The Pursuit of a Luna

A Nameless One

ANDREI

School's been enjoyable these past few days. He's always seen Kathlyn from afar, she looks unapproachable but spending time with her, she is nice. He smiled. He remembers how she took the chicken in his paper cup using her spoon. Is that what they call an indirect kiss? He threw himself in bed, this is so unbecoming of him. Smiling alone. He took a pad and started drawing. He must have gotten it from his mother. She also likes painting. He started the linings, the circles from head and joints. The hair. After almost an hour, he stared at his work. A woman eating the chicken, holding a paper cup with porridge. "Kathlyn" he mumbled smiling. He stopped. He took his towel and walk out of the room. their bathroom is between his room and his mother's. He looked at the kitchen, where is she? He thought. "Mom, are you cooking dinner?" he asked as he walked downstairs. Did she go outside? His heart stopped when he saw his mother lying on the floor. "Mom!" he shouted. Calm down, calm down! He told himself. He went outside and shouted at his neighbor, Lolo Gary. (*Lolo is a Filipino term for grandpa) His grandson is one of his mother's students every weekend. "Can you call an ambulance, please" he asked. And then tears just went raising down his cheeks. Lolo Gary didn't know what's happening but still called an ambulance. He ran back at the house and carried his mother to the living room and put her to the sofa. It took him a while. He's still a teenager, and he's thin. After fifteen minutes, ambulance parked in front of the and he heard his neighbor calling his name.

"What happened?" the personnel asked.

"It's my mom. I don't know what happened. I just saw her lying on the floor" he explained.

They were carrying a stretcher, and gently, they put his mother on it. "Only one will accompany her"

"Me, I'm her son" he quickly answered. The personnel nodded and walked out the living room.

"It's okay, I'll tell my daughter to pack some clothes for you and your mother" Lolo Gary told him. He nodded and wiped his tears.

"Mom" he called. His mother looking outside the window from the hospital bed. She's diagnosed with a stage four cervical cancer. His mom looked at him and smiled. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked as he sat on the chair near the bed.

"How am I going to tell you?" she asked.

"Say it however you wanted, except, lying cold on the floor" he replied.

"It's hard to detect it at early stages" she smiled.

"Then, when you detected it. You should've started therapy, we could've-" he stopped, fighting his tears. "Did you refused the therapy to save money? So, you can send me to school?" he asked sobbing.

"Sweetheart, no. This is my decision. I don't want to spend my remaining time feeling weak and suffering from the treatment" his mother explained.

He sobbed. "I'm sorry, mom"

"What are you sorry for?" she asked.

"I should've paid more attention" he hugged her, still sobbing. "I should've" he choked. "Played the piano with you"

"The next one who will bother me, I will kick full in the nuts!" he heard Kathlyn shout at the corridor. Some boys seem to bother her. He sighed. He wishes he can be as carefree as the other kids.

"Hey, man. Snack later? With my cousin and Kath?" Michael asked him.

"I have to go somewhere, sorry" he answered. After school, he went straight to the hospital. It's already almost Christmas. He's thinking if they will celebrate at the hospital. On his way to her room, he bumped with four men in suits. They walked past him, he looked behind and watched them exit the hospital. "Mom" he called as soon as he entered the room. His mother looked at him, smiling. "What are you doing?" he asked when he saw her zipping her bag and all dressed up.

"We're going home, of course" she replied.

"But-" he tried to protest.

"The point of refusing the treatment is to stay away from hospitals. I think we're missing that" she smiled. He didn't respond. He's conflicted about going home. He just stared at her. "Sweetheart, is there anything wrong?"

"Is this really okay? Aren't you going to collapse randomly at home?" he worriedly asked.

"No. I was just a bit tired that day" she assured him.

They went home that night. Every day after school he goes straight at home. He walked to their gate and saw their neighbor drinking coffee. "Lolo Gary" he called.

The old man looked at him and stood. He walked to the fence that divide their lawns. "How's your mother?" he asked.

"She's doing fine" he said. Although, he's not sure himself. "Thank you for helping me" he told him.

The old man nodded. "That's good" he replied.

He walked inside and saw his mom in the kitchen, he smelled the scent of tea. "Mom!" he exclaimed when he saw the groceries on the table. "Why did you go out alone?" he scolded her.

"Sweetheart, it's just a few items. For our Noche Buena" she answered.

"Next time, mom, just let me buy it" he sighed.

She looked at him, worried at how stressed he looks. "I'm sorry, next time I'll let you buy it" she said. "Will you play the piano for me please?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'll just shower, please make me coffee, mom" he said as he climbed upstairs. After fifteen minutes, he walked downstairs. He can smell the coffee. His mother's playing The Promise. He sat next to her watching her fingers press the keys.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked. He nodded. "Who is that girl you drew?"

"What?" he asked startled.

"Eating the chicken" his mother continued.

"Mom! You went through my stuff!" he scolded her.

Her mother chuckled. "It was an accident. I was just cleaning" she tried to explain.

"Mom, an accident would be if you poured water on it. Accidentally" he sighed. His mother continued laughing silently. "She's a schoolmate" he confessed.

His mom nodded. "Do you like her?"

"Maybe?" he replied.

"She's beautiful" she commented.

"She can eat a chicken in three bites" he told her. He never heard his mother laughed so hard.

The days of Christmas break almost went by as peaceful as he can remember.

"Is this everything, Sir", the man asked Andrei. He nodded without looking at him. The night after Christmas, his mother passed away on her sleep. He still can't believe it.

"Andrei", the man called who introduced himself as his father. "Let's go"

They walked out their house. He looked at his neighbor's house and saw Lolo Gary. He stopped and looked at him. The old man stood and walked towards him. "I'm moving, Lolo" he said.

The old man nodded. "Do your best there, Apo. Just, live one day at a time" (Apo is an endearment for a grandchild).

He nodded and then waved goodbye.

"You'll live with me now. Things will be confusing but you'll get used to it" Christopher told him.

He never thought he'd met another Luna. He figured his mom and dad are not married because they have different surnames. "What should I call you?" he asked.

"You can call me dad" he replied. "Also, you'll call your stepmother mom" he continued.

He became quiet again. He has a stepmother? He can't call her that. He didn't respond. They arrived at a very large house. He stared at it. It's a mansion. The car pulled over the front and they got off. He was about to take his luggage when his father stopped him. "Leave it" he commanded. Then, two attendants went there and took it. "Take it to his room" he ordered. They went inside and saw people sitting in the living room. "Andrei, these are your brothers, Santi and Theo" his father introduced.

Brothers! I've always dreamed of having one, he thought.

"I've always dreamed of having a brother" one of them said. And then he looked at the other one. "I mean baby brother" he awkwardly laughed. "What? I've been the youngest brother for twenty years" he defensively said.

They're twins!

The other one sighed. "I'm Santi. You can call me Kuya Santi, that clown is your Kuya Theo. Welcome home" he said. (*Kuya is a Filipino term for big brother)

"How can you call me a clown? We have the same face" Theo complained. "Welcome to the family, baby bro" he said.

Wow. He felt overwhelmed. He looked at the people sitting. The other lady seemed unhappy seeing him.

"She is your stepmom. You'll call her mom" his father said. She looks really pissed off. There's another girl. "She's Celestine, your sister" he continued. "You will be introduced officially before you go to college. From now on, you will be Celestine's twin brother"

Andrei stared at his father. Are they going to forge my documents?

"You are now Andrei Berdaver Luna" his father declared.

Berdaver, he thought. That's not his mother's maiden name. So just like that, they erased his mother's trace on him. A nameless one.