Chapter 56
Cynthia Lim Sevilla Sanchez POV
"Baby, come here. 'Di ba sabi ko sa'yo, d'yan ka lang dapat sa loob? Ang dumi-dumi mo na tuloy. Buti na lang cute ka pa rin," Mommy said while squeezing my cheeks tightly.
I giggled and hugged her. "But Mommy! I saw a kitten outside! It was soooo cute! It was so tiny and fluffy!" I said, jumping up and down excitedly.
Hi! I'm Cynthia—little Cynthia! The one and only cutiepie of my mommy and daddy! They always tell me I'm their little sunshine because I'm always smiling and running around like a ball of energy.
Today, we're here in the province where Mommy grew up. It's my first time visiting, and everything looks so different from the city.
There are so many trees, big open fields, and even chickens running around!
It's a little dusty and muddy compared to home, but I love it here already. The air smells fresh, and the sky looks so blue and big!
The people here are really kind, too. Every time someone sees me, they smile and say, "Ang cute mo naman!" or sometimes they even give me candy or fruits. Mommy says that's how people are in the province—always warm and friendly.
I’m still getting used to everything though. Like, earlier, I tried to chase a little kitten outside the house. It was white with tiny gray spots, and it meowed at me! I wanted to pet it so badly that I forgot Mommy told me not to go outside without her. Oops.
Now my dress is full of dirt, my knees are a little muddy, and Mommy is shaking her head while trying not to laugh. But I can tell she's not really mad. She's just pretending to be strict. Deep inside, I know she thinks I'm adorable!
I think I'm going to like it here a lot. I can't wait to see more animals, climb trees (if Mommy lets me!), and maybe even find new friends to play with!
"Haynako kang bata ka. Halika na rito. Magbihis ka na’t pawis na pawis ka na," my mom said while wiping my forehead with her hand towel.
“But Mommy! I’m not done exploring! There’s a chicken that looks like it wants to be my friend!”
She sighed and shook her head. “Ay Cynthia, manok ‘yan, hindi ‘yan pwedeng kaibiganin. Kumain ka na ba?”
“I ate… um, kind of. I saw some people selling those tiny bananas and they gave me two because I said ‘po’!”
My mom laughed a little and took my hand. “Ikaw talaga. Ang daldal mo. Tara na, baka lamukin ka pa riyan.”
I looked around one last time—the sun was starting to set, and everything looked like gold. The fields, the trees, even the old swing by the mango tree.
“Mommy, can we live here forever?”
“Ha? Dito? Anak, isang linggo pa lang tayo dito, gusto mo na tumira?” She crouched down to fix my muddy sandals.
I nodded. “Yes! The people are kind, and there’s space to run, and—and there’s a mango tree taller than our whole house!”
“Masaya ka ba talaga rito, anak?”
I smiled. “Yes, super! Even if my shirt gets dirty every five seconds.”
She kissed my forehead. “Basta’t kasama kita, masaya na rin ako.”
I didn’t fully understand everything she said, but I knew she was happy too. Mommy smiled with her eyes, and when she did that, I knew everything was okay.
"How’s my baby there? Makulit pa rin ba ang batang 'yan?" I heard my papa's voice calling out from the front gate.
As soon as I heard him, I squealed with excitement and ran as fast as my little legs could carry me toward him.
"Papa!" I shouted, my arms wide open.
Papa laughed warmly and bent down to scoop me up in his big, strong arms. "Cute talaga ng baby ko," he said, showering my cheeks with kisses, making me giggle uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, not wanting to let go.
"Me okay, Papa! I miss you!" I said, still hugging him tightly like a koala.
"I miss you too, anak kong makulit," he chuckled, ruffling my messy hair lovingly. "Gutom na ba ang baby ko? Let's have dinner together," he said, kissing my cheeks again and making silly faces that made me laugh even harder. I nodded excitedly, a big, happy smile spreading across my face.
He set me down gently, then reached for Mommy’s hand, squeezing it softly. "Hon, tara na. Nandoon na sila sa loob, hinihintay na tayo," Papa said, his voice full of love.
I watched them holding hands, and my heart felt so warm and full. I smiled brightly and ran between them, grabbing both their hands tightly.
"Mommy, Papa... I love you both so, so, so much!" I said with all the sincerity my tiny heart could offer.
They both looked down at me, their faces glowing with happiness. "We love you much, much more, our precious baby," they said together, before leaning down to kiss my forehead.
Hand in hand, we walked toward the house, where the smell of delicious food was already filling the air. I knew it was going to be a perfect night. As long as I was with my Mommy and Papa, everything in the world felt just right.
When we go inside, it’s so wow! The lights are warm like pancakes and the floor feels sticky-sticky ‘cause lots of slippers danced on it, I think. And the smell—oh my veggies! It smells like rice and crunchy and soup and yummy! My tummy say “hello!!”
“Uy! Si Cynthia!” my Tita Rosalie say, and she’s holding a big silver spoon like a magic wand! “Ang laki-laki mo na! Halika rito!”
I run super fast and hug her big like a teddy bear. “Hi Tita! You smell like yummy dinner!”
She laugh and kiss my head. “Ikaw talaga. Gutom ka na ‘no? Sige, maupo ka na’t malapit na maghapunan.”
I look around.
So many people!
Kuya Leo’s on the floor with my cousins doing magic card game.
Tito Bert’s poking the fan with a stick ‘cause the fan is lazy and not moving. There’s two babies fighting about a flip-flop.
And one dog under the table eating rice from the floor!
I think the dog’s name is Waway.
Then I hear Lolo voice.
“LOLOOOO!” I scream like super loud and run like zoom!
He come from the backyard with his white sando and shorts with squares. And he smell like the sun and old spice I think.
“Aba, aba, aba!” Lolo says and he open his big arms and pick me up like I’m feather!
“Lolo!! I missed you so super much!” I said while hugging him really really tight!
He kiss my cheek with his scritchy beard. “Si Cynthia, ang prinsesa ng bahay!”
I giggle lots and lots. “Lolo, you’re strong like superhero!”
“Miss na miss na kita, apo. Tumangkad ka na! Parang dalagita na ah!”
I dunno what dalagita means but I like it. It sounds like a mermaid name!
Then we go to the big table where all the food is and woooow. So many bowls! Big rice, crispy fish, soup that smells like lemon, and a bowl of brown stuff that look scary but Mommy said it's adobong atay so I will maybe taste it... later... maybe.
“Cynthia, tabi ka sa’kin kumain ha?” said Kuya Marvin.
“Hindi, sa’kin siya! Ako mag-aabot ng ulam!” said Ate Marga, waving a spoon.
“Gusto mo ng mangga, Cynthia? May bagoong kami, oh!” said Tita Rosalie again, holding a plate of green mango slices.
“I dunno what bagoong is but... yes please?” I say with my brave voice.
Mommy and Papa sit down too. Papa is putting rice on my plate already like he always does. Mommy gives me that smile with her eyes that mean she’s happy. I swing my little feet under the table. They don’t touch the floor yet but that’s okay.
Everyone’s talking and laughing and eating and I don’t know what they’re saying all the time but it’s okay 'cause I feel it. Like warm blanket and lots of hugs and everybody scooping food and saying “Uy, tikman mo ‘to!” and “O, dagdagan mo pa!”
I put rice in my mouth and smile big-big-big.
I don’t understand all the words...
But I understand the happy.
After dinner, my tummy was full like a big drum. Not just full with food—full with rice and fish and mango and juice—but also full with happy. Like my tummy was laughing too.
Everyone was still talking in the kitchen. My titos were fixing the karaoke. My titas were washing dishes and laughing at something Ate Marga said. The house was noisy but cozy, like a big giant hug that makes sound.
Mommy looked at me with her mommy-eyes. The one that means, “time for bedtime na.”
“Cynthia, mag-toothbrush ka na ha,” she said, wiping my chin with a towel even though I already wiped it with my sleeve. Hehe.
“But Mommy! My teeth are still brand new! I didn’t even chew hard!” I said, pouting with my lips like duck.
She laugh and kiss my forehead. “Shiny pa rin ba? O sige, pero toothbrush pa rin.”
So I went to brush with my pink sparkle toothbrush. It has a little fish on it. The sink is short so I don’t need the stool here! The mirror is cracked a little, but it’s cool ‘cause I look like I have a twin! We both brush together—me and Mirror Cynthia.
When I go back, Lolo is waiting for me by his bedroom. He has his soft pajamas on, the ones with clouds. His feet are in slippers and he smells like the minty bottle Mommy always says is for "rayuma."
“Cynthia, halika na. Dito ka matulog sa kwarto ko,” he says, holding the door open.
“Okay po, Lolooo!” I run to him with my blankie and Sir Snuggles, my teddy bear with one eye. His eye fell out last year but it’s okay. I told him, “You don’t need two eyes to see love.” He believed me.
Lolo’s room is so cozy.
The lights are yellow like melted butter.
There’s a little fan going whoo-whoo-whoo and the walls have old pictures.
Some black-and-white, some brown.
There’s even one where Lolo is young and smiling next to Lola in a dress with ruffles.
I never met Lola, but Lolo says she sings to the stars now.
I jump on his bed—boink!—and laugh because it squeaks! Weeeek! Weeek! It’s like the bed is singing too.
“Lolo! Story please! With a horse and a rainbow and a princess who eats adobo!” I said, wiggling under the blanket and putting Sir Snuggles beside me.
“Ang dami mong request ah,” Lolo says, sitting beside me and fixing the kulob pillow under my head. “Sige. Ganito ang kwento…”
And then he tells me the most magical story ever.
About Prinsesa Adobella, who lived in a bahay kubo with a magic wok.
Her best friend is a kabayo named Makisig who talks with a deep, deep voice.
One day, they find a hidden path in the forest that glows pink!
It leads to a rainbow waterfall with a treasure chest guarded by a tikbalang who sneezes every five minutes.
“‘Achoo!’ sabi ng tikbalang, ‘Wag kayong lalapit! May sipon ako!’” Lolo says with a silly snorty voice.
I giggle and giggle. “The tikbalang has a cold?!”
“‘Oo, kasi hindi siya marunong mag-jacket!’” Lolo says, pretending to sniffle.
The princess makes adobo in her magic wok and offers it to the tikbalang, and guess what? He cries! Because no one ever gave him adobo before. They become besties and have a picnic on the rainbow.
“Then what happens, Lolo? What happens next??” I say, eyes big-big-big.
He smiles with his sleepy eyes. “Pagkatapos nilang kumain, natulog silang lahat. Sa ulap. Tulad mo ngayon.”
I yawn like a lion cub. My eyes feel heavy but happy.
“Lolo… that was the best story in the galaxy. You’re the best storyteller.”
“Matulog ka na, iha. Bukas, papasyal tayo sa palengke. Bibilhan kita ng puto at bagong tsinelas.”
“Yaaayyy,” I say, already sinking into the soft bed cloud.
He kisses my forehead. “Goodnight, Cynthia. Sweet dreams.”
I snuggle with Sir Snuggles under the blanket. The fan goes whoo-whoo, the crickets go krii-krii, and the house hums with laughter from far away.
My eyes are closing, but in my dreams…I’m flying with Makisig the rainbow kabayo. Prinsesa Adobella is waving. And Lolo is there too—smiling, always.
The end… for now.
---
The next morning, the sun was so big. Like a giant egg yolk in the sky!
I woke up because I heard chickens yelling. Not even crowing—yelling. One went “TOK-TOGOK!!” like it saw a ghost. I sat up and blinked and remembered—I'm still in Lolo’s house! Yessss!
“Good morning, Cynthia! Gising na si prinsesa!” Tita Rosalie said when she saw me. She was already sweeping the yard in her house dress and pink headband.
I waved sleepily. “Good morning poooh…”
After breakfast, the my Ate's and Kuya's which were my cousins— were already outside.
“Laro tayo sa labas!” Kuya Leo shouted, already holding a big plastic ball with Spider-Man on it.
“Oo nga! Habang hindi pa mainit masyado!” said Ate Marga, tying her hair like a superhero.
I jumped up and down. “Can I play too? I wanna play! I wanna be in the team!!”
“Syempre! Dito ka sa team namin!” said Kuya Leo, tossing me the ball.
I tried to catch it but—boink!—it bounced off my arms. I laughed anyway. “Oops! My hands are still sleeping!”
We ran outside to the big yard behind the house. The ground was kinda crunchy and the grass was pokey on my feet but it was okay. There were chickens running around like they had secrets, and the trees were waving with their leaf-hands.
“Cynthia, ikaw ang tagabantay ng base ha!” said Kuya Leo, pointing at the mango tree.
“What’s a tagaban… taga-bantay?” I asked, holding the ball.
“Basta, ikaw ang magbantay dito! Pag may lumapit, habulin mo!” said Ate Marga.
“Ohhh! Okay! I’ll guard it like a dragon! Rawr!” I said, making my biggest dragon face.
We played tumbang preso (I didn’t understand the rules but I ran a lot), then agawan base (I mostly screamed and ran away), then tagu-taguan which I super loved because I hid behind the banana trees and nobody found me for a whole five minutes!!
“Nasaan na si Cynthia?!” shouted Tita Rosalie from the porch. “Baka napunta na sa kabilang baranggay!”
“I’m here!! I’m not a baranggay!!” I shouted, running out and giggling so much I fell on my knees.
“Aray! Nadapa ka!” said Kuya Leo, helping me up.
“No worries!” I said, brushing off the dirt. “My knees are brave!”
We made a seesaw out of a long piece of wood and a big stone. It was wobbly but it worked! I went up and down with Ate Marga while the chickens watched us like “what the cluck?”
Then Lolo came out with a small box.
“Uy, mga bata! May sorpresa ako!”
“Ano ‘yan, Lolo?” they all shouted.
He opened the box and—WOWWWW! Inside were tiny saranggola! Kites! One was red, one was green, and one was blue with yellow stars.
“Para sa inyo ‘to. Tara, lipad natin sa field!”
“YAAAAAY!!” I cheered, hugging my kite. “Mine looks like the sky is having a party!!”
We all ran to the open field. The wind was dancing and the sky was super big and super blue. I held the string tight. “Ready, set, FLYYYYY!”
And the kite went up—up—up—wiggly like spaghetti at first, then high like it wanted to touch the clouds!
“Ang galing mo, Cynthia!” Lolo shouted. “Ang taas ng saranggola mo!”
“I’m a kite master now!” I said, jumping with my arms wide.
Everyone was laughing, running, and shouting. The kites were like candy wrappers flying in the sky.
And me?
I was just… happy.
After our kites flew like they were racing with the clouds, we were all still so excited that we didn’t want to stop. Kuya Leo was already drawing lines in the dirt for patintero, and Ate Marga was hopping around to warm up like she was getting ready for the Olympics.
“Cynthia, tara! Dito ka na!” said Kuya Leo, waving his hand for me to join.
“Okay! I’m ready! Watch out, I’m going to be so fast! You won’t even see me!” I said, running to the starting line.
“Basta’t hindi ka tatawid ng linya, ha!” warned Ate Marga, holding the stick in the middle.
I put my hands on my hips like a superhero. “I won’t! I’ll just do this—“ and then I made a spinning move, trying to look cool.
Kuya Leo was the first bantay, and he looked so serious, like he was in a super important mission to stop me from winning. But I wasn’t scared. I was ready to run like a cheetah!
“Okay, one, two, three, go!” shouted Ate Marga.
And off I went, running super fast across the lines. I tried not to touch them. My feet went flip-flop, flip-flop, like they were dancing. I could feel the wind in my hair, the dust on my legs, and the sun on my face. Everything felt like it was zooming around me!
“Ay! Ang bilis ni Cynthia!” shouted Ate Marga as I sped past her.
I was almost at the finish line when—WHOOSH! Kuya Leo came out of nowhere and tagged my foot.
“Nooooo!” I screamed, throwing my hands in the air. “The wind helped me! It was the wind, not me!”
“Ay naku, Cynthia! Taya ka na!” said Kuya Leo, laughing.
“Okay, fine! But I’m going to be the best taya EVER!” I said, pointing at him like a detective solving a big case. “I’m coming for you, Leo!”
So I became the taya, and now I was the one chasing everyone.
“Bilis! Bilis! Huwag kang mahulog!” shouted Ate Marga as she ran past me, laughing like she just won a race.
“I’m going to get youuuu!” I yelled, running after her like a speedy monkey. I was so fast, I almost tripped on a rock, but I caught myself and spun like a ballerina instead. “Whee!! I’m a dancing runner!”
We played patintero until we were all out of breath. My cheeks were so red, I thought I looked like a tomato, but I didn’t care. We kept running, tagging, and laughing until the sun started getting sleepy and the sky turned soft and golden.
“Cynthia, ikaw na ba ang pinaka-mabilis?” asked Kuya Leo, catching his breath.
“Definitely! But I’m also the best at tripping and falling on purpose!” I said, giving him a wink.
And then, just like that, we were all on the ground, lying in the grass. I was looking up at the sky, which now looked like it had pink cotton candy clouds floating around. The air was soft, the sun was warm, and the wind was quiet.
“This is the best day ever,” I said, hugging my knees to my chest. “It’s like… I don’t know. Like everything is perfect here.”
“Talaga? Gusto mo na bang mag-stay dito forever?” asked Ate Marga, resting her head on the grass.
“Yes! I want to live here, forever and ever,” I said, smiling big. “We could play every day, eat banana cue every day, and… and… we could fly kites every day!”
“Okay, sigurado ka?” asked Lolo, who had walked over to us, carrying a big jar of buko juice.
“YES!” I said, jumping up and running to him. “I want to live here forever! With you, Lolo!”
He chuckled and ruffled my hair. “Sige, sige, pero kailangan mo muna magtulungan sa mga gawaing bahay, ha?”
“Deal! I’ll sweep the floor and do the dishes and even water the plants, Lolo!” I said, making a big promise.
“Talaga? Lahat ng ‘yan? Sige nga, bigyan mo ako ng high-five!”
I high-fived him with all my might and shouted, “We’re a team now, Lolo!!”
Then the wind picked up again, and we all looked at our kites—still flying high like they were dancing with the clouds. The field was wide, the trees were swaying, and the chickens were clucking in the distance.
“Okay, let’s go have merienda!” Lolo said, calling us inside the house. “I have turon and buko juice!”
“YAAAY!! TURON!” I shouted, jumping up and running ahead. “Race you there!”
I ran and ran, not caring if I was fast or slow, just loving the feeling of my feet on the ground, my heart light, and my whole body smiling. When I reached the porch, I saw all the kids sitting around, munching on turon and drinking their buko juice like it was the best drink in the world.
“YUMMM!! This is the best thing ever, EVER!” I said, taking a bite of my uron. It was crispy, sweet, and warm. I closed my eyes to enjoy it fully. “Can I live here forever and eat turon forever??”
Everyone laughed and nodded, and I felt so happy. I couldn’t stop smiling, because I knew I was in the best place, with the best people, having the best time ever.