P.S. I Love You Mama!
The Final Confrontation and the 2-day Suitcase
Wednesday night I went home all flushed with excitement. I just found the perfect place for me to transfer close to my office. Before that I left a message to Papa telling him the good news. Apparently, he wasn’t too impressed about it and so we ended up with a little confrontation. I got off the seemingly endless conversation and went straight to my room to pack. I hastily and absent-mindedly stuffed my things in a 2-day suitcase thinking I already had enough. But my brother and sister kept popping their heads everywhere I went and so I bit my tongue not to cry. I will miss them on weekdays, I told myself.
The last night I spent in my room, I just couldn’t contain myself that I felt the walls are closing in on me, I tightly embraced my beloved pillow and tried hard enough to get some sleep.
The Boarding House at 2nd Street
Before I left the house the next day Papa was already saying things like “Take care of your belongings ha, you don’t want to be branded burara doon…” I just understood the first two words as me and Mama animatedly chatted about the “this and that” of living in a different world.
My mother and I traveled all the way from Antipolo to Magallanes armed with heavy luggages crammed with all of my belongings. We were racing time because I need to get to my office before 9 o’clock and it’s already 8:45 at the MRT (the super jam-packed train from north to the south). Luckily we got there the quickest time possible.
I introduced Mama to Ate Rica (the so obviously restless land lady). At the gates, I realized Mama was already dubious. At first hello, she was ready to leave. I left her in a hurry in case she changes her mind in sending me off to live here. I went back to work praying. Praying that today will be the last day I’ll ever get late for work, praying that everything’s fine. Everything…everything…
The Panicked and the Aqua Best Residence
Around half past five in the afternoon I started getting text messages from Mama that she’ll be waiting for me at a famous Bakeshop along Pasong Tamo. The words that stuck to me were, “don’t push about moving to Rica’s place. We’ll talk later” Sweet.
By that time I was already in panic. I couldn’t stop thinking what the hell went wrong. Oh but of course I already anticipated her reaction, but does she now detest my moving out? Is she going to stop me too? What in the world really happened?! I was so dying to know.
The thing is, in the office, we have a major deadline to meet and my officemates were eager to extend working hours just to finish the tasks we have. We were loaded you know! From video presentation to so many research, argh! Luckily, I was allowed to leave early.
At the shop Mama told me how she got disappointed with the look and feel of Rica’s Boarding House. She said, “What if you hyperventilate?” I just nodded in agreement. Later on she started talking about a place she kept calling Aqua Best. I wasn’t paying too much attention because I was ready to go back home in Antipolo. Suddenly, we started leaving and I heard her saying, “That place is much better… It’s safer…and the landlady is somewhat motherly. Come on let’s go.”
I just couldn’t believe my fate. As I enter the premises of "The Aqua Best Residence" (of course this isn’t the real name of the boarding house, we were just playing around with it, he-he), I was kind of fidgeting. All the time my mother was transacting and talking to the twin owners Ate Malyn and Ate Evelyn my mind was in outer space. I could not imagine this is really happening.
After getting the receipt and unloading my heavy bags on my new bed we left to grab some of my now personal necessities – 3 pillows, 3 pillow cases, a blanket, a mattress, a bed sheet, toiletries, and vanity items. After nearly spending more than my budget we went back to the boarding house already in a daze.
Mother Knows Best
I settled in at an almost deserted room on the second floor with big grocery plastic bags on both hands. My roommates were still out. It was already half past 10 o’clock in the evening when I started unpacking my things and putting everything inside a chest cabinet I was provided.
Take care of yourself were Mamas’ words as she step out into the cold night, leaving me at the foot of the stairs that’ll take me up to my room on the second floor. I smiled back and told her to do the same and to tell Papa, Nico and Puyin to take care of themselves as well. As I stepped on the first platform up I felt a sudden nostalgia. I wanted to say something more to her. I wanted to tell her how thankful I am that she is with me today and that if she didn’t help me through these, I think I’d be damned.
Mother knows best. Mama knows best.
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