Far into the future

"Diba nak, ang drama nang buhay ko?" Tanong ng nanay ko.

She always tells the story about how her and my dad's story, even including the perspective of her friends.

It's a touching moment like this that just brings up the tears in me. To think she's on her death bed yet she's still reliving the moments of her youth. She's nearing 72 years old now, ilang buwan nalang sana mag-bibirthday na siya ngunit parang hindi na siya aabot sa kaarawan niya.

"Wow naman ma, talagang makukulay ang mga pinagdaanan mo nuon." Ngiti ko sa nanay ko.

Even though she's struggling to breathe, she still managed to give me that warm smile.

"Abay ganyan ang buhay mo kapag makikita mo ang itinadhana nang dyos sayo." She laughed but that laugh gave her hard coughs afterward.

"Dahan-dahan lang sa pagtawa ma, matatanggal ang lungs mo nyan." Biro ko.

Her smile faded unexpectedly and her eyes began to wander. She rubbed her hands together and looked at the ceiling lights above.

"Leo, alagaan mo mga kapatid mo ha. Sayang wala sila ngayon." Aniya.

Tagos sa puso ang sinabi niya, alam na niyang nalalapit na siyang mawala sa amin ngunit hindi pa namin siyang mawala, hindi ko pa kayang mawala siya sa amin.

"Ba't ka namamaalam nay! Bad trip ka eh." I chuckled, wiping away the tears before she could even notice it.

"Namimiss ko na tatay mo." She said unexpectedly. "Yari yun sa akin pag nagkita kami ulit. Nang iwan eh."

Bigla kong naalala ang tatay. He passed away three years ago in the middle of the night, sleeping peacefully beside her.

The sight of her crying every day after she wakes up and finding him as if he's still alive gives me devastating memories I wished I could forget.

"Me too mom, I miss him so much." I cried.

She slowly reached out to me and patted my head slowly. I look up and I saw her smiling.

She took a deep breath and once again looked up at the ceiling lights.

"Anak, inaantok na ang nanay." She said. Bigla akong nag-alala para sa kanya. Sa isip at puso ko alam kong ito na ang huling oras niya sa mundong ito.

Tinignan ko ang heart monitors beside me and saw that her heartbeat is slow. I grabbed my phone and called my other siblings to hurry up but they were unresponsive.

Kung ngayong araw na mamamatay si mama gusto ko sanang mapapaligiran siya sa mga anak niya ngunit mukhang iba ang plano ng tadhana.

Itinabi ko ang cellphone ko at tumingin ni mama. Nagulat ako nang makita ko na nakatitig siya sa pintuan at nakangiti.

It took me a second to realize that it was dad. Sinusundo na niya si mama.

"Ma? Sinusundo kanaba ng tatay?" I asked.

She nodded yes.

"Sasama ka ba, nay?" Aniko. "Kasi kung gusto mo nang sundan ang tatay okay lang."

"Alam ko nang hirap na hirap ka na sa kalagayan mo dyan." I added.

I took her hand and kiss it gently. The sheets of her bed were drenched with my tears.

"Paano kayo anak? Paano ka, ang bunso ko? Gusto ko pang ihatid ka sa kasal mo at makita ang mga apo ko." She whispered, her body was too tired to even talk.

All the medications and hospital gizmos that we've tried on her were just delaying the inevitable.

"Okay lang kami nay. Okay lang ako. Kakayanin namin nila ate at kuya. Tsaka ang layo pa ng kasal namin ni Maeve." I lied. Hindi ko kayang sabihin sa kaniya na hiwalay na kami ni Maeve, the girl she thought was the one for me.

"Salamat sa lahat ma. Alam kung hindi ako perpektong anak pero para sa akin ikaw ang pinaka perpektong ina sa lahat." I got up from my sitting position earlier and hugged her.

"Say hi to dad for me," I said one last time.

As the heart monitors deadlines, I continue to embrace her. My sisters and my brother together with their families arrived shortly after my mom was pronounced dead.

****

"There's my soon-to-be astronaut brother. How's mom? Is she pretty for the funeral?" My brother, Ace, asked.

"Yeah, mukhang ready na siya sa funeral." I replied.

"Uncle Leo! Uncle Leo!" The voices of my nephews echoed around the church. I turn around and saw them running towards me.

"Mga paborito kung mga pamangkin! Ang laki nyo na!" I greeted my nephews with a big hug, they all giggled once I hugged them both.

"Wag mong sabihin ng mga ate ma sinabi ko yon, kuya." I whispered.

"My lips are sealed." He smiled. "I'm just glad MY kids are your favorites."

"Back to our previous subject Leo. Okay, ka lang ba sa ISEA? I heard that ISEA has a tough training for their upcoming astronauts." He suddenly asked.

"Definitely tougher than I thought kuya. Ang harsh na ng mga training at exams nila nung na discobre nila na nawawalan na tayo nang oras to seek another planet to live on." Binulong ko kay kuya para hindi malaman ng mga pamangkin ko na guguho na ang mundo.

"Well the pressure is definitely on you guys. After all the weird space shenanigans we saw on tv about multiverse and the discovery of jumping into one, the whole world is on to you people." Aniya.

"Salamat nalang at naging founder sa ISEA si Tito Apollo kundi parang gigising ako with the media right in front of my face." I laughed a little.

"Anong pinag-uusapan niyo dyan?" Biglang sumingit sa usapan namin ni kuya ang dalawang ate namin. They were looking at the both of us suspiciously.

"Wala, wala. We were just talking about his break-up with Maeve." My brother quickly come up with a great lie to cover up our previous conversation.

"Oh, yeah, I don't want to be in that conversation then." Mataray na pagsabi ni Ate Daisy sa amin. She left the scene with her husband and their three children.

"Paano na yan bunso, excited pa naman ang nanay makita kang makasal kay Maeve sa wakas." Ate Willow chimed in.

"I mean it's not Leo's fault that girl took too long for them to get wed. She even had the audacity to break up with our sweet little brother!" Kuya Ace exclaimed.

"Yeah! I don't like Ate Maeve, she's mean!" Kuya Ace's kids even entered the conversation.

Kuya Ace now noticing that his children are hearing things not yet suitable for their ears, he told them to go after their mom. The boys followed what their dad told them and left us alone.

"Taray din nang mga anak mo noh? Nakikisama sa mga usapang pang matanda." Ate Willow giggled.

"Don't look at me, that's their mom's genes. She's the smart and mature one in our relationship." Kuya Ace said.

"Yeah, alam na namin yan, kuya." I joined ate willow and laughed as well.

"Ha ha, kung magkaka-anak kang hinayupa ka. Tignan natin kung anong kalalabasan niyan." Aniya.

"Kung magkaka-anak yan." Ate Willow suddenly changed sides, much to my surprise.

"Wag nyo akong awayin. Makakahanap din ako ng taong pakakasalan ko." Baling ko sa kanila.

"We don't know fate's plan. I might find my woman in another Earth-like some weird sci-fi romance novel." I added.

The both of them looked at me weirdly. Simultaneously, they snorted out a laugh and said, "Sure bunso, if pigs fly."

But before I could speak up to myself, tumawag na sa amin si Ate Daisy na magsisimula na daw ang cermonya sa burol ni mama.

With everything going on with ISEA, our dying planet earth, and that discovery of a multiverse, maybe pigs can fly, and maybe what I said might become a reality after all.

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The End

Leo's story will continue on
"Apart"

~Thank you for reading my first completed book! >3<