Chapter 11 FORGIVE ME, MARY ANN

They finished eating dinner so Mary Ann was left in the kitchen to help Auntie Carla to wash the dishes.

After a couple of minutes, she followed John and her grandmother into the living room. The two are busy watching television.

"Sir, do you want a coffee or a tea?" Mary Ann asked John politely.

"Coffee is fine to me," John replied. "Thank you."

Auntie Carla enters the living room and Monica is about to turn her back and go to the kitchen, "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Auntie, I will go to the kitchen to make coffee." She replied.

"Let me do that. Go and I will make coffee for you. Don't leave your guest there." Aunty Carla volunteered herself to make coffee for everyone. Also, she's right. She is leaving the guest with her grandmother alone.

"Thank you, Auntie Carla." Her Auntie smiled at her and then turned around to go back to the kitchen. Mary Ann walked back to the sofa and sat next to her grandmother.

They were watching the television when the breaking news came out. The whole place is flooded, especially John's way back to the city.

The three of them looked at each other after hearing it.

"John, better spend the night here." Mary Ann's grandmother said. "I wouldn't be allowing you to drive in that kind of situation."

Mary Ann couldn't agree more. It's best for the man to stay at their house.

"Sir John, Grandmother is right."

John nodded. " I am sorry. I hope this isn't too much. Even if I am ashamed I think I need to accept your offer. With that kind of flood, I don't think I can go back to the city." He responded. " Again, I am sorry for the bother."

"What are you saying? Don't worry about it. Just sleep in Mary Ann's bedroom. You wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't drop Mary Ann here." Her grandmother said to John. "Mary Ann just go and sleep in my room tonight." Her grandmother said.

"Okay, Grandma." Mary Ann replied. "Oh, just give me a couple of minutes, Sir. I will just change the pillowcase and I will also bring out a new blanket that you can use." Mary Ann excuses herself to prepare her bedroom for John.

But, John stopped her." Oh, no. Please, you don't have to bother. I can sleep here on the sofa." The man suggested.

"No, you cannot sleep here on the sofa." The old woman said. " It isn't a good idea to put the guest to sleep on the sofa. You have helped my granddaughter to come home safely. I won't allow you to spend the night lying here on the sofa. If it wasn't for you, I am not sure if Mary Ann is already home by this time. It's raining so hard outside, she would probably have been stranded because of the flood." She was full of conviction.

"That's right sir." Mary got up and went inside her room to prepare her bed.

"I am so sorry for the inconvenience," John said when he saw Mary Ann stood up and about to leave them.

"Sir, please don't think you are causing inconvenience. If you haven't offered me a ride, you won't be stranded here. It's really okay, so don't worry." She replied and gave him her sweetest smile.

Mary Ann met Aunty Carla again on her way to her bedroom. She is holding a tray with four cups of coffee. "Where are you going?" She asked Mary Ann.

"I will just have to fix my bedroom. Sir John will be spending his night here." She responded.

"No, take this tray." Her Auntie Carla said. " Just stay there and I will fix it for you." The woman said and Mary Ann just nodded.

She took the tray of coffee from her Auntie Carla. She put it at the top of the table in the middle of the sofa.

She handed a cup to John and another to her grandmother.

She looked at the window and saw that the rain was still pouring heavily outside. After finishing their coffee everyone decided to sleep.

Mary Ann guided John on his way to her room.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you but I hope you feel comfortable in my room. It isn't that big but Auntie Carla already fixed it earlier for you." Mary Ann said shyly to John.

"Don't worry about me. I am really fine." John replied to her." I can also just sleep there on the sofa in the living room." John added.

"You can't be serious. Grandmother won't allow that. It's embarrassing for the guest to sleep in the living room." Mary Ann replied.

"Thank you." He whispered. John can feel Mary Ann's family's hospitality.

"Let's go to sleep. I still have work tomorrow." Mary Ann said to John." Thank you again for dropping me here."

"Don't mention it." John smiled at her." Good night."

"Good night," Mary Ann answered, and then she left the room.

John gently closed the door behind him. His eyes wandered around the room.

Mary Ann's room isn't that big but it's clean. Everything is organized.

He could see the book in the top four-layer drawer next to a white wardrobe in the corner.

She has a dressing table where all her beauty products are placed. She suddenly remembered her mother and sister. They also have a dressing table and they have lots of accessories and beauty products not like Mary Ann.

She only has what she uses every day.

Her bed was color white it's not as big as his bed and his sister's. He can't help himself to compare his sister to Mary Ann, as he goes nearer to her bed.

John frowned. He noticed a picture of a baby in a picture frame next to a lampshade on top of the table next to the bed.

There's another picture frame. A photo of Mary Ann and a baby.

He suddenly wonders. Whose child is this she holding? Why she hasn't seen the child in the house or there's even no toy?

Out of curiosity, he opened the drawer of the table where the picture frame is located.

He saw the not-so-big photo album.

He opened it and to his surprise, the album has photos of Mary Ann when she.

This is the picture of Mary Ann when he first saw her. That's the night of Marla's birthday party, Arnel's sister.

The photos were arranged from the month she got pregnant until the baby was born.

The baby's birthday as well as the name of the baby is written there.

Baby Annie...

John was dumbfounded.

He counted the time the child was conceived. He could not be mistaken.

His eyes widened. He was the father of the child.

But, where is his daughter? He could feel that his heart skipped a beat with the idea that came inside his mind. He's scared and nervous to think what he thinks is right.

Could she be dead? She was born prematurely.

His chest tightened at the thought of it.

He doesn't know what to think of. He is trying to fight back the tears that he has right now.

He could feel his body frozen at what he discovered. He cannot breathe.

John is blaming himself for what happened. If only…

If only he had been there when Mary Ann was pregnant. It might have not happened to their child. If only he didn't rush to go back home, he could have spoken to her about what happened between them.

He had rubbed his face.

He can feel his vision getting blurry as his eyes get watery until he can't hold the tears from flowing.

The pain he feels is more than the hurt he felt when he saw his parents fighting.

What could hurt more to learn that you have a child but unfortunately, you cannot lock her inside your arms because she is already in heaven?

He just let out his tears from his eyes. He hopes this could unload the heavy feeling he has inside.

"Forgive me, Mary Ann." He said between his tears. He doesn't know what to say or how to face Mary Ann but he has to take courage.

"Forgive me, Mary Ann. I failed to keep my promise that night that I will be responsive to what happened between us. Please forgive me, my child. I didn't even get the chance to take care of you and your mom. I was away during the time that you needed me the most."

He cries again. He held his chest as he couldn't contain the emotion that he feels at the moment.

"You did not even experience having a happy family. You didn't even see me. I didn't even get the chance to hug you."

John kneels on the floor because he felt so weak about what he learned that night.