Days passed, and everything slowly went back to normal.
After the interview, the people waiting outside my home and work gradually disappeared. Not all at once, but little by little, until finally they were gone. I was back at work, and things were good. Gail was back at hers too — she’d been absent a lot because of me.
We were both so busy that we only got to see each other once a week. But we had no problem with it since both our careers were improving. I stayed focused, paid attention to the things I used to neglect. Nothing stood in the way of me moving on with my life.
It’s been four months now, and my life is peaceful.
Xavier and Samantha tried to reach out, but I declined. They were back together — and I was happy for them. I just couldn’t face them now. If I did, memories I wasn’t ready to remember would come flooding back. I still wasn’t sure if I’d forgiven them, so it was best to keep my distance.
“Ate Vy, come quick — Tomtom’s crying again because of Buknoy!”
I smiled and let the child pull me along.
“They’re being so naughty, Ate! I tried to stop them but they wouldn’t listen. Please scold them so they’ll behave,” she pleaded, dragging me to the garden where a group of kids were gathered around two crying boys.
We rushed over, and they immediately fell silent.
“Tomtom, Buknoy — why are you fighting again? Didn’t I say it’s bad to fight? You’re supposed to be playing nicely,” I gently said, crouching down to their level.
Mimi came over and tattled.
“Ate, it was Buknoy. Tomtom and I were playing and he pushed us.”
“I didn’t mean to make them fall, Ate Vy. I was just walking too fast,” Buknoy said, pouting.
I smiled and pulled the two closer.
“No more blaming, okay? Buknoy, can you apologize to Tomtom and Mimi for pushing them? Even if you didn’t mean to, Tomtom got hurt.”
He nodded and turned to them.
“Sorry, Mimi and Tomtom. I didn’t mean it.”
“Will you forgive Buknoy?” I asked the two, still smiling.
“Okay — let’s be friends again,” Mimi grinned.
“Alright, just don’t do it again,” said Tomtom, who had stopped crying.
I smiled as they all hugged me. The other kids joined in too, giggling as they almost toppled me over. I laughed and watched as they ran off to play again. Only Paopao stayed behind.
I looked at him and gently ruffled his hair — he was the one who dragged me here earlier.
“Ate Vy,” he started as I settled us on the swing, with him on my lap.
“Hmm?” I replied.
“Why is it that even though you smile, your eyes look so sad?” he asked quietly. I stared at him, surprised by his words. He was so young — how could he notice that?
“Ever since you came to the shelter a week ago, you’ve always been smiling. But your eyes… they don’t smile. Sister Mona says smiles on lips are nice, but smiles that reach the eyes are beautiful. But I haven’t seen that sparkle in yours, Ate Vy. Are you sad?”
How could a child like him know all that? Was my sadness so obvious, even a child could see it?
I thought I was okay.
All this time, I never allowed myself to think about that person or the situation we had.
I sighed, smiled at the little boy, and shrugged.
“Ate’s just stressed at work. This is the only time I’ve had to rest, that’s why I look like this, Paopao. Don’t worry, Ate’s fine, okay? I’m not sad.”
He smiled back and hugged me.
“Ate, whatever’s causing that sadness I see in your eyes will only go away if you learn to forgive yourself and those who hurt you. My mom told me before she brought me here not to let anger stay in my heart because it would stop me from being happy. And she was right, Ate. When I first came here, I didn’t want to talk to anyone and I was always angry. But when Sister Mona spoke to me and I started forgiving my mom, I slowly learned to be happy again.”
He’s only eight, but he seems much older. At his age, he’s able to understand things people like me — who are old enough to know better — still choose to avoid.
He let go of me and ran off to join the other kids playing nearby.
I’ve been here at the shelter for two weeks now. Our company gave me a three-week vacation because of a string of successful deals I closed — of course, with the help of my team. It’s just that we can’t all take time off at the same time. Finn and Rica already went on theirs, and now it’s Kley’s and my turn. She chose a different place to spend hers.
For the past several months, I buried myself in work. It was my way of coping, my way of moving on from everything. I didn’t focus on anything else but improving and excelling in my job. And when I did go out, it was only with Rica or Gail. I didn’t leave any space in my life for new friendships. That would only complicate things, so I kept to the few people I knew truly cared about me. I was done with people who never valued me. I had no time left for them. From now on, I was choosing to spend my time with people who genuinely cared for and loved me. There was no more room for pretenses.
I went back inside the shelter and let the kids continue playing in the garden. There were people watching them, so I wasn’t worried. I decided to help prepare snacks instead, to keep myself from overthinking.
“Sister, I’ll help here. The kids are still playing outside,” I offered.
“Oh no, Veronica, you should just rest. That’s why you came here, after all. No need to trouble yourself with chores; others can manage,” Sister Mona said.
I smiled at her before answering.
“I came here to be with all of you. I’m happy helping out because once, I was one of the kids here too. Besides, the work isn’t too tiring, so it’s fine.”
“Well then, if that’s what you want, go ahead,” Sister replied warmly.
We finished preparing the food quickly with the help of the other staff, while Sister and the others tended to the children and their tasks. We had our snacks together, and after that, I decided to take a nap. Playing with the kids can be exhausting, and though it tires me out, it still makes me happy.
“I’ll head upstairs for a bit. I’m going to rest. Please call me if you need anything,” I said to one of the helpers, Ate Osang.
“Okay, Vy, go ahead and rest. We’ll handle things here.”
I nodded and thanked her before leaving.
When I got to the room they assigned to me, I lay down right away. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep.
---
I woke up around seven in the evening. I freshened up before heading downstairs. The kids were already having dinner with the others. Ate Osang immediately signaled for me to sit beside her, where my place was already set.
“Eat up, and then go straight to Sister Mona’s office. She’s been waiting for you, but I didn’t wake you earlier because you looked exhausted. Just finish eating quickly so you can head there,” she whispered.
I simply nodded and quietly started eating.
Just as Ate Osang said, I hurried through my meal. When I finished, she wouldn’t even let me help clean up — she sent me off right away, saying Sister had been waiting too long already. I didn’t argue; I didn’t want her to get scolded if I delayed.
I knocked three times before opening the door. The office still looked the same — old-fashioned but beautiful. Sister Mona was seated on her wooden chair behind her desk. In front of her were two chairs, and someone was already sitting in one of them — a man.
“Sister, you asked for me? But maybe I should come back later after you finish your meeting,” I said awkwardly as Sister turned to me.
“Oh no, Vy, come in. We’ve been waiting for you. Come, sit down,” Sister said with a smile. Even though I was confused, I followed her instruction.
I glanced at the man sitting next to where I was supposed to sit, intending to greet him — but I froze when I saw who it was.
What is he doing here? Why is he here?
“Come now, child, your friend came to visit you.”
I clenched my lips together and avoided looking at him. I could still feel his gaze on me from the corner of my eye as I kept my eyes on Sister Mona.
She gave me a steady, measuring look for a few seconds, then let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“We’ve already talked, my child. I understand his side now. I think it would be good for you both to talk, so you can finally clear things between you.”
I wanted to say there was nothing to talk about, but I didn’t want to go against Sister. She was like a mother to me here in the shelter, and I knew she only wanted what was best for me. From the way she spoke, it was clear they’d already had a conversation. But that didn’t change how I felt. Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her.
“You can talk here if you want, don’t mind me. I won’t meddle and I’ll be busy with my other duties. You can also talk in the garden now, or maybe tomorrow — whenever you’re ready. Just make sure you listen to each other,” Sister said in that calm, motherly tone of hers.
I nodded and stood up.
“We’ll talk in the garden, Sister. Thank you, and sorry for the trouble. We’ll head down now,” I said softly, giving her a small smile. She nodded back with a warm, reassuring smile — the kind that eased my mind and heart.
If I was meant to talk to him, better to get it over with now, while he was already here. The sooner I spoke to him, the sooner he could leave.
“Thank you for your time, Sister. It’s an honor to meet you,” he said politely, then turned to me and gestured toward the door.
I walked out ahead of him, while he quietly followed just a step behind — silent, as if gauging the situation.
I sighed.
I never expected to see him here.
For the past four months, not even a shadow of him crossed my path.
So this — him showing up here — was the last thing I expected.