Past six na yata nang makaalis kami ng bahay. Mommy woke up late dahil napatagal ang pagc coffee nila kagabi. I'm actually surprised na hindi niya ako pinagalitan kasi iniwan ko siya kay Mama. I wonder what happened with them kagabi. 
 

 

 

Ate's driving with Kuya Yohan. Kaya kami ni Kuya Yvo ang kasama ng parents namin ngayon. Magkatabi kami ni Mom sa backseat since Mama's nasa passenger seat nanaman. Kuya's driving. 

 

 

"I know what you did last night.." Mom told me, 

 

 

"What do you mean, Mom? What did I do last night?" I raised a brow. 
 

 

 

"Let your daughter be, Iana. As if you didn't enjoy our time together last night." 
 

 

Napakaki ang mata ko sa sinabi na iyon ni Mama. 

 

 

"Oh shut up, Esquivel." Mom rolled her eyes. 

 

 

"Can you stop calling me Esquivel? I'm a Lardizabal." 
 

 

I swear, my ate is missing important parts of her life! She should have been here, witnessing this! 
 

 

 

Magpapa-kwento nanaman si ate then maiinis siya kapag my kwento is not complete. Like, girl?? Edi dito ka! 
 

 

 

"You were a Lardizibal. Not anymore." 

 

 

"Di mo sure.." 

 

 

"Esquivel!" that sounded more like a warning. Sabay na lang kami natawa ni Mama. 
 

 

 

"What happened between you two last night?" 

 

 

Kuya couldn't control his laughter anymore. Inis na inis naman si Mommy dahil sa tanong ko na iyon. 

 

 

"So brave, Xia.." Kuya said pero nakita how Mommy's eyes darted on him kaya he focused on the road na lang. 

 

 

"Think what you want to think, Princess." 
 

 

Omg!! What the hell??? 

 

 

"Esquivel, one more word from that filthy mouth of yours and I'm kicking you out of this car." 

 

 

Nanahimik na si Mama. Ako din. I was avoiding an eye contact with Mommy kasi kahit ako, natakot. 
 

 

 

Another hour on the road and we finally arrived sa Orchard. We got two golf cars. Sila Mama, Kuya Yvo and Kuya Yohan ang magkakasama. Kaming tatlo naman nila Mommy at Ate. 

 

 

 

I forgot to message ate about what happened sa car. She must have noticed how Mommy kept on rolling her eyes everytime she sees Mama smiling. Hindi ko makuwento kay ate kasi mainit pa yata ang ulo ni Mommy. 

 

 

"Mom, where are we going after this?" 

 

 

"We just arrived, Zari." sumimangot si Ate. 
 

 

Ate Zari is not really a fan of golfing. Parehas kami, actually. Instead, she's into Polo, and I'm into horseback riding at swimming. 

 

 

I remember how we would always ride the horse before kapag pumupunta kami sa farm sa Tagaytay. Kuya's into golf and motocross. Although hindi siya masyado ngayon sa motocross dahil pinagbabawalan din ng parents namin. Medyo dangerous kasi. 
 

 

Very invested si Mom sa phone niya, probably answering emails. Kahit kasi on vacation mode siya she still makes sure na hindi napapabayaan ang Blanc. So she still spends time to check how the business is going every day. 
 

 

 

Kaya since mom is busy, I took the chance para ikwento kay ate what happened sa car kanina. 

 

 

"Are you for real?!" napalingon si Mommy at sinamaan kami ng tingin dahil sa lakas ng voice ni ate. 

 

 

"Shh, ate, I told you to lower your voice diba. And calm down nga please.." 

 

 

"You want me to calm down when..." she whispered, "our parents finally slept together after five years?" 
 

 

 

No, no. I'm trying to not get that idea inside my head! And here's ate being straightforward about it???  
 

 

 

"I'm not really sure about that, yet! Baka niloloko lang tayo ni Mama..." 

 

 

"Blooming si Tatiana..." she said, with a lower voice. "Mama's smiles recently are different. She's really happy." 

 

 

We arrived sa first hole kaya bumaba na kaming tatlo. Ate kept on clinging on me because she's really trying to prove na our parents really did it again. 
 

 

 

"Maybe they're just.. you know.. secretly happy that they are finally together again.. pero not to that extent ha." 
 

 

 

"Ewan ko sayo, ayaw mo maniwala sa akin." umirap si Ate na tinawanan ko na lang bago siya tumakbo to where her boyfriend was. 

 

 

What I really hate about golfing is the sun! Well, ganoon din naman sa horseback riding pero naiinis ako when we have to transfer from one place to another because of the holes! 
 

 

"You still got it, Iana." Mama said then gave her ex-wife a two-thumbs up. 

 

 

"Siyempre, ako pa ba?" Mommy even winked and it almost made me squeal. 
 

 

"You still played golf while you were in Cali?" 

 

 

"Sometimes." Mommy said, repositioning herself for the next hit. "Didn't you see my instagram posts?" 

 

 

"Nakahide siguro sa akin kaya hindi ko nakita.." 

 

 

"Excuse me?" Mommy crossed her arms, "Ang sabihin mo, punong puno kasi ng mga babae ang instagram mo kaya you weren't able to see my posts.." 

 

 

"The only people on my instagram are you and our children. What are you talking about?" tumawa si Mama. "You can check my phone if you want. Walang iba, Tatiana." 

 

 

What the actual f... 

 

 

Did they perhaps forget that we're here? 
 

 

Para silang high school students, the way they flirt with each other! 
 

 

 

"We're literally here?" tinitigan lang ni Mommy si ate nang sabihin niya iyon. 

 

 

Mommy's.. omg is she blushing?! 
 

 

Her face was too red to even argue with mama or ate.. that she only walked away so she could hide her blushing face! 

 

 

Nasa gold cart na si Mommy, I'm too hot kaya sinundan ko na siya agad after my turn. I wanted to ask her questions pero I chose to remain quiet. She's still tulala and is probably still processing the way the two of them flirted in front of us.

 

 

"It's not what you think, Caleigh." I was surprised when Mom suddenly talked, kaming dalawa lang naman dito. 
 

 

"What?" 
 

 

"I heard you and your ate talking earlier." 

 

 

I gulped. "About... what?"

 

 

"Me and your mama." she even rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think. We haven't..." Mommy bit her lower lip. 

 

 

Omg. So? Hindi pa? What... 

 

 

"... slept together yet." she even closed her eyes, whispering the last word. 

 

 

Mommy heard what Ate and I were talking about kanina! 
 

 

 

"You don't have to explain anything, Mom.. Ate was just making an assumption--"

 

 

"I know. But I don't want you to jump into conclusions and end up hoping that we could really fix this family again.." 

 

 

I don't know where this is going. Why is Mommy suddenly serious? 

 

 

"I mean, we're trying." napalaki ang mata ko. "We just don't know if it'll work.." 

 

 

It took me a minute to process what Mommy just said. 
 

 

Then we're right! Something happened in Batanes. They talked! 
 

 

"Why won't you say anything?" 
 

 

Ngumiti na lang ako. "Rupok mo naman, Tatiana." 
 

 

 

Before Mom could retaliate, I already jumped out of the golf cart laughing, as I hear her call my full name. 
 

 

Nagpaalam ako na pupunta na muna sa lounge dahil tamad na tamad na talaga ako plus hindi ako nakapag-breakfast. 

 

 

I got myself a croisant and a small bagel with blueberry jam and butter. I also got iced choco kasi ang init nga sa labas. I made myself comfortable habang kumakain. Okay naman sa umpisa. The food was good. As expected, na-miss ko 'to. 

 

 

Mabuti na lang, mauubos ko na ang foods ko. Muntik pa ako mawalan ng appetite. Dahil guess who's here? 
 

 

 

Right. My stalker. 

 

 

"Are you following me?" tanong ko sa kaniya agad. Lumapit kasi siya sa akin, may dala din plate and drinks. 

 

 

"Excuse me?" she hissed. 

 

 

"What are you doing here?" 
 

 

 

"Eating after I play golf, obviously." 
 

 

Umirap ako. The audacity of this woman talaga! 

 

 

"Yeah, but why?" 

 

 

"Why are you asking questions as if you own this club?" 

 

 

"I'm not--" 

 

 

"Uy, Xia! Nice to see you again." right. 
 

 

Kuya's nililigawan, my stalker's cousin popped out beside Kiyara like a mushroom. She was also holding a plate na may laman na breads and cookies, with milk on her other hand. 

 

 

"Yvo told me you'll be here.." 

 

 

"Okay, edi sana pinabillboard mo." I blueted that out of nowhere. 
 

 

The things I learn from the internet! 
 

 

Nieves chuckled. "Would you mind if we sit with you?" 

 

 

"Of course not, Nieves. Dito ka sa tapat ko. I don't want to see my stalker.." 

 

 

"It's Nevis. But, thanks." tumawa siya ulit. Baliw ba siya why does she keep on laughing. 

 

 

"My stalker huh? Hindi pa nga tayo, inangkin mo na ako agad.." 

 

 

Binitawan ko ang hawak na bread knife at itinuro iyon sa kaniya. Yes! I pointed my knife at her! Sumosobra na ang babaeng ito! 
 

 

 

"You shut up or I won't hesitate to cut your fingers with this knife." 

 

 

"Very brute." 
 

 

Tumahimik na lang siya at nagkwentuhan na kami ni Nevis. 
 

 

Surprisingly, we do have a lot of similarities. May common interests kami and mabait naman siya. She has a bubbly personality and she's down to earth. Alam ko na kung bakit nagkagusto sa kaniya si Kuya. 

 

 

She's living with the stalker's family kasi her parents died when she was young. Basically, para na daw sila magkapatid ni Kiyara because her parent's been raising her since her biological parents died. 
 

 

 

Sa tagal namin mag-kwentuhan about their life, mostly Nevis', natapos na din pala mag golf sila Mommy. Nandito na din sila sa lounge ngayon at kasama sila Doctor Valle, our family doctor, this woman's mother. 

 

 

"This is Caleigh, now?" nginitian ko si Dra. "Hija, I haven't seen you in ages." 
 

 

 

"That was only three years, doktora." 
 

 

There's a similarity between Mommy and her friends. Si Tita Lucianna, and Dra. Valle, Cassandra - they are both Mommy's friends. Pare-parehas silang OA. 

 

 

OMG their names all end with A, too. Tatiana, Lucianna, and Cassandra. Wow??? Goals???? 
 

 

"Three years felt like forever, hija. You're really are a combination of Tatiana and Florencia." nginitian ko ang sinabi na iyon ni Doktora. 

 

 

"Let's admit na ako talaga ang kamukha niya, Cass." umirap si Mommy sabay sinikuan si Mama dahil sa sinabi niya na iyon. 
 

 

Right! Now that I remember.. 

 

 

Ate told me that Mama and Doktora Valle had history together. They went out yata? Or parang they had a crush on each other pero they met their respective partners na so they never tried dating each other. Hindi ko lang alam kung ano doon ang totoo. 

 

"Cassie, I've heard stories about your daughter, from Xia." 
 

 

 

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Doktora chuckled. Sinabi ko kasi kay Mom na that a Valle girl is stalking me. "Manang mana ang kakulitan ng ama niya. I told her to stop bothering your daughter. Kaya Caleigh, kapag ginulo ka pa nito, do not hesitate to tell me, ah?" 

 

 

Ginugulo nga po ako ngayon... 

 

 

"I'm not doing anything sa kaniya, Ma. She's just assuming.." 

 

 

Tumawa si Mama sa sinabi ni Valle. "Mana nga sa ama niya." 

 

 

My parents decided to have lunch together with the Valle's. Very rare moment daw kasi na magkita-kita sila ng ganito. Unexpectedly, though, Nevis was formally introduced to Mommy as Kuya's nililigawan. She likes her, too. 
 

 

I mean, it's easy to get along with her naman. Like I said, she's sweet. Irritating lang talaga yung pinsan niya na lagi niyang kasama. 
 

 

What's even more irritating is the fact that I know Valle will be in my life and I don't have a choice but accept it.