Chapter 41: She's a strong woman
Daniel's POV:
"Dude, isn't that Sophia?"
I raised my eyebrow when Andrew pointed behind me. It was just five minutes after our meeting with the representative of Asian Industries.
"Fuck you, Andrew!" I said glaring at him and took my phone completely ignoring him.
"Hey, I'm serious, dude! She's with Nanay Emily."
"I'll kill you if you're just playing me around!" O warned him still not looking behind.
He chuckled at me. "Then kill me, but try to look behind you before you do that."
I sighed and followed his gaze just to be surprised when I saw her pulling Nanay Emily's hand away from the entrance. And I frowned when suddenly the woman in her middle fifties followed them outside. Andrew and I shared a look before we stood up and immediately run towards the restaurant. And then I heard the woman called her by her second name. But what surprised me when she turned around and snapped at the woman.
"Yzabelle, please baby?"
-'Baby? Why is she calling her baby?'- I asked myself as I continued to watch them.
"Don't call me 'baby' because I am not your daughter!"
"But I am your mother, Belle." The woman said trying to hold her hand.
I was stunned upon hearing those words from the woman.
"Ohh!" Andrew's reaction who's just standing next to me.
"Mother?" She repeat glaring at her. "Don't you ever mention that again because you don't know what the word 'mother' means!" She said through gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry, my Belle, please forgive me."
"What did you say, I'm sorry and forgive you?" She wiped her tears and chuckled, but I know it's fake as it didn't reach her ears.
I don't know why I felt something strange inside me when I saw her in tears. It's like telling me to run to her side and hug her. But I shake that feeling when I noticed Andrew staring at me. "What?" I asked him confused.
"Nothing." He just shrugged and looked back at the scene in front of us.
"Please let me explain?"
"I don't need your explanation anymore!"
"I missed you, I love you, my baby."
"Don't!" She screamed in tears lifting her forefinger. "Don't you ever tell me you love me because I know you don't! You left me! You promised me you would come back! I waited for you almost every day but you never came back! What kind of mother would leave her child?"
"Belle, I'm sorry." The woman tried to touch her again but she swatted her hand.
"You don't know what I went through when you left! I cried every night asking myself why you left me? Why did you choose to leave me?"
Nanay Emily walked closer to her and patted her shoulder.
"And don't you ever ask forgiveness because even if I do, you could never bring back those years! You could never bring back the past!"
She continued to wipe her tears. I formed my fists and took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself.
She suddenly chuckled while shaking her head.
"You know what's funny? They say a 'mother' is the one who will stay there when everyone else deserted you, huh! Such a great lie! They were all liars, because you were the first one who deserted me! Where were you when I needed you? Where were you when I was sick, and where were you when I needed a mother when I needed your support because I was almost----"
"When she was almost what?" Andrew asked the same question in my head when Sophia suddenly stopped talking as if she would never say that.
"I don't need you anymore!"
I covered myself when she pulled Nanay Emily towards the mall exit.
"Why did you cover yourself?"
I glared at Andrew when he nudged my side.
"Shut up!" I said and walked past him.
Jack's Bar, 8:30 pm.
"I can't imagine how difficult Sophia's childhood was when her mother left her."
Andrew said as he brought the bottle of beer into his mouth.
Loud music was blasting all around, but Sophia's voice seemed louder than I could hear from the sound speakers in the bar. I could still hear her voice inside my head and I could still imagine her face filled with
tears.
"You know what, if that happened to me too, I think I wouldn't be able to forgive my mom right away."
I frowned when all of a sudden I remembered what mom had said the last time we talked.
**Ask her and know her story, by then you will understand what she's been through and why she had to marry you."
"Hey, where are you going?" He asked when I stood up and put some cash on the counter.
"I'm going home."
"What?" And he checked his wristwatch. "But it's only 9:00 pm. it's still early."
**
"I know, but I said 'I'm going home' and I didn't tell you to go home either." I said emphasizing the word I'm going home.
"Whoa! So you're going to leave me here?"
"Tss! You can drink all you want 'till morning and I don't care!"
And I left him frowning at the counter.
It was 10 pm when I got to our house, and I was surprised when I opened the door and saw Sophia lying on the couch. Her head rested on Nanay Emily's lap as she rubbed her back. "Nanay Emily----"
"Shhh..."
She said putting her index finger to her lips, then I noticed that Sophia was asleep. I furrowed my eyebrows when she gave me a sad smile.
"It's only been 10 minutes since she fell asleep, and she's been crying all the way home."
I noticed the stain of dry tears that still on her face. I really wanted to tell Nanay Emily that I saw them at the mall earlier, but I changed my mind and decided to pretend I didn't know it. "Can you bring her to her room?"
I nodded before bending down and gently lifted her up in bridal style.
"Thank you, Anak."
She said walking ahead towards the stairs. She opened the door for me and waited until I put Sophia on the bed.
"Being abandoned or given up by your own mother is the most devastating emotion a child could ever feel."
I looked at her as she put the blanket up to Sophia's chest.
"But of course, we can't judge her mother because we still don't know the whole story."
She sighed.
"I believe she only said those things to her mother because she was hurt and still hurting until now."
Then she glanced at me.
"But as I can see, you're wife is a strong woman, Daniel."
She said walking towards me.
"Is it okay if I'll go ahead?"
"Yeah, it's okay." I sighed and put my hands inside my pockets.
She patted my shoulder before exiting the room.
I don't know what to think while watching her sleep. It's really a surprise to me seeing her like that earlier. Until now it still puzzles me why she agreed to marry me. Is it because of her mother? Is she just rebelling against her?