Work Text:
"Loki," mahinahong tawag ko.
His brows furrowed and he tugged on the blanket, shifting his sleeping position a little. "Mmm," he hummed. "Five more minutes..."
"Pinagsasabi mong 'five more minutes' diyan?" Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay habang tinapos ang pagbu-butones ng blouse. "Maga-alas syete na. Wake up already!"
"Nooo..." he groaned and rolled over. Nakaharap tuloy siya sa kabilang side kaya ang makita ko lang ay 'yung buhok niya.
I exhaled sharply.
"Ayaw mo, ah?!" Nilapitan ko siya at kiniliti siya sa gilid ng tiyan. He started giggling and moving his limbs in defense, asking me to stop. Huminto naman ako nang umayos na siya ng upo sa kama, gising na ang diwa.
"Good morning..." he muttered in his morning voice. It was deep and raspy, which for some reason never failed to tickle the pit in my stomach even after all these years.
"Good morning," I greeted back. "Maligo ka na."
"Five minutes," he whispered as I felt him hug me from behind. Dahil nasa may vanity ako nakapwesto, kitang-kita ko tuloy ang posisyon namin sa salamin. "I need my hug first."
I rolled my eyes. "Para kang bata."
"I am your baby," he pointed out with a groan.
"Lasing ka pa rin ba?" Mahina ko siyang tinulak palayo gamit ang siko habang sinusuot ang mga singsing ko.
Mga singsing. I had two. My engagement ring and wedding ring.
Instead of going away, Loki hugged me tighter and even placed his chin on my shoulder. He looked down at my hand.
"No, I like watching you wear the rings I gave you every morning."
I smiled and raised my hand for the both of us to see. We were adoring the rings now. "Really? Good thing I said yes then, huh?"
"God, I'm so glad you said yes," he whispered, snuggling his face on my shoulder. I could feel his breath against my skin.
I looked at him through the mirror, admiring the way we looked. "Best decision I've ever ma—"
"Mommy!" may biglang sumigaw. "Ate Lei-lei hid my socks again!"
Someone else also spoke. "For the last time, Lorie, I did not. You just misplaced them. Oh, good morning, dad."
"Good morning," Loki greeted with a lazy smile.
Natigilan kami ni Loki nang bumukas ang pintuan ng kwarto namin at biglang pumasok ang dalawang batang naka-uniform. They were sporting white blouses paired with red floppy ribbons and navy blue pleated skirts — the Clark Elementary School uniform.
The first one was biting her lip in anger, pointing at the taller girl beside her. Her other hand was balled into a tiny fist. Cute! I had to keep myself from smiling. Baka mas magagalit lang siya dahil sa 'kin. Her ribbon was a bit off-center at nakalugay pa rin ang hairstyle. Tinali ko na ‘yon kanina, ah? Hay, nako.
'Yung sumunod naman sa kanya, mas malinis ang pagka-suot ng uniform at pagka-ayos ng buhok. After she kissed Loki on the cheek, she fixed the way her glasses sat on the bridge of her nose and dusted the pleats of her skirt.
Meet our daughters, Loriette and Leilani. The new generation of Mendez siblings.
And I say this because they always fight, just like Loki and Luthor did as kids. Palagi silang nagtatalo dahil sa napakaliit na bagay, kagaya nalang ngayon.
Ang kulit-kulit naman kasi ni Lorie! With an ‘e’ so her nickname doesn’t clash with mine. 'Di nagpapatalo. Palaging naghahanap ng kasalanan sa ate niyang strikta, malamig kung magsalita, at palaging nakatutok sa libro.
But lI'll tell you a secret. Ang totoo talaga niyan, gusto niya lang namang pansinin siya ng ate niya at makipaglaro.
Mana kay Loki, ‘no?
Let's just say that as her mother, I notice things Loriette thinks I don't.
My god! Ako 'yung nase-stress dahil sa kanilang dalawa. Ayoko namang lumaki sila with a rocky relationship with each other! 'Di bale, gagawan nalang natin 'yan ng paraan mamaya. For now, I had to finish getting ready for work.
"Lorie, just get new socks from your drawer muna. I'll find your lost ones later, okay? Bumaba na kayong dalawa at kumain," I instructed to the kids with a peck on each of their cheeks. Agad naman silang sumunod at umalis.
I turned to Loki with crossed arms. "At ikaw naman, maligo ka na para maihatid mo na 'yung mga bata."
"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled and planted a kiss on my forehead before entering the bathroom. I froze. My frown faded immediately and I felt my cheeks heat up. I wasn't expecting that.
"Mommy, work?" my youngest asked as she watched me put on my shoes by the door. She was nibbling on a piece of bread.
"Yes," I answered. I kissed her cheek and did the same to her sister.
"I don't get a goodbye kiss?" tanong ni Loki na bigla nalang sumulpot sa likod ko, fixing the collar of his polo shirt. Is he a mushroom or something? I rolled my eyes and tip-toed to kiss him on the cheek.
"Okay na?"
"Sa lips, wala?"
"Dad, you're gross," his eldest rolled her eyes. Buti pa ‘to, may sense.
Loki ignored her and handed me a small paper bag. Pinaglihi rin ata 'yun sa kabute kasi 'di ko alam kung saan nanggaling. "Breakfast."
I took it from him cautiously. "'Di ba ako mamamatay sa food poisoning nito?"
"That's a mean thing to say to your husband who spent time and effort preparing extra breakfast for you."
"Mommy, egg sandwich lang 'yan," natatawang pagsumbong ni Loriette. I looked back at Loki, extremely amused.
"Yabang mo talaga," I told him with a laugh. He just looked away and went back to preparing his tea.
I left the three of them with their breakfast and went to the garage where my car was parked. Nang masigurado kong 'di na nila ako makita, binuksan ko na ang paper bag. I took out the ziplock bag in it. Egg sandwich nga ang nakalagay. I flipped it when I felt a sticky note on the other side of the bag.
I love you. :)
My lips curved into a smile and I bit my lip in an unsuccessful attempt to hide my happiness. My god, ako na ang nahiya para sa sarili ko! Para akong high school kung kiligin!
Okay, fine. I didn't date anyone — real-date; I fake-dated Loki a few times — in high school so I don't really know what high school kilig is supposed to look like. But that's not the point!
With the paper bag still in hand, I rushed back to the door. I seemed to have shocked the three of them with my sudden re-entrance.
"Mommy!" Loriette called in surprise.
"What are yo—"
I planted a soft kiss on Loki's lips. His eyes went wide and I saw the way his ears flushed into a light scarlet shade.
I heard Loriette gasp loudly. From my peripherals, I also saw how Leilani's eyes went wide for a second as she sipped hot choco from her mug. She immediately cleared her throat and looked away.
With a smile, I spoke. "Loki?"
"Yeah?" my husband asked, still stunned and focused on me.
"I love you too."
(ending theme: Every Summertime - NIKI)