Stars shone as sugar spilt over black marble, glistening in the sun. The night sky was such a welcome sight, appearing like magic at each sunset, promising to return as it faded in dawn's first light. There were times in the daytime, under skies of blue, when I would think of those faraway stars and how they'd return after the shadows blended into the dark.

Marahang hikab ang aking pinakawalan bago ko muling yukuin ang cellphone na aking hawak habang nakatayo sa balkonahe ng aking silid. It's already ten in the evening and Aidan is still offline. I'm kind of waiting for his call the whole today. Last night, I feel something is wrong with him, I don't know what it is that's bothering him, but I know there is. Kaninang umaga ay hindi rin niya ako tinawagan, which is very unlike him. He's offline for almost a day now, even his messenger cannot be reached.

I miss him at the same time. I'm worried. What's wrong with him?

Kinabukasan ay maaga akong nagising, Aidan still hasn't called me. But I shrugged off the sadness I'm feeling, it's Ricos' first birthday today. I can't believe that one year ago today, I delivered an angel to make the world brighter. Ngayong araw ang dating nila ni Aidan, hindi ko nga lang alam kung anong oras dahil hindi naman ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makausap siya kahapon upang makapagtanong. I still don't know what's wrong.

Today is Sunday and I'm free from school, I've decided to search for a good diner in town and book a reservation for us, if ever they make it here for dinner. Which I hope...

I've spent the whole morning cleaning the house, Ricos will be here so I should make sure that he won't be able to inhale dust in the air. Isa pa, I wanna do something so that I won't be stuck on the couch, feet up and killing myself with thoughts in my head. I should be thinking anything but negative; my men will be here anytime today, and I will be home.

Lunchtime came, and since I didn't feel like eating, a bowl of cereal would be good. In the middle of my meal, my eyes moved back and forth from what I was eating to where my phone was. I'm still waiting for Aidan's call. Kaya naman nang tumunog iyon ay agad akong napatayo at dali-dali iyong kinuha sa ibabaw ng counter, to my dismay, it wasn't Aidan but Wendell.

"Hey," I tried not to sound disappointed. It wasn't Wendell's fault that he called in.

"Hey, how're you? Are they already there?"

I told Wendell that Aidan and Ricos are coming today, I even told him that it's Ricos' birthday. I cleared my throat and answered. "Not yet, but I'm sure they'll be here in a few."

"Alright, I just called in to greet your baby a happy birthday."

Oh, how thoughtful of you, Wendell!

"I actually got him a gift though. Imma give it in school tomorrow."

"Wow that sounds cool. Thank you!"

"I don't want to take too much of your time, gotta go. Enjoy your day, Paris."

"Yeah sure, I will. Bye,"

Ilang sandal matapos maputol ang tawag ay ang siyang pag-tunog ng buzzer ng unit, my heartbeat automatically picked up. Excitement rushed through my nerves, and I quickly opened the door. And it didn't fail me. I saw Aidan standing at my doorstep.

And without thinking further, I jumped into him and wrapped myself in the warmth of his arms. I closed my eyes and buried my face into his chest. Aidan is here now, and he is here. Oh, good Lord, how I miss him!

I know how insane this happiness inside me is, but just being near him lights me up inside and gives me a serenity I can never know without him being close. It's like the breaths I take aren't full when he's away; the smiles I smile are somehow incomplete. It's him that creates the warmth inside my soul.

"God, I thought you wouldn't make it..." bulong ko.

"I couldn't miss a chance, Paris," he whispered back, kissing the top of my head, embracing me tighter.

I smiled and was about to say something when I got interrupted by a loud throat clearing, I had to move and see where it came from.

Behind Aidan is Romee, carrying Ricos in her arms. She rolled her eyes and smiled at me, her cheeks are rosier than it had always been.

"I will really appreciate it if you'll let us in."

"Oh," I stepped back to let her in without letting go of Aidan's arm.

My eyes stilled at Ricos, who was looking at me with those pair of eyes he copied from Aidan. I named Ricos after the child in my dream when I was pregnant with him. I told Aidan that if Ricos got my dad's eyes, he'd be Ricos Franco, but since he inherited Aidan's, he's Ricos Anton.

Pinakawalan ako ni Aidan upang malapitan si Ricos. His bright eyes found mine, and he laughed, as only a baby can laugh a sweet sound unblemished by life's hurts. His little face glowed from a light within, and his miniature fingers grasped mine and held tight.

"Oh my God, love..." tears went down my eyes when I carried him off from Romee's arms.

He knew! Somehow it felt like he knew I needed comfort from him, he knew I needed joy in the midst of missing him. I held him to my chest tightly, I would never get tired of this precious bundle. I would protect him. Even to the point of death.

"Ricos, baby, I miss you," I whispered, kissing his head.

"Mom," tuwid nitong bulong.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound of his voice calling me mom. Ricos started uttering words five months ago, and now I can say that he's already good at it. His development is quite fast, iyon ang sabi sakin ni Uncle Dave the last time we talked. I don't wanna give much attention to it since my baby is still a baby, and I don't like him growing fast.

"Love you," he giggled and moved to kiss my cheek.

My heart melted in instant, mas lalo kong hinigpitan ang yakap ko rito. "Ricos, I love you so much. Happy birthday,"

The love I have for my Ricos is the ordinary kind. It is no more than any mother I know and respect. It is the kind of love that would move heaven and earth for my child if I had the power. It is the kind of love that says, 'I would give my life for my child any time, any place.' That doesn't make me unusual. I am only normal. It is the kind of love that would take on anyone, anyplace, anytime, if they threaten the wellbeing of my son. That is ordinary love; it's the kind of love all mothers have inside. I mean the spark that ignites in every person. I mean to do it in such a way that no one is in danger at any time. Because this ordinary love of mine extends to everyone who loves like I do. I would rather live on my knees than die on my feet because my son needs his mother alive, but I'm only on my knees because that is how I pray. Inside I am on my feet, I am lighting the kind of righteous fires that don't ever die. That's how I am loved by my mom. That's how I'm loving my son.

"I was bored, so I've decided to come with Aidan and Ricos. Isa pa, I haven't seen you in awhile, I miss you, you know," Romee said while eating from the slice of cake I prepared for them.

Lihim akong napangiti sa sinabi nito, I don't mind having her here because if truth is to be told, I miss Romee too, so much more than she could imagine.

Tahimik lamang si Aidan na kumakain habang si Ricos naman ay nag-lilikot saking kandungan. "I have a reservation in a diner downtown later for dinner, you can come."

Nilingon ko si Romee and oh God, she flashed a very bright smile I can't help but fall for it. How can my sister be this beautiful and sweet both at the same time?

"I would love that, but I already promised my evening to Reid since we haven't talked much at dinner yesterday."

Agad na umangat ang aking mata pabaling kay Romee, my forehead knotted. "You were already here yesterday evening?"

Nakita kong natigilan ito, she then looked at Aidan's direction and there's an apologetic look, for what reason? I don't know. Nilingon ko si Aidan, naabutan ko pa siyang nakatingin kay Romee bago yumuko sa kinakain.

"Ah, yes. I was already here yesterday morning, I came ahead of them actually." Romee bowed her head to the food she was eating as if it were so interesting to look at.

Marahan na lamang akong tumango. Hindi naman nag-tagal si Romee dahil mag-kikita pa daw sila ni Ethan, Romee is just so lovely and so charming that everybody fell in love with her. Everyone cares for her, so I won't be surprise if all our relatives and family affiliates who lives nearby will extend effort to see her while she's here.

Seven in the evening, when I brought my men to the diner, I was talking about. We walked towards the restaurant with Aidan carrying Ricos in his arms while holding my waist on the other one. This night is so perfect, or it's just how I feel it.

"Reservation under Paris Amanda Castañeda," I smiled politely at the receptionist.

It's not the kind of place where you get a table on impulse, large mullioned windows, long embroidered curtains, dark walnut tables, flowers on each table, delicate live piano music, flagstone tile floor, lounge area with embroidered couches, oval coffee tables with splendidly proportioned cabriole legs, tea served from silver trays in white teapots. I hope Aidan is cool with it.

I turned to him, he's patiently listening to whatever Ricos is telling him. Marahil ay napansin niyang nakatingin ako sakanya kaya nilingon niya ako, bago pa ako makapagtanong ay ngumiti na siya bago mag-salita, as if he's on my mind again.

"The place is wonderful," he even bent down to give my lips a soft peck before he whispered softly. "I can live forever hearing my name in you,"

A blush burned through my cheeks, and my face felt like a hot oven. Oh, Aidan and everything he does to me!

We were escorted by a uniformed gentleman to the table I reserved for us. I haven't been here, not even once, so I was clueless about what to order. I looked at Aidan, who seemed focused on scanning the menu in his hand but still managed to answer Ricos' innocent questions like,

"Dad, why do I have two eyes if I only see one of everything?" he even tried to cover his right eye after the left.

His question made me smile, reminding me of my young self having the same question in my head that I later learned why. We have something called binocular vision. The beauty of the human brain is that it accepts images from both eyes and merges them to form a single image. The advantage of this is that we have a single view to concentrate on and thus perceive surroundings in a better way. Both the eyes work synchronously, they together point at the same object.

"That's because God wants your focus to the most important beauty of life." Simpleng sagot ni Aidan, he turned to me and smiled. "Nakapili ka na?"

"Is that so?" Sumingit pa si Ricos bago ako makasagot, tumango tango pa ito habang nanghahaba ang nguso. "But dad, why is the moon called moon? Who named the moon? Does the moon have a mom and a dad? It could be called Ricos, too, though."

Nagkatinginan kami ni Aidan, mahina akong natawa. Goodness, my son is so me! The only difference is that he's vocal about what he has in mind. I saw Aidan bite his lower lip to control his chuckle.

"Mom, I need answer" nilingon ako ni Ricos nang hindi mag-salita si Aidan upang sagutin siya.

My God, he's just so curious about everything! "Baby, the moon is called many things in different mythologies that you'll soon learn when you're old enough to go to school. For now, let the moon be a moon and let's have dinner, okay?"

"Mm," he shrugged his cute little shoulders. "Okay,"

"I'll have steak," I told Aidan.

He gave me a nod and called out for a waiter. Ricos asks questions about the duration of the whole dinner, and Aidan patiently deals with them. He even asked his father how knives were invented! I can't help but observe him. My son is just one year old, and I know this isn't normal behaviour for someone who just turned one.

Ricos always had an unusual alertness, even in infancy. He's a rapid learner; he puts his thoughts quickly, sometimes faster than those older than him. He remembers almost every word you say. He has an unusually large vocabulary and complex sentence structure for his age. Good God, is Uncle Dave's prediction on point again? Should I be worried? Well, I really should be!

After dinner, we went back home and Ricos is fast asleep. Aidan helped me clean him up and tucked him to bed. Matapos ay pinauna ko na siyang gumamit ng banyo, I know he's tired too and he needs a rest. Habang naliligo si Aidan ay tahimik ko namang pinapanuod si Ricos na payapang natutulog. The rising and falling of his chest brings comfort in me. How I love to spend the night watching him sleep.

There is usually a thirst of knowledge in the gifted that cannot be fulfilled at school, it is usually at home with books or through verbal questioning. Knowing that you are gifted means hard work. I tend to set very, very high expectations for myself and I get really disappointed if I don't reach them, whereas kids of my age will be genuinely happy. I don't want my son to experience it. I don't want him to go through the same path I'd been through.

"What's up?"

I turned to Aidan when I heard his voice, hindi ko na namalayan na tapos na pala siyang maligo. He's now wearing a sweatpants and nothing on top, he sat beside me and looked at Ricos.

"May problema ba?" He whispered, inabot niya ang maliit na kamay ni Ricos at marahan iyong hinaplos.

"He's too brilliant,"

"He's your son," he said. "Is that you're worrying about? Ricos being extra for his age?"

Marahan akong tumango, naramdaman ko ang pagpaikot ng braso ni Aidan saking bewang upang yakapin ako. I turned to him and his eyes were comforting, he bent down and kissed me softly.

"Aidan, I don't want him to suffer. Ayokong mahihirapan si Ricos, in time-"

"Do you trust me?" Tanong niya na siyang nagpakunot ng aking noo. What kind of question is that?

"Of course I do!"

"Then stop worrying, trust me. I will make him feel safe and protected. Sure, he's good, sure, he's brilliant, but no, he still needs a dad all the time, and I will always make him feel that way." He smiled. "That not because he can, he'll all be alone. I want him to need us. I will make him need us. I'll watch over him, kahit pa iyon nalang gawin ko buong buhay ko, ang bantayan kayo, I won't mind."

"Oh, Aidan!" and just by that, every worry fades away, I pulled him in an embrace. "Thank you, thank you for always making me feel better."

"I am your husband, I supposed to do that all the time."

"This is why I keep on missing you every time."

"Really? You missed me?" He chuckled softly, lifting my chin through his fingers to meet my gaze.

I pursed my lips and nodded my head as I smiled. "Always,"

"Ako rin, you just don't know how mad you're driving me," he breathed and bent down once more to kiss my waiting lips. "God baby, I'm so crazy about you."

Natatawang hinaplos ko ang kaniyang pisngi, I'm so happy that it's not only me who's going crazy here.

Nasa ganoong anyo kami nang tumunog ang buzzer, agad na kumunot ang noo ni Aidan sakin. "May inaasahan ka bang bisita?"

I shook my head, tumayo ako at ganoon rin siya. Sinamahan niya akong tunguhin ang pinto after making sure that Ricos is safe to be left alone.

He had his arms wrapped on my waist, tila ba kalkulado pa ang galaw niya. He's the one who opened the door without bothering himself to check the peephole, and we're both surprised to see Romee standing outside with her face flooded with tears.

"Oh my God, Romee, what happened?" I was instantly worried when she pulled and embraced me tightly, as if her life depended on me.

We both guided her in, and Aidan was just silently watching us.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" I can feel my heart slowly breaking seeing her this way, inalalayan ko itong maupo sa couch bago ito tinabihan. Aidan moved to the kitchen to get her a glass of water, agad rin siyang bumalik. I turned to him and muttered thanks.

"I'll go check Ricos, call me if you need a hand." Aidan said when he noticed that I needed to be alone with my sister.

When Aidan was gone, mas lalong lumakas ang iyak ni Romee. I don't know how to deal with her, never in my life have I showed her how much I care for her, but right now, I can't afford to leave her here all by herself.

"Ro, tell me what's wrong?" I asked softly.

Romee cried as if her brain was being shredded from the inside. Emotional pain flowed out of her every pore.

"Romee, come on, you can tell me everything..." I never thought that this day would come when I'd be her comfort.

"Paris, he's here..." she whispered, hinila niya ako bago lalong yumakap sakin. "I know he's here. B-but he didn't show up, not last night and not tonight. I don't know what had I done for him to avoid me this bad, but it hurts like hell..."

"Romee..." I was lost for words.

"Zander told me he loves me. He did. He told me that, but he left me. For no reason, Paris, he left me hanging. And how stupid of me that I was waiting for him to comeback, with no assurance, I waited." Romee wept. "We were happy then, Paris. I can't remember doing something wrong that will make him leave me, I want him by my side, every time and I tend to keep him. But he left me, and now, he's been avoiding me. I know he is avoiding me, but I wanna know the reason why..."

The aim of the wise isn't always to secure the pleasure but instead to avoid the pain. I don't know what happened to them, and I don't think I am supposed to know. Romee needs a shoulder to cry on now, and I can be one. I patiently listened to her and gave her all the right words she had to hear to make her feel better until she fell asleep on my shoulder.

I'm so in love with Romee, and I don't want her to feel that she's not loved by the people she cares so much about.

"Need a help?" Aidan came out of the room.

"Well, uh, yeah" I smiled at him and looked at Romee's sleeping form.

Nakangiti niya akong tinulungan, he carried Romee to a vacant room beside mine. Ako nama'y hinubad ang sapatos na suot nito. Romee is like a baby angel asleep, she looks so soft and fragile.

Aidan didn't ask anything, but I know he's worried. I know that he cared for my sister as much as I do, and I love him more for that.

Nang mapalagay na ako sa ayos ni Romee ay iniwan na namin ito sa silid. I was about to enter our room when Aidan held my hand, he pulled me in an embrace, so tight I might break.

"Hmm?" I smiled.

"Can I pick you up tomorrow at school?" he whispered.

"I'd love that,"

"I want to kill this thing on my head, I don't want this feeling, Paris..."

He sighed, and so I looked at him.

"I want so much to understand all the things that concern you. This is bad. This is not healthy. I don't want jealousy consuming me," malambing niyang sabi. "I want to meet your friend, Wendell. Maybe then my mind will calm."

•••
Shoutout to all the TEAM PARAID, this chapter is for you!
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