read with either white or sepia background only.

Deretso kay Addie ang punta ni Diesel pagkatapos niyang mag-shower. Addie chuckles as he lies face down on her chest. She smacks him lightly on the arm as he playfully bites her boob through her shirt with his lips.

"Sa'n si Bub?" Diesel asks, arms sneaking around Addie's waist. He's heavy, but Addie doesn't complain about having his full weight over her. She just hopes he doesn't fall asleep in this position because her legs would go numb in no time. And then she would feel bad about having to wake him up just because of that.

"Nagba-bike pa sa ibaba," Addie answers. "Papasok naman 'yon 'pag pagod na." Hindi naman magtatagal si Nadia sa ibaba, sigurado siya. Diesel just picked her up from school. Maya-maya lang, dadaing na 'yon ng gutom at pagod. O baka tabihan muna nito si Yanyan na mahimbing ang tulog sa trunk bed habang naghihintay ng dinner.

"Okay. Ikaw? Magaling ka na ba talaga?"

Addie nods, humming. She busies her hands with his damp hair, twirling strands between her fingers. "Pero sa Monday pa ako papasok."

"Okay. Hatid kita," Diesel says. Addie had to take a leave from work because of over-fatigue. Sininat pa ito noong mga nakaraang araw. Diesel couldn't focus at work because of that, at siyempre ay mas napagod siya. He's taking care of three girls all at once, four if he includes his nagging mother. "And stop overworking."

"Wow, nagsalita ang isa ring pasaway," Addie says with a laugh. She lightly flicks his ear. "Matulog ka muna. Minsan ka na nga lang maagang umuwi."

"May gagawin pa nga ako e," Diesel grumbles. He holds Addie tighter and closes his eyes. Handa nang matulog ang katawan niya pero hindi naman siya patutulugin ng isip niya hangga't alam niyang may urgent siyang gawain. He shifts his head on her chest, pressing his cheek right above where he can feel her heartbeat best. "Pupunta akong school bukas."

Addie draws shapes on his cheek. Lalo lang tuloy siyang inantok. "Bakit? Bukas na ba 'yong lecture?"

"Oo." Diesel sighs. Hindi naman siya full-time professor. He wouldn't even consider himself a part-time faculty member of the department. It's just that his dad is a close friend of the dean, and after finding out that he had a master's degree, he's often called over to occasionally hold some special lectures or talks.

That's how most of the students from the department knew about him. Bukod pa roon, hindi naman talaga madaling makalilimutan ng mga estudyante ang lecturer kung mahitsura ito, palaging on-time, mabait ang vibe, at malinaw magpaliwanag. One time he had to bring Nadia with him, and since she has the natural ability to attract the crowd, lalo lang siyang tumatak sa isip ng mga naging estudyante niya kahit isa o dalawang lecture lang ang nakuha nila sa kaniya.

At dahil bata-bata pa naman siya kumpara sa ibang miyembro ng faculty at ng ibang on-call lecturers, mas approachable ang dating niya kaya siya ang madalas lapitan kapag kailangang mag-invite ng speaker. He also thinks he might have developed some kind of emotional attachment to his former students, so he always finds himself unable to say no.

Kagaya na lang ng sa invite sa kaniya three weeks ago. Of course, he chose to make time for it; he had already made sure to clear his schedule on the day of the event. But now that three weeks' worth of work has worn him down, at nagkasakit pa ang asawa niya, ramdam na ramdam niya ang pagod. Still, he wouldn't leave his students hanging. Unprofessional iyon, at dumaan din naman siya sa pagiging estduyante at sa paghahagilap ng speakers kaya alam niya ang pakiramdam.

Magaling na naman si Addie kaya wala na siya masyadong iisipin. Sadyang pagod na pagod lang talaga siya. At, shit, oo nga pala. May site visit siya bukas ng umaga para sa construction progress. Iyon lang ang hindi niya matanggal sa schedule niya dahil sobrang importante. Hindi naman iyon babangga sa oras ng lecture dahil sa umaga pa iyon at after lunch pa ang lecture, pero sigurado siyang mabubugbog ang katawan niya sa biyahe at ang utak niya sa pagod.

"You need my laptop?" Addie asks.

Pinilit ni Diesel na magmulat. Mapasobra lang siya ng ilan pang segundo sa dibdib ni Addie, baka dumeretso na siya sa tulog. Pinilit niyang umalis sa puwesto at tumabi nang maayos sa asawa.

"Actually, yes," he answers before getting off the bed. He doesn't want to use the work computer in his study. Madi-distract lang siya dahil baka imbes na ayusin ang presentation niya, iyong ibang projects ang gawin niya. He grabs Addie's laptop from her cabinet before going back to bed. "Hindi ba susunduin sina Yanyan mamaya?" he asks.

"Mamayang gabi pa darating 'yong si Mama," Addie replies. Sometimes, her mother would ask if she could have the kids over the weekend. Pumapayag naman silang mag-asawa dahil alam nilang nami-miss lang nitong may kasama sa bahay.

Addie knows that the kids are safe with her mom. Her mother's growing old, too. She wouldn't rob her of her last chance of trying to be a good mother. Kahit sa mga anak na lang niya kung hindi nito nagawa sa kaniya.

"Dito na siya magdi-dinner?"

Addie nods. "Maaga kang aalis bukas?"

"Yes," Diesel answers, grabbing her left thigh and giving it a light squeeze. "Pero 'wag ka nang sumabay ng gising. Hindi ka naman papasok." Sakto pang wala ang dalawang bata sa kanila bukas ng umaga. Makababawi ng tulog si Addie.

Addie merely hums. She rests her head on his arm, quietly watching as he types.

* * *

Diesel wakes up confused. He props his elbow on the mattress and checks to see if Addie is still sleeping. She is. Pero basa ang buhok nito at malamig ang braso na parang kaliligo lang.

He carefully gets off the bed. Sinumpong ba ng lagnat si Addie kagabi? Naligo ba ito para mapababa ang temperature niya? He doesn't think so. Sakali man, mamamalayan niya kung wala si Addie sa tabi niya at magigising siya sa pagbukas ng shower sa banyo. Hindi naman gaanong kalalim ang tulog niya.

Hininaan niya ang air con. Baka mabinat o bumalik ang lagnat ni Addie kapag masyadong nalamigan. He gets a towel to dry Addie's hair. Pabalik siya sa kama nang mapansin ang isang set ng damit niyang nakatupi nang maayos sa paanan ni Addie. He is sure that it wasn't there before they went to bed last night.

He sighs, massaging the bridge of his nose upon realizing that Addie had woken up earlier just to prepare it for him. Kaya naman niyang ipaghanda ang sarili ng damit; she didn't have to do it for him. Ang kulit din ng isang ito. Sinabi na niya kahapon na hindi nito kailangang gumising nang maaga at magpahinga na lang. At siguro dahil sa kaantukan, nahiga na lang si Addie kahit basa pa ang buhok pagkatapos.

He tries to squeeze the water out of her hair with a towel. Since he doesn't have much time to spare, maingat na lang niyang inangat ang ulo nito para alisin ang basa nang unang ginagamit. He switches her damp pillow with his and pulls the covers up to properly cover her arms. He leaves her pillow on the balcony for it to dry.

Tulog pa rin si Addie pagkatapos niyang maligo. He places a careful kiss on her temple. Then, he checks her temperature with the back of his hand, making sure she's not sick before he leaves the room.

He was only going to check if the lights were off and if the appliances were unplugged downstairs, but he noticed something on the dining table. He cups his forehead, shaking his head to himself when he finds a plate of sinangag and sausage. It comes with a note that says, good morning love you kain ka muna.

He would be lying if he said that he doesn't like being taken care of by his wife, pero binilinan na niya kasi ito kahapon na bumawi ng pahinga. Next time, he would make sure to hold Addie close during his entire sleep so she wouldn't sneak out of bed earlier than him.

He folds the small piece of paper neatly. Pagkatapos, inipit niya iyon sa likod ng phone niya at ng case nito. He checks how much time he has left to eat before pulling up a chair to sit in. His initial plan was to grab coffee outside; iyon kasi ang pinaka-convenient. But of course, he couldn't ignore the breakfast his wife made for him, so he finished it quickly, then rolled up his sleeves before washing the dishes.

Kumuha siya ng pen at tinanggal ang water bill nila last month na naka-magnet sa ref. He flips the paper over, then writes, Tawag ka pagkagising. I LOVE YOU x9999. He sticks it on the fridge with a magnet beside Nadia's drawing of their family picture.

He makes sure that the kitchen and dining room are clean before heading to the living room. Napailing na lang siya ulit nang mapansing may gumalaw sa backpack niya. Nang silipin niya ang loob ay nakita niya ang lunch bag na sigurado siyang si Addie ang naglagay. He should get her something before heading home later.

* * *

Diesel arrives at the university before noon. Hindi pa siya nakadadaan ng opisina niya sa buong araw, at tama ang hula niyang mabubugbog siya sa biyahe. He's glad Addie prepared him breakfast. Had he not eaten anything before leaving home, he would have been too tired to conduct a lecture.

He removes his tie and undoes the first two buttons of his shirt. He badly wants to take a nap in his car, but he needs to make a stop at the dean's office as per his father's request, then pay his students a visit to assure them that he's here and is on time. He also needs to check the setup of the presentation room and hand over his report to whoever's in charge of the technical matters. Bukod pa roon, gutom na rin siya. He should find time to eat.

He checks his hair and smooths his palm over the creases on his shirt before grabbing his backpack and stepping out of the car. Nahirapan pa siyang hagilapin ang dean dahil Academic Fest ngayon ng department. He also stopped by the exhibit of architectural models and some research presentations. Before he knew it, he only had twenty minutes to spare before his scheduled special lecture.

Nagmamadali siyang pumunta sa function hall. Pagkarating niya roon ay sinalubong siya ng mga estudyanteng nag-invite sa kaniya. Habang fina-finalize pa ang setup, umupo si Diesel sa tabi ng in-charge sa presentation. He searches for his flash drive in the pocket of his slacks. Nang hindi iyon makapa ay napatayo siya para hanapin iyon nang maigi sa magkabilang bulsa.

Well, shit. Parang nawala ang kaninang pagod niya at napalitan ng panic habang hinahanap niya iyon sa front pockets ng backpack niya. He was about to check his phone, then he realized that he had done his presentation on Addie's laptop kaya wala iyon sa digital storage niya.

He couldn't possibly drive all the way home just to get that. Hindi siya aabot. He tries calling Addie to check if she could mail it to him, pero hindi siya sinagot. Baka natutulog, naliligo, o hindi napapansin ang phone.

He squeezes the back of his nape, mentally counting backwards from twenty as he calms himself down. This is why he couldn't go back to serving the academe. Hindi siya magiging magandang role model sa mga estudyante. Maybe he should tell his students now to get a whiteboard and a pen para naman kahit papaano ay may magamit siya.

"Sir, nag-lunch na po kayo?"

Diesel lifts his gaze to the student in front of him. She's holding a bottle of water and what seems to be packed food. Smiling, he dismisses her with a wave of his hand. "May lunch akong dala. Bigay mo na lang sa kaklase mo 'yan."

Diesel sits back down when his student leaves. Hindi naman niya talaga kailangan ng presentation file dahil alam niya kung ano ang sasabihin niya mamaya. Ang pinoproblema niya, malaki masyado ang audio-visual room at baka mga estudyante niya, lalo na ang mga nasa likod, ang mahirapan kapag walang visual aid.

He massages his temples. He should eat. Wala na nga siyang presentation, e baka mamaya ay lutang pa siya habang nagtuturo dahil sa gutom at pagod. He opens his backpack and takes out the lunch bag Addie prepared for him.

Nasapo na lang niya ang noo nang may makitang sticky note na nakadikit sa lid ng food container. He chuckles, not minding if his students would eye him weirdly for laughing out of nowhere, before peeling the note off the lid and keeping it in his bag.

Sir D,

Ito flash drive mo.

Ako na nag-save ng lecture report mo para mamaya.

LUNCH BEFORE LECTURE!!! Okay?

Sunduin ka namin pagkatapos mo.

We love you. I love you.

- Addie, Nadia, and Yanyan

Hindi niya alam kung sinadya ni Addie na sa loob ng lunch bag niya ilagay ang flash drive. Paraan siguro ito ni Addie para malaman kung nag-lunch talaga siya nang tama sa oras. If Addie had answered his call earlier, e di nabisto siya.

He hands his flash drive to the student in charge. Nagmamadali niyang inubos ang lunch niya para kahit papaano ay may five minutes siyang libre bago magsimula ang lecture.

Almost an hour later, natapos naman niya ang lecture nang walang aberya. Sinilip niya lang saglit ang phone niyang panay ang vibrate kanina habang nagle-lecture siya. Tinambakan siya ni Addie ng missed calls at ilang texts na nagtatanong kung bakit siya tumawag kanina.

He sneaks in a reply while the event hosts are keeping the audience busy. Wala. Sabihin ko lang sana i love you.

Addie quickly replies with an angry emoji. She follows up with another message saying, K I love you.

Diesel hides his grin behind his palm. He keeps his phone and waits for the rest of the program to finish for his certificate of recognition and a few photos for documentation. After that, he heads back to the parking lot. Dadaan muna siya ng opisina bago umuwi dahil may oras pa naman siya.

He places his backpack on the shotgun seat along with the gift basket he got as a token of appreciation. Hindi agad niya in-start ang makina ng sasakyan at ch-in-eck muna ang ibinigay na certificate sa kaniya ng mga estudyante niya. Hinagip niya ang document bag na nasa backseat para doon itago ang mga certificate—certificates. Huh. Bakit nga ba dalawa? Hindi niya naman ito napansin kanina nang iabot sa kaniya.

He slips the Certificate of Recognition ito his document bag before checking the other one. His world stopped for a while upon noticing the name and signature on the lower right part—Adira Nikoline Y. Villaecija.

Congratulations!

This certificate is awarded to
Ar. Diego Anselmo C. Villaecija
for being the best husband and the best dad of three.

In appreciation of your tireless efforts, endless patience, dedication,masarap na luto, and your warmest hugs.

Diesel runs his hand over his face, overwhelmed and at a loss for words. Ilang beses niya iyong binasa, sinisigurong hindi siya nananaginip at hindi niya imagination ang three na nakasulat. In between his chuckles a tear or two escapes from his eyes. Isinandal niya ang noo sa steering wheel nang maramdamang nagdere-deretso na ang mga luha niya. God, his heart's too full. They're having another baby!

He stores the congratulatory certificate in his document bag, careful not to wet it with his tears or crumple it. Ilang minuto pa siyang nag-stay sa sasakyan habang hinihintay na kumalma ang sarili. He wanted to call Addie, pero mas pinili niyang magmadaling umuwi para makita na siya—sila ng baby.

Instead of driving to his office, he heads back home. And on the way, he wonders if they're going to have another girl or if this time it will be a boy.

Naabutan niya si Addie na kumakain sa front porch pag-uwi niya. He wanted to jump out of his car and kiss Addie senseless, but he held himself back. Well, at least until he was able to park the car properly in the garage.

Addie's mouth tastes like oranges, probably from the ones she was eating before he came home. Addie chuckles when he pulls away, then she cups his face and swipes her thumb over his damp cheeks.

The weight of the overwhelming rush of having another kid and the exhaustion of work catches up on his body, making his legs give up on him. He kneels on the front porch and wraps his arms around the back of Addie's thighs, then lays his head over her belly.

Hinagip ulit ni Addie ang pisngi niya nang magsimula na naman siyang umiyak. Chuckling as she tries to wipe his tears away, she teases, "Iyakin ka."

"I love you."

"I love you, pero iyakin ka pa rin. Tumayo ka nga diyan. Baka makita ka ng kapitbahay, sabihin pa, pinaiiyak kita."

That makes Diesel laugh. He stands up, catching Addie's lips again for another kiss. His one hand makes its way to where her baby bump will show in a few weeks. The other snakes around her waist. "Are you craving anything?" he asks after peppering her cheeks with kisses.

Addie pouts before wrapping her arms around his neck. She tiptoes to kiss the tip of his nose. "Hm . . . you?"

She meant that partly as a joke, pero wala pa yatang limang segundo e buhat-buhat na siya ni Diesel, bridal-style, papasok ng bahay. Nag-e-echo ang tawa niya sa buong bahay dahil sa mga binubulong-bulong ni Diesel habang paakyat sila ng kuwarto—'wag mo 'kong ginaganiyan, 'tang ina, Addie ano ba?, nanggigigil ako sa 'yo, ang bango-bango mo pa naman.

"Now?!" Addie exclaims when Diesel asks her to get the bedroom door.

Sumunod naman siya pero panay pa rin ang tawa niya dahil hindi pa rin tumitigil si Diesel sa kabubulong ng kung ano-ano. At this point, she's not sure if he's talking to him or if he's narrating his thoughts out loud without him noticing.

Addie squeals when Diesel puts his weight over her upon placing her on the bed. Still laughing, she smacks him lightly on the face when his hand reaches for the back of her knees to lift them up and he traps himself between her legs.

Diesel laughs with her, placing a kiss on the top of Addie's head while she's busy unbuttoning his shirt. "Whenever you want."

This is the last part for this story.

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