Two
1345 Words
"Ano, Kuya Jo? Nabili mo ba?" Mar, the youngest of the three brothers asks as he pipes the icing on the chocolate fruit basket cake he's baking. He wipes his hand on a kitchen towel and walks towards his brother.
His still immaculate white apron shows no sign of the past 6 hours that he has spent cooking and baking in preparation for Meg's return home.
"Wo-wo-wow! Ang sarap nito!" His Kuya Jo exclaims as he hands the paperbag he is holding to Mar and walks straight to the cake.
"Hoy, Kuya!" Mar quickly swats his brother's hand away from the strawberry that Jo is about to pick from the cake.
"Aray! Titikim lang eh." His Kuya says, rubbing the back of his hand.
"No. Don't touch." The youngest Menandro brother shakes his head and wags his finger.
"Hindi na mapapansin ni Megsie yang isa lang." His brother reasons.
"Pero mapapansin ko. Kaya wag. No. No. Kay Megsie lang to."
"Sa dami nitong niluto mo na puro paborito ni Megsie hindi naman pwedeng sa kaniya lang lahat yan."
"Bakit hindi? Nakita mo ba kung gaano kaliit ang mga braso ng batang yun? Pa-palito na eh."
"Mana sa'yo." Jo chuckles and quickly swipes a strawberry from the cake and puts it in his mouth.
"Uy!" Mar can only shake his head and chuckle. "At mana din sa'yo sa kakulitan."
"Sige na. Marami pa akong tatapusin dito. Iluluto ko pa yang bangus na binili mo. Isisigang ko na may maraming kangkong."
"Handang-handa si Tatay ah. Matutuwa si Meg."
Being a trained chef, Tatay Mar as Megan calls him is the King of the kitchen.
"Siyempre. Ikaw? Anong nahanda mo sa pag-uwi ng baby natin?"
"Ano pa? Eh di nakahanda akong isama siya sa gig ko mamaya sa bar. Gustong-gusto ng mga customers namin dun pag nakikitugtog at nakikikanta siya sa amin eh."
Joey or Papa Jo to Megan is a musician and owns a pub.
"Eh si Kuya Vicente asan na? Baka dumating na si Meg ah. Late na naman yun." Mar says.
"Padating na daw. May tinapos lang sa opisina at may dadaanan daw saglit."
"Ano na namang dadaanan niya? Kliyente?"
"Hindi. Eto." Their eldest brother answers from the door.
Still in his black suit and tie, neatly groomed mustache, fresh from a big client meeting in a real estate company where he is Vice President of Sales, Megan's Daddy Tito looks out of place in the busy kitchen.
"Ano yan?"
Vicente grins as he opens the green box.
"Wow!"Jo exclaims. "Rolex!"
"O ganda di ba? Bagay na bagay sa Megsie natin yan." Vicente tells his brothers.
"Bagay na bagay nga. Kaya papatabain ko pa yung braso at baka dumulas lang yang cholex dun."
"Ang big time ng regalo, Kuya, ah." Jo says.
"Siyempre big time din tong araw na to. Bukod sa ngayon ang uwi ng Megsie natin galing bakasyon, ngayon din ang araw na dumating ang pinaka-importanteng biyaya sa buhay natin." Their eldest brother says.
"Parang kahapon lang." Mar sighs.
***
It was a rainy night, 22 years ago, when the three brothers who just came home from their mother's funeral heard a woman crying outside their door.
The electricity was turned off due to the weather and only candles lit the entire house.
The soft sobs and the whispers of the cold wind outside sent shivers down their spines.
"Mamang! Wala namang ganyanan, Ma! Magkasama na nga kayo ni Papang diyan oh." Mar trembled as he rubbed his thin arms from the cold and fear.
"Ikaw talaga, bunso. Tinatakot mo lang yan sarili mo. Nananahimik ang Mamang. Hangin lang yan." The eldest said, trying to be brave, but the goosebumps all over his skin told otherwise.
"Kuya, kasi may umiiyak talaga eh. Umiiyak na babae sa labas." Mar argued.
"Wala yun. Tara. Tignan natin." Vicente told him and started to walk to the door.
"Ayaw ko. Ikaw na lang." Mar protested.
"Ang duwag talaga nito. Tara na! Sundan natin si Kuya." Jo pushed his brother forward.
"Mauna ka kaya." Mar then ran behind his brother.
Jo chuckled and walked ahead of Mar who was hiding behind him with only his brother's eyes peeking over his shoulder.
"Umayos ka ngang maglakad. Madadapa tayo neto eh." Jo said.
"Maayos naman ah."
"Ano ba? Ang ingay ingay niyo diyan." Vicente reprimanded.
They were almost at the door.
The sobbing stopped just as the wind stilled. All three men froze in their place, waiting for God knows what.
Then...
"Uhaaaa! Uhaaaa!" A loud baby's cry pierced through the night, making the brothers jump in surprise and huddle together.
"Tiyanak!" Mar exclaimed as he cowered.
"Ano ba? Tiyanak agad? Baka bata sa kapitbahay." Vicente reasoned.
"Kuya, walang bata sa kapitbahay." Jo said.
"Hala! Sinasabi ko na ba! Sinasabi ko na eh! Mamang, kung ano man yun, patawarin mo kami. Wag mo kaming takutin please." Mar clasped his hands together and prayed.
Mar kept whining and calling their mother's name which to the brothers's agitation.
The electricity turned back on but the crying didn't stop. It only grew louder for the past five minutes.
The brothers who were still huddled together, looked at each other.
Could it be?
Slowly, flocked together, they made their way to the door. When they get there, Vicente held the doorknob as his two brothers picked up a brass lamp and a heavy flower vase from the table nearby.
They held their weapons, ready to strike as Tito turned the knob. Tito pulled the door open.
"Aaaah!!!" The brothers yelled as they raised their weapons.
But they abruptly stopped in shock at what they saw— a pink baby carriage at their doorstep.
Only a small built-in canopy pulled over the stroller covered whatever was inside. The cries continued.
"B-bata! Bata yan!" Jo told his brothers as he lowered the lamp that he held.
Vicente rushed to the carriage and pushed it inside, protecting it from the rain. Once it was safely inside the house, the three brothers crowd over it.
With bated breaths, they waited as Vicente lifted the canopy.
They gasped in unison. "Baby girl!"
She looked around three months old. She had thick black hair, fair skin, a little button nose, pouty pink lips and big brown eyes with long lashes.
Almost immediately, the baby stopped wailing. With sobs still racking her tiny body and tears in her eyes, she turned her bright stare up to them, searching each of their faces for comfort.
And just like that, their hearts melt into those deep brown pools. They all let out a dreamy sigh as the little baby watched their faces.
They didn't have to think of a name because the carriage came with a bag of milk, diapers, baby clothes, a birth certificate and a note that says one of them is the father.
The brothers looked at each other and the baby. There IS some resemblance there.
The mother's name on the certificate is Ann Santos, a name which oddly enough was a name to common to their exes.
Yes. Each brother have, at one point of their lives, had an ex named Ann Santos over the past year. These charming and good-looking men have had quite a few flames.
They thought about who the father could be but decided they did not need a paternity test because as Mar leaned down to carry the sobbing baby in his arms, while Tito wiped her tears with his thumb and Jo gently rubbed her back, their hearts knew; she is family.
The three brothers sigh in unison as they reminisce that night they found the joy of their lives. Megan came at the right time in their lives.
She saved them from the sadness of losing their light, their mother, with her sunshine.
"Teka." Jo says. "Andito ka." He points to Mar. "Andito ka din, Kuya." He points to Tito. "At nandito ako." He points to himself. "Sinong magsusundo kay Meg?"
"Oo nga." Tito looks at Mar who is in-charge of the surprise party.
"Don't worry, mga Kuya. Naayos ko na."
- Writer
