Jay-jay's POV
Mama was busy folding my clothes in my room. I kept glancing at her while pretending to be busy with my phone.
I finally got my phone back.
I wasn't really doing anything, just reading the chats from the Ulupong group.
Eren:I have someone to set you up with, Felix. Her name's Mary Jewel Malaluan.
Felix:Shut up.
Drew:Introduce her to me instead.
Eren:Felix is the one she likes.
Blaster:Introduce her to Edrix.
Rory:He already has a friend.
Eman:Still just a friend even now.
Edrix:Huh?
Kit:I thought there was already progress?
Edrix:What? What progress?
Rory:NOTHING!
I grimaced. Rory's such a blabbermouth. It looks he told everyone what we were up to but forgot to clarify that Edrix doesn't know anything about it.
I paused my reading when a text message came in from GagongBaliw.
From: GagongBaliw
Message:Hey, you're still not answering my messages.
I forgot to text him. I didn't have my phone yesterday, so I couldn't reply. I quickly typed a response.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: Ngh@y0n qouh lhangs n@küha ph0ne qowhs. (Just got my phone back now.)
I glanced at Mama as she took out all my clothes from the cabinet. I winced when I saw my clothes looking like they came from a messy thrift shop.
"What is this? Learn how to fold your clothes properly," Mama said.
I ignored her and went back to texting.
From: GagongBaliw
Message:What's up? Did you get scolded?
To: GagongBaliw
Message: H3índhe. Pw3r0 mErhon aqowh n@laMhan. (Not really. But I found something out.)
From: GagongBaliw
Message: And what is that?
To: GagongBaliw
Message: C MhaM@mia ey p3nagLhaban dhaw ang k@rhapAtn qouh ky Ppa. MhukAng na-hurt c MhaM@mia khya g@nheto ang dr@ma niya.
(Mama fought for my rights with Papa. It seems Mama got hurt, so that's why she's acting like this.)
From: GagongBaliw
Message:Jay…. I don't understand a thing.
I pouted. It's so hard to type all that, and he doesn't get it? I thought he was smart. Now it's "I don't understand." Where's your brain, dude?
I jerked upright when my phone rang. Mama looked at me, so I quickly stood up and went out to answer the call.
"Why did you call?" I said right away.
["It's so hard to understand. Your message is like a cryptic code."] Keifer, that idiot, replied.
"That's just how I text."
["Just tell me what you discovered."]
I peeked into my room first, then whispering everything I found out. He stayed silent, listening until I finished.
"Do you think that's the reason? Didn't you say you also found out some things about Papa and that you've even talked to him?"
["Unfortunately, I don't know the exact reason. But it's clear to me that your Papa respects your Mama's decision."]
I pouted. "Mama's harder than a rock."
["Maybe time hardened her heart."]
Wow, Heart.
I was about to laugh at his cheesiness, but I stopped at what he said next.
["Some people grow stronger through life's trials but keep their hearts soft. And some become strong but end up with hardened hearts."]
He had a point. Mama had been through so much, so it's not surprising that she became tough. But why was Keifer talking like this? Where was this life experience coming from?
"Are you going through something? Since when did you get this corny?"
["I'm telling the truth, Jay."]
I looked down. He's right.
"So, what should I do?"
["Best to talk to your Mom and find out the reason for her grudge. Once we know the cause, we can think of other tactics to convince her."]
"Right, right." I nodded along.
["Start by asking how she met your Dad."]
That made me think. Despite everything I'd heard from our relatives about Mama, not once did I hear them mention how my parents met.
"I'll try. I just hope she'll actually talk about it."
["I hope she will."]
I smiled a little. I could feel his support in helping me find a way to meet Papa. Honestly, we could just run off and go see Papa, but Keifer preferred doing things the right way without causing fights at home. I couldn't help but feel happy.
"Thanks."
["Everything for my girlfriend."] he replied, and I quickly winced.
"Huh? You're not my boyfriend."
["Not yet. But we will."]
I could practically feel his wide grin. It made me want to grab some pliers and pull his teeth out.
Good thing he wasn't in front of me.
"Whatever. Bye now."
["Bye, my queen. I love you."]
I bit my lip and quickly ended the call without replying.
I stared at my phone. I wasn't sure if I should text him back.
"What's got you smiling like that?" someone asked, making me quickly hide my phone behind my back.
"T-Tita," I stammered. "Just reading messages from my classmates."
She smiled meaningfully. "If you say so."
I glanced at what she was holding—my freshly laundered and ironed clothes, neatly folded and hung.
"Let me take those," I said, reaching for the clothes, but Tita swatted my hand away.
"No need. Keep reading those messages from your classmates."
I blinked rapidly at the change in her tone when she said "classmates." She turned her back on me and headed straight into my room.
I had no choice but to follow and watch her and Mama organize my clothes. I scratched my head when I saw Tita pointing at the clothes scattered on the floor.
That's Mama's fault.
While they were busy tidying up, I suddenly thought of what Keifer said. I just needed to start asking about Papa.
"Ma…" I called out, and she glanced at me briefly. "How did you and Papa meet?"
"Jay, can we not talk about that?"
"Oh, come on… The kid's just asking." Tita Gema countered. "Tell her, your daughter's just curious."
My ears practically wanted to clap from joy. Thank goodness Tita's here to back me up.
"Stop it, Gema," Mama replied irritably.
"Please, Ma? I just want to know." I insisted.
She just shook her head and continued what she was doing. I pouted, and Tita Gema seemed to feel sorry for me. She put down the remaining clothes she was holding on the bed.
"Since your mom doesn't want to, I'll tell you the story." She said and sat beside me.
"Gema." Mama called her name warningly, but Tita ignored her.
"Your mama ran away from home when we found out she was pregnant with Aries." Tita began. "She didn't wait for her grandfather to kick her out — she left first."
Wow. Talk about thinking ahead.
"As if I'd wait for him to curse me out and throw my stuff out of the house," Mama interjected, still continuing her task.
Tita shook her head slightly and continued the story. "She stayed with a friend and worked at their eatery. It just so happened that a building was being constructed not far from there — one owned by your father."
"He was also the engineer there," Mama added.
"During lunchtime, their crew would eat at the eatery. And this Engineer Mariano — well, he seemed to want more than just food," Tita said, and Mama threw a piece of clothing at her, making her laugh loudly. "He kept coming back to see your Mama. Courting her with subtle glances."
What a bold love story.
I couldn't help but smile at Tita's storytelling. I knew she and Mama were close, so I wasn't surprised she knew their story.
"But your mom was up to some mischief — she didn't give her real name or age. Your dad thought they were the same age and that she just looked young. So he really went all out courting her."
I paused, thinking. Mama was still young when she got pregnant with me. If Papa was already an engineer, that means there was a big age gap between them. That doesn't sound good.
"How did he win Mama over?" I asked.
"How indeed?" Tita echoed, looking at Mama.
"My friend's mom told me that my child needed a father. That it was too late for me to be picky since my belly was already big." Mama closed my cabinet door. "I thought she had a point. So I talked to your dad and he agreed to be Aries' father."
"Then what happe—?" I couldn't finish my question when I noticed her wiping her face.
She quickly walked out of my room, with Tita Gema following close behind. When I glanced at the door, I saw Aries leaning against the frame with folded arms, watching Mama leave.
"What happened there?" he asked me, but I just rolled my eyes at him.
"Dunno," I replied irritably, standing up to grab the clothes on my bed and put them in my cabinet.
"Still mad at me?" he asked again, but I ignored him. "Look, I didn't mean to keep it from you. Kuya's stricter with you, so it's hard for me to find a right time—"
"Come on, Aries! It's so easy for you to say! Even if Kuya's out of sight for just 30 seconds, you could've told me!" I cut him off, annoyed.
"It's easy to say, but it's hard to stop you! You're so impulsive. If I told you, you'd probably act without thinking again. Then Kuya would catch me, and we'd both be in deeper trouble."
"How would you know? Look, I'm holding myself back right now."
He sighed heavily. "Because Mama's here to watch you. And we're in a different situation now."
"You've so many excuses!"
He shook his head and quickly turned his back on me. He probably knew there was no reasoning with me right now. I rushed to the door, slammed it shut, and flopped onto my bed.
My thoughts circled back to Mama's reaction while she was telling the story. Why did it seem like she was still hurting? Was what she went through that bad?
I glanced at my phone and thought about messaging Percy.
To: Percing…
Message: Tühkm0L. (idiot)
It didn't take long for my phone to ring. When I checked, it was my stepbrother calling.
"Hey," I greeted.
["Why's your text like that? Do you need a new phone?"]
"No."
["You didn't text like that before. You're getting worse and worse."]
"Of course, back then I was still figuring out a fancy cellphone. I was used to an old hand-me-down keypad."
He burst out laughing. ["Poor thing."]
The nerve of this guy.
"You jerk! That phone was durable. It even fell into floodwaters and still survived!"
He laughed even harder. I couldn't help but get annoyed at his reaction. You'd think he'd never seen a keypad phone before, when those were the norm before touchscreens. Acting like he was born yesterday when he's actually older than me.
"What did a keypad phone ever do to you that you are laughing this hard?"
["Nothing. I'm just laughing at you. You really enjoy the little things so much even though you could've just asked us for something better."]
I pouted. I like material things too, but not like others who always want the latest trends. I don't know why.
Maybe because of Grandma. She always reminded me that what she could provide was limited, so I shouldn't ask for more. That's why most of my stuff was hand-me-downs — hand-me-downs from my perpetually cursing aunt.
["That's a good thing. Just enjoy the little things in life. So while you're at it, you might as well enjoy my good looks too—it's a pretty big deal."]
"Screw you," I shot back without missing a beat.
He laughed loudly, probably rolling on the floor with joy.
"You're having way too much fun there," I said irritably.
["Anyway, why'd you text me?"]
I thought about the reason I messaged him. There was something I wanted to know after seeing Mama's reaction.
"Do you know why Mama is so angry with Papa?"
He fell silent for a moment before clearing his throat.
["Didn't I tell you before? Grandpa threatened us."]
"Oh?"
["That's all I know. I wasn't around yet when your dad met Mama."] I smacked my forehead. ["But I know he loves you all."]
I sighed deeply. "I really want to see him."
["You'll find a way eventually."]
I wanted to cry, but I held it back. I said goodbye to Percy and ended the call. I curled up on my bed, my mind a mess as I tried to figure out how to convince Mama.
I didn't know how long I'd been thinking about Papa, Mama, and what we'd have for lunch. If my stomach hadn't growled, I wouldn't have thought of leaving my room. I headed straight for the kitchen.
I ran into Aries and quickly rolled my eyes at him. He just shook his head and walked past me.
All day, whenever I crossed paths with Aries, I did nothing but scowl, smirk, or roll my eyes at him. Even at the dinner table, I kept doing the same thing.
"Jay, stop that," Kuya ordered, looking at me.
"Just eat. You keep rolling your eyes," Mama said, piling rice onto my plate.
So much rice.
I didn't need that much rice, so I wasn't sure if I should give back the extra she scooped. But I felt wasteful. It was already on my plate, and you're not supposed to reject food like that.
It's bad.
I pouted as I took a bite of rice. I stayed quiet while Tita Gema and Angelo talked, with Mama and Aries occasionally joining in. I chose not to speak because I only had one thing to say.
"Want more, Jay?" Mama asked.
I answered her absentmindedly. "I want to see Papa."
I said what was on my mind before I even realized what came out of my mouth. Mama let out a deep sigh, and so did Kuya.
Before any arguments could start at the table, I stood up on my own.
"I'm done," I said and turned my back on all of them.
I went straight to my room. As soon as I closed the door, I washed my face. Convincing her like this is so hard.
Time to do some mental gymnastics.
I'm starting to think about just sneaking out to meet Papa without telling them. But Keifer said, it's better to convince Mama first because running away would cause a bigger mess.
I just decided to get ready for bed. I cleaned myself up, brushed my teeth, and changed into my sleepwear. I jumped onto my bed when I was done.
I was about to sleep when my phone kept buzzing. When I checked, Ci-N was sending me messages. I quickly looked at them—mostly photos.
Photos of new toys.
I winced when I accidentally spotted the receipt for one of his toys. It cost 25,000 for just one. He even asked for help assembling one.
While I was busy replying, I heard a knock on my door. It creaked open slowly, and Mama walked in.
"I'm sleeping here," she said.
"Why? Did I agree to that?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
"I'm not asking for your permission," she replied, lying down beside me.
I grimaced before moving over and fixing the bed. I just put my phone aside and lay down too.
I was on my back, staring at the ceiling. Not because I wasn't used to having someone beside me, but because it had been a while since I last shared a bed with Mama. It felt strange.
I tried to recall the last time we were like this, but I couldn't remember clearly anymore. That's probably what happens when you grow older—you quickly forget your childhood. Or maybe it's the effect of things that happened in my past.
I hope it's just age.
Fragmented flashbacks resurfaced briefly. They weren't complete, but I understood enough.
"Ma..." I called, checking if she was still awake
"The answer's still no about you meeting that idiot father of yours, she answered quickly, her back turned to me.
Such a villain.
"No, you're wrong. That's wasn't my question," I said, and she slowly adjusted to face me.
"Then what is it now?"
"Where were you when I was waiting for you? Where were you during the Christmases I hoped you'd come? Where were you during the birthdays that passed by without you showing up? Why didn't you ever come to see me during those times?" I asked her one after another.
She stared at me before looking up at the ceiling.
"Don't dig into it. What matters is the present."
I laughed bitterly. "You're something else. I don't know if you really want us to fix things or fight even more."
"Of course I want us to fix things."
"Then why are you like that? You should be making up for lost time with me and Aries."
"I am. That's why I want a complete family for you both."
I rolled my eyes at her. "What complete family?"
"A mother, a father, and their children."
"What fool taught you that?"
She looked at me like I was the dumb one. "What? That's what a family is. They teach that in school too."
"The school taught it wrong. Anyone can be family as long as they accept and support each other. Blood relations aren't what's important."
I smiled a little, thinking of the Ulupong gang. They were more than just friends to me. Even though we teased and annoyed each other a lot. Even though they tricked me. I still accepted them.
In a way, the prank they pulled, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It tested all of us. Now I knew that I mattered to them too.
And Keifer?
Just like his fellow Ulupong members, he was also willing to prove himself to me. Not just once. Even with my problems involving Papa, he's ready to help. He's put in all the effort. Maybe it's time.
Mama chuckled a bit. "And where did you learn that?"
"Experience."