Page 99 of Burdens
Valentina wasn’t known to be expressive, her features typically either locked in a state of boredom or annoyance, especially when Kai was involved.
But the current look on her face left me perplexed.
She blinked a few times, seemingly on the verge of saying something, but when she opened her mouth to do so, she closed it without uttering a word.
Tears welled up in her eyes and that only sent my confusion further whirling because seeing her this emotion was jarring. She opened it again and her next words were spoken in Tagalog. “Gabi, ikaw ba ‘yan?1?”
I couldn’t understand what she’d just said to him, but by the way Gabriel took a tentative step toward her, my hand fallingfrom his arm from the movement, it dawned on me that they knew each other.
“Ate?2?” he asked, his expression faltering into realization.
I watched as they slowly approached each other, only a few steps away now separating them. I looked over at where Noah and Jamal had halted their conversation, watching with the same intrigue as I was.
Valentina gave Gabriel an almost imperceptible nod in response to his previous question as she reached out to touch his face like she was confirming he was real, whoever he was to her.
Gabriel briefly leaned into her touch before pulling her into a tight hug. They held each other like they hadn’t seen each other in years.
Nassim, Noah, and Jamal had all moved over to where Kai stood, the bag he had been holding long forgotten as he stared at the scene unfolding before us.
“Does anyone know what’s going on?” I asked in a hushed tone as I joined them. They all shrugged, each not knowing the answer.
Except Kai.
We briefly turned our attention to him, waiting for a potential explanation. Without sparing us a glance, Kai whispered, “That’s her brother.”
I didn’t know how he knew that, but his revelation weighed heavily on my chest because it reminded me of my own siblings whom I hadn’t seen in years.
Our circumstances were different, but seeing Valentina and Gabriel’s reunion stirred a longing for a similar end result when I’d try to make amends with my own family.
Eventually, they pulled from each other and Gabriel draped an arm over Valentina’s shoulders, tenderly wiping the streaks of tears from her cheeks as they approached us.
Kai was the first to speak. “Is this… is this him?” he asked, his tone a mix of hesitation and hope.
Valentina looked at him with another expression I’d never seen on her face before. She didn’t speak, simply nodding in response.
The gesture instantly made Kai’s body relax, an evident wave of relief washing over him. I didn’t know the story between Kai and Valentina or how he knew about her brother since Jamal had seemed just as clueless as us, but the news seemed to bring him solace as much as it did to Valentina.
Gabriel glanced curiously between the two as they stared at each other. “Is this your man?” he asked, snapping them out of whatever unspoken conversation they were having.
Kai blushed and shifted uncomfortably, which was unlike the charismatic men I’d seen over the last couple of days.
Valentina shot her brother a glare, smacking him over his chest—or at least she’d tried since he was at least a good foot taller than she was.
“Tumigil ka na?3,” she scolded, a frown forming between her brows.
Ignoring her, Gabriel extended his hand toward Kai. “I’m Gabriel, her little brother, although I’m not that little anymore,” he said in a playful manner, but his tone carried a heavy weight beneath it.
Kai cleared his throat before grasping it in his. “Yeah, she’s told me about you. I’m Kai,” he replied, offering him a small smile.
Gabriel firmly shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kai,” he said, returning his smile. “I’ll quiz you later when she’s not around,” he added with a nod toward Valentina.
Valentina pushed Gabriel off with a roll of her eyes, but I could see in her face that she didn’t mind her brother’s behavior.
“All right, enough. We have to go,” she said, her stoic expression back in place as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened.
I stifled a laugh at her sudden shift in demeanor and glanced over at Noah, who was doing the same.
“So I guess this means you won’t be coming with me?” Nassim inquired, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Gabriel.
