Chapter-351

A mother


Jay-jay's POV


Mama is busy folding my clothes in my room.
I glance at her while I'm on my cellphone.
I already got my phone.
I'm doing nothing but reading the Ulopong chats
.
Eren: I have something to tell you Felix. Mary Jewel Malaluan is the name.
Felix: Be quiet.
Drew: Just tell me this.
Eren: Felix is what I want.
Blaster: Edrix is what you're telling me.
Rory: That's my friend.
Eman: Still a friend until now.
Edrix: Huh?
Kit: I thought I made progress?
Edrix: What? What progress?
Rory: NO!
I winced. Rory was babbling. It was like he told others what
we were doing but he forgot to clarify that
Edrix didn't know what we were doing.
I was stunned when I read a text message from
GagongBaliw.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: Hey, your still not answering my messages.
I forgot to text him. I didn't have my phone with me yesterday either
so I didn't reply to him. I quickly typed a reply to
him.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: I just got my phone.
(I just got my phone.)
I looked at Mama for a moment as she took out all my clothes from the cabinet. I winced when I saw that my
clothes
looked even more rumpled . "What's that? Learn to fold clothes." Mama said. I ignored her and just went back
to my text. From: GagongBaliw Message: What's up? Are you angry? To: GagongBaliw Message: H3índhe.
Pw3r0 mErhon aqowh n@laMhan. (No. But I found out something.) From: GagongBaliw Message: And what is
that? To: GagongBaliw Message: C MhaM@mia ey p3nagLhaban dhaw ang k@rhapAtn qouh ky Ppa.
MhukAng na hurt c MhaM@mia khya g@nheto ang dr@ma niya. (Mama said she fought for my rights with
Papa. Mama looked hurt that's why her drama is like this.) From: GagongBaliw Message: Jay.... I don't
understand a thing. I frowned. It was so hard to type and then she didn't understand. I thought she was smart?
Then now I don't understand. Where is your brain, man? I was thrown back when my cellphone rang. Mama
looked at me so I immediately stood up and went out to answer the call. "Why did you even call?" I said.
["It's so hard to understand. Your message is even more cryptic code."]
Keifer replied.
"That's how I text."
["Just tell me what you have discovered."]
I peeked at my bedroom door before whispering to
him what I had discovered. He just listened quietly and waited for me
to finish.
"Do you think that's the reason? Didn't you find out something about
Papa and you said you even talked to him."
["Unfortunately, I don't know the exact reason. But it's clear to me that
your Papa respects your Mama's decision."]
I pouted. "This Mama is as hard as a rock."
["Oh, maybe time has hardened her heart."]
Wow, heart.
I was about to laugh at her corniness but I was stopped by what
she said next.
["Some people become stronger because of the test of time but
their hearts remain soft. And there are also people who become stronger but their
hearts become hard."]
She had a point. Mama has been through a lot, so it's no wonder
she's so tough. But why does Keifer talk like this? Where does
this guy get his life experience from.
"Are you going through something? When have you ever been like that?"
["I'm telling the truth, Jay."]
I bowed my head. It's true.
"So what should I do?"
["Best to talk to your Mom and find out the reason for her grudge. Maybe
once we know the reason, we can think of other tactics to
make her agree."]
"That's right." I replied while nodding.
["Start by asking how she met your Dad."]
I suddenly thought. Of the many comments I've heard about
Mama from our relatives, I've never heard from
them where my parents met.
"I'll try. I hope she'll tell me."
["I hope she will."]
I smiled for a moment. I could feel her support in me
finding a way to confront Papa. Actually,
we could have run away and gone to Papa's but he wanted it to be done in a proper
way and he knew it wouldn't cause a fight at home.
I couldn't help but be happy.
"Thank you."
["Everything for my girlfriend."] He replied and I quickly
winced.
"Eh? I don't know you."
["Not yet. But we will."]
I could feel his wide smile. It felt like he was going to
grab a pair of pliers to pull out his teeth.
It was a good thing I wasn't in front of him.
"I don't know about you. Okay. Bye."
["Bye my queen. I love you."]
I bit my lip hard. I immediately hung up the call without answering
what he said.
I stared at my cellphone. I didn't know if I should
send him a message.
"What are you smiling at?" someone asked and I immediately
hid my cellphone behind me.
"Auntie." I called her in a hurry. "Just reading messages
rom my classmates."
She smiled meaningfully. "You said so."
I looked at what she was holding. They were my clothes that had probably just been
washed and ironed. The uniforms were neatly folded and hung.
"I'll go." I grabbed her but she pulled my hand away.
"No more. Keep reading messages from
your classmates."
I blinked because of the change in her tone at the word "classmate."
She turned her back on me and continued into my room.
I could do nothing but follow her and watch her and Mama
fix my clothes. I scratched my head when I saw Tita point
to the clothes scattered on the floor.
Mama was to blame for that.
While they were busy cleaning up, I suddenly remembered what Keifer had said.
I just had to start asking about Papa.
"Ma..." I called and she looked at me for a moment. "How did you
and Papa meet?"
"Jay, can we not talk about that?"
"Here... The kid is just asking questions." Tita Gema countered
her. "You tell me your story, your son is just curious."
I wanted to clap my ears because of excitement. It's a good thing
Tita was here to back me up.
"Stop it, Gema." Mama replied irritably.
"Okay, Ma. I just want to know." I insisted.
She just shook her head at me and continued what she was doing. I pouted and
Tita Gema seemed to take pity on me. She dropped the remaining
clothes she was holding on the bed.
"Your Mama doesn't want it, I'll be the one to tell the story." She said and
sat down next to me.
"Gema." Mama called out threateningly to her but
she ignored it.
"Your Mama ran away from home when we found out
she was pregnant with Aries." Tita began. "She didn't wait for
your Grandpa to throw her out, he did it first."
Wow. Think ahead.
"Why should I wait for him to curse at me and throw
my things out of the house." Mama whispered while still doing
what she was doing.
Tita shook her head slightly and continued the story. "He lived with
his friend and worked at their cafeteria. It just so happened that there was a building being built not far away
that your Papa
owned ." "He's also the engineer." Mama added. "At lunch time, they eat at the cafeteria. This Engineer Mariano
seems to want something different." Tita said and Mama suddenly threw clothes at her, causing her to laugh
out loud. "He always goes to your Mama. He just flirts with her." A love story. I couldn't help but smile at Tita's
story. I knew she and Mama were close, so I wasn't surprised that she knew their story. "But your Mama was
being silly, she didn't give her real name and age. Your Papa thought they were the same age and just looked
young. That's why he's so crazy about your Mama." I thought for a moment. Mama was still young when she
got me pregnant. If Papa is an engineer, that means there's a big age gap between them. That doesn't look
good. "How did she get Mama to answer?" I asked. "How could she?" Tita asked too and looked at Mama. "My
riend's Mom told me. She said my child's father needed her . She said it was too late for me to act because
my belly was big." She closed the door to my cabinet. "I also thought she was right. That's why I talked to your
Papa and agreed to be Aries's father." "Then whatâ€"?" I didn't finish my question when I noticed him wiping his
ace. He quickly walked out of my room and Tita Gema followed him. When I looked at the door, I saw Aries
with his arms folded as he watched Mama leave. "What happened?" He asked me but I just gave him a hard
time. "I don't know." I answered annoyed before standing up and taking the clothes off the bed and putting
them in my cabinet. "Still mad at me?" He asked again and I ignored him. "Look, I didn't mean to keep it from
you. Kuya is stricter with you so I'm having a hard time taking a chanceâ€"." "Oh, Aries! You're so easy to say!
Even if Kuya is out of our sight for just 30 seconds, you can say that!" I was so annoyed by what he was going
to say. "It's easy to say but hard to stop you! You're still impulsive. If I told you, you'd probably act without
thinking again. But Kuya and I caught up and we were even more confused." "How could you say that? This is
what I can control now." He sighed. "Because Mama is there to watch over you. And we are in a different
situation now." "You have many reasons!" He shook his head and quickly turned his back on me. He probably
knew he couldn't talk to me sensibly. I quickly approached the door and closed it before plopping down on my
bed. I thought about what happened to Mama while she was telling me the story. Why do I feel like she's still
hurting? Did she go through that much ? I looked at my phone and thought about messaging Percy. To:
Percing... Message: Tühkm0L. (Tukmol) It didn't take long for my cellphone to ring. When I looked, my
stepbrother was calling. "Hey." I opened it to him. ["Why are you texting like that? Do you need a new phone?"]
"You idiot, no." ["You didn't text like that before. You're getting worse and worse."] "Of course, I used to fumble
with a good cellphone. I'm used to the old-fashioned keypad." He suddenly laughed. ["Poor."] His face was
thick. "You're a fool! That's really sturdy. It even fell into a flood but it still survived." His laughter got louder. I
couldn't help but be annoyed by his reaction. It was as if he had just met a non-keypad cellphone when that
was the trend before touch screens. He must have felt like he was born yesterday, he's older than me. "What
did a non-keypad cellphone do to you that you're so happy?" ["Nothing. I'm laughing at you. You enjoy little
things that much even though you can ask us for them."] I pouted. I also like material things but not like others
who like to be always updated with the latest trends. I don't know why. Maybe it's because of Grandma.
Because it always stuck with me that that's all he can do so I won't ask for more. That's why I inherited things.
My aunt's inheritance who always curses. ["That's beautiful. Just enjoy little things in your life. So if I were you,
you'd enjoy my beauty too, this is a big deal."] "Just leave it." I kept answering. He laughed out loud. He almost
rolled over in joy. "You're welcome." I said annoyed. ["What do you need that you texted?"] I thought carefully
about the reason why I texted him. I wanted to know something after Mama's reaction. "Do you know why
Mama is so angry with Papa?" She was silent for a moment before she sighed. ["I told you before, right? Your
grandfather threatened us."] "Oh?" ["Well, I don't know. I'm not in your Papa's life yet."] She replied and I slapped
my forehead. ["But I know he loves you."] I sighed. "I really want to see him." ["You can find a way too."] I
wanted to cry but I chose to hold it back. I said goodbye to Percy and hung up the phone. I curled up on my
bed. I was already struggling with what I should do just to convince Mama. I don't know how long I thought
about Papa, Mama, and the lunch dish. If only my stomach would growl, I wouldn't even think about leaving
the room. I went straight to the kitchen. I met Aries and quickly gave him a hard time. He just shook his head
before passing me. All day long, whenever I met Aries, I did nothing but scold, sneer, or even give him a hard
time. Even at the table while eating dinner, I still did the same . "Jay, stop that." Kuya ordered while looking at
me. "Eat what you eat. You're always so grumpy." Mama said and filled the plate with rice. A lot of rice. I didn't
need much earlier so I didn't know if I should give him back the spoonfuls of rice. But I regret it. It's already on
my plate, I shouldn't have shooed them away. It's bad. I pouted and took a bite of rice. I was quiet while Aunt
Gema and Angelo were talking , sometimes Mama and Aries would join in the conversation. I chose not to
speak because I only had one thing to say. "Do you still want it, Jay?" Mama asked. I didn't have the nerve to
answer her. "I want to see Papa." I had said what was on my mind before I realized what was coming out of
my mouth. Mama sighed deeply and so did Kuya. Before the fight at the table started, I stood up on my own.
"I'm done." I said and turned my back on them all. I went straight to my room. After I closed the door, I washed
my face . It's hard to convince someone like this. I'm rambling. I kept thinking about just running away and
meeting Papa without telling them. But Keifer said it was better to convince Mama because that would be a
bigger mess. I chose to get ready to sleep. I cleaned myself up and brushed my teeth. I also changed into my
pajamas. I jumped up and went to bed after I was done. I was about to fall asleep but my cellphone rang one
after another. When I looked up, it was Ci-N who was sending me messages. I quickly glanced through the
messages, which were all photos. Photos of new toys. I winced when I accidentally caught the receipt for one
of her toys. One cost 25,000. She was even asking for help to assemble the other one. While I was busy
answering Ci-N's message, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. The door slowly opened and Mama came in.
"I'm going to sleep here." She said. "Why? Do I agree?" I answered with a hint of annoyance. "I'm not asking for
your permission." He answered and lay down next to me to lie down. I winced before moving and adjusting the
bed. I just put my cellphone aside and lay down again. I was lying on my back while staring at the ceiling. Not
because I wasn't used to having someone next to me but because it was the first time I had Mama next to me
on the bed. It was strange. I tried to think about when we were last together but I couldn't remember much
anymore. I guess that's how it is when you get older, you quickly forget your childhood or it could also be an
effect of what happened in your past. I hope it's just because you're getting older. The flashbacks I
experienced came back to me for a moment. Not completely but at least I understood. "Mom..." I called to her
to see if she was awake. "That's still not my answer to you meeting your stupid father ." She quickly answered
while her back was to me. She was really a villain. "Ah, you're wrong. That wasn't my question." I said and she
slowly adjusted the bed to face me. "What's up?" "Where were you when I was waiting for you? Where were
you on the Christmases I was waiting for you to come? Where were you on the birthdays that passed? Why
didn't you show me those times ?" I asked one after another. He stared at me before looking up at the ceiling.
"Don't ask. What's important is now." I laughed annoyed. "You're different too. I don't know if you want us to
make up or fight more." "Of course, make up." "Why are you like that? You and Aries should be getting back
together." "I'm getting back together, that's why I want a whole family for you." I felt bad for him. "What whole
amily?" "Mom, Dad and kids." "Who the hell taught you that?" He looked at me like I was the idiot I was talking
to. "What are you? That's what family is really like. That's what school teaches too." "School teaches wrong.
Anyone can be a family, as long as they accept each other and support each other. It doesn't matter if they're
related by blood." I smiled slightly when I thought of the Ulopongs. I consider them more than friends. Even
though we often tease and tease each other. Even though they cheated on me. I still accept them. The
cheating that happened to me turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Because we were tested the same way.
Now I know that I am also important to them. Keifer? Like his fellow Ulopongs, he is also ready to prove
himself to me. Not just once. Even with my problem with Papa, he is also ready to help me. All the effort he is
making. Maybe it's time. He laughed slightly. "Where did you learn that?" "Experience."