Chapter 26: Maybe
DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries
CHAPTER 26: MAYBE
LUNA'S POV
Napatayo ako sa kinauupuan ko at napahiyaw ako. Hindi ako nag-iisa dahil halos mabasag ang eardrums ko sa lakas ng sigawan ng mga hipag ko na nakapaligid sa akin at katulad ko ay mga nakatayo na rin.
I could feel that we're attracting attention, and they probably know it too, but we all just don't care. Aakalain mong olympics ang nagaganap sa harapan namin sa tindi ng pag-cheer namin. You wouldn't think that the ones competing are tiny humans that look like they want to run to their parents rather than compete with each other.
With the exemption of Kaise.
Her face is scrunched up in concentration. Hindi rin siya lumilingon sa kinaroroonan namin at patuloy lang siya sa pagtakbo. For her tiny legs, the field probably felt like a giant stadium.
"Manang-mana sa nanay. Masyadong competitive." Pagkasabi ko niyon ay saktong nakita kong maabutan na si Kaise ng lalaking kaklase niya na di hamak na mas malaki sa kaniya na sa umpisa pa lang ng laban ay parang siya na ang puntirya. I don't know what his parents are feeding him, but it must be the same thing that the Hulk is eating because he's massive. Or it's just his genes because he doesn't look pure Filipino. "Go, Kaise! You can do it! May lahi rin tayong imported!"
"Iyong nanay daw ang competitive eh iyong tita rin naman," nakangising sabi ni Lucienne. Iyon nga lang ay natunaw ang aliw sa mukha niya nang kitang-kita namin kung paanong bahagyang gumilid ang malaking batang lalaki at parang ginigitgit si Kaise. He was crossing his own line, and instead of focusing on the goal, his narrowed eyes were fixed on my niece.
Hindi nagtagal ay nagtagumpay siya sa balak niya nang iangat niya ang kamay niya at sadiyang itinulak niya si Kaise dahilan para matalisod ang bata. "Hoy! Foul 'yan! Wala bang referee?! Kapag hindi niyo inawat 'yan ako ang kakailanganin niyong awatin!" sigaw ni Lucienne.
Nagkaniya-kaniyang angal na rin ang iba pa naming sister-in-law. Ember looks like she's about to pitch the soda can she's holding to the field, which I'm sure will send the child flying, because come on, Ember doesn't miss. Mireia has a murderous look on her face. Si Belaya na kanina ay prenteng nakaupo sa dala niya palagi na actor's chair na regalo sa kaniya ni Kuya Pierce ay parang mangangalmot na. Tiara is mumbling something in Ukrainian, and I have a feeling that there's a threat in her words, even though I couldn't understand it. And even Lia was standing up. She looks more like her dragon husband than her usual classy self.
But our reactions were nothing compared to the heavy aura that I could feel behind us. Dahil sa likod namin ay nakaupo ang mga kapatid ko na sina Kuya Thorn, Pierce, Coal, at Domino, kasama ang mga empleyado ng Dagger na sina Leo, Eden, at Warrick. Bukod sa kanila ay may mga Bolster din na nagkalat sa paligid.
Iisa lang ang natatanging kalmado sa aming lahat. It was Kaise's own mother, Circe. May naglalaro lang na ngiti sa mga labi niya habang pinapanood ang anak niya.
We all found out why moments later, when Kaise threw her body in the air to body-slam the boy who didn't know what was coming for her. The boy tumbled. Kaise almost did the same, but she managed to get her footing and run without looking back. Naiwan ang batang lalaki na nakahandusay sa lupa at ngayon ay pumapalahaw na ng iyak.
"Kung ako sa mga magulang niyan hindi ko na iyan isasali sa preschool swim meet next month." Circe turned to look at us, her eyes glinting. "Kaise will destroy him."
Nakatulalang nakatingin lang kami sa babae na ngingiti-ngiting ibinalik ang atensyon niya sa competition.
I slowly turned to my back, and I whispered to my brother Coal, who was sitting behind me, "Akala ko pinaka-chill si Circe sa lahat ng taong nakilala ko. Your wife is frightening."
"When it comes to Kaise, she is."
Nang lingunin ko siya ay napangiwi ako nang makita ko ang paraan nang pagkakatingin niya sa asawa niya. Ew. I need to bleach my brain. Hindi na kasi kailangan ng salita para malaman ko kung anong iniisip niya habang nakatingin sa asawa niya na kumindat lang sa direksyon niya. Mga walang pakundangan! Ang haharot!
Bumalik ako sa pagkakaupo at ganoon din ang iba pa. We're all sitting on the bleachers. Sports Fest kasi ng school ni Kaise dito sa Batangas at kasama ang preschool sa mga lalaban. It's her first big event kaya basta kaya ay ginawan namin ng paraan na i-move ang mga schedule namin. Kaya lang talagang hindi kaya ng iba ko pang mga kapatid na ngayon ay nakikinood na lang sa live streaming ni Kuya Domino. Hahabol na lang daw sila mamaya sa dinner celebration para kay Kaise.
"Grabe!" Pinaypayan ni Lucienne ang mukha niya. "Ganito pala ka-intense ang mga ganap sa school ngayon."
Sumandal si Belaya sa kinauupuan niya. "Triggered lang kamo tayo—"
Hindi niya natapos ang sasabihin niya nang makita naming narating na ni Kaise ang finish line. We all clapped loudly, screaming Kaise's name, who turned in our direction and waved.
"Oh my gosh!" I shrieked. "She waved at us!"
Kinaway ni Lucienne ang mga kamay niya. "Ang cute cute! I cannot!"
"Go baby shark!" Mireia cheered.
Tiara turned to look at my brother, Domino. "Zmiya, make sure you're capturing this!"
The other women cheered loudly. Maging ang mga lalaki ay pumapalakpak at kumakaway sa direksyon ng bata na ngayon ay nilapitan ng mga pinsan niya na sina Arctic, Cookie, Abriel, at Aella. Kasama kasi namin ang apat na mga bata at imbis na umupo kasama namin ay nasa baba sila dahil gusto raw nilang manood ng malapit. Except for Lush Jr., who's sitting quietly on Ember's lap, the other babies are in Cavite since we can't bring them all.
Kumunot ang noo ko nang may mapansin ako. "Hmm?"
"What?" Ember asked who was sitting closest to me.
I couldn't answer her. I was completely focused on the field. Kita ko kasi na lumapit ang isang babae sa batang nanggitgit kay Kaise kanina. Nakatalungko siya sa anak niya at may sinasabi siya pero may palagay ako na malakas ang boses niya dahil napatingin sa kaniya ang mga pamangkin ko.
I moved a little so that I could see the woman's face. "Ganiyan talaga. They think they can get away because their family is famous." I felt my family's eyes on me. I could feel my blood rising with each word I'm uttering. "Hanggang popularity lang naman ang mga 'yan, baby. Your uncle is a teacher at this school. Huling sali niya na 'yan."
Belaya looked at me in awe. "You can lip read—wait. Are they looking down at our baby shark?"
She was about to stand up, claws at the ready, but Kuya Pierce put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from going anywhere. Hindi na rin kailangan dahil nauna ng tumayo si Circe at si Kuya Coal na madilim ang anyo na nakasunod sa kaniya.
Sa field ay lumapit ang isang mukhang banyagang lalaki sa babae at kay mini Hulk. I thought he would pacify his wife, but instead, he's looking at Kaise in a way that is making me want to scratch his eyes out.
Mukhang gusto niyang takutin ang pamangkin ko pero sa kabila ng unti-unting pamumula ng mukha ni Kaise ay nanatili siya sa kinatatayuan niya. There's a stubborn expression on her face that tells me that she's not going to back down. Another mini Dawson amplified by their mother's own fiery DNA.
"Luna, ano ng nangyayari?" tanong ni Mireia.
Lahat sila ay nakatunghaw na sa akin at nag-aantay. Ginawa pa akong commentator.
I looked at the mini Hulk's mother. "She's spouting more bullshit about popularity."
"Bushit."
We all gasped and turned to look at Ember and Kuya Trace's son. Kairos Lucian aka Lush Jr. gave us a toothy smile.
"Hala lagot ka, Luna," natatawang sabi ni Belaya.
Nangingiti lang na yumuko si Ember na mukhang pinagsasabihan ang anak. I gave her an apologetic smile. Minsan talaga nakakalimutan ko kung gaano kabilis mag-absorb ang mga bulinggit ng mga kapatid ko.
Ibinaling ko na lang ulit sa field ang atensyon ko dahil mukhang kung hindi ko gagawin iyon ay susugod na lahat ang mga kasama ko roon. "Arctic is saying something to Kaise about how winning is not the goal of a competition. He said that while it's fun to win, enjoying the game and learning from it is the most important part." I grinned at Kuya Pierce. "I really love that child. Ang layo sa kasupladuhan ng tatay."
Lumayo ako ng bahagya kay Kuya Pierce nang dinutdot niya ang noo ko. Kidding aside, though, I'm sure Arctic took after him. Hindi lang talaga sa kasupladuhan. Arctic is an angel. Alangan naman kasing sa nanay. Charlotte might have changed over the years, but she's still one cray-cray biatch.
"Cookie's trying to be the peacemaker. He's making a joke about how his parents will gladly buy everyone ice cream."
Napatawa si Lucienne. "Pwede bang i-spaylater 'yan?"
I let out a laugh. "Mukha namang effective kasi mukhang interesado si mini Hulk sa ice cream." I heard the other women snickering at my mini Hulk comment, but my focus was on the kids. "And... nope. Didn't work. The mini Hulk's mother is still running her mouth, and now Abrial and Aella are getting angry. Abrial is talking to Kaise, pero mukhang pinaparinig niya rin sa nanay. She talked about how adults should act as adults and not fight with little kids who're just being kids. Aella agreed, saying that discipline starts at home.Kung wala raw discipline sa bahay hindi na raw surprising na walang discipline sa labas."
Kaise looks like she wanted to cry, and the other kids know that. They might be older, but they're still kids. Hindi masasabi kung hanggang saan ang pasensya nila. The twins are not even trying to use their patience.
Nilingon ko ang mga kapatid ko. "Kunin niyo na ang mga bata at hindi kakayanin nila Kuya Coal kapag nagwala ang kambal. Don't forget that they are the extension of Kuya Gun's grumpy self."
Inabot ni Kuya Domino ang phone niya sa asawa niya at bumaba na siya para puntahan ang mga pamangkin namin.
"Kailan ka pa natutong mag-lip read?" tanong ni Belaya. She seemed really curious about it, and her smile widened when she saw me staring at her. "It's not really that common. Not with the precision you have. I know someone from my family who could do it, and he said that it's really hard to be almost a hundred percent accurate."
Nagkibit-balikat ako. "Noong fresh graduate ako. I've transcribed a lot of press mob footage and other interviews. Minsan hindi laging clear and audio kaya inuulit-ulit ko at pinapanood ang mga labi nila. But it's not always easy to lip read." Inginuso ko ang kinaroronan ng nanay ni mini Hulk na ngayon ay kausap na sila Kuya Coal. "It's easy to read mini Hulk's mom because not only is she predictable, she's articulating her words clearly."
"Anong pinag-uusapan nila ngayon?" usisa ni Lucienne.
"Circe is saying something to them, but I can't see her face. Mini Hulk's mom looked chastised, though. The dad can't look at Kuya Coal." I scoffed. Hindi ko makita sila Kuya Coal dahil nakatalikod sila sa direksyon namin pero sigurado akong kulang na lang ay mabalatan ng buhay ang mag-asawa sa paraan ng pagkakatingin niya. Mini Hulk's parents look highly uncomfortable. "Magsisimula ng away hindi naman kaya kapag na-confront sila. Mga tao nga naman. Magaling lang magsalita kapag hindi lumalaban ang kausap."
"At saka mga bata 'yan," sabi ni Lia na kita ang inis sa mukha. "I doubt Kaise will body-slam that child who's far bigger than him if he didn't push her in the first place..."
Her voice trailed off, and all our attention shifted to the field. Lumapit kasi sa mga bata ang isang babae na mukhang teacher na may dalang medal. The teacher approached Kaise while holding the gold medal, but Kaise stepped away, her lips jutting out. Kahit malayo ang kinaroroonan namin ay kita ko ang pamumula ng mga mata niya. A second later, she turned around and ran away.
I knifed out of my seat, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. Kuya Thorn had his huge hand on my shoulder, and he lifted his chin in one direction. Sinundan ko ang tinitignan niya at nakita ko kung sino ang kararating lang at papasalubong sa direksyon na tinatakbo ni Kaise na mukhang hindi siya napansin dahil umiiyak na ang bata.
Kaise almost bumped into my husband, who looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed. Yumuko ang lalaki at may tinanong sa bata na sumisinghot na umiling. Magnus' gaze went to us, and our eyes met.
Pinandilatan ko siya ng mga mata at tinuro ko ang pamilya ni mini Hulk gamit ang dalawa kong mga daliri bago ko muling binalik sa lalaki ang atensyon ko. I put my thumb on the side of my neck, and I made a slitting motion.
Despite the distance, I could see his lips tipping up. Yumuko siya pagkatapos at walang kahirap-hirap na binuhat si Kaise na sumubsob sa leeg niya.
"Oh my god," Belaya said in a hushed tone. "I think my ovaries woke up."
Narinig kong tumikhim sa likod ko ang asawa niya pero lahat kami ay nanatiling nakatulala lang kay Magnus na naglalakad palapit kay Kuya Coal na sandaling iniwan si Circe para kunin ang anak nila. It looks like Circe is not yet done with whatever she's telling the parents. With the look of mini Hulk's parents, I doubt that they will say anything bad to anyone's child anytime soon. It seems like the surfer is giving them the reaming of a lifetime.
Magnus and Kuya Coal exchanged words. Marahang hinaplos ni Kuya Coal and likod ni Kaise. I chuckled when I read what Magnus said to him, which sent my brother back to his wife's side.
"What did he say?" Lia asked curiously.
"Magnus told Kuya Coal that Circe might evoke water from thin air and decide to drown mini Hulk's family. Parang kalmadong dagat lang kadalasan si Circe pero hindi ngayon." She's like an ocean in a state of turbulent fury.
Hindi ko mapigilan na hindi titigan si Magnus. Hindi niya inilapit si Kaise kila Kuya Coal para marahil hindi na marinig ng bata ang pinag-uusapan ng mga iyon. He's gently patting Kaise's back while murmuring something to her that I couldn't read at first, which I later realized was him singing to her.
Okay. My ovaries are also awake now.
It's a bittersweet moment. I couldn't help but think of what could have been while watching them. If I've been actively making him mine until now, nasaan na kaya kami? Are we also married today with the only difference is with us being in love?
If I wasn't strapped with an hourglass quickly losing sand, I wonder if he'll be holding a child the way he's doing now... but one that is ours.
I wasn't given a high chance when it came to getting pregnant. One of the side effects of my medications is decreased fertility. It also has a chance of leading to temporary or permanent infertility.
But even if there's a chance that I could, even if Magnus and I were in a different situation, with the unpredictable nature of my condition, how can I dream of it? Of having my own baby when I don't even know if I have long to live?
"He'd be a great dad one day," I whispered.
"And you will be a great mom."
Hindi ko magawang lingunin si Kuya Thorn na siyang nagsalita mula sa likuran ko. It took everything I had to keep the smile on my face. I didn't say anything... but inside, I could hear my heart answering.
Maybe. In another lifetime... maybe.
________________________End of Chapter 26.
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