60 Days With You

NOT AN EXPRESSIVE TYPE

I returned home at 5 and quickly pushed the gate with my waist. My arms are getting tired from carrying these boxes. I took the keys out of my pocket only to find out I had forgotten to lock the door. If Ali was here and he found out I forgot to lock the doors when I was out to buy something. He'd be a real pain in the ass blubbering and talking 24/7. What makes him unique when lecturing me is that even if I was asleep he'd still continue to talk. I twisted the door knob and went inside the house straight to the fridge. Unboxing the ice cream first and quickly piled it on the fridge. I hate it when they melt. They taste awful to me. I had a hard time finding the ice cream that would suit my taste, so I remained consistent with chocolate and cookies and cream.

You-have-a-call

You-have-a-call

I grabbed my phone first to see who it was and closed the fridge with my waist after knowing it was Mom.

My Mom is a 48-year-old woman of a younger appearance. Most daughters don't find their parents beautiful for some reason, but I can't deny the fact that I do find my Mom beautiful. Her skin is like a baby's despite her age. And an over-all good appearance though, she's a bit small for her age.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Pupunta nga pala yung kapatid mo diyan para magbakasyon. Naisip kong dun na lang siya sa bahay mo matulog"

(Your brother is going to your place for a vacation. I decided to let him stay at your place)

"Ma, wala ho ako sa bahay eh. Nagbabakasyon ho ako. Alam niyo naman pag ganitong araw ako nagbabakasyon", as I opened the fridge again and continued placing the ice creams on the fridge.

(Mom, I'm not in my house. I'm on vacation. You know I go for a vacation in these months of the year)

"Ano naman ngayon? Edi sabihin mo asan susi ng bahay mo at yung kapatid mo na lang mag-isa dun". I sighed as I expected I'd be getting headaches at the end of this call.

(And what now? Just tell me where your key is and let your brother stay there all by himself)

"Ma alam mong mahirap ipagkatiwala sa kaniya ang bahay ng mag-isa. Iniimbitahan niya lahat ng barkada niya at buong araw silang naglalasing. Nakalimutan niyo na po ba yung nangyari nung nakaraan? Kailangan ko pa po siyang pyansahan para lang makalabas ng presinto"

(Mom, you know it's hard to just let him live in the house alone. He invites everyone he knows to my place and they drink their souls all night. Did you forget I even needed to bail him out of the police station the last time?)

"Ang sabihin mo, ayaw mong may tumitira sa bahay mo. Gusto mo sayo lang! Pag kaibigan mo pumupunta hindi ka nagdadalawang isip na patuluyin sila tapos sariling kapatid di mo mapatira dun ng panandalian?!"

(Just tell it to my face you don't want any of us at your house. You want it all by yourself! If it was your friend you wouldn't think twice of letting them in and you wouldn't allow your own brother to?!)

"Ma wala akong sinasabing ganun. Yung gulo niya at paglalasing ang pinoproblema ko ho"

"Mom, that's not what I meant! His troubles and being a drunkard are what I'm pointing out here)

"Bahala ka! Sayo na yong bahay mo. Magpadala ka na lang ng pera ipaghohotel ko na lang kapatid mo"

(Nevermind, your house is all yours! I just want you to wire him money. I'll let him stay at the hotel!)

"Ma, mahal po pag naghotel, sa bahay na lang ho siya, wag lang siyang magbitbit ng kasama at lumikha ng gulo"

(Mom, hotels are expensive. Why can't he stay in the house, he just have to not invite anyone over and make trouble)

"Ahh pag lilipad ka ng bansa walang problema pero panghotel ng kapatid mo mahal na?"

(You don't have a problem with money if you are out of the country and you are penniless when I ask a little for your brother's hotel fee?!)

And she ended the call.

I just shut my eyes tight and chose not to ruin my mood. I'm in a good country to ruin it. I continued piling the chocolates in the fridge and wired money before calling her again.

"Ba't napatawag ka?"

(Why are you calling me?)

"Nagpadala na ho ako ng 10, 000 sa account niyo"

(I've wired $200 into your account)

"Oh siya, salamat"

(Got it, thanks)

And she ended the call.

My family is not an expressive type of family. I've never heard them say they love me and miss me all those years I worked far from them.

And we only call if I wire them money every month or they ask for money because it is needed or something. A lot may think it's okay, but it's not.

And because it's a decade since I missed those words, I've never wanted to hear them from them anymore. It would always make me think they just said it because they wanted money or something or maybe I have developed a trait of an ewww feeling whenever I heard them say I Love You instead of fluttery.

Maybe because the last time I stayed and slept with them in the same house for a long time, maybe a month, was when I was 12 years old. After I graduated from Senior High School and got my college in the city, Since then, I have just paid them a visit for a day, but I slept in my own house.

I've settled down to not going out anymore and just staying in the house and cooking for dinner. I am never good at cooking, but I'm confused about how I manage to always cook and bake so well when I'm in a bad mood or something. I guess it turned out to be my outlet these years from stress and any negative moods and emotions. But I really know how to cook stuff and bake, it is just that it does not taste quite good. I was just saying nonsense. I've become quite good at it as I've done cooking every free time I have and on Sundays. More like a weekend activity of mine. I cook dishes and foods that are hard to cook and give them to children on the streets near my house. That's why I have a long table and chairs for children in my front yard. It's because every Sunday I invite a dozen children to my home and make them eat there for lunch.

You-have-a-message

Quickly, I took it and saw it was Mom's. I knew it was something to ask-materially, so I let out a deep sigh before unlocking it and viewing her message.

"Pupunta na bukas kapatid mo sa Davao. Eh ang gastus naman kung magcocommute siya kaya ipahiram mo na lang yung kotse mo"

(Your brother is going there tomorrow. I'm thinking, since it would be so expensive if he had to commute to go anywhere, just lend him your car)

I was right. And because I was right, I just sighed again because I could only get angry and not say no. I'm like a living robot to my family. No was never an option to me, it was always a YES and a YES and a YES.

I remember the first time I lent my car to my brother. He ended up bumping it into the bridge for Pete's sake! And it was a new car just purchased from the company for only 2 days.

I texted my mother back while biting my lower lip out of frustration.

"Opo nasa garahe ko. Kulay green tas yung susi nasa paso sa gilid nun"

(Yeah sure Mom, it's in the garage. The green car and the key's on the vase right beside it)

And because I can never win in a fight against my Mom, I need to outsmart them ahead of time. So you see my grey Lamborghini Sesto Elemento car is hidden in the garage of the house that stood in front of my house. Just separated by a road. I told them it was an empty rest house and someone bought it as their vacation house, but it was actually mine.

Just so I can hide all my things and cars and money in there so they won't find anything when they pay for a visit. You see when they pay a visit, they take every valuable thing with them and then end up losing or breaking them, which cost hundreds of dollars each! So yeah, they're all in the other apartment. I just sleep and take a bathe in the house they thought was my real place if it was the time of the year they're likely to visit. But I spent my entire time on the house in front of it.

In short, the house they think is my real place is nothing but a bed and some necessary stuff and my real place on the other road is more of a living house.