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Chapter 13: The Daughter

When Harrison and I came back after our honeymoon that's just when I finally got to meet his daughter. Ilang araw pagkatapos namin umuwi at nagsimula nang tumira sa mansyon ng mga Abella ay saka dumating at umuwi rin doon ang anak niya.

And I was a bit nervous of meeting the child. Hindi ko pa alam kung paano ko ba siya pakikiharapan. I don't know what her reaction would be of me. Kaya naman medyo kabado rin akong makilala na siya. But at the same time I was also feeling excited to know her and see her face. Magkamukha kaya sila ni Harrison? I bet she'd be a cute girl.

Noong nagpaplano pa lang din kaming magpakasal ay tinanong ko na rin si Harrison ng tungkol sa anak niya.

"What's her name?"

Bumaling siya sa'kin. "Her name's Anya..."

I smiled. "How old is she now?"

"She's... 9 years old."

Bahagyang kumunot ang noo ko sa kaniya. Bakit tunog parang hindi pa siya sigurado sa edad ngayon ng sarili niyang anak?

"Where is she now? I haven't meet her yet. You didn't introduce me to your daughter until now... Won't she come to our wedding?" I asked him.

Tumingin siya sa 'kin. Pagkatapos ay umiling siya. "She still has classes... She's in London right now."

"London?" medyo nagulat naman ako. Because I didn't expect that his daughter would be far from him. I thought that they live together somehow...

He nodded. "Yes. I enrolled her in a boarding school there."

"A boarding school?" halata ang katanungan sa mga mata ko.

Harrison shook his head a bit. "Yes... Because I didn't know how to raise her well and a girl at that..."

I looked at Harrison.

"I just thought that sending her to study abroad would be good for her and her future..." aniya.

"But she's so young? How old was she when you sent her there?"

"Since she was six..."

Nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko sa sinabi ni Harrison.

"Only six years old?"

Harrison nodded at me. "She comes home sometimes, too... Dito sa bahay... And, uh, Manang Lourdes and the rest here takes care of her during her vacations..."

"How about you?"

Bahagya siyang nag-iwas ng tingin. "We talk sometimes, too..."

"And her mother?" I asked.

Harrison turned his eyes back at me. But he didn't answer my question...

Hindi ko na rin ipinilit pa ang tanong ko. He would talk if he wanted to talk about it. Sa ngayon, tingin ko ay ayaw pa muna niyang pag-usapan.

So I just asked Manang Lourdes about his daughter. Binalikan ko na rin muli ang mga naka-framed na pictures dito sa mansyon ng mga Abella. At may picture na rin pala ni Anya roon. I smiled as I saw her serious face on the picture. Hindi man lang nakangiti. And somehow I saw Harrison's face on his daughter's serious face...

Napangiti na lang ako.

"This is Anya, Manang, right?" Bumaling ako kay Manang Lourdes galing sa mga wall portraits.

Ngumiti rin naman sa akin si Manang. "Oo, Anika Yana ang talagang pinangalan sa kaniya ng Mommy niya..." humina ang boses ni Manang sa huling sinabi at medyo awkward na siyang ngumiti sa akin. "Uh, Anya lang ang tawag namin sa kaniya rito sa bahay..."

"Anika Yana..." I smiled. "He's Harrison's daughter." I said as I looked back at the child's picture that's hanging on the mansion's wall.

While I didn't hear anything back from Manang Lourdes. And when I noticed her sudden silence I turned back to look at her. Bahagya lang naman siyang ngumiti sa akin nang bumaling ako sa kaniya.

I just asked them to prepare Anya's room and everything for her arrival. Tumango naman sa akin si Manang at nagpaalam nang aasikasuhin iyon.

And then the next day Harrison's daughter arrived at the mansion. And I was already smiling as I anticipated her going out of the car that picked her up from the airport. Isang magandang bata ang lumabas ng sasakyan na nakita ko. And her eyes was immediately on Harrison who was standing beside me. Dumeretso siya sa kaniya at unti-unti lang ang paglapit niya. And then she formally and politely greeted her Dad...

"Anya, this is Vienna... Greet her as well." Harrison just told his daughter.

Doon na bumaling sa akin ang mga mata ni Anya. Ngumiti naman ako sa kaniya. And then she just greeted me as well formally...

I think she was a bit too formal for her age...

Pagkatapos ay niyaya ko na rin sila na pumunta na muna kami sa dining room dahil nagpahanda na rin ako ng pagkain para sa amin.

"I'm tired from the airplane ride... I just want to rest in my room for now." Anya said...

Nagkatinginan naman kami ni Harrison. Pagkatapos ay binalingan niya ang anak niya. "Anya, have your meal first. You just arrived and I was told that you didn't eat any during the long flight... And Vienna prepared the food for us." he told her.

Nagkatinginan silang mag-ama. Harrison was seriously looking at her daughter, at seryoso rin si Anya na nakatingin pabalik sa kaniya...

Sa huli ay nakita kong mahinang nagbuntong-hininga na lang si Anya. And then she went with us to the dining room. Pagkatapos ay tahimik na lang kaming kumain doon...

Hindi rin nag-uusap sa hapag-kainan ang mag-ama. Kumakain lang sila pareho. Kaya tahimik na lang din ako...

But after having meal with the daughter and father, I went to ask Manang again a few things about Anya. While Anya already went up to her bedroom right after eating with us. And Harrison was in his study too after because it's Sunday and he's just at home as well.

"Manang..." I cannot ask her directly about Anya's mother. Kasi mukhang ayaw pa nga pag-usapan ni Harrison. But I just want to know, "Kailan pa po na kay Harrison na si Anya?" I think I asked a bit weird of a question...

Na bahagya rin kumunot ang noo ni Manang sa'kin pero sinagot niya rin ako. "Simula noong baby pa lang si Anya... ay si Sir Harrison na lang ang nakasama niya..."

Tumango na rin ako sa sinabi ni Manang pagkatapos.

Pero may dinagdag pa siyang sinabi. "Hindi pa masyadong nag-uusap ang mag-ama... Gan'yan talaga sila sa isa't isa..." Bahagyang ngumiti sa akin si Manang Lourdes. "Hindi pa kasi sila nagiging close sa isa't isa dahil bata pa si Anya noong nagpunta sa Europe..."

Napatango naman ako sinabi ni Manang...

"Pero palaging nag-aalala para kay Anya si Harrison... Hindi pa kasi niya alam kung paano ang gagawin lalo na noong una... Pero alam ko na mahal niya rin ang bata at iniisip niya lang kung ano ang makabubuti para rito." Manang Lourdes said.

I just nodded again at Manang Lourdes after that. And then I smiled at her a little, too.

Then I realized that Harrison may not be the perfect father... But I can see now his genuine care and worries for his daughter...

And he's better than my father...

At least I know that Harrison can be a good Dad...