CHAPTER 5: THE SECRET PROMISE
1014 Words
Several weeks had passed since Mang Reno and Aling Trena found the baby by the river.
By then, Angel had completely become a part of their home.
Every morning, the first sound they heard inside their little nipa hut was the soft cry of the baby.
Every night, the last sound before they fell asleep was the gentle rhythm of her breathing.
To Aling Trena, it felt as though her entire world had changed.
The once-quiet house was now filled with life.
The days that had once been devoted entirely to work now had a new purpose.
And the prayer she had carried in her heart for so many years—to have a child of her own—seemed to have finally been answered.
Yet one thing continued to trouble the couple.
Angel's origin.
One afternoon, while Mang Reno was repairing some tools near the farmland, Aling Trena approached him.
“Reno.”
He looked up.
“Yes?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Mang Reno immediately noticed the seriousness in her voice.
“What happened?”
Aling Trena sat on a small wooden bench.
“Someone came by earlier.”
“Who?”
“Mang Pilo.”
Mang Reno's eyebrows drew together.
“What did he want?”
“He asked about the baby.”
His expression instantly became serious.
Angel had become part of their home. Their quiet nipa hut was now filled with her cries, laughter, and gentle breathing.
To Aling Trena, it felt as though her prayer for a child had finally been answered.
Yet Angel's origin still troubled them.
One afternoon, Aling Trena told Mang Reno that Mang Pilo had asked about the baby.
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him she was our daughter.”
“Did he ask anything else?”
“He asked when she was born.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him she was only a few weeks old.”
Mang Reno fell silent.
He did not like the direction the conversation was taking.
He knew there would eventually be questions.
But he did not want people becoming curious about Angel.
“Reno…”
“Yes?”
“Shouldn't we tell them the truth?”
He looked at her.
“What truth?”
“That we found her by the river.”
Mang Reno did not answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward their home.
“Trena, think about what would happen if we told people that we found a newborn baby wrapped in a garbage bag near the river.”
“They would probably ask questions.”
“They wouldn't just ask questions.”
His voice became quieter.
“They would start looking.”
“For her real parents?”
“Yes.”
Aling Trena lowered her gaze.
“But what if the person who abandoned her was dangerous?”
“That she was our daughter.”
Mang Reno frowned. He feared that people would start asking questions—and searching for Angel’s real parents.
“What if the person who abandoned her was dangerous?” Aling Trena asked.
“That’s what I'm afraid of.”
“What if they come back?”
Mang Reno's expression hardened.
“I won't let them take Angel.”
Aling Trena looked at him.
“You really mean that?”
“I do.”
Mang Reno stepped closer and gently took her hand.
“Trena, I don't know who this child's mother or father is. I don't know why she was abandoned. But ever since we found her, she's become a part of our lives.”
Tears gathered in Aling Trena's eyes.
He took her hand.
“I don't know who her parents are or why she was abandoned. But she has become part of our lives.”
“It feels as though she was sent to us.”
“I feel the same way.”
Mang Reno paused.
“But there's something else we need to talk about.”
“What?”
“The mark.”
Aling Trena glanced toward the house.
Angel was sleeping peacefully inside.
“I don't understand it either.”
“That isn't an ordinary mark.”
“Do you think it has something to do with where she came from?”
“I don't know.”
“Should we take her to a doctor?”
Mang Reno thought for a moment.
“If we go to town and show someone the mark, people might start asking questions.”
“But what if something is wrong with her?”
“But there's something else,” he added. “The mark.”
They glanced toward the house, where Angel slept.
“Do you think it has something to do with where she came from?” Aling Trena asked.
“I don't know. We could take her to a doctor, but that might raise questions.”
“What if something is wrong with her?”
“She hasn't shown any signs of illness.”
“That isn't enough.”
“I know.”
They both fell silent.
Neither of them knew what the right decision was.
Finally, Mang Reno spoke.
“Let's wait for now.”
“Until when?”
“Until we know what the right thing to do is.”
Aling Trena slowly nodded.
That evening, they sat together at their small wooden table.
Angel lay peacefully in a tiny cradle Mang Reno had made with his own hands.
For a while, everything was quiet.
Then the baby suddenly woke and began to cry.
Aling Trena immediately stood.
“Angel…”
She picked her up.
Just as before, the baby quickly became quiet in her arms.
Mang Reno smiled.
“She only seems to calm down when you're holding her.”
After a long silence, Mang Reno said, “Let's wait for now.”
That evening, Angel woke crying. Aling Trena picked her up, and she quickly became quiet.
“She only calms down when you're holding her,” Mang Reno said.
“Maybe she knows I love her.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD