You Are My Father

She hugged him tightly and began to cry. "Tatay, where have you been? But you died? Nay told me you were shot twice. Did you come back to life?"

"Who are you?" he asked and pushed her away with a look of disgust and she nearly fell. He did not understand why she will just call him father.

"Tay, why are you rejecting me? I am your daughter, Carissa, Carissa Bautista" She ran to hug him again. "Don't tell me you can't remember?"

He pushed her away again and said in a soft, low, gentle voice, "Miss, I am not your father. Maybe you have mistaken me for your father, but I am not your father"

She shook her head, "That's not possible. You are my father"

"No, I am not your father. My name is Alexander Cabela" this time, he shouted at her. His voice was cold.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "What? Alexander Cabela?"

"If my name is Alexander Cabela, then I am not your father"

Still not convinced, "No, you are my father. Try to remember. You are my father" she ran to her backpack and brought out a photo. "Take a look at it. If you don't believe me then look at this" Alex collected the photo from her and looked at it. His eyes widened immediately. It's a photo of Nicolas and his wife, Elvira. "Do you still think I am lying? You are really my father"

Alex was shocked when he saw the picture. Is he really the person in the photo? Or did he come back to life again? Or is he just a carbon copy of Nicolas? Who is this Alexander Cabela?

"No, I just look like your dad, but I am not your dad..." he took her hand in his and place the photo on her hand, "Please don't come here again because I am not your father. I just look like your father" He turned and left without letting her say another word.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she watched Alex leave. Why does she have this feeling that he is somehow related to her? Is he really Nicolas?

At alvardo street, Binondo.

Elvira took out her phone and dialed a number —The subscriber number you have dialed is currently not available.

"Did she pick the call?" Lola belen asked.

"No, her phone is switched off" she rubbed her forehead and sat on the chair with her head down.

"Anak, what are you thinking of?"

She raised her head and tears dropped down her eyes, "Ma, she should not have left like that, right? What if something bad happens to her? I will just die" she covered her mouth and began to cry.

Lola belen sat beside her and wrapped her arms around her. "Nothing bad will happen to her and you won't die" she consoled her daughter then Dyosa came in and pretended as if she knew nothing.

"Tita, Lola, what happened? Why are you both crying?"

"That friend of yours...left the house. She ran away. I don't know where. Take a look at the letter on the table, she left that for us. I can't actually believe she would do this to us" she began to cry again.

Dyosa walked slowly to the table, picked up the letter and began to read it. She felt guilty because of her, Carissa left without telling her family. She also can't tell Elvira where Carissa went to. She walked to Elvira and sat beside her.

"Tita, don't cry again, okay? Maybe Carissa needs to find out something very important and she does not want you to worry"

Elvira looked into her eyes and asked, "Do you know something? Did she tell you anything?"

"No, she didn't"

"She is your best friend and she tells you everything so you must know, right?"

"She didn't, Tita"

"It is impossible for her not to tell you anything"

She did not want to continue lying, but she had to do it for Carissa. She bit her lower lip and looked down, "Carissa might be my best friend and we tell each other everything, but she did not tell me where she was going to" she lied. Elvira looked at her face and asked, "Why can't you look into my eyes? Are you lying?"

She raised her head and looked into Elvira's eyes, "Tita, I am telling the truth"

Dyosa felt bad for not telling the truth to Elvira, but she never expected carissa to sneak out of the house.

Later at night at south cotabato.

The sky darkened and rain began to pour heavily. Carissa was at the same place Alex left her. She sat on the floor, hugging her knees with her head buried in between her knees, crying.

Alex heard a sound, it was a sound of someone crying. He looked through the window and saw Carissa in the rain. He thought she left in the afternoon. The rain poured harder and harder.

"If I leave her in the rain, she might fall ill" he thought. But actually, it is not his responsibility to take good care of her.

He took an umbrella and went outside. "Are you going to stay here in this rain or will you come inside" his cold voice sounded in the rain. He was angry that she will not still give up. She raised her head slowly and looked into his face. "Hey, I am talking to you. Come inside now or stay here"

She finally stood up and followed him inside. He gave her a towel to dry her body. "Take this first, I will go and bring you some of my clothes to change into"

She looked around the room and her gaze fell on the photo hanging on the wall. It is a photo of a man and a woman together with a smile on their faces.

"Those are my parents" his voice came from behind. He has been watching her for some minutes.

"But I don't see them here"

"They died some years ago, but before they died, they left all their company and all their properties in my care"

"So why are you not handling them now?"

"Because I want to give justice to my parents death, then after, I will go back to the company. I will make those who killed my parents suffer" he said angrily and his eyes darkened. He clenched his fist slowly.

Some years ago, Mr and Mrs Cabela were kidnapped. That time, Alex was only 14 years old. He ran to the police to file a missing report. After some days of searching, they were found dead in an uncompleted building. He promised himself to kill those that killed his parents and that was how he became a police. He knew his parent's dream for him was take over the company someday.

"Ha, I am feeling cold" she rubbed her arms together.

"Go to my room and change into this" he gave her a brown shirt and a short.

"Thank you" she collected it and left.

After dressing, she walked into the dining room and sat down. Alex came out and placed Kare Kare with rice on the table.

"Kare Kare?" she gave him a questioning look.

"Yes, why? You don't like it?"

"I do. Kare Kare is actually my best food"

"Go on and eat while it is hot" he immediately changed the topic.

She took the spoon and began to eat. Suddenly, her hand began to shiver, tears dropped down her eyes as she looked into Alex face.

"What happened? Don't you like it?" he asked.

How will she tell him that this same food tastes like her father's food.

"Nothing" she wiped her tears away.

"Okay" he said and continue to eat.

"Tell me, where did you learn how to cook this food?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.

He dropped the spoon on his hand and frown his face, "I don't know. My parent told me that I started cooking when I was young and no one taught me. Actually Kare Kare is my best food. Why did you ask?"

"Nothing. I am full already and I am feeling sleepy"

"Okay, go and stay in the other room"

She stood up to leave but immediately remembered something, "Em...could you please borrow me your phone? Mine ran out of battery and I need to call somebody"He removed his phone from his pocket and gave it to her. "Thank you" She dialed a number and the call was connected.

"Hello nay"

"Carissa, where have you been? You just left without telling us anything" her voice sounded worried and angry.

"I am sorry"

"Now tell me where you are"

"Nay, how is Lola?" she tried to change the topic.

"Thanks to her silly granddaughter, she is worried now" her voice was sharp with angry.

She bit her lower lip, feeling guilty, "Nay, can you please tell her not to worry about me, I am fine"

"But tell me where you are. Are you okay?" she began to cry.

Hearing her mother crying, her heart sank.She choked back her tears. If only she could explain to her mother everything that is going on. "I will tell you everything when I come back. I love you" with that she hung the phone not allowing her mom to talk. "Thanks for the phone" he collected it without answering her and continued eating. She stared at him for some second and left.

She entered the room, curled on the bed and began to cry. The taste of the food was like her father's own, but he is saying that he is Alex. The taste makes her miss her father deeply. Who is this Alexander Cabela? Why does he look like her father so much? Why does he cook like her father? She hugged her pillow and cried herself to sleep.