Chapter 32

Fabio and I come to an agreement before we settle everything.

Pumayag siya sa mga inilitag kong demands, and so he does the same thing for me. Pumayag ako sa gusto niya. But one of his demands that I still don't have answer yet is that he wants us to go back to Sicily. Hindi ko pa siya mabigyan ng sagot.

I'm having the best time with my parents now. Sa tigil na hindi naging maganda ang pagkakasundo naming lahat, things somehow fall into place this time. Ayoko munang palagpasin ang pagkakataon na makasama ko sila lalo na't gusto rin nila makasama ang apo nila.

If I would say that to Fabio, I know he would understand, but I know disappointment will be plastered on his face.

My parents love Fabio for me after all the things I've talked to them about him, they seem to forgive him quicker than I did. I don't blame them, they know didn't do anything wrong other than having no idea I was pregnant after our relationship back then. He seemed to be trying to redeem himself and I'm trying to see it that way for the sake of our son.

While I'm in the bedroom making Matteo put to sleep, I am talking to Ale. I'm on earphones so it would be less noisy.

"Are you sure about it?" he questioned me.

"Uhuh," I answered humming. "Is there any other way you would suggest?"

He chuckled. "I don't have all the money he has, but I'm happy."

"You mean?"

He laughed shaking his head. "Nah, forget about it. Do you have the plan to go back to Sicily?"

I shrugged off. "That thing isn't I'm sure of. I would love to, but it seems like everything's putting in place for me here."

"Aww," he reacted. "You'll miss hanging out with me."

"Well, I'm sure you're the one who misses me so much." I grinned.

He grunted. "You know me so well! I'll go there soon."

I chuckled. "No. Philippines not for you."

He scoffed, feeling offended by the look of his reaction. "How could you judge me so easily, Jacinta Alessa? You don't know me."

"Well, you said earlier I know you very well so that's a little bit contradicting, you know?"

He cackled, shaking his head. "Oh, Jacinta. I wish you were still here."

And then a moment later, Fabio showed up on my bedroom's doorstep. He was talking to me, but I wasn't able to understand what he said when earphones were plugged into my ears.

"What was that?" I asked him after I excuse myself to Ale and hang up the call.

"I was saying I would be going now," he said. "I have the take care of something. Don't worry, it's just business."

"I wasn't gonna ask about it."

"Well, just saying." He smirked. "Were you talking to Shai?"

I shook my head.

"Are you still mad at her?"

I shook my head again. "No. Why would I be mad at her? I'm not mad at her for lying to me. I'm mad at you for making her do that. She wouldn't have done that if you didn't tempt her, I must say, threatened her."

"Just to be clear, I didn't threaten her," he explained. "It was just an act of thoughtfulness. I don't mean any bad antics from it, but I wasn't able to get away with them. And I regret doing that, but I was just helping."

"Okay..." that's all I commented. "It's in the past and I don't wanna think about them again."

"Sure." He smirked. "So, who you were talking to?"

"Alessandro," I responded with a direct answer.

His forehead creased a little when he heard my best friend's name. "Oh... what are you talking about with him?"

"Just random stuff," I said.

"Hm..." he said nodding his head. He put his finger below his lower lip and smirked when he thought of something else. Napakunot ang noo ko sa reaksyon niya. "Did you know we fight back in Sicily when I came to him looking for you?"

I didn't give a visible reaction to him, but that surprises me. Hindi pa iyon binabanggit ni Ale sa akin or he has really no intention of telling it to me.

"You're joking."

He smirked. "I wished, but it's the truth. I was confused and mad when I couldn't find you anywhere. I know at some point, you would come to Alessandro for something else—any means of help. I accused him he was keeping you from me. He was hiding you from me. He got mad and punched me in the face. So, I fought back. We were at his bar that day. People around us immediately come to stop and pull us away from each other. When I left, I still had a gut he was lying."

"Well, he didn't tell me about it."

"Maybe you should ask him."

"But it was your fault as well," I told him. "You've accused him of something else he didn't even do."

"But he knows where you were that time," he explained further. "So, basically he was lying, hiding, and keeping you from me," he listed. "Isn't that right? And it wouldn't happen if you didn't leave."

My eye squinted. "And now you're blaming and invalidating my feelings."

"No, I didn't say that."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "I thought you were leaving."

"I am."

"So, go."

"I will," he grinned. "Can I just take a quick look with Matteo?" he requested.

Tumango na lamang ako para payagan siyang pumasok ng kwarto. He walked in and check on our baby inside his crib. He reached out on him and gently caressed his tiny little head.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning," he said as he shifted his attention to mine. "Do you need anything?"

Napaisip naman kaagad ako. "Yes."

"Say anything."

"Diapers, small. Powdered milk, you know the brand so get that... and get me some cinnamon rolls tomorrow."

"Those are noted, madame," he said, smiling. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

He leaned closer to me and leave a kiss on my hair. Before he could even leave the room, he made a quick glance at me. There's just something in him that makes me want him more in my life. Ilang beses ko nang sinabi na I don't want Fabio to be present in my life and Matteo, but I guess, I was just lying to myself dahil gusto ko rin naman talaga.

It was hard when he was not around, to be honest. Even though he was too busy at work, he still managed to look after us back in Sicily. But at some point there, I felt like I needed more of him and he couldn't give it to me and Matteo. When we left, he must've realized the importance of losing someone he really cares about.

Does he?

The next day he came as he promised to bring the request I made. He bought much what I expected kaya nagulat din sina papa at mama na ang dami niyang pinamili. He even brought some groceries na rin for the family.

It seems like Fabio and papa's been getting along and that's fascinating.

In the next few days, Fabio's been showing up at our house so early in the morning with different gifts and stuff he was giving to me and my family. Para bang nanliligaw siya indirectly and he's trying to get my parent's permission for something else.

Isang gabi, nabanggit ni papa sa akin no'ng nagkausap silang dalawa ni Fabio na plano pa rin daw talaga ni Fabio na dalhin kaming dalawa ni Matteo pabalik sa Italy kung maaari lang. I told papa na wala pa ako sa isip ko at hindi ko pa nabibigyan ng oras pag-isipan 'yon. Well, both pretty have pros and cons kaya medyo torn pa ako.

And the again one night, niyaya ni papa si Fabio na uminom naman. Tinanggihan pa niya ang alok ni papa dahil nga nagda-drive siya pabalik sa condo niya. Kinampihan ko si Fabio ro'n dahil delikado naman kung uuwi siyang nakainom, but in the end, papa suggested Fabio should stay for the night kung iyon lang daw pala ang problema namin.

He stayed. Sa living room.

Well, iyon ang sabi niya. Sa sala na lang daw siya matutulog, but when I come over to see him there trying to get comfortable, he doesn't fit on our small couch. Wala akong choice kung hindi ang tawagin siya at patuluyin sa kwarto at do'n na siya patulugin.

"My bad, Jacinta. I apologize, I won't drink next time..."

"That's alright," I said. "You won't even get a chance to decline papa's request just because he will even if you refused."

He chuckled. "Yeah... that's what I thought. I can sleep on the floor."

"Get on the bed... it's big enough for both of us."

"Are you sure?"

Pinanlitaan ko siya ng mata dahil mukhang makikipag-debate pa siya sa akin. "Don't ask again or I'll let you sleep on the floor."

"I'm just kidding." He grinned.

Inayos ko ang side niya sa kama ko. I would build a pillow between us pero hindi ko na ginawa. Para namang hindi kami nag-sex na para artehan ko pa. He stayed on his side while on my side was Matteo's crib.

Mabilis na nakatulog si Fabio dahil sa tama na rin ng alak. Kahit iyon iyak ni Matteo ay hindi na siya magising. Mabuti na lang din ay hindi ako gaanong pinuyat ni Matteo so I was still able to get a good sleep. Just when I woke up, I found myself clinging to Fabio as if he was my hotdog pillow. Tulog pa rin siya at humihilik. Nagulat talaga ako, but I slowly pulled myself away from him. Maaga akong bumangon at naghanda.

And from that day, it seems like Fabio's getting used to it. Madalas na siyang nakikitulog sa bahay. Binalak pa nga niyang bumilik ng aircon dahil mainit daw. Hindi ko naman siya pinayagan na dahil magastos iyon sa kuryente pero in the end, bumili naman siya ng air cooler para sa kwarto namin at sa sala.

My family seems to get fond and fond of Fabio. Is it just his way to connect with them or he has another plan? Pagkatapos ba nito, may balak siyang umalis at kalimutan ako?

But what he is showing to us now was very promising because if all of his actions are all lies, hindi lang ako ang masasaktan dito. Pati na rin ang pamilya ko.

When I jokingly said to him na hindi ba siya hinahanap sa Sicily. Natawa na lang din siya. Hindi naman daw. Hindi naman daw siya hahanapin ng parents niya ro'n. Alam lang nila ay nasa Pinas siya para sa akin. I once caught him talking to them, but I never had the chance to speak with them again.

This new Fabio—the changed man—whatever he is, has shown me a lot of new things to me.

He really wants to fulfill his responsibility as a father, so I let him be.

One day, I woke up late and found Matteo and Fabio nowhere inside the house. Nag-panic ako ro'n dahil akala ko tinakas na ni Fabio ang anak namin papuntang Sicily. Isa iyon sa hindi maalis sa isipan ko. Fabio could be staying around for us to get comfortable with him at kapag nagkaroon siya ng chance to be alone, he would take our baby away from and I'll never see them again.

I will be a wreck if that happens.

But my parents said I shouldn't worry. Kasama pa nga raw ni Fabio sina Vanjo at Alina sa park. Sa pagbalik nila, halos lumawag ako ang sikip sa dibdib ko nang makita ko silang apat na bumalik sa bahay.

I quickly grab Matteo from him and he was confused why I was acting weirdly.

"You thought about something else, don't you?" Tiningnan ko lang siya sa mata nang tanungin niya ako. "I wouldn't ever do that to you, Jacinta. I wouldn't take your son away from you."

Hearing that from him made a little assurance on my side, but that doesn't still make me feel relaxed. Ayoko lang naman dumating sa punto na ako na naman ang mawalan. Ayoko nang maulit kaya ginagawa ko ang lahat para maayos ang lahat. Kahit paunti-unti ay sinusubukan ko.

I guess what we both agreed, is Fabio's assuring me he's meeting my demands and that's all I could ever ask for. I was just hoping this isn't just a seasonal affection.

#BirthOfLiesInSicily #BOLISChapter32 #WTS9