"Good afternoon, Ma'am, Sir. Ano pong kailangan nila?" 
Bungad sa amin ng isang staff.
"Inquire lang muna kami, Miss." 
I smiled at her. Nagsimula naman siyang magpaliwanag ng tungkol sa lugar. Kung ilang pax ang pwede, kung magkano ang bayad, ano ang inclusion sa bayad, hanggang anong oras at iba pa. 
"Pwede ba naming tingnan 'yung buong lugar?" 
"Pwede naman po." 
Pumunta kami sa mismong hall. Since nakita naman na namin 'to hindi na kami ganoon namangha sa lawak. 
"Ate pwede yata sa labas." 
Bulong sa akin ng katabi ko. 
"Miss, pwede po ba 'yung garden?" 
"Oo naman po ma'am, tara po." 
Nauna siyang maglakad papunta sa garden. May iilang steps pababa sa mismong mga damo. Hindi naman siya kalakihan katulad ng covered hall, pero for a simple and cozy garden party, pwede na ito. 
"Ate dito na lang kaya. Simple lang naman gusto ko eh. Tapos pili lang ang iimbitahan ko." 
"Sigurado ka?" 
Tumango siya sa akin. 
"Miss, ire-reserve namin 'to for saturday. Okay lang ba?" 
Malaki namang ngumiti ang babae. 
"Okay, po ma'am. Tara po sa loob, para makapag-fill up po kayo ng form." 
Muli kaming pumasok sa loob. Since wala namang gagawin si ren doon hindi kona siya pinasama sa pag fill up at pinaghintay ko nalang siya sa mismong hall.
"Ren?" 
Tinawag ko siya agad pagkabalik ko sa may hall pero hindi ko siya nakita. Lumabas ako sa parking pero nagulat akong makita na kasama niya ang mama niya. Mukhang pati siya ay nagulat makita ako.
"Sorry ate Ken, si mama kasi eh. Gusto raw makita kung sino 'yong kaibigan ko na manlilibre sa akin." 
Lumapit sa akin si Ren pero hindi ko inalis ang mata ko sa mama niya, at ganoon din siya sa akin. 
Mom.
Now, it all makes sense. Bakit ganoon ang reaksyon niya noong una kaming nagkita. Kung bakit parang kilalang-kilala niya ang pamilya namin. Kung bakit nasaktan siya nang malaman ang balita tungkol kay papa. Kung bakit naiiyak siyang makita ako.
"Ate okay ka lang?" 
Napatingin ako kay Ren nang hawakan niya ang pisngi ko. Doon ko lang na-relaize na tumutulo na pala ang luha ko. 
Iniwas ko ang mukha ko at patagong pinunasan ang luha ko.
"Anak." 
Nagulat ako sa pagsalita niya, pero hindi pa rin ako lumingon.
"Yes, mom?" 
Gumaan ang loob ko ng ma-realize na si Ren ang tinatawag niya. 
"Ken?" 
Hindi siya sumagot kay Ren pero malambing niya akong tinawag. Mukhang ako nga talaga ang tinatawag niya.
"Can't you really remember me?" 
That's when I faced them. 
"Should I remember you?" 
I pretended to be innocent. 
"I lost my memories when I was 8. I was in a car accident, so I really can't remember anything beyond that." 
I honestly said. Nagulat naman siya, maging si ren.
"Why, mom? Do you personally know ate Ken?" 
Ate.
"Ken," 
Malapit na siyang maiyak. 
Ax, please help me, I'm about to break down, too.
Naluluha na din ang mata ko pero pilit kong pinipigilan tumulo. 
"Wait, nga, anong meron?" 
Ren is now utterly confused. 
"Anak," 
Sinubukan niyang lapitan ako, pero umatras ako palayo sa kaniya.
"What the fuck?" 
Gulat na gulat si Ren.
"I knew you remember."
"I just found out recently. After I lost my memories, dad and kuya told me that you left us right after I was born. I didn't even know there's a Ren in our lives." 
"What?"
Ren was so confused. 
"I left when you were 6."
"I saw from the photos I found." 
"I'm sorry Ken, anak. I'm sorry."
"Don't come near me please." 
Pinigilan ko ulit siyang makalapit sa akin. 
"Wait, teka lang naman. Ano 'to mom? Anong anak? Si ate Ken? Ha!?" 
I can already hear the pain in his voice. 
"Ren," 
"Mom, ano ba. Can you just tell me? Hindi yung tawag ka nang tawag sa pangalan ko EXPLAIN!" 
Ren is starting to breakdown.
"I am also your ate Ken's mother anak." 
She started crying. I'm just looking at her.
"Ano 'to? Bakit ngayon ko lang nalaman 'to? I have siblings? Why did you keep that from me? How dare you keep that from me?" 
"Ren, anak i'm sorry."
Ren looked at her with eyes full of anger.
"How the hell did it even happen?"
"I was married to their dad. And then..."
She failed to continue her explanation.
"And then what mom?" 
"And then I met your dad." 
"You cheated?" 
Lalong hindi makapaniwala si ren sa nadinig niya mula sa ina. She just cried while looking at him. 
Ren run his hands through his hair because of frustration. Then we all went silent for a while. I was ready to leave, until ren spoke again.
"Ano pa?" 
Napatingin kami kay Ren. His mother looked at him confused. 
"Ano pang mga tinatago mo sa'kin? Sabihin mo na ngayon lahat mom. Para matapos na 'to." 
He also started crying. His mom is looking at him with begging eyes.
"Ito na lang, sagutin mo na lang 'tong tanong ko mom. Because I've been hearing this since I was a kid. They said that when you went home with dad, you're already pregnant. So mom..." 
Pinunasan niya ang luha niya, trying to act tough. 
"Rahonza ba ako?"
Both Ren and I are waiting for her answer. I will be very happy if he is, but it will also be very painful for him. 
"No, anak." 
Napayuko ang mama niya.
Medyo na disappoint naman ako. 
"I want the truth, mom!" 
Sigaw ni Ren.
"Hindi. Hindi ka rahonza. At sa tingin mo ba kung totoong rahonza ka, ipagkakait ko sayo ang buhay na mayroon sila? Ang buhay na dapat sa'yo? Ganoon ba kasakim ang tingin mo sa akin anak? Hindi ka rahonza, dahil kung rahonza ka..." 
Hindi natuloy ang sasabihin niya at naiyak na lang siya. 
"Kung rahonza siya, ano? Iiwan mo rin?" 
Hindi ko na napigilan na manood lang. 
"Hindi. Hindi ko siya iiwan." 
May kaunting kirot akong naramdaman. 
Bakit ako iniwan? Bakit kami iniwan?
"But mom, how can you cheat? How can you do that?" 
Ren sounded so tired. 
"Kaya galit na galit si kuya sa'yo. Hindi mo lang kami iniwan, pinagpalit mo pa." 
Himihikbi na ako pero pinipigilan ko padin na bumuhos ang luha ko. 
"Anak, I'm sorry." 
Tumingin lang siya sa akin at sinuyo muli si Ren. 
Nasaktan ako sa ginawa niya, pero hindi ko na lang pinansin. Mas kailangan niyang paliwanagan si ren.
"How can you do that, mom? How can you cheat?" 
"I'm sorry, Ken. I'm sorry, Ren. I'm sorry. But trust me, I tried to change. I did try. But then, something happened..."
We both waited for the next part of her story, but it's taking forever, and ren's patience is running dry.
"Ano ba mom. Paabutin mo ba 'to ng pasko? Can't you just say it all at once!? Naiinip na ako—" 
"I was raped." 
Matagal iprinoseso ng utak ang impormasyon na iyon. 
"What?" 
Sabay naming tanong ni Ren. 
"Your dad was obsessed with me, even after my marriage with Zei. Natukso ako. And when I realized my mistake I broke up with him and he did not like that. He raped me during a party. Galit na galit si Zei noon. Muntik niya ng mapatay ang daddy mo. All I could do was cry. Pero kailangan kong tibayan ang loob ko dahil alam kong matalino ang mga anak ko at ayokong ma-gets nila ang nangyayare, ayokong malaman nila ang nangyare sa'kin, ayokong malaman nila ang ginawa ko,"
Pinunasan niya ang luha niya bago muling mag-salita. 
"Hindi ako nagsinungaling kay Zei noong nalaman kong buntis ako. Alam niyang hindi ka niya anak pero tinanggap ka niya. Pero sila Kash at Ken, silang dalawa 'yung pinagsinungalingan namin. Sila yung walang alam sa totoong nangyare. They waited for you. They were excited to see you. And just thinking about telling them the truth was already painful for us, so we chose not to say it. We chose to keep it." 
Panandalian siyang tumingin sa akin. Nagsisimula na akong bumigay at umiyak.
"And then, when Ken turned 6. Your dad gate crashed the party. He found out na buntis ako. He threatened Zei, and he threatened our family. Sabi niya ipapaalam niya raw sa lahat na itinatago ka ng mga rahonza mula sa kaniya. He said that he would spread rumours about the rahonzas about me. At isa lang ang gusto niyang mangyare, at yun ay ang sumama ako sa kaniya. Ang sumama tayo sa kaniya, Ren." 
Muli niyang pinunasan ang luha niya. Humahagulgol na sa iyak si Ren. 
"Zei didn't want that. He cried and begged me to stay. He didn't want us to leave. At wala na siyang pakialam sa ginawa ko sa kaniya, all he wanted was for us to stay. And then Kash found out the truth, he was hurt the we lied and mad about what happened to me and because of what I did. Although he was mad at me, he still told us that he didn't want you to go. Iyak siya nang iyak kasi ayaw ka niyang pakawalan. He doesn't want his baby brother to leave."
Tumingin siya kay Re matapos ay bumaling sa akin. 
"And you Ken, you were mad because your birthday was ruined. That was the only concern you had back then. Hindi mo iniisip 'yung part tungkol sa baby sa tiyan ko kasi sabi mo kahit anong magyare brother mo siya at hihintayin mo siya." 
Umiiyak ngunit may ngiti sa labi siyang nag-kwento. 
"Your family told me that they don't care about whatever rumour Samson spread. They told me that there's nothing to be afraid of and they will take care of him. They don't care about what I did because Ren is already part of the Rahonza family." 
She can't continue the story because she started crying. 
"So, why did you still choose him instead of us?" 
Nawawalan na ako ng lakas dahil sa mga bagong impormasyon. 
"I left because I deserved to leave. After what I did to your father, to you, to your brother and to your family? I deserved to leave. I deserved to be hurt forever. I deserved that." 
"So basically, you chose to hurt your children. You chose to leave them. You chose yourself." 
Parang natauhan siya sa sinabi ko. She was trying to say something, but words won't come out of her mouth, so she just cried.
"Instead of paying for what you did by being with your children, you chose to live a life without them. Instead of telling them how sorry you are every single day, you chose to keep quiet. That's very kind of you, "
I the sentence sarcastically, and I aggressively wiped my tears falling. She once again stayed quiet.
"Did you ever regret leaving us?" 
My question was crucial. 
If she said yes, Ren will be hurt. If she said no, I would be hurt. 
And that's probably the reason why she didn't answer it and just looked down.