CHAPTER 37: A QUIET ASSESSMENT
769 Words
Reuben had stayed with us through the coldest hours of the night, studying by the dim window light until the sky outside turned a pale, misty gray. By dawn, he reluctantly packed his ledger sheets and reviewers. He had an early morning accounting class, and despite my insistence that he go home, he had refused to leave until he saw that Mama Eliza and I were safely awake and settled. He left with a quiet squeeze to my shoulder and a promise to return right after his exams.
Now, the morning sun was fully up, casting long shadows across the sterile room. I hadn't gone to school either; my place was here, managing the variables of this crisis.
I was adjusting the drip of the IV fluid when I noticed a slight movement on the bed. Papa Renato’s eyelids fluttered open, his pale face turning slowly toward me.
"Pa?! Pa, salamat gising na kayo! Kumusta po pakiramdam niyo?" I asked, my voice cracking with a mixture of immense relief and lingering fear as I immediately leaned closer to him.
Papa didn't answer at once. He just looked at me, his eyes clouded with exhaustion, taking in the sight of the hospital walls. Then, with his voice barely audible, he replied, "Malia, anak... Asan ang Mama mo?"
"Lumabas po si Mama saglit, Pa, may kinuhang gamot sa Pharmacy. Babalik din po siya agad," I reassured him, gently wiping his cold forehead with a damp cloth.
Papa closed his eyes for a brief second, letting out a weak, raspy sigh. "Paano na 'yan, iha, di ka na nakakapasok sa mga klase mo? Buti kung di ka madrop niyan."
I drew a deep breath, forcing a reassuring smile onto my face so he wouldn't see the exhaustion catching up to me. "Excused naman po ako sa di pagpasok, may valid reason naman po. Huwag niyo na po alalahanin 'yan. Ang isipin niyo po, 'yung pagpapagaling niyo."
Papa Renato’s gaze shifted slightly, his eyes landing on the unfamiliar, thick blanket neatly folded at the foot of his bed, and then to the small table where an empty paper coffee cup from a premium shop outside the hospital still sat.
"Sino ang kasama niyo rito kagabi?" Papa asked quietly, his voice carrying the deep intuition of a father. "Hindi kaya ng Mama mo na mag-asikaso ng lahat ng ito nang mag-isa. At alam kong wala kayong dalang ganyang kumot mula sa bahay."
I paused, my fingers tightening around the damp cloth. I knew I couldn't hide it from him. "Si Reuben po, Pa. 'Yung kasama kong library student assistant. Yung nagstay sa bahay natin noon,naaalala niyo po ba? Nalaman niya pong isinugod kayo rito, kaya dinalaw niya kami. Dito na po siya nagpalipas ng gabi para tulungan kami ni Mama."
Papa’s expression softened, a look of profound realization crossing his worn features. "Si Reuben... 'yung batang laging naghahatid sa'yo kapag gabi na ang uwi mo galing sa paggawa ng plates?"
"Opo," I whispered, feeling a sudden warmth creep into my cheeks despite the gloomy hospital setting. "Siya nga po."
Papa turned his head back to the ceiling, staring blankly for a moment as if calculating something in his mind. "Malia, anak... alam mo namang talyer lang ang hawak ko. Wala akong maipapamanang malaking kayamanan sa inyo. Kaya noong dinala ako rito, ang unang pumasok sa isip ko, paano na kayo kung bigla akong mawala? Sino ang tatayo sa tabi mo para alalayan ka?"
"Pa, huwag niyo nga pong sabihin 'yan—"
"Makinig ka sa akin, iha," Papa interrupted gently, weakly reaching out to tap the back of my hand. "Sa buhay, maraming lalaki ang magaling lang kapag masaya ang takbo ng araw. Pero ang lalaking handang umupo sa malamig na sahig ng ospital, magpuyat pagkatapos ng klase, at saluhin ang pamilya mo sa oras ng gipit... huwag mong iwawaglit 'yan. Iba ang t***k ng puso ng batang 'yan para sa'yo."
I looked down at Papa’s hand, my heart swelling with a strange, bittersweet emotion. In my first life, my father had died with a broken heart, full of regrets because he left me in the hands of Mark—a man who destroyed me. But in this timeline, Papa was awake. He was looking at the structure of my life, and for the first time, he was seeing a solid foundation. He was seeing Reuben.
"Opo, Pa," I murmured, a genuine tear finally escaping my eye as I squeezed his hand back. "Alam ko po."
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