JAY-JAY'S POV
Mama was busy folding my clothes in my room. I glanced at her while pretending to be on my phone.
I unlocked my phone but didn't do anything except read the chats from the Snakes group.
Eren: I have something to tell you, Felix. Mary Jewel Malalua's name.
Felix: Shut up.
Drew: Just tease me.
Eren: Felix is the one who wants it.
Blaster: Edrix is your target.
Rory: He's my friend now.
Eman: Still friends until now.
Edrix: Huh?
Kit: I thought my progress was over?
Edrix: What? What progress?
Rory: NO!
I winced because Rory was babbling. It looked like he told the others what we were doing but forgot to clarify that Edrix knew nothing about it.
I stopped reading when I received a text from Gagong Baliw.
📩
From: Gagong Baliw
Message: Hey, you're still not answering my messages.
I had forgotten to text him back. I didn't have my phone with me yesterday, so I hadn't replied. I quickly typed a response.
To: Gagong Baliw
Message: Ngh@y0n qouh lhangs n@küha phone qowhs.
(I just got my phone.)
I glanced at Mama as she took all my clothes out of the cabinet. I cringed when I saw how messy my clothes looked.
"What is this? Learn to fold your clothes properly," Mama scolded.
I ignored her and went back to texting.
📩
From: Gagong Baliw
Message: What's up? Are you angry?
To: Gagong Baliw
Message: H3indhe. Pw3r0 mErhon aqowh n@laMhan.
(No. But I found out something.)
📩
From: Gagong Baliw
Message: And what is that?
To: Gagong Baliw
Message: C MhaM@mia ey p3nagLhaban dhaw ang k@rhapAtn qouh ky Dad MhukAng na hurt c MhaM@mia khya g@nheto his dr@ma.
(Mama apparently fought for my rights with Papa. She seems hurt, which is why she's acting like this.)
📩
From: Gagong Baliw
Message: Jay... I don't understand a thing.
I snorted. It was hard to type like this, and he still didn't get it. I thought he was smart? Now he doesn't understand?
Where's your brain, dude?
My phone suddenly rang. Mama looked at me, so I immediately stood up and left the room to answer the call.
"Why did you call?" I asked.
["Your message was harder to understand than a cryptic code."] Keifer replied.
"That's why I was texting."
["Just tell me what you found out."]
I peeked at my room's door before whispering the details to him. He listened quietly, waiting for me to finish.
"You think that's the reason? Didn't you already know something about Papa? You even said you talked to him."
["Unfortunately, I don't know the exact reason. But it's clear to me that your dad respects your mom's decision."]
I snorted. "Mama is still as stubborn as a rock."
["Oh, maybe time has hardened her heart."]
Wow. Heart.
I was about to laugh at his stupidity, but what he said next stopped me.
["There are people who grow strong because of the test of time, but their hearts remain soft. And there are also people who grow strong but become hard-hearted."]
He has a point. Mama has been through a lot, so it's no wonder she's tough. But why is Keifer talking like this? Where does one draw life experience from?
"Are you going through something? Since when have you become so cheesy?"
["I'm telling the truth, Jay."]
I looked down. It's true.
"Well, what should I do?"
["It's best to talk to your mom and find out the reason for her grudge. Maybe when we know the reason, we can think of other ways to get her to agree."]
"You're right," I answered, nodding.
["Start by asking how she met your dad."]
That made me think. In all the comments I've heard about Mama from our relatives, I never once heard where my parents met.
"I'll try. I just hope she tells me the story."
["I hope she will."]
I smiled for a moment because I could feel his support. He wants me to find a way to face Papa properly. In fact, we could run away and go to Papa, but he prefers to do things the right way and avoid fights at home. I can't help but be happy.
"Thank you."
["Anything for my girlfriend."] ❤️
I quickly frowned. "Eh? I don't love you."
["Not yet. But you will."] ❤️
I could feel his wide smile, and honestly, it made me want to reach out and pull his teeth out one by one.
Good thing he's not in front of me.
"I don't know about you. I'm hanging up now. Bye."
["Bye, my queen. I love you."] 🩷
I bit my lip and quickly ended the call without responding to what he said. I stared at my phone, unsure whether I should message him.
"What are you smiling at?" someone asked, and I quickly hid my phone behind me.
"T-Tita," I answered nervously. "Just reading messages from my classmates."
She smiled meaningfully. "If you say so."
I glanced at what she was holding - my clothes, probably washed and ironed. The uniforms were neatly folded and hung.
"Let me do that." I reached for them, but she moved my hand away.
"No need. Keep reading your classmates' messages."
I blinked at the way she emphasized the word "classmates." She turned her back and walked into my room.
I had no choice but to follow her and watch as Mama and Tita arranged my clothes. I scratched my head when I saw Tita pointing at the clothes scattered on the floor.
That's Mama's fault.
While they were busy fixing things, I suddenly remembered what Keifer had said. I just had to start by asking about Papa.
"Ma..." I called, and she glanced at me. "How did you meet Dad?"
"Jay, can we not talk about that?"
"Come on. The girl is just asking," Tita Gema spoke up for me. "Tell her. Your daughter is just curious."
My ears almost clapped with joy. Thank goodness Tita's here to back me up.
"Stop it, Gema," Mama replied irritably.
"Alright, Mom. I just want to know," I insisted.
She just shook her head and continued what she was doing. I sighed, and Tita Gema seemed to feel sorry for me. She dropped the remaining clothes on the bed.
"Your mom doesn't want to tell it, so I'll be the one to share the story," she said and sat next to me.
"Gem," Mama called her warningly, but she ignored her.
"Your mom ran away from home when we found out she was pregnant with Aries," Tita began. "She didn't wait for your grandfather to kick her out-she left first."
Wow, that was forward-thinking.
"Why should I wait for him to insult me and throw my belongings outside?" Mama muttered as she continued working.
Tita shook her head slightly and continued the story. "She lived with a friend and worked at their cafeteria. Coincidentally, a building was being constructed nearby, owned by your Papa."
"He was also the engineer," Mama added.
"During lunchtime, they would eat at the cafeteria. Engineer Mariano wanted something else on the menu," Tita said with a smirk, and Mama suddenly threw a dress at her, making her laugh out loud. "He kept coming back just to see your mama. They would just make eye contact."
A love story.
I couldn't help but smile at Tita's story. I knew she and Mama were close, so I wasn't surprised she knew all of this.
"It's all because your Mama was being silly-she didn't give her real name or age. Your Papa thought they were the same age, just that she looked younger. That's why he was completely smitten with her."
I paused to think. Mama was still young when she got pregnant with me. If Papa was already an engineer, that meant there was a big age gap between them.
That didn't sound good.
"How did Papa win over Mama?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Tita asked back, glancing at Mama.
"My friend's mother told me that my child's father needed to take responsibility," Mama said as she closed my cabinet door. "They said it was too late for me to back out since I was already pregnant. And honestly, I thought they were right. That's why I talked to your Dad and agreed to let him be Aries' father."
"And then what?" I started to ask, but I stopped when I saw her wiping her face.
She quickly walked out of my room, and Aunt Gemma followed her. When I looked at the doorway, I saw Aries standing there with his arms crossed, watching Mama leave.
"What happened to her?" he asked me, but I just ignored him.
"I don't know," I replied, annoyed, before getting up and putting the clothes from my bed into my cabinet.
"Are you still mad at me?" he asked again, but I didn't respond.
"Look, I didn't mean to keep it from you. Kuya is stricter than you think, so it was hard for me to say anything-"
"Oh, Aries! That's easy for you to say! Even if Kuya disappears for just 30 seconds, you could have told me!" I snapped, frustrated.
"It's easy to say, but stopping you is hard! You're still impulsive. If I had told you, you would have acted without thinking. Kuya caught me, and things just got even more complicated."
"What do you mean? I can control myself now."
He sighed. "Because Mama is there to watch over you. But things are different now."
"You always have so many excuses!"
He shook his head and quickly turned away from me. Maybe he knew we weren't going to have a reasonable conversation. I walked to the door, shut it, and then collapsed onto my bed.
I thought about what Mama had said while telling her story. Why did I still feel hurt? Was what she went through really that bad?
I looked at my phone, debating whether to message Percy.
To: Piercing...
Message: TühkmOL.
(Idiot)
Not long after, my phone rang. When I checked, it was my stepbrother calling.
"Hey," I answered.
["Why did you text like that? Do you need a new phone?"]
"No way."
["You didn't text like that before. You're getting worse and worse."]
"Of course, I was still searching for a good cell phone. I was used to the old-fashioned keypad."
He suddenly laughed. ["Poor."]
The audacity.
"You're crazy! That phone is tough-it even fell into a flood and still survived."
He laughed even louder. I couldn't help but be annoyed by his reaction. It was as if he had never seen a non-keypad phone before, even though they were the trend before touchscreens took over. He acted like he was born yesterday, yet he was older than me.
"What did a non-keypad phone ever do to you to make you this happy?"
["Nothing. I'm just laughing at you. You enjoy the little things so much when you could just ask us for a better phone."]
I snorted. Sure, I liked material things, but not to the extent of always wanting the latest trends. I didn't know why either.
Maybe it was because of Grandma. She always scolded me, saying she could only provide so much, so I shouldn't ask for more. My things were mostly hand-me-downs-my aunt's legacy, filled with her constant swearing.
["That's nice,"] he said. ["Just enjoy the little things in life. And since I'm with you, enjoy my good looks too-that's a big deal."]
"Take it," I replied flatly.
He laughed so hard, almost rolling around in amusement.
"Have fun with that," I said, annoyed.
["So, what exactly do you need? Why did you text me?"]
I thought carefully about my reason for texting him. In reality, I wanted to know something after seeing Mama's reaction.
"Do you know why Mama is so angry with Papa?"
He was silent for a moment before answering.
["I told you before, didn't I? Your grandfather threatened us."]
"Oh?"
["I don't really know anymore. I haven't been involved in your Papa's life for a long time,"] he admitted. ["But I do know he loves you."]
I held my breath.
"I really want to see him."
["You can find a way too."]
I wanted to cry but chose not to. I said goodbye to Percy and hung up. Curling up in my bed, I racked my brain for ways to convince Mama.
I didn't know how long I thought about Papa, Mama, and even what to eat for lunch. But my stomach was still churning, and I couldn't bring myself to leave my room. Eventually, I went straight to the kitchen.
I ran into Aries and immediately teased him. He just shook his head and walked past me. The entire day, every time I saw Aries, I did nothing but mock, taunt, or annoy him. Even at the dinner table, I kept at it.
"Jay, stop that," Kuya ordered, eyeing me.
"Eat properly. You need energy," Mama said as she piled more rice onto my plate.
A lot of rice.
I hadn't been that hungry earlier, so now I didn't know whether to put the extra spoonfuls back. But I regretted it-it was already on my plate. There was no turning back.
I sighed and stuffed a bite of rice into my mouth. I stayed quiet while Aunt Gema and Angelo chatted, with Mama and Aries occasionally joining the conversation. I chose not to speak because I knew there was only one thing I wanted to say.
"Do you want more, Jay?" Mama asked.
I wasn't fully aware of my response until the words left my mouth.
"I want to see Papa."
Mama took a deep breath, and so did Kuya.
"I'm done," I said, pushing my plate away and standing up before any arguments could start.
I went straight to my room and shut the door behind me. After a moment, I washed my face. This is hard. Convincing them like this is impossible.
My mind was racing. I kept thinking about just running away and meeting Papa without telling them. But Keifer had said it was better to convince Mama-otherwise, it would cause an even bigger mess.
I chose to get ready for bed. I cleaned myself up, brushed my teeth, and changed into my pajamas. Once I was done, I jumped onto the bed.
I was about to sleep when my phone started ringing nonstop.
When I checked, it was Ci-N sending me messages. I quickly scrolled through them-all photos.
Pictures of new toys.
I winced when I accidentally opened a receipt for one of them. One toy cost 25,000. He even helped assemble it.
While I was busy replying to Ci-N's messages, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. The door slowly opened, and Mama walked in.
"I'm sleeping here," she said.
"Why? Did I say you could?" I responded, slightly annoyed.
"I'm not asking for permission," she replied, lying down next to me.
I sighed before shifting over and adjusting the bed. Putting my phone aside, I lay down.
I stared at the ceiling-not because I wasn't used to having someone next to me, but because it had been so long since Mama slept beside me. It felt strange yet comforting.
I tried to remember the last time we shared a bed, but my memories were blurry. Maybe that's just how it is-you grow older, and childhood fades away. Or maybe it's because of what happened in my past.
I hope it's just because of age.
For a moment, flashes of old memories came back to me. Not completely, but just enough to understand a little.
"Ma..." I called softly, checking if she was still awake.
"If you're asking about meeting your stupid father, the answer is still no," she said immediately, turning her back to me.
A real villain.
"Ah, you're wrong. That's not my question," I said, watching as she slowly turned to face me.
"Then what is it now?"
"Where were you when I was waiting for you? Where were you when I waited for your arrival? Where were you on my birthdays? Why didn't you show up back then?" I asked, one question after another.
She stared at me before looking up at the ceiling.
"Don't dwell on that. What matters is now," she finally said.
I let out a nervous laugh. "You're something else. I can't tell if you want us to get along or argue more."
"Of course, I want things to be fine."
"Then why are you like this? You should be making amends with Aries."
"I am making amends. That's why I want to build a whole family for you."
I frowned. "What whole family?"
"Mom, Dad, and kids."
"Who the hell taught you that?"
She looked at me like I was the fool. "What do you mean? That's what a family is. They even teach it in school."
"Then school teaches it wrong. Anyone can be family-as long as they accept and support each other. Blood doesn't matter."
I smiled slightly, thinking of the Snakes. I consider them more than just friends. Even though we tease and annoy each other. Even though they once betrayed me. I still accept them.
In the end, that betrayal was a blessing in disguise. It tested our bond. Now, I know I matter to them.
And Keifer?
Like the rest of the Ulupong boys, he's always trying to prove himself to me-not just once, but again and again. Even with my problems with Papa, he's there, ready to help. He puts in all the effort. Maybe it's time.
Mama chuckled. "Where did you learn that?"
"Experience."