Chapter 17
"What the heck? She left the kids with me for five damn years and now she wants them back because she feels like being a mother to them?" anger flared in Thyron's eyes as he paced back and forth.
"Thyron, calm down." Mahinahong wika ni Tita Sidra.
"How can I calm down when Kenna wants a custody battle?" halos mamula na ang mukha niya. Blade stared at his brother and then sighed before taking a sip of his brandy.
"Then we will fight her."
Imbes na pumasok ay napatigil ako. Humigpit ang hawak ko kay Freuss. She glanced up at me with her innocent eyes.
Bago pa man makapagmura ulit si Thyron ay mabilis ko nang iginiya palayo ang bata. Nagtataka akong tiningnan ni Freuss.
"Tita... Daddy's that way..." nakanguso pa niyang wika.
"We'll go to Daddy later on. Uh..." nagpalinga-linga ako upang humanap ng rason para sa kaniya. "What do you want? Can I get you a glass of juice?"
She pouted and nodded. Bahagya akong nakahinga nang maluwag. The afterparty to celebrate the success of their hometown concert was celebrated on the Treveron's mansion. The entire place is packed and is swarming with friends, some of their fans, and local celebrities who also watched the concert with them.
"Storm!"
I glanced and saw Nick. Kasama pa rin niya ang nobyo. I grinned at him and waved. Hindi pa ako makapaghalubilo sa kanila kasi walang magbabantay kay Freuss. She's supposed to be sleeping with her brother, Franco but she woke up and started looking for her daddy while I was upstairs, doing my makeup.
Pinaupo ko sa isang high stool chair ang bata habang ginagawa ang kaniyang juice. She behaved and smiled at the guests politely while waiting for her juice. Bahagyang lumilipad ang utak ko sa hindi inaasahang narinig na pag-uusap nila Thyron kanina.
I glanced again at Freuss. She's a nice girl. Franco is a good big brother, too. Nasanay na silang dalawa dito sa mansyon. Pinupunan ni Tita Sidra ang puwang na iniwan ng nanay nilang dalawa kaya naman hindi rin nila madalas na hinahanap.
I placed a tall glass of strawberry juice in front of Freuss. She said her thank you and happily sipped from the glass. Habang pinagmamasdan ko ang bata ay bigla nalang akong nakaramdam ng mainit na kamay sa beywang ko.
I turned and was greeted by a kiss from Philodemus. Chukling lightly, I pulled away from him.
"There you are..." I could smell the faint smell of brandy from his mouth. He must've been entertaining the guests earlier. "Been looking for you everywhere." He whispered on my ears before lazily resting his chin on my shoulders.
"I'm kind of babysitting right now." I giggled.
"Hi Tito Philo!" Freuss greeted enthusiastically, oblivious to the thick tension in the atmosphere.
"Hello, kiddo." Kumalas saglit sa akin si Philodemus upang yakapin ang bata. "Where's your father?"
"Talking to granny and Tito Blade."
Napatingin sa akin si Philodemus.
"Ihahatid ko din siya kapag naubos niya na ang juice niya. Mukhang may pinag-uusapan pa kasi sina Thyron." Ani ko.
Philodemus nodded and occupied the seat next to me. His warm hand clasped mine under the table and squeezed it tightly.
"Hey Freuss, what're you doing here?" Thyron was surprised when he walked into the kitchen and found his daughter nursing her strawberry drink.
"Hi, Daddy! Hi, Tito Blade!" masiglang bati ng bata sa kanila.
"Nagising kasi, Thyron eh..." ani ko.
He nodded gratefully at me and then lifted his daughter. Blade walked past us and opened the cupboards, probably to refill his decanter of amber liquid.
"You just finish this juice and then we're going back to the bedroom, OK?"
"Yup." She said and giggled slightly. Napangiti ako. She's so bubbly and full of life.
I could already imagine a child with Philodemus. I hope he or she is a ball of enthusiasm like Freuss. I hope my child does not inherit any of my negative traits. I don't want him or her to have a childhood like mine. Gusto kong lumaki siyang masaya at puno ng pagmamahal. I want my child to grow up, ignorant of the thought or idea of suicide. Sa tingin ko ay hindi naman hahantong sa ganung klaseng pag-iisip kung puno ng pagmamahal at pag-aaruga ang bata.
Parents play a major role in maintaining the mental health of their kids. They are responsible for the thoughts formed inside the child's health and if anything, they should be the one guiding them as they grow up.
I daydreamed, one too many times, of better parents. What would be of me if I belonged to a happy family like the Treveron's? Or anyone who is most suited to be parents? Not just a politician or a socialite but real parents. I wouldn't mind the lack of luxury items or the grandiose mansion. Growing up with my parents, it means nothing to me when I'm losing control of myself every time.
Napangisi ako. Anong klaseng Stormie kaya ang makikilala ni Philodemus kung hindi si Leonora at Joachim ang mga magulang ko? He'll probably fall in love with a bubbly girl. The one without suicidal thoughts whirling around her head. He wouldn't worry so much about her because he knows she can handle herself. He knows that the demons couldn't touch even a strand of her hair.
Is it too late to become that kind of girl for him?
I glanced at my fiance. He's lazily stroking my hair while talking to Blade. Thyron has already gone upstairs with his daughter.
"Thyron's definitely gonna lose. But it's still worth a shot." Blade commented.
"Why don't they just fix their relationship just for the kids?" tanong naman ni Philodemus. "The two of them deserves a family, you know."
Blade snorted. "It's not that easy, Elton. We all grew up without a mother, if you can still remember. Dad didn't bother introducing our mother to us. Much as I wanted a mother for Silver, Dad said we're better off without that woman. She's a girl, for pete's sake. She needs a woman figure in her life but..." napailing siya at ininuman ang alak. "Some people are just not blessed with a happy family. It's just too good to be true."
Mapait akong napangiti. Totoo din naman kasi ang sinabi ni Blade. I recently learned that he's a lawyer and has a cruise of his own. The man loves to gamble. He's the one who introduced Philodemus to playing blackjack.
The Treveron's are interesting people. Antonio and Rigor Treveron loves to play chess while Thyron loves hunting. Before he had his kids, he would travel abroad to meet with his friends and hunt during the season. Silver is the princess of the family. The prized possession. And she loves archery. Not to mention that they are all good-looking, too. Each one of the family members never failed to amaze me. The more I hang out with them, the more I wished I could've grown up in a happy family.
Pumasok din si Tita Sidra sa kusina habang sinasapo ang sentido. Blade was about to lit a cigarette when she snatched it and glared at her nephew.
"You really should quit smoking, Blade." She squinted her eyes at him before breaking the stick into two. Blade could only watch his stick in hopelessness. Binalingan ni Tita Sidra si Philodemus. She wagged a finger at his face. "You too. You all should stop smoking, for God's sake!"
