Lumabas na ako ng kwarto at chineck si Ren sa kabila. Nakabukas ang pinto kaya doon ako sumandal. Humalukipkip akong pinanood siyang ayusin ang kama habang pinupunasan ang buhok.
"Uuwi si kuya bukas." 
Nagulat siyang napatingin sa akin. Ngumiti naman siya at bahagyang tumango. 
"Sabay na tayo bumaba ate." 
Ngumiti ako sa kaniya ng lapitan niya ako. 
"Oh!"
Sabay na nag-react sila Ren at Aice nang makita nila ang isa't-isa. At dahil umakbay sa akin si ren napatigil ako ng tumigil siya, kaya tinanggal ko ang braso niya sa balikat ko para tuluyang makababa ng hagdan. 
"What are they both doing here?" 
Tanong ni Aice matapos kong maka-upo sa couch. 
"Mike drove me here, Ren is staying here for now." 
"For forever."
Ren corrected my explanation. 
"Still confused."
Aice crossed his arms on his chest and stood straight in fron of us three, while we are sitting. Para tuloy kaming bata na pinapagalitan ng tatay. 
"I'll tell you next time Aice, I promise. My mind is just all over the place right now."
Bumuntong hininga siya.
"Fine, babalik na ako sa trabaho. Ikaw Mike, hindi ka pa uuwi?" 
Bumaling siya kay Mike.
"Wala akong kotse, malakas ang ulan." 
Nagkibit balikat lang siya at sumandal sa couch. Tumingin naman sa akin si Aice tila tinatanong kung papayag ba ako, nagkibit balikat lang din ako. 
He just went out and all three of us became quite.
Pinagluto kami ni tita Lizzy ng hapunan.
Tahimik lang kami habang at matapos kumain. Alam kong kahit madaming gustong idaldal si Mike, pinipigilan niya ang sarili dahil nakikita niyang wala kaming magkapatid sa mood. 
"May extra damit ka ba Mike?" 
Tanong ko sa kaniya matapos kumain. 
"I always have extra diba?" 
Pagpapa-alala niya sakin. I raised a brow. 
"Sa kotse mo, eh wala ka namang kotse." 
Tsaka niya lang na-realize kaya napamura siya. 
"Hiramin mo na lang muna 'yung sakin. Pati yung asuotin mo bukas." 
Deretsong sabi ni Ren habang umaakyat sa taas. Lumaki naman ang ngiti ni mike at humabol sa pinsan niya. 
Sumunod din ako sa kanila. 
"Papili ako." 
Hinalwat ni mike ang mga gamit ni Ren, nainis naman agad siya. 
Pinanood ko silang dalawa sa pinto ng kwarto ni Ren. May iilang damit kasi siya na hindi nabasa at dinala ng isang staff kanina. 
"Ano ba kuya, 'wag ka ngang choosy." 
"Siraulo ka ba? Sa katawan mong 'yan sa tingin mo lahat ng damit mo kasya sa'kin?" 
Mike is fit, probably because he plays basketball but Ren is still taller and more fit than him. Mana yata ito kay kuya, gym boy. 
"Ayaw mo no'n oversized." 
Natatawang sabat ko sa kanila. 
"Kung ayaw mo, damit ko na lang." 
"Ay! kalabaw ka." 
Hinampas ko ng malakas sa dibdib si Aice dahil sa ginawa niya. Bigla na lang kasing sumulpot sa likod ko. Tumama tuloy yung tuhod ko sa pinto dahil sa gulat. Tinawanan niya lang naman ako. 
"Damit ko na lang ba Mike? Magka-katawan naman tayo." 
Tuluyan na siyang pumasok sa kwarto para maki-sali sa usapan nila. Hindi manlang pinansin ang tuhod ko. 
Tumitig muna si mike kay Aice. Parang pinagiisipan pa kung magka-katawan talaga sila. 
"Okay, sige. Pwede na 'yon." 
Napaka-arte naman nitong lalaking 'to.
"Tara sa staff room." 
Ngumiti muna sa akin si Aice bago sila makalabas ng kwarto, tinarayan ko naman siya. 
Lumapit ako kay Ren nang makababa ng hagdan ang dalawa. 
"I have a question, how come you're already in college when you're six years younger than me?" 
Medyo ngumiti siya.
"I got accelerated to grade 11 after grade 7. Matalino ako eh." 
Pagyayabang niya.
"Edi ikaw na." 
Umupo sa dulo ng kama habang nag-aayos siya ng mga gamit niya at nilalagay sa drawer sa gilid ng kwarto. 
"How was your conversation with your mom?" 
Tanong ko sa kaniya.
"Hindi mo manlang sasabihin na OUR mom?" 
"She's yours, not mine." 
Malungkot siyang natawa at na-upo din sa tabi ko. 
"Hindi mo talaga siya kayang ituring na nanay 'no?" 
"Because I can't remember her being a mother to me. Now answer the question." 
He sighed. 
"We argued at home, sa harap ni daddy. And I also confronted my dad about what he has done. And for the first time I saw how my dad really treats her. He got mad because he thought mom introduced me to you, to the rahonzas. He thought she's plotting a way to take me back to your family. He became delusional," 
He sounded so sad.
"I begged mom to leave, but she said dad can change and he's just mad. Lalong nadagdagan 'yung galit ko sa kaniya. She said she can take it as long as I'm happy, but I can longer be happy with him now that I know the truth. Then I said kung ayaw niyang umalis, ako ang aalis. And I did. The end." 
He tried to pretend like it's nothing and got up. Hinila ko ulit siya pabalik.
"I'm sorry." 
He looked at me confused. 
"I'm sorry you had live in a family full of lies. If only I remembered you, I would've forced papa to take you back." 
A tear fell from my eyes. He hugged me.
"It's okay, ate. I'm here na."
I broke the hug and wiped my tears. 
"Your papa—" 
He looks uncomfortable while trying to say something, but he stopped.
"You want to meet him?" 
He shyly nodded. 
"Kapag wala na tayong klase, I'll take you to him. Okay?" 
He smiled at me. 
"I should've looked for you earlier. Para nakita mo pa si papa. Now it all make sense, papa's last word." 
He's looking at me waiting to hear what his last words were.
"Ren," 
Bigla siyang na-iyak. Although he doesn't know papa, I think hearing that he loves him at accepted him still makes him sad.
After our iyakan, iniwan kona siya sa kwarto niya to rest and to be alone. 
"Hey." 
Nagulat ako ng may biglang bumati sa akin pagkalabas ko ng kwarto ni Ren.
Nakita ko si Mike na patagilid na naka-sandal sa pader at naka-halukipkip. 
"Gosh!" 
Humawak ako sa dibdib ko at natawa naman siya.
"Umamin ka nga, may usapan ba kayo ni Aice na patayin ako? Bigla bigla na lang kayong sumusulpot. Tangina kabute yata kayo sa past life niyo?"
"Ano ba talaga? Parrot o Kabute?" 
Pang-aasar niya sa akin dahil tinawag ko din siyang parrot noon. Tinaasan ko lang siya ng kilay at tumatawa siyang humingi ng sorry.
"Ano ba 'yon?"
I still wanted to sound annoyed. 
"I just wanted to say sorry." 
He suddenly became serious. 
"For what?" 
"For what my uncle did." 
I sighed. 
"Kasabwat ka ba niya sa ginawa niya?" 
"What? Hell no!" 
"Oh, eh bakit nagso-sorry ka? Wala kang kasalanan so you should not say sorry. Kung siya nga na may kasalanan hindi manlang nag-sorry eh." 
"Sorry." 
Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay, natawa naman siya. 
"Sige na, I just wanted to say that. Good night." 
He extended his arms trying to hold me and pull me close to him. Inabot ko sa kaniya ang braso ko at nagpa-hila din. He then kissed the side of my forehead. 
Humilay din siya at bumalik na sa kwartong gagamitin niya. Ako din ay pumasok na sa kwarto ko. 
Instead of going to sleep I just lay in my bed and stared at the ceiling. Thinking about everything at the same time. 
Ax, I have another brother. Can you believe that? I remember telling you before that I wanted a little sibling, and now it came true. How I wish you could meet him. But i'll introduce him to you soon. I promise.
After I don't know how long of staring at the ceiling, I was interrupted by a knock at my door. 
I opened it and it revealed Aice, already wearing casual clothes. His shift already ended, then it means past alas-dose na. 
"Can I come in?" 
Nilakihan ko ang bukas ng pinto para makapasok siya.
"Hindi pa ba kayo uuwi?"
Umupo siya sa dulo ng kama. 
"Ako hindi pa, dala ko yung motor nung halimaw. Mamaya na ako uuwi" 
Kuya Raze is here huh! And he's still calling him halimaw.
"Where do you want me to start?" 
Tumabi ako sa kaniya. Alam ko namang 'yon ang gusto niyang malaman. 
"You don't need to say anything if you don't want to. I'll find out about it eventually." 
He smiled at me. 
Bumuntong hininga ako bago ko sinimulan ang kwento, simula sa simula. Not wanting to leave a single crumbs. He was attentively listening. He was even wiping my face when tears escapes from my eye. 
"I just don't understand myself, I was fine without her. I was living just fine. I was happy, even. But I still felt the pain when I saw her." 
"Maybe because deep inside you, you're still waiting for her. You're still longing for her. You're still wanting her."
He said with a very soft voice, not wanting me to break because of his statement. 
"Maybe. Maybe I was. Maybe I still am. " 
I paused for a while and played with my fingers. 
"Maybe I was waiting for her all this time. Specially when dad died. I remember staring at the entrance wondering if every woman that entered was her, and I would always left disappointed when they weren't." 
Umakbay siya sa akin at inilapit ako sa kaniya.
"Everytime I was sad or I was going through something, I was waiting for her. But she never came. I was waiting for a mother to comfort me." 
My tears flowed down uncontrollably. 
"I'm sorry you have to go through pain again." 
I hugged him.
"It doesn't matter anymore. All I care about know is having Ren back." 
Siya rin ang umalis sa pagkaka-yakap. 
"It's amazing, isn't it? You met Ren by accident, and he turned out to be your long lost brother." 
He sure looks amused. 
"Destiny really knows how to play it's game." 
I smiled at his remarks. 
"Anyway, you have a long day today I must give you your most awaited rest." 
Natawa ako sa sinabi niya. Tumayo na siya, at siya na din ang nagbukas ng pinto pero bago lumabas tumigil siya.
"What?" 
He looked back at me. Hindi kasi ako umalis sa pagkaka-upo ko. 
"No matter what happen, you can always run to me. I'm always available for you." 
He said and smiled.
"Okay, superman."
Asar ko sa kaniya. Bahagya naman siyang tumawa at tuluyan ng lumabas. 
And that's when I finally had the time to rest.