A Nameless One
1592 Words
ANDREI
School's been enjoyable these past few days. He's always seen Kathlyn from afar; she looks unapproachable, but spending time with her, she is nice. He smiled. He remembers how she took the chicken in his paper cup using her spoon. Is that what they call an indirect kiss?
He threw himself on the bed—this is so unbecoming of him, smiling alone. He grabbed a pad and began to draw, a habit he probably inherited from his mother—she is an artist, after all. He began with simple lines and circles, mapping out the head and joints, then the hair. After about an hour, he studied his work: a woman eating chicken, holding a paper cup filled with porridge. "Kathlyn," he murmured with a smile. He stopped himself and put the pad aside. He grabbed a towel and walked out of his room. Their bathroom is between his room and his mother's. He looked at the kitchen. Where is she? he thought.
"Mom, are you cooking dinner?" he asked as he walked downstairs. Had she gone outside? His heart stopped when he saw his mother lying on the floor.
"Mom!" he shouted. Calm down, calm down! He told himself. He went outside and shouted at his neighbor, Lolo Gary (*Lolo is a Filipino term for grandpa). His grandson is one of his mother's students every weekend.
"Can you call an ambulance, please?" he asked. Tears began streaming down his face. Lolo Gary didn't know what was happening but still called the ambulance. He ran back inside, carried his mother to the living room, and placed her on the sofa. It took him a while; he's still a teenager, and he's thin. After fifteen minutes, the ambulance arrived in front of the house, and he heard his neighbor calling his name.
"What happened?" the paramedic asked.
"It's my mom. I don't know what happened. I just saw her lying on the floor," he explained.
They brought in a stretcher, and gently, they placed his mother on it.
"Only one will accompany her," the paramedic said.
"Me, I'm her son," Andrei quickly answered. The paramedic nodded and began walking out of the living room.
"It's okay, I'll tell my daughter to pack some clothes for you and your mother," Lolo Gary said. He nodded and wiped his tears.
"Mom," he called when they arrived at the hospital. His mother was looking out the window from the hospital bed. She was diagnosed with stage-four cervical cancer. She looked at him and smiled.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, sitting on the chair next to her bed.
"How was I going to tell you?" she asked.
"Say it however you wanted, except, lying cold on the floor," he replied.
"It's hard to detect it in the early stages," she smiled.
"Then, when you detected it, you should've started therapy. We could've—" he stopped, fighting back tears. "Did you refuse the therapy to save money? So, you could send me to school?" he asked, sobbing.
"Sweetheart, no. This is my decision. I didn't want to spend my remaining time feeling weak and suffering from the treatment," his mother explained.
He sobbed harder. "I'm sorry, Mom."
"What are you sorry for?" she asked.
"I should've paid more attention," he hugged her, still crying. "I should've... I should've played the piano with you."
The week passed like a blur to him.
"The next one who will bother me, I will kick full in the nuts!" he heard Kathlyn shout from the corridor. Some boys had been bothering her. He sighed. He wished he could be as carefree as the other kids.
"Hey, man. Snack later? With my cousin and Kath?" Michael asked him.
"I have to go somewhere, sorry," Andrei answered. After school, he went straight to the hospital. It was almost Christmas. He wondered if they would celebrate there. On his way to her room, he bumped into four men in suits. They walked past him, and he looked behind, watching them exit the hospital.
"Mom," he called as soon as he entered her room. His mother smiled at him as she zipped up a bag.
"What are you doing?" he asked when he saw her dressed up.
"We're going home, of course," she replied.
"But—" he tried to protest.
"The point of refusing the treatment is to stay away from hospitals. I think we're missing that," she smiled.
He didn't respond, only stared at her, conflicted about going home. "Sweetheart, is there anything wrong?"
"Is this really okay? Aren't you going to collapse randomly at home?" he worriedly asked.
"No. I was just a bit tired that day," she assured him.
They went home that night. Every day after school, he went straight home. He walked to the gate and saw their neighbor drinking coffee.
"Lolo Gary," he called.
The old man looked at him and stood up. He walked to the fence that divided their lawns. "How's your mother?" he asked.
"She's doing fine," Andrei said, although he wasn't sure himself. "Thank you for helping me," he added.
The old man nodded. "That's good," he replied.
Andrei walked inside and found his mother in the kitchen, the scent of tea in the air.
"Mom!" he exclaimed when he saw the groceries on the table. "Why did you go out alone?" he scolded her.
"Sweetheart, it's just a few items. For our Noche Buena," she answered.
"Next time, Mom, just let me buy it," he sighed.
She looked at him, concerned by how stressed he looked. "I'm sorry, next time I'll let you buy it," she said. "Will you play the piano for me, please?" she asked.
He nodded. "I'll just shower. Please make me coffee, Mom," he said as he climbed upstairs. After fifteen minutes, he walked downstairs, and he could smell the coffee. His mother was playing The Promise. He sat next to her, watching her fingers press the keys.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Who is that girl you drew?"
"What?" he asked, startled.
"Eating the chicken," his mother continued.
"Mom! You went through my stuff!" he scolded her.
His mother chuckled. "It was an accident. I was just cleaning," she tried to explain.
"Mom, an accident would be if you poured water on it. Accidentally," he sighed. His mother continued laughing silently. "She's a schoolmate," he confessed.
His mom nodded. "Do you like her?"
"Maybe?" he replied.
"She's beautiful," she commented.
"She can eat a chicken in three bites," he told her. He never heard his mother laugh so hard.
The days of Christmas break almost went by as peacefully as he could remember.
"Is this everything, Sir?" the man asked Andrei. He nodded without looking at him. The night after Christmas, his mother passed away in her sleep. He still can't believe it.
"Andrei," the man called who introduced himself as his father. "Let's go."
They walked out of the house. He looked at his neighbor's house and saw Lolo Gary. He stopped and looked at him. The old man stood up and walked toward him.
"I'm moving, Lolo," he said.
The old man nodded. "Do your best there, Apo. Just, whatever happens, make sure you survive. Live one day at a time, and survive every single one," (Apo is an endearment for a grandchild).
He nodded and then waved goodbye.
"You'll live with me now. Things will be confusing, but you'll get used to it," Christopher told him.
He never thought he'd meet another Luna. He figured his mom and dad weren't married because they had different surnames. "What should I call you?" he asked.
"You can call me dad," he replied. "Also, you'll call your stepmother mom," he continued.
He became quiet again. He has a stepmother? He can't call her that. He didn't respond. They arrived at a very large house. He stared at it. It was a mansion. The car pulled over in front, and they got out. He was about to take his luggage when his father stopped him.
"Leave it," he commanded. Then, two attendants came and took it. "Take it to his room," he ordered. They went inside and saw people sitting in the living room.
"Andrei, these are your brothers, Santi and Theo," his father introduced.
Brothers! I've always dreamed of having one, he thought.
"I've always dreamed of having a brother," one of them said. Then he looked at the other one. "I mean baby brother," he awkwardly laughed. "What? I've been the youngest brother for twenty years," he defensively said.
They're twins!
The other one sighed. "I'm Santi. You can call me Kuya Santi, that clown is your Kuya Theo. Welcome home," he said. (Kuya is a Filipino term for big brother)
"How can you call me a clown? We have the same face," Theo complained. "Welcome to the family, baby bro," he said.
Wow. He felt overwhelmed. He looked at the people sitting. The other lady seemed unhappy seeing him.
"She is your stepmom. You'll call her mom," his father said. She looked really pissed off. There's another girl. "She's Celestine, your sister," he continued. "You will be introduced officially before you go to college. From now on, you will be Celestine's twin brother."
Andrei stared at his father. Are they going to forge my documents?
"You are now Andrei Berdaver Luna," his father declared.
Berdaver, he thought. That's not his mother's maiden name. So just like that, they erased his mother's trace on him. A nameless one.
- Writer
