let them be muna. If they really want to get back together, I know they will." 

 

 

I agreed na lang kay Ate. I just want our family to be complete again kasi that's when we're the happiest. Sana talaga maging okay na sila Mommy. 
 

 

 

Magkatabi kami ni Cian and we're just waiting for our professor to arrive. It's such a hassle na I'm in the university for one subject lang today. Two and a half hours lang yung class ko today and I'll probably make tambay sa nearest starbucks to wait until Kuya is done with his subjects. 
 

 

 

Si Cian kasi, may isa pa daw class after this. 

 

 

"Stop glaring at people like you're judging their whole personality.." inirapan ko ang sinabi niya na iyon. 

 

 

It's not like I'm intentionally glaring at people! It's not my fault for being born with a face like this? 
 

 

 

", I'm not glaring at them kaya. They won't stop staring at me. Am I that pretty?" 
 

 

"You and your antics, Lardizabal." 

 

 

"Hi. Is this seat taken?" 
 

 

 

Sabay kami napalingon ni Cian after hearing that voice. Today is Friday. The classes has been going on for a week now and we have a new classmate? 

 

 

"Here comes another pretty lady in the block.." 

 

 

"No, it's not taken." I answered plainly. 
 

 

The woman, who is a bit taller than me sat at the empty chair  minding her own business. I couldn't help it but I did stare at her from head to toe before she sat beside me. 
 

 

Not to judge her ah! Just to get a complete look of her lang.

 

 

"You're new, ah. Do I know you?" I immediately raised a brow after hearing that. Is she talking to me? 
 

 

 

"Excuse me?"

 

 

"I'm asking if I know you. I'm not really good at remembering faces kasi. You keep on staring at me. Do I know you?" 
 

 

 

I keep on staring at her? Me? Staring at her? 
 

 

I heard Cian's soft chuckle beside me. I hissed, and instantly gave her a death glare. 

 

 

"What made you think na I'm staring at you?" no, I am not nagtataray! 
 

 

 

"Because I caught you?" she grinned. "If you think I'm too pretty that's why you kept on staring, thank you.." 

 

 

This ! The audacity to assume that you're too pretty eh I'm prettier? You're pretty too but still! Mas maganda ako! 
 

 

 

"It's Kiyara. My name, I mean." 

 

 

"Did I ask you what your name was?" I said, arms crossed. 

 

 

"Inunahan lang kita. It's not like you're not curious about me right?" I can feel my face heating up because of this woman right here. Who the hell she is to annoy me like this. "So? Di ko pa alam name mo.." 

 

 

And wala ako balak sabihin sayo name ko. Why would I do that? 
 

 

 

"She's a Lardizabal, Ky." 
 

 

"Oh.. you must be the youngest daughter then.." 

 

 

Hindi na ako nakasagot dahil dumating na ang professor namin. Besides, she's really annoying. And I think she knows my family so I don't want to engage more conversation with her. Baka matarayan ko lang tapos ikalat niya na pangit ang behavior ng mga Lardizabal. That's a no no. 

 

 

"Who is she?" I simply whispered kay Cian kasi hindi talaga ako nakatiis. 

 

 

"The youngest of the Valle's. Her family owns two of the biggest hospitals in the country.." 

 

 

Oh. Valle. 

 

 

Wait.. our family doctor is a Valle. Are they related?!? 

 

 

"She's pretty, isn't she?" 

 

 

I rolled my eyes, "I'm prettier."