Long Lost Brother

"Leonel you should not play there with your sister. It is dangerous. Come out of there" Elvira said when she noticed her kids were under the table. She crouched down and bent her head to look at her children.

"Carissa, Leonel come out of there. That place is not suitable for children to play in"

"Nay will you allow us to play outside if we come out" Leonel asked with excitement in his voice.

"No. I can't allow you to go out. Just go to your room and play with your toys"

"But nay... We want to go out to play" Leonel said and lowered his head.

Elvira knew he was sad, but she can't allow him to go out and play.

"And I don't want you to play outside. It's dangerous" she tried to explain to her son.

"But other kids are playing outside. Why can't we play outside too"

Leonel will watched from his window everyday, children playing outside with their friends and siblings.

Elvira stretched out her hands to carry Carissa from under the table. "Come to mommy Carissa"

Carissa moves backward and crawled to Leonel then she shook her head. She really support Leonel. She also wants to go out and play.

Elvira let out a deep sigh and tapped her forehead. She really don't know how to coax them.

"Leonel you are giving mommy headache already. Listen to me, okay? And come out of that place"

"No! I won't!" Leonel shouted and folded his hand across his chest and looked away. Carissa raised her head to look at her brother. She stared at him for three seconds and copied what he did. She folded her arms across her chest and looked away also.

"Ah... Leonel look now. Your sister is copying you. Just listen to me and come out"

Leonel shrugged and said, "I did not tell her to copy me"

"Leonel please, come out" she said, her frustration growing.

"Don't make it hard for your mother" she added.

Leonel did not want to listen. He turned his head and looked away. Carissa also did the same thing.

"Elvira what's happening? Why are you there?"

A voice from the backstage asked and Elvira raised her head to look up at him.

"Nicolas will you help me get this children out of here. They won't come out. They gave me a condition which I can not fulfill" Elvira cried out.

Nicolas bent down beside his wife to look at his kids.

"Leonel, Carissa, I will cook for you today, okay?"

Leonel's eyes lit up immediately. "You will cook for us?" he asked.

"Yes" Nicolas nodded. "But on one condition" Nicolas raised his index finger up.

"What condition?" Leonel asked.

"You have to come out..."

Before Nicolas could finish his sentence, Leonel and Carissa had already jumped out. Leonel ran to his father and held his hand.

"You will cook for us? Then let's get started" Leonel turned to Carissa. "You, go and get our aprons and I will get the ingredients for the food Tay wants to prepare. Do you understand?" Carissa nodded her head and they walked away.

Elvira let out a deep sigh and she smiled at Nicolas and he smiled back at her.

Carissa and Leonel enjoyed cooking with their father in the kitchen. They prefer their father's food to their mothers food which makes Elvira jealous a little.

Actually, she knows that Nicolas is a better cook and his food tastes better than hers, but she has tried to prove that her food taste better than her husband's food, but Leonel will tell her: "Nay even if you spend a whole year learning from daddy, your food won't still taste better than his food"

Since then, she gave up on trying to prove to them that her food is the best.

Alex started to wake up slowly. His eyes flickered around the room. He reached out his hand and touched his head then he groaned in pain.

"You are awake" Elvira smiled and in her hand was a bowl filled with food. "You lost consciousness while trying to remember your childhood memories"

Then he remembered he was dreaming about his childhood memories. Those memories he had forgotten. He wished he had not woken up already. He wanted to see more of his childhood memories.

"I brought you your best food" Elvira started to walk towards him She placed the food on the small table beside the bed and helped him sit up. She placed a pillow at his back, so he can lean on it.

She sat on the bed and took the food from the table. "Open your mouth"

Alex gave her a questioning look and said, "I am not a baby anymore"

"Just do as i say and open your mouth"

Alex opened his mouth and Elvira spooned Kare Kare into his mouth.

"Ma'am Elvira..."

"Call me nanay" she interrupted him. " I am your mother and you are my son. From now on you will be called Leonel and not Alex and you call me nanay"

"...nay" he said and tears rolled down his eyes.

He was finally calling Elvira his mother. Elvira has waited for this day to come. The day she will hear Leonel call her mother. She placed the food on the table and spread out her arms and hugged him tightly. The both of them cried desperately. What they don't know is that Carissa and Lola belen has been watching them crying. Carissa was too emotional. Seeing her mother and brother crying, she began to cry helplessly.

Elvira noticed her daughter crying and waved her hand. Telling her to come. Carissa walked towards them and sat beside her brother.

"Kuya Leonel I have missed you so much"

Leonel reached out his hand and touched Carissa's face and the latter cried the more.

Carissa couldn't believe that she will finally be able to see her long lost brother. She hugged him tightly as if he was going to run away if she releases him.

After few seconds, she raised her head to look at his face.

"Kuya let's go to father's grave. I am sure he will be happy that you are save and alive"

"Yes. That's right" Lola belen said.

***

At Nicolas grave.

Elvira placed a Cally lily flower on Nicolas grave. She moved backwards to stay beside Leonel.

"Tatay, kuya is here. We have finally found him. He is here to visit you" Carissa said and began to cry. Elvira patted her daughter's back gently.

Leonel took two steps forward and crouched down. He placed his hand his father's grave and began to cry.

Elvira felt her son's pain. His father died when he was a young boy and he did not grow up with his family.

He pained Leonel so much.

They cried for a long time.

Leonel's eyes were red and puffy from crying. He stood up and clenched his fist slowly.

His thought: 'Tay, I promise that i will avenge you. I will make those people who took your life pay. I will make them feel ten times the pain you felt before you died. I will also protect nay, Lola and my younger sister. Justice will be served for your death. That I promised'

He closed his eyes to calm himself down. His face was red with anger.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and rain began to pour down heavily. Elvira, Carissa and Lola belen ran into a shade near the cemetery, but Leonel did not follow them. He stood in the rain. The rain was dripping from his hair and his cloth quickly became drenched.

It rained heavily for a long time.

***

Elvira was worried about her son. The rain has stopped and he is not here. Where could he be?

She turned her head left and right. As she was about to step out of the shade to look for him, he appeared right in front of them. His shirt and pants were wet already. Elvira looked at her son from up to down and then she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You will get sick if you don't change your cloth. Let's go home"