Page 9 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
“Something like that.”
Technically, I hadn’t confirmed his assumption, so I had no reason to feel guilty about lying. Besides, he hadn’t been involved in my life for almost a decade. Just because he decided he was ready to pay attention to his only son didn’t mean I had to divulge the details of my private life to him.
We said our goodbyes, and I went over my bills and settled them early. Gone were the days when I had to rely on someoneelse for a place to live or gambled to pay my tuition. It had taken time, effort, and painful lessons, but I no longer had to count every single penny that came in.
I would do everything in my power to ensure I would never go back to that kind of existence again.
chapter four
luna
Luna
How’s life in Manila??
Ate
Hot, noisy, and I’m always full.
Luna
So just like it used to be?
Lonzo
That, except she’s a local celebrity now.
Ate
Ugh.
Luna
HAHAHA!!! Congrats, Ate!
“Stop moving thephone, Juan,” Mama said as Papa blocked the camera with his hand in an attempt to get both their faces inside the display.
They bickered over the positioning of the phone—their typical exchange that was half mild annoyance and half good-natured teasing. When I was younger, that back-and-forth had been a constant occurrence at home. But after our grandmother got cancer, Papa went to work in the UAE, Mama took on night nursing shifts, and Ate moved here for college. That left the house a lot quieter than before.
Especially when Lola passed away.
“There we are,” Mama said as they settled in the center of the frame. Behind them was the photo gallery Lola created on the wall of our combined dining and living room.
The sight of it brought a lump to my throat because it reminded me of when we were all together. When we were complete—one happy family.
“How are you two?” I asked, relieved my voice came out steady. “Papa, how does it feel to be home?” After more than a decade of working abroad, he finally found a good opportunity in Manila and moved back a few days ago.
“Great, but I think your mama’s sick of me already.” Chuckling, he put his arm around Mama’s shoulders.
Mama shook her head but leaned closer to him. “He keeps rearranging the room. I told him things are the way they are for a purpose.”
“You should thank me for fixing up. It was so hard to find anything in there.”
I chuckled because I used to be the one cleaning up for Mama and knew exactly what he meant.
“I have a system,” she argued.
“You do,” Papa told her. “I’m just adjusting it so it actually works.”
