I Have This Feeling

Next morning at south cotabato.

Carissa walked into the living room and found Alex eating in the dinning room. He looked up and saw Carissa staring at him. "Hey, what are you staring at?"

She immediately shook her head, "Nothing"

"Come sit down and eat, I didn't prepare too much, but it will be okay for the both of us"

Although, Alex does not want Carissa to be in his house, he can't possibly chase her away.

She sat down in the chair opposite him and began to eat the food he prepared. They ate in silence, each lost in his or her thought. He dropped the cup of coffee on his hand and studied her face. She raised her head and saw him looking at her.

"What?" she gave him a questioning look.

"Your eyes"

"What happened to my eyes?"

"Your eyes are red and big. Did you cry yesterday's night?"

She lifted her hand and touched her eyes subconsciously. She remembered that she cried herself to sleep last night. Carissa has never felt this type of pain before. She never expected that meeting someone that looks like her father and is not her father will make her feel so much pain.

"Mhm" she nodded.

"So will you be going home today?"

The only reason she came to south cotabato was to meet the person that looks like her father and since he is not her father, she has to go back home.

"Yes, I will be leaving today. Thank you for your care" she smiled at him.

He stared at her and his eyebrows furrowed against each other, "I think I know you"

"Really?" she smiled happy. Did he remember that she is his daughter? What did he remember?

"Are you not the girl that I splashed water on the other day?"

The smile froze on her lips. Her face became sad. She was expecting him to say I THINK I CAN REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE, but that didn't come out from his mouth.

"Yeah" she let out a sigh of disappointment. She was not even thinking about that day, that day that Alex splashed water on her with his bike. "I will go and dress up" she pushed her food aside and rose and headed towards her room.

Outside the house.

"Thanks for letting me stay in your house" she said and turned to face him.

"Next time, don't come here again, okay?" his voice was cold.

She has no business here again so she won't want to come back.

"Okay" she said and turned to leave.

"Wait"

She stopped and turned back, "What?"

"I will take you home" he smiled and he headed towards his bike.

Did he just say that he will take her home?

She stood there without following him and looked at him with surprise. Why did he want to take me home?

"What? Don't you want me to take you home?" he asked

Without saying a word, she followed him, enter his bike and wore a helmet and the bike drove off.

Of course, it is going to be a long journey so she had to wrap her arms around his waist.

At alvardo street, Binondo.

Alex finally brought Carissa home. He parked his bike by the road and got down. He removed his helmet and put it in the panniers.

"Is this where you leave?" he asked as he looked around the street. The street was quite peaceful and quiet. You can see children running around the street with their friends.

She removed her helmet and got down from the bike. "Yes, this is where I leave"

He turned and looked at her with his two hands in his pocket. "I will go now, I have so many this to do at the station"

"So soon"

"Why? Do you want to me to stay here?"

"Ha, no...em...actually...you can go" she couldn't tell him the reason why she doesn't want him to leave. She saw her father in him; not only because he looks like her father, but because he acts like her father. "I will get going now" she smiled awkwardly and left. She wanted to hug him and tell him goodbye, but she can't. He is not her father, but just someone that looks like Nicolas.

After she left, he turned to leave, then suddenly he felt that something was under his shoe. He removed his leg and saw that it was key. He bent down and picked the key, then looked at it closely. "This key, I have seen it somewhere"His eyes widened immediately. "This key is for Carissa. She must have dropped it by mistake" he followed Carissa hoping he can catch up with her.

Dyosa was outside with Lola belen when Carissa suddenly appeared.

"Carissa!" Dyosa was the first person who saw her. She immediately stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "You are back. I miss you so much"

Lola belen stood up from her chair. She don't know whether to go and hug her or not.

"Mama, do you know where I kept..." she looked up and saw Carissa. She wanted to hug her daughter and tell her how much she missed her, but she remembered that she is still mad at her daughter. She looked at Carissa for few seconds and turned to leave.

Carissa immediately ran after her and held her hand. "Nay, I am sorry. I know that I shouldn't have left without telling you and Lola...I am sorry. You can hit me, slap me, kick me,but...please don't get mad at me" she said in a sad tone. Elvira turned and raised her hand with anger burning in her eyes and Carissa immediately closed her eyes getting her self ready for the hot slap her mother will give her, but she felt someone holding her face in her hand, she opened her eyes slowly and saw her mother smiling.

"Why will I hit you? I admit that I am mad at you. At first when I saw the letter you dropped, I felt like killing you for doing that to your Lola and I. I cried, but what can I do? My daughter feels like she is right in everything, she can do whatever she likes, but I can't do anything about that"

Carissa felt guilty for not telling her mother and grandmother. She bit gently on her lower lips and finally she opened her mouth, "Nay, I am so sorry for not telling you and Lola. I just don't want you to worry and..." before she could complete her sentence, she felt someone taping her. She looked back.

"Did you actually forget that I am here? Or do you think I am no more" that came from Lola belen.

"Ha, no, Lola, I am sorry" she said and hugged her tightly.

"You naughty kid, I can't believe you will do this to me. I think I have loved you too much" she said with anger in her voice.

"I am sorry" she said and looked at the floor. This was the first time Lola belen will get mad at her.

Seeing the regret on Carissa's face, she burst into laughter. Carissa looked up and saw her Lola laughing so hard which brought up a confusion look on her face. Isn't Lola belen supposed to be mad at her? Then why is she laughing?

"I am not mad at you again. At least, I got to hear your voice yesterday's night. So tell me where did you go?" she said with all seriousness in her face.

"Can we all go inside now so I can explain everything to you" she said and looked at their faces. They all turned to enter the house then suddenly they heard a voice. The voice sounded like Nicolas voice.

"Carissa, you forgot your keys"

They all turned back to see who it was. It was Alex. The plate on Elvira's hand fell and tears dropped her eyes. She couldn't believe her eyes. "Is this Nicolas?" she thought. Lola belen couldn't choke back her tears as she allowed them to fall freely from her eyes.

"Kuya Alex, thanks" she stepped forward and took the keys from Alex. [TN: kuya means elder brother. In the Philippines, they say it when they are addressing older male relatives whether their brother, cousin or anything]

"Alex?" Elvira was confused. Why did she call him Alex.

Carissa already knew what her mother was thinking. "Nay, he is not father. His name is Alexander Cabela. He just look like dad"

"So he is the person you went to meet?"

"Yes" she nodded. "But he is not father" she turned to Alex and said, "Kuya Alex, meet my mother, my grandma and my best friend"

"Nice to meet you all" he smiled. Elvira kept her face on him. "Why do I have a feeling that he is related to us somehow"

"I will get going now. I just came to return your keys" he said and turned and left. Tears dropped down Elvira's cheeks as she watched him leave. Carissa turned and saw her mother crying, "Nay, he is not father. I also felt the same way when I saw him"

"No" she shook her head. "I have this feeling that he is somehow related to us"

Carissa understood why her mother is behaving this way. Yes, he looks like Nicolas, talks like Nicolas, walks like Nicolas, smile like Nicolas and his features is like Nicolas.

Elvira turned to her daughter and asked, "How did you meet him?"