Chapter-240


A/N: There will be a time lapse in Aries' story. Same with Keifer.
So expect a huge spacing.


Kuya's Pain


Aries's POV


His forehead was red. It felt like my slap had gotten harder. But
even so, he was sleeping soundly.
His eyes were swollen from crying. Maybe if there was one thing that hadn't
changed about himâ€"apart from his stubbornnessâ€"it was
his tendency to cry.
I couldn't help but smile. Even at such a young age, I still remembered
how I took care of him.
*Flashback...*
"Ari!"
"Aris." I corrected him.
"Where's Mama?" He asked while his round
eyes looked at me.
"Still at work."
He bent down and picked up the rocks from the ground. "Oh, it's been a while."
I took his hand and shook it to release the rocks
he had picked up. Mama said the ground was dirty and could get
worms so Jay-jay shouldn't be allowed to touch it.
"Dirty! Let go!" I shouted at him.
"I was just looking."
I looked at our old gate when a tricycle stopped in front of
it. Mama slowly got off. I let go of Jay-jay's hand
and greeted her with a smile. I opened the gate myself.
"Mama!" I greeted her.
But she didn't answer me, she passed me by as if she didn't see me.
She quickly approached Jay-jay and hugged me.
"Mama!" Jay shouted happily. "Why did you take so long?"
"Did you miss Mama? Because I went to work."
Jay nodded at her. Mama looked at me.
"Close the gate and come in here." She said and continued to
go inside.
I did as she ordered and quickly ran inside.
I saw that she was opening a plastic bag. It was full of food.
"There's so much food! Look at Ari!"
"Brother Aries." Mama corrected. "...he's older than you."
Whenever Mama came home from work. She always brought home food.
He said his boss gave it to him. Sometimes he also brings home toys for
Jay-jay and me.
But I prefer it when Mama is just here at home. I prefer when
we are with her.
Suddenly Mama came home from work. There was something red on
her face. It looked like a mark next to her lips. She was very angry and
it looked like she had an enemy.
Sister Jamela Mae came. The one who lives next to us.
They were shouting inside the house and I didn't know the reason.
"Are they fighting?" Jay asked.
I noticed that she was starting to cry. I immediately approached her and
patted her on the head.
"No. They're friends. They're not fighting." I assured her.
"Really?"
"Yes. I'll check for you." I said and walked into the house.
I don't think they were really fighting. Mama was just sitting
on the bench in front of the table and so was Ate Jamela.
Their voices were just really loud.
"That's crazy! That's why the animal is so kind! He has plans for me!"
Mama said angrily. "...he's still giving me groceries! What did
he think of me because my children's fathers are different, that
I'd just let him do that to me?!"
"That's right! You have a point! It's just me, why did you
bang your head against the wall?!" Ate Jamela said angrily.
Mama pointed to the side of her lips. "The idiot slapped me!
He thought I'd be scared of his pain!"
Ate scratched her head violently. "What are you doing?!
Your children?!"
"That's okay! I'll just find another job where I can
take my child with me. I'll send Aries to school."
"What about money?! School fees. To buy supplies and uniforms!"
"I still have money there."
"Really? How long will that money last?"
"I don't know!"
"Go home! Introduce your children to
your mother!"
"That's not my mother! Do I have to keep telling you that I'm the illegitimate child
of my cheating father?! His wife is just being nice to
me."
"Why did you leave?!"
"That's when I got pregnant with Aries. My siblings fought with me.
I just threw her out, it's boring!"
"Just call Jay-jay's father. He's rich, right? He's
the one who gave you this land and house, right?"
Mama didn't answer. She suddenly turned to
look at me angrily.
"Didn't I tell you to watch Jay-jay? Why are you inside?
OUT!"
I ran outside. I saw Jay-jay digging the ground.
I approached him and took his hands again.
"Are they fighting?" He asked again.
I shook my head. "No. Just talking."
I didn't understand what they were talking about. Besides, who is the
child outside? Is that us? Because we were outside.
I just ignored him and just played with Jay-jay. I
also told him that Mama would send me to school. I see
Ate Jamela's child who always leaves the house, saying he's going to school.
Maybe I'll go there too. I wish I could take my brother with me.
"Aries! Aries! Wake up!" Mama shouted.
I opened my eyes while rubbing my back. I saw Mama
wrapping Jay-jay in a blanket.
"We're going to the hospital! Bring my bag!" She ordered me.
Even though I didn't know what was happening, I did it anyway. I took her bag
and approached her. She picked up Jay and walked towards the door.
She opened it and waited for me.
"Hurry up!" She shouted at me.
I ran out of the house. I was almost at the gate when
I stopped and looked at her. She closed the door and almost ran towards the
gate. It was dark outside and there was no one on the road.
"Jay! Just a moment! We're going to the hospital!" Mama said while trying
to find a ride.
I don't know how long we had been there when a tricycle passed by. Mama
would have refused to give us a ride if she had just talked to her.
When we arrived at the hospital, the woman in white talked to Mama.
I really didn't understand what was happening. But what I noticed was
that Jay-jay wasn't talking. He was unconscious and didn't seem to be moving.
"You're not going to school for now." Mama told me.
"Why?"
"Because we don't have any money. I paid the hospital so
we could take Jay-jay home."
"I want to go to school!" I insisted.
My playmates are going to school. I want to go with them.
I want to go too.
"I can't! We don't have any money!" She shouted at me.
I also shouted like her. "But I want to!"
Why can't I? I want to study. I want to be with
my playmates. They said they would teach us to read and write.
Suddenly, Mama hit me. I cried because it was so painful.
She followed that with two more hits.
"Don't be naughty! I didn't say it was okay!" She shouted and hit
me again.
Her hands were hitting everywhere but she still didn't stop.
"That's enough! No more! No more! Mama!"
"You're getting old, you idiot! You don't understand!" She shouted at me.
"...I'm having a hard time! Stop going with me!"
She was about to hit me again when suddenly an old
woman entered the door of the house. Mama was stunned and quickly faced the woman.
"Why are you hurting the child?" She asked Mama.
He tried to approach me but Mama quickly blocked him.
"I'm just disciplining my son." Mama answered him.
They looked at each other for a long time. I didn't know her and I just
saw her today. She was carrying a bag and a plastic bag with a lot of stuff.
It turned out that she was Jay-jay's and my grandmother. She came to the
house a few times to leave us toys and food. She also watches over
us sometimes. Mama has a new job now.
That's why she's gone all day, not like before when she was
only half a day. When the long hand of the watch pointed to 12, she would leave and
come back before dark.
But now, Jay-jay and I were still asleep, she would leave and come back when
it was already very dark. Sometimes we would fall asleep waiting for her.
Today, Grandma didn't come. Maybe she had a lot to do or
maybe she was tired. She said it was a long trip to get here.
"Come on!" Jay-jay shouted from inside the house.
I ran inside and looked for her. She was sitting on the floor with
her headless doll next to her. She was always taking it off.
"My stomach hurts!" She said while holding her stomach and suddenly started crying.
I went over to her and tried to pick her up. I made her sit on the long
bench. I looked for the bottle that Mama used for us when
our stomachs hurt. The contents were green and had a strange smell. I saw it in the medicine cabinet. I
opened it and imitated Mama's
actions , but some spilled and scattered on the floor. I left it for now and went to Jay-jay who was still crying. I
lifted her clothes and placed them on her stomach but she was still crying. I tried to make her stop but she
still wouldn't stop. "I want it, Mama!" She said crying. "Mama is still at work." Her crying got louder. I didn't
know how to make her stop until I heard the gate open. I ran to meet her but she looked at me angrily again.
"What did you do? Why is Jay-jay crying?" I passed him and approached Jay who quickly joined him. He was
about to take the spilled green liquid to the bed when he stepped on it. "What is this?!" He asked. He sat up
slightly and smelled it. He immediately looked for the bottle that was just behind him. "Who moved it?" "I put
Jayâ€"." "You idiot! This is so lifeless! Don't you have any brains?! Why did you let it spill?" He put Jay down first
and got a rag. He wiped the floor. Grandma whispered something to him. It's bad words and a child shouldn't
imitate them. He kept looking at me and I knew he was going to hit me again. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing
everything wrong and sometimes I think that Jay- jay is the only one he loves. "I'm going in. The one I bought!
Don't leave Jay-jay." Mama said before going out the door. Jay was still sleeping and hadn't gotten up yet so
Mama didn't get to say goodbye to him. I went over to him and arranged his blanket. I was really jealous of
him. Mama loved him so much while she seemed to want to lose me. But it's okay, he's younger than me so I
understand. Baby needs more parental love, Grandma told me. I looked out the window. Grandma didn't seem
to be coming today. I took my toy that she had given me. I played outside in front of the door. "Aries!"
Someone shouted. I looked for it and saw my playmates outside the gate. They were waving at me. "Come
with us!" They told me. I stood up and peeked into the house for a moment. Jay was still sleeping and would
wake up later. I'll probably come back before he wakes up. I closed the door and ran out of our gate. "Let's go
to the court!" They said and I followed. When I got there, someone was playing basketball. We thought we'd
watch first because it looked fun. They were playing a lot and passing the ball around. When I grew up, I'd play
too. I don't know how long we'd been there, but I noticed people were leaving. I just remembered Jay-jay. I
hadn't fed him yet. I said goodbye to my playmates and ran home. The gate and door were open when I
arrived. I was suddenly scared because Jay might come out of the house. "Jay-jay!" I called. As I entered,
something suddenly hit me. I fell to my knees and cried in pain. When I looked at who it was, it was Mom. She
was holding a hanger and was very angry with me. She hit me again and I screamed in pain. "Mom! It hurts!" I
shouted at her. "I told you not to leave Jay-jay! You're so stubborn!" She said as she continued to hit me.
"Mom! That's enough!" "You don't know how to obey!" She still didn't stop hitting me. He was hitting me
everywhere and even in the face. "You want to go outside?! Go outside!" He pulled me out and almost threw
me. "...there you are!" "No more, Mama!" I insisted. "Are you going to do it again?! You don't know how to
obey!" "I won't leave Jay-jay!" I said while continuing to cry. He didn't say anything and threw the hanger he was
holding inside. He took his bag and left again. I stood up and went into the house. I saw Jay-jay sitting on the
floor and eating bread. It's a good thing Mama didn't hurt him. Maybe she really loves him more. Mama left
early today. Jay-jay and I left again. I didn't want to send him away because Jay is sick again. He was hot and
seemed weak. I tried to wake him up to eat but he just cried and cried. He went back to sleep after that. I was
worried about him. I was afraid that they might take him to the hospital again. They were giving him so many
drugs. "Aries!" Someone called from outside. I saw her open the gate and come in voluntarily. She was
carrying a bowl. Only when I got close did I see who it was. Sister Jamela. "Why?" I asked. "I brought food.
Come on, Jay and I have to eat." She said and continued to come in closer to the table. "Come on... Wake Jay
up." "He's sick. He's hot and doesn't want to eat." She immediately approached Jay and touched his forehead.
"It's hot. Where's your mom?" "She's at work." "She left you like this? What's wrong." She stood up and went to
our clothes drawer. She took out a washcloth and soaked it in water from the sink. She squeezed it and folded
it. She approached Jay again and placed it on his forehead. "I'll see if we have any medicine. Eat." She said
and went out. I did as she said. I ate the food she brought first. But I couldn't help but look at Jay. I also
wanted to feed him. Ate Jamela came back with the medicine she said she would. She woke Jay- jay up and
orced him to take the medicine. His pain kept coming back. It was already dark but Mama was still not there.
Ate Jamela tried to go to work but she said she was not there. Jay- jay still wasn't feeling better . I approached
her to put the lump on her forehead back. She opened her eyes and looked at me. "W-where is Mama?" She
asked me. "Not yet." I answered and she started crying again. "Wait." "I want Mama." I want Mama too but
she's not here. I don't know where she is. "She'll come. Let's just wait." She gradually stopped crying. "I'm H-
hungry." We still don't have any food. I've already finished what I ate this afternoon. At this time, Mama is here
to feed us. Since she's not here yet, we still don't have any food. "I want to eat." She said. I checked to see if
there was any food left, even bread, but there wasn't any. I could only think of one thing and that was to buy it
outside. I took the coin that was on the table. Ate Jamela left it for me. "I'm just going to buy food. You stay
here." I said and she nodded . I ran out of the house. There was a food store near us. She sold dishes and
sometimes snacks. "Buy it, Ate." I said to the vendor. "What's yours?" "The one for the sick." I answered and
she laughed. "Lugaw?" She asked. I didn't know what it was but I just nodded. She immediately took a plastic
bag and put it in it. I handed her the payment before she gave me what I was buying. I ran back to our house
but I was just at the gate when I saw Mama inside the house. I stopped near the door. She had slippers in her
hand. She was going to hit me again. "Where did you come from?! Why did you leave Jay-jay again?! You're so
stubborn!" She shouted at me and was about to hit me. I quickly walked away and Mama looked even angrier.
"Do you really want to go outside?! Go ahead! Sleep there!" She shouted and closed the door. "Mama!" I
shouted and knocked on the door repeatedly. "You're there! Don't come in!" She shouted from inside. I had to
give Jay-jay food. I could hear her crying and calling my name. "Mama! I have something to give Jay-jay." "Be
quiet!" I stopped knocking and sat on the floor in front of the door. I hugged the one I bought for Jay. I didn't
want to sleep outside but I was afraid Mama would hit me. The last time she hit me, she even hit my face. The
skin hurt. I leaned my head against the side of the door. Mama had turned off the lights inside and outside the
house, so it was very dark. I didn't realize the time until even the houses next to us had turned off the lights.
Maybe Mama didn't love me. Jay-jay was taken to the hospital again. Mama left me with Ate Jamela because
she said she couldn't take care of me. It was lunchtime when Mama came to pick me up. When we got home,
she immediately found a bag and put clothes in it. But she was putting my clothes in it. "Where are we going,
Mama?" I asked her. "To your grandmother. Go to her place first." She answered without looking at me. I didn't
answer. After getting the clothes, she dragged me out of the house. She almost couldn't close the door of the
house because she was in such a hurry. She parked her tricycle and had me get into a jeep. I wasn't familiar
with the route we were taking. I wanted to ask Mama but she might get angry. As the jeep drove away, I kept
looking out the window. It was too far from home again. I didn't know where we were. "Stop!" Mama shouted
and the jeep stopped. He got off and I followed. We walked to somewhere and stopped in front of a big gate.
It was high, not like ours, which was low. I immediately saw Grandma watering the plants. "Grandma!" I
shouted and she turned to us. She greeted us with a smile. She took the bag Mama was carrying. They were
talking about something that I couldn't understand. "Aries." Mama called to me and sat down to make eye
contact with me. "You stay here with your Grandma for now. I just need to take care of Jay-jay." I nodded to
her. "You'll come back to me when Jay-jay gets better, right?" She nodded too. "Of course! I'll come back to
you." She stood up and faced Grandma again. She had a few more things to say before turning her back on us
and leaving. She would come back to me so I wasn't afraid. Mama has been taking so long. I've been here for
so long but Mama still hasn't come back to me. I don't know if Jay-jay is okay. "Why has it taken so long,
Mama?" I asked the person next to me who was reading something. Grandma said she was my aunt but she
always fought with me. "I don't know. Your mother and I are not close enough for me to know." She answered
me. She always answered me like that. I was getting annoyed with her. Suddenly, a strong wind blew and
because we were sitting next to the window, all her hair flew towards me. Her hair smelled bad. "Your hair!" I
shouted at her. "Lick it." I was really annoyed so I pulled her hair hard. I saw her surprise and her face gradually
darkened. Her two fingers quickly landed on my skin and pinched me with all my strength. I screamed in pain.
"Grandma!" I shouted and then cried. "Lara! You're making me cry again!" Grandma called my aunt angrily.
"Your grandson is a bad boy!" She replied and walked away from me. I was about to report it when we heard a
car horn. I peeked out the window and a beautiful car was in front of the gate. I saw my other Aunt and Uncle
panicking as the gate opened. They were all smiling as if they were waiting for someone inside the car. When
the car stopped, the door opened and a woman got out. She was beautiful and seemed familiar to me. "Aunt!
Who is that?" I asked my Aunt who always seemed to be angry. "Why don't you ask her?" I really couldn't get an
answer from her. She always talks like that. I thought we would get along at first but she was mean to the
child. Not long after, she entered the house and had another child. "Here's another pest." I heard Aunt whisper.
"Lara! How are you? You're a girl now! How are your studies?" She asked Aunt with a smile. "Ask our principal."
She replied, then turned around and walked into the room. I was about to follow her but I was stopped when I
saw the young newcomer and the woman. It was obvious that she didn't know me but even so, she still smiled
at me. "Hello..." She said and came closer to me. "...how are you? What's your name?" "A-aries po." "That's
Jeana's daughter." Said one of my aunts who was behind them. The woman's expression immediately
changed but she also returned to smiling. "Why are you so thin?" Said the young newcomer. "...I can easily
break your bones." I didn't understand anything she said. "Angelo. Don't talk to him like that." Said the woman
in front of me. She looked at me again and smiled. "I'm your Aunt Gema. Your Mama is my sister.