Someday Soon, With You

Chapter 13

It was an unusual arrangement. He agreed to help Eunice about Ella’s condition. She’s pregnant and they can’t have her going around looking for James. It’s okay, it will only be a few months before his flight back home. He can tolerate it. Ella listens to him, especially when he tells her not to leave. She’s four months pregnant, he thought it’s five. He’ll just participate in one more expedition, and he’s going home. Maybe it will be for good. Living away from home’s already taking its toll for him. He misses his mom, he misses Alpha, the volleyball practices. Everything. Maybe he can be a professor in college when he comes home.

“What do you think?” Ella interrupted his thought.

“I’m sorry. What is it love?”

Ella sighed. “I said maybe we can go visit your family. It’s been a long time since they came to visit” she repeated.

“I don’t know love. It’s not good for our baby to have long trips” he replied. They need to keep Ella inside for her safety. And somehow, she believes everything he says.

Three months later

He doesn’t stay there, not even for just a night. As soon as she fell asleep. He’s gone. When she asks where he is, Eunice would only say he’s already gone for work. He’s in their headquarters preparing for the expedition. They will be going that same day. His phone rang and saw Eunice’s registered number.

“Hello Eunice” he greeted.

“Hello Aro,” the woman greeted back. “it’s Ella”, she started.

“What happened to her?” he asked.

“She’s having the baby today.

“What? I thought it will not be for the next two months?” she asked.

“Her water burst. The baby is premature.”

Aro looked around their locker room. “Can I ask not to be included in the expedition?” he asked.

“Why not?” his supervisor asked.

“My friend is having her baby today, she’s kind of important. I want to be with her” he replied.

Being in expeditions is a big deal, but not this time for him.

“Erik, you’re up!” supervisor said.

“What about the list, Sir?” Erik asked.

“There might be a delay if we change the list last minute. We can’t have that” the supervisor continued. “Are you interested?”

“Very interested, Sir” Erik replied.

Aro helped with the preparation for the expedition: preparing the gears, the food, the blankets. He saw them off thirty minutes later. After that, he went first in the market to buy flowers before riding a cab to the hospital. He’s talking to Eunice, giving him the room number and other details, inside the taxi when the car suddenly stopped. “What’s happening?” he asked.

“I think there’s an earthquake, Sir. Let’s stay for a bit and wait for the aftershocks before we go.” The driver suggested.

Aro just nodded. There were a few more tremors and then they decided to continue to drive. When they got back from the highway, there was a huge tremor, they saw some buildings collapse. The driver hit the brake so hard immediately after another car just stopped in the middle of the highway. This caused a commotion and Aro heard a loud bang before he lost his consciousness.

He woke up in a hospital room, saw his ‘wife and new-born child’ and learned that his name is James.

Three years ago

It’s six in the morning, it’s probably still four back home. He took his phone and dialed a number. It’s ringing. Four rings and the line were answered.

“Hello?” he heard a familiar voice answer. He just stood there quietly listening to his mom’s voice. He doesn’t even know how to explain things to her, or how he can ever go there with his identity being someone else’. “Okay, listen. This has to stop, this prank calls have been pestering me for four days now. Do you know what time is it? It’s four in the─”

“Mom” he interrupted. Then there was a sudden silence in the other line.

“Baby?” her mom called. Tears rolled his eyes. He missed her, he missed Alpha. All the emptiness he felt, it’s because he knows something was missing. It was them, after all.

“Mommy, I’m sorry” he said. It’s been ages since he called her mommy. He has always called her mom the moment he started pre-school.

“Baby, is that you? Is that really you?” his mom exclaimed.

“Yes, mom. It’s me” he answered. Then he heard sobs from the other line along with his name.

“Daddy?” it’s his daughter, three years old, Kathara coming from the kitchen. He was sitting in the bench at the back of the house... “Milk, daddy, please” she said in broken sentences.

“Mom, my daughter’s here. I’ll call you later again. I love you so much mom. I miss you, bye” he said as he ended the call. He wiped his tears and went to carry his two year-old baby girl. “Good morning my little mermaid. Why are you up so early?”

“Mommy cries again” she answered indifferently.

It was Ella, almost every morning she is suffering from a severe headache. That’s the reason she locks herself in their room. Sometimes she doesn’t want to let him in; she doesn’t want him to see her. Sometimes he just doesn’t want to get in, especially when Kathara’s awake. He lets her play in the pool every time pain attacks Ella. It’s such a tough time for them. Whenever her parents were there, he would leave Kathara in their care and focus on taking care of Ella.

“Daddy, why mommy cries?” his thoughts were interrupted by Kathara’s question.

“Mommy is sick, my love” he answered.

“Mommy say to Mama Nessie, ‘I’m dying’. What’s dying daddy?” the little girl continued.

He needs her thoughts averted. “Do you want to watch movies today? What about Frozen, or Tangled? Moana? Let’s order pizza and watch movies later, okay?” he persuaded.

“Okay” Ara agreed. “Daddy, milk. Now” the little girl demanded.

“Alright, just wait a little bit my mermaid” he answered calmly. Sometimes, he can only feel thankful that Ara can still be distracted easily.

After two years:

Their arrangement went on for another two more years and Ella suffered more and more each day. Her headaches get more painful, her scream can even be heard around the house. First two weeks when she started screaming from pain, Ara would also scream. She’s scared. After a while, Ara didn’t scream, she just stared blankly into anywhere she was seated. That freaked Aro more. That’s the reason he tries to be extra sweet to Ara. He spoils her with so much love, so she can forget her fear for her mother. She’s only three; it pains him so much that Ara is also going through such a hard time.

They were sitting on the front porch that afternoon; Ara just woke up from her nap. She was drinking her milk sitting in his lap.

“James, don’t you think you’re spoiling her too much?” it was Ella referring to him. He doesn’t know James personally; all he knows is James is Ella’s real husband and Ara’s father.

“No, my baby mermaid deserves all the love in the world because she’s a very good girl. Am I right baby?” he said kissing and hugging Ara while the latter just nodded as a response to Aro’s question.

She sat beside them. Aro put one of his hands around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Don’t push yourself too much, you still need to rest” he said lovingly.

“I need to catch fresh air from time to time” she replied. “Can we talk later” she asked.

“Sure, I’m just here” he replied. Suddenly a car parked in front, it was Ella’s parents. They will join them for dinner. Her mother, Eunice, went straight to the porch and tried to carry Ara but the little girl just wiggled and threw tantrums when she tried to take her from Aro. “Baby, Mama Nessie just wants to play with you. Go on” he persuaded. Ara just wiggled more and cried.

“It’s okay sweetheart. I’ll just go and prepare our dinner” Eunice said entering the house and Lawrence, her husband, following her.

“What’s wrong, baby? You’re not usually so moody” he asked Ara. Ara ignored him and just clings to him.

“Our baby doesn’t want to be away from Daddy even for a while” it was Ella.

“Later you will play with Mama Nessie, okay?” Ara nodded to his command.

After dinner, Ara played with them for a while. Aro took her to bed and after less than thirty minutes she already fell asleep. He went down and joined Ella and her parents in the living room.

“You started talking with your family?” it’s Ella. He was surprised by her sudden question he didn’t respond for a while. “I know” she continued, referring to him talking to his mother every morning. “I already know for quite a while. Forgive me love, for taking you away from your family” she apologized.

“Don’t think about it too much, love. At least I met you, I met Ara” he replied.

“I don’t think I have much time to live” he heard Ella’s mother cry over her statement. “Can you stay for a while, so Ara can still have a complete family and then you can just give her to Mom and Dad─” she was interrupted.

“No! Ara is my child. I know you know I’m not James, I’m not your husband, but I am her father. I’ve always been. You know it” he insisted.

“Darling─” it was Eunice, but she, too, was interrupted.

“I don’t know how you did it. How you gave me this identity without anyone questioning it. But you put me here, and now I’m here. Kathara is my child, and if you want to take that away from me, you can damn well try” he stood firm in his decision.

“I know, love. I just don’t like her to be a complication when you go home” Michaela said.

“She never is, and she’ll never be. Ara has been through a lot, especially now. There are times when she doesn’t react to things like how a girl her age would react. And that would freak me out, every time. Take her away from me, and you’ll just make it worse” he said.

That night is a little heavy, but at least he felt like a thorn has been pulled from his chest. He doesn’t have to act like he doesn’t know, and so is Ella. Every time he had the chance, he would talk to his mother, and from time to time, he would let Ara talk to her too.

Two months later, Michaela was rushed to the hospital where she spent less than a week. She doesn't have any vision, she screams in pain and vomitting at least thrice a day. After that, Ella passed away.

Her parents didn’t object to Aro when he took Ara especially since the little girl seemed to be traumatized by her mother’s death. The whole month after Ella died, Ara didn’t say a single word. She just stares, nod or shake her head. He would only hear her voice when she is throwing tantrums or crying. But little by little, she started talking again, only to Aro. Maybe that was one of the reasons they didn’t stop him when he decided he will bring Kathara with him home.

Present:

He saw Alpha talk to her mother just before he walked through the door. He saw Mira got up the sofa too. “Mira” he called her. Mira looked at her and smiled. Her eyes were puffy. He came closer to her and hugged her. She also hugged him back. “Thank you for staying with Mom this whole time while I was gone. I truly appreciate it” he said while hugging her.

“It’s nothing” she replied. “I also love it, having a mom to come home to every weekend”

“You can still come here, Kathara likes you too” he told her. After refraining from the hug, “I don’t want you to hate me for coming back. I know you know about me and Alpha and I just want you to know that─”

“Aro, it’s okay. You don’t have to say it. I’m just happy now that you’re back. I’m happy to know that, at least, in some families, it is possible to have this kind of reunion. When you thought they’re dead, so you’re filled with regrets and all thoughts of all the time you want to do things differently. I’m happy for you and tita Dolly. You're good people. You deserve it” she told him.

He saw her wiped her tears and then hugged her again. Her mom is right, she is a good person. And then he saw Alpha in his peripheral vision looking at them, he took his arms off Mira and waved at them.

After their talk, they knocked to Mr. and Mrs. Cortez’s house. Mrs. Cortez even screamed when she saw him. Then after a long talk, Alyana or Tita Aya as he calls her can’t stop hugging him. They were like real parents to him. He didn’t even felt that he didn’t have a father because wherever Arthur brought Alpha, whether to a camping trip or to a Friday pizza night, he was always brought along, and he was always happy.