A woman asked from beside me and I didn’t know I was standing there dumbfoundedly and I instantly saw my suitcase almost sucked back in the machine when I grabbed it.
“Thanks,” I said to her and she smiled.
“You’re welcome, Ate Ellaina.” I paused, hearing the woman calling my name.
And with Ate, which means older sister in Tagalog.
I blinked, looking at the woman wearing a blue sundress again when I instantly recognized her.
“Elyana? Is that you?” I asked, making sure it was her when she instantly hugged me.
“I missed you Ate Ellaina!” She exclaimed. “Come, mother’s waiting for us.”
She then grabbed my suitcase and I couldn’t help but stare at my sister’s face.
The last time I saw her was when I was still a teen and she was still a child.
Now that she’s grown into a teenager, I couldn’t help but see myself in her.
She looks just like me, except her expression looked much softer and purer. Brown hair and hazel eyes, but hers was much more innocent.
I gulped, feeling emotional but I just smiled and let her guide me to her car.
“Ate, you know that I trained myself hard to drive so I could drive you home. It’s finally time.” She said, loading my suitcase on the back and opening the door for me in the passenger seat.
I hopped on and she hopped in the driver’s seat, starting to drive now. “I missed you so much that I kept a list of all the things you missed. My first period, my first boyfriend, my first kiss, and-“
I looked at her with a dead expression and cut her sentence off, “How’s the father? When did he die?”
She paused, her smile disappearing as she looked at the ground, “Yesterday. I couldn’t contact you….”
I crossed my arms in front of me, “You could have contacted my manager yet you reached out to my ex-husband. How did you know Noah’s number?”
“I saw his phone number from father’s phone.” Was all she could reply and I nodded.
“I see.”
She then drove to the familiar old house we have here. Other children would even mock how it looked like a haunted mansion and even joked about how I was a ghost.
Ah, memories.
But other than that, all I could remember were bad things. How my parents treated me like a retirement plan.
“You must be tired. I’ll let you sleep in your room. I clean it for you.” Elyana said, directing me to my old room.
The room where I grew up in.
The room that witnessed all my heartaches, pain, and tears on the pillow.
I looked at the rest of the house. It looked abandoned and too..dirty.
“Didn’t we have a caretaker?” I asked, remembering how we have five maids last time.
“We were in London last time when father begged mother to rest here. We used up all our money that we have no choice but to fire them…” She said, “There’s only me and mother…and now we have you.” I looked at her smile, her delicate and warm smile that I find irritating now.
“How come you can smile when the father's dead?” I blurted out, which stunned her.
“W-what?” She asked, stammering now.
“Are you happy now?” I asked, wanting to make sure she was smiling because she wants it and not because she was forcing it.
She nodded slowly, “I…am happy because you got home safely ate.”
I snorted, “No need to smile for me…We just lost our father, Elyana.“ I ordered, “But thank you for before going in my room and locking it.
I know that I said I already moved on but damn, I already did. The pain just flashed back again, returning to me like a tidal wave and somehow, drowning me again.
I cleared my throat, leaning on the wall as I gritted my teeth, “Speak your intentions before I’ll open this.”
“I just wanted to ask how are you doing?” He answered through the door and I scoffed at that.
Ask how I was doing. Is he nuts? He really must be out of his mind! How could he just barge in on my new home after all of what he did to me?
But instead, I tried to remain calm. “Good. I am good since you cheated on me.”
There was a pause until he continued, “I am not here to fight you.”
I scoffed, “I know. Now speak what you want and leave me alone.”
“How should I put this…your family couldn’t contact you. Go home now. They need you.”
I blinked, why is he ordering me just like that? He’s already out of my business, and we already have our own lives. For him to come all the way here for trouble and dictate that to me knowing that my relationship with my family is not that healthy…is off.
“Why?” Well, I purposely did not let them contact me as I changed my number. I do not want any toxicity in my life now.
He cleared his throat. “Your little sister called me. Your father’s….dead, Ellaina.”
As soon as he said that, I could hear ringing in my head. I squinted my eyes, feeling pain and I asked him to repeat it.
“Your father is dead, Ellaina.” He repeated. “And I just came to tell you that. Your sister told me that they are waiting for you in your mother’s province. Tell me if you want me to drive you-“
“I am perfectly fine on my own, thank you very much,” I said, cutting his sentence off. I do not want to receive any help from anyone.
“Very well then. I give my condolences to you and your family.”
And still keeping my door closed, I felt his footsteps fading away. My knees turned soft and became jelly that I couldn’t even manage to stand up now. I slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the wall.
Father, my father who had pushed me into a loveless marriage to Noah just to keep his wealth, is dead.
God Knows how many times I wished for him to be dead and he seemed to hear my prayers.
But deep down, I couldn’t even accept it. Damn that old man. I always knew he was a bad grass and knowing his kind, bad grass never gets killed that easily.
Even his riches couldn’t save him from his deathbed.
Breathing deeply, I tried to maintain my calm as I packed my things in my black suitcase. I grabbed my handbag and the keys before looking at my place one last time.
Damn. To think that Manager Smith did his best to make me comfortable and find this perfect room, only for me to leave it again.
Going to my car, I instantly drove myself to the airport. I then hastily booked a ticket and managed everything alone before boarding the plane and going to Davao, where my mother’s province was.
The whole ride took only an hour and a half and the whole time, I couldn’t sleep.
I wanted to weep over my father’s death but I grew numb. I couldn’t even let tears from my eyes as I just blankly stare at the wall.