Chapter 19 | The Witnesses
1578 Words
Cassie's POV
_Family is who shows up._
Today was witness day.
Atty. Mara said, “Bring everyone who knows you’re a family.”
So we did.
Ate Nene came first.
She wore her best duster.
Hair curled.
Lipstick.
The red one she only uses for weddings and funerals.
“Anak,” she said.
“I’m ready.”
Mimi ran to her.
“Lola Nene!”
Ate Nene hugged her.
Hard.
Like she was trying to put all her love into one hug.
“My baby.”
“My Lola,” Mimi said.
And just like that, I wasn’t the only one fighting.
Head Chef came next.
Still in uniform.
Still smelled like garlic and soy.
He had bags under his eyes.
Night shift.
But he came.
“Morales,” he said.
He looked at Dante.
“You better win.”
“I will,” Dante said.
His voice didn’t shake.
Mine did.
Ma’am Rosa came after.
Mimi’s teacher.
She had a folder.
Thick.
Full of drawings.
“For the judge,” she said.
“Mimi draws every day.
Always three people.
Always holding hands.”
Mimi sat on the floor.
Crayons scattered.
Drawing us.
All of us.
Ate Nene.
Head Chef.
Ma’am Rosa.
Daddy.
Ate Cass.
And her.
In the middle.
Under it she wrote: `FAMILY`
Atty. Mara called.
“Cassie.
Dante.
We need your statement.
On camera.”
We looked at each other.
“Now?” I asked.
“Now,” she said.
We set up my phone.
Tripod from my shop.
The one I used to film sunflower bouquets.
Now it was filming this.
Dante went first.
He sat on the chair.
Back straight.
Hands on his knees.
Like he was about to get fired.
“I’m Dante Morales.
32.
Chef.
Father to Mimi, 5.”
He stopped.
The room was quiet.
Only the fan.
“Keep going,” Atty. Mara said.
Soft.
“Dante.”
He looked at me.
Then at Mimi.
Then at the camera.
“I lost my wife 3 years ago,” he said.
“I thought I lost everything.
My wife.
My reason.
My future.”
He paused.
Swallowed.
“Then Cassie came.
She didn’t ask.
She didn’t knock.
She just… stayed.
For Mimi.
For me.”
Another pause.
“I was scared.
Of losing Mimi.
Of loving again.
So I pushed her away.
I said ‘go away.’
I said ‘don’t come back.’”
He looked straight at the camera.
“I was wrong.
Because without her, Mimi is sad.
I am empty.
4B is just walls.
And walls don’t keep you warm.”
He stopped.
“Cut,” Atty. Mara said.
Dante stood up.
Walked to the balcony.
I followed.
The air was hot.
“Dante.”
“What?”
“You okay?”
“No,” he said.
“Saying it out loud…
It’s real now.
If we lose, I said it for nothing.”
“I know,” I said.
He looked at me.
“Your turn.”
I went inside.
Sat on the chair.
Camera on.
Red light.
“I’m Cassie Torres.
26.
Florist.
Author.”
I swallowed.
“My throat is dry.”
“Take your time,” Atty. Mara said.
“I came to 4B because I was broke,” I said.
“My shop was failing.
I had 200 pesos.
I thought I’d stay for 2 weeks.”
I looked at Mimi.
She was watching me.
Crayon in her hand.
“Ate Cass?”
I smiled.
“I stayed because of Mimi.
Because she called me family on day 1.
Because she asked if I could stay for dinner.
Because she drew me a sunflower.”
My voice broke.
“I stayed because Dante is a good dad.
The best dad.
He works 2 jobs.
He cooks.
He shows up.
Even when he’s tired.
Even when he’s scared.”
I looked at the camera.
“And because…
I love them.”
I said it.
On camera.
“For the record.
Both of them.”
“Cut,” Atty. Mara said.
Soft.
I stood up.
Legs shaking.
Dante was at the door.
He didn’t say anything.
He just nodded.
Once.
---
We ate.
Lunch from Head Chef.
Adobo.
Rice.
Soda.
For all of us.
We ate on the floor.
Again.
Because the table was full of papers.
Mimi passed plates.
“Witness lunch!”
Everyone laughed.
It was the first time I heard Dante laugh in days.
It was rusty.
Like he forgot how.
Ate Nene told stories.
About Dante as a kid.
About how he always shared his food.
Head Chef told stories.
About how Dante covered his shift when his son was sick.
Ma’am Rosa told stories.
About how Mimi said “My Ate Cass packed my baon.”
We were building a case.
Out of memories.
Atty. Mara said, “One more.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Readers,” she said.
I froze.
“What?”
“Your comments,” she said.
“Screenshots.
Print them.
500 of them.
‘Protect Mimi.’
‘We fight.’
‘Family.’”
She looked at me.
“The court needs to see you’re not unstable.
You have community.
You have income.
You have people.”
Dante printed.
All night.
The printer was loud.
Hot.
500 pages.
He cut his finger on the paper.
Didn’t even notice.
`@protectmimi: Mimi is not a case. She’s a child.`
`@teamtension: Dante if you lose her I will riot.`
`@lawyer_reader: I’m watching this case. Justice for Mimi.`
`@mimi_lolo: From Cebu. We’re with you.`
`@sunflowergirl: Ate Cass you saved them. Don’t let them go.`
`@chef_dad_stan: I’ve never commented before. But this matters.`
We were surrounded by paper.
By strangers who cared.
Mimi slept.
Dante and I sat on the floor.
“MY readers,” I said.
“Our readers,” he said.
I looked at him.
“Dante.”
“What?”
“Thank you,” I said.
“For saying it.”
“Saying what?”
“That you were wrong,” I said.
He nodded.
“Dante.”
“What?”
“Do you…”
He looked at me.
“Do I what?”
“Love me?”
The room went quiet.
Mimi was asleep.
Ate Nene was in 4A.
Head Chef left.
Ma’am Rosa left.
Just us.
And 500 pages of paper.
Dante didn’t answer right away.
He looked at the floor.
At the papers.
At Mimi’s door.
“Cassie,” he said.
“What?”
“I’m scared,” he said.
“I know.”
“If I say it,” he said.
“And we lose…”
“Then we lose,” I said.
“But at least it’s true.”
He stood up.
Walked to me.
Kneeling.
On the floor.
With me.
“Cassie Torres.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what tomorrow brings,” he said.
“Court.
Liza.
Losing.”
He took my hand.
Both of his hands.
“I don’t know if we’ll win.
I don’t know if I can be the dad she needs.
I don’t know if I deserve you.”
He looked at me.
“But today,” he said.
“I love you.
Not because of Mimi.
Not because you’re here.
Because of you.
Because you stayed.
Because you see me.”
My breath stopped.
“Say it back,” he said.
“Or don’t.
But I needed you to know.”
I cried.
“Dante.”
“What?”
“I love you too,” I said.
“I did.
Since the pancakes.
Since you let me stay.
Since you chose us.”
He smiled.
Small.
Broken.
“Since the pancakes,” he said.
He didn’t kiss me.
We were scared.
Scared it would be the last time.
Scared it wouldn’t be enough.
So he just rested his forehead on mine.
We stayed there.
Breathing the same air.
I wrote.
`Chapter 19 | The Witnesses`
`They came.`
`Ate Nene.
Head Chef.
Ma’am Rosa.`
`And 500 strangers.`
`Because family isn’t blood.`
`Family is who shows up.`
`And today, everyone did.`
I published.
1,215 words.
Comments exploded.
`@teamtension: HE SAID IT`
`@protectmimi: I’M SCREAMING`
`@whereiscassie: KISS THEM`
`@lawyer_reader: This will help in court. I promise.`
We didn’t kiss.
But we held hands.
On the floor.
With 500 pages of love around us.
Atty. Mara texted.
`Evidence submitted.
6 days left.
Rest.`
Dante looked at me.
“Bed?”
“Yes,” I said.
We lay down.
Mimi between us.
Dante’s hand in mine.
“Cassie.”
“What?”
“6 days,” he said.
“6 days,” I said.
“We can do this,” he said.
“Yes,” I said.
“Because we’re not alone.”
He squeezed my hand.
I was awake.
Dante was too.
“Cassie.”
“What?”
“If we win,” he said.
“When,” I said.
“When we win,” he said.
“Can we… be us?”
I turned to him.
“What do you mean?”
“You.
Me.
Not for Mimi.
For us.
Dinner.
Dates.
Fighting over the remote.”
I nodded.
“Yes,” I said.
“Us.”
He exhaled.
“Good,” he said.
“Because I don’t want to pretend anymore.”
The sun came up.
6 days left.
But we had witnesses.
And we had each other.
And for the first time,
I wasn’t scared to say it.
_End of Chapter 19_
---
- Writer
