It's just mom and me in her hospital room; silence dominates between us. I sit on the chair beside mom's bed.
"Mom, it's just the two of us now. Can we talk?"
"If that's about my health, we will. I'm just waiting for someone, and then we can talk."
I nod in agreement. "Who? Your doctor?"
"No, your father, Angelo."
I freeze, and my mouth falls open, comprehending if I heard her right. Mom's eyes confirmed it. She looks at me without batting an eyelid.
"Angel, he is still your father."
Mom read me just by looking at my facial expressions. I heave a sigh trying hard not to vent my anger to mom, especially with her current health condition. I save every ounce of hatred in myself to avoid hurting mom.
"I don't understand why we need to have him in this conversation, mom. What does Angelo have to do with this?" I asked; my voice was calm.
"Angel, you'll when he gets here. You can have a little rest; I know you're tired after your holiday."
"Mom, I can't unless we talk about this. You can rest for a while. I'll wake you up when Angelo arrives."
I get out of the room as I need some air. The atmosphere of having Angelo in our conversation suffocates me. Even uttering his name annoys me to my core. I can only think of Maddox and Lea times like this that I need someone to talk to.
I choose to call Maddox. I don't want to disturb my best friend as I am sure enough she's with Glenn right now. They are probably not home yet.
The call connected immediately. "Baby, I'm sorry to disturb you. Are you at home already?"
"Baby, I'm very close to home. I already dropped Cassandra in their subdivision. What's the matter? Are you trying to check if I will stay with Cassy for a while?"
I roll my eyes in annoyance. "Of course not. That's the last thing in my head."
"Baby, I was just teasing you. Don't be mad. Are there other things that bother you instead?"
"Well, it's mom. We just talked, and still, she doesn't want to discuss her health condition. And I am more confused about the situation; she wants to have Angelo here. Mom said they have something to confess together. I don't even know if I can face Angelo for the second time."
"Angel, I understand you because I know where you're coming from. Still, Angelo is your father. Baby, give your mom and dad a chance to say what they have to say and decide from there. How does that sound to you?"
"You have a point; I guess I'll just do that then. I don't have any other choice anyway; I can't disappoint mom."
"That's a good start, baby."
"By the way, how was your trip with Cassandra?"
"Just fine, we barely had a conversation. Nothing more to talk about. Nothing to be jealous about."
Maddox said the jealous thing with a hint of tease in his voice. He is making fun of me in a good way. I don't feel insecure or jealous about Cassy, although she is better than me in status. I am confident about Maddox's feelings about me as I am to him.
"Baby, still there? Are you mad?"
I chuckle at Maddox's question. He takes my silence seriously.
"I'm here, and I'm not jealous. It's fine," I said continuously.
"Well, I only wanted to assure a beautiful girl on the other line that there is nothing to worry about. Maddox has only one princess, and that is Angelique Carpio."
I feel butterflies in my stomach hearing Maddox's endearment on the other line, and I'm trying to hide it from him. He is way too cheesy this time.
"Angel, baby, you there?"
"Yeah, you made my night. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. You're so sweet tonight. Do you know that?"
I nod no, even if Maddox can't see me.
"No, I think you are way sweeter than me."
"Always am, baby. I just got home. I'll call you later after taking a shower."
"Sure. Take your time."
"Bye, I love you!" Maddox said before the line was cut.
I sit alone in the lobby, trying to connect all the past incidents, especially with Angelo. Lea and I discovered that he owns Harper International School, other giant companies in the city, and more Manila-based companies. From then, Lea and I talked about the possibility of mom hiding more from me.
It makes all sense to me now. Our guess is correct. Whatever might be Angelo and mom's confession tonight is the missing piece of the puzzle. I don't want it to happen, but there's no other way to solve the mystery that's happening.
Even though I beg Aunt Melanie to discuss mom's health before she left, she still doesn't tell me, feeding my curiosity and doubts. My only choice now is to wait for Angelo and talk the thing over with him.
Mom is finally sleeping like a baby at 7 in the evening when I get back to her room. Before I left her room earlier, she instructed me to wake her up when Angelo arrived. I nodded yes because I didn't have a choice.
I'm reading a new book that I bought last week while waiting for Angelo to arrive. It's a good thing, I brought it to the island, and I didn't find the time to read it as we are full of daily activities and at night, I feel tired of reading.
After an hour of reading, I rest and place the book on the center table. My hands feel clammy, thinking about how to approach Angelo the time he steps into this room. I can't fake any conversation with him. That is something I am sure of. But Maddox and mom were right; he is still my father. I can show him some respect for that.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. It's quarter to 9 pm when I look at my wristwatch.
"It must be Angelo on the other side of the door. I should act casually for the sake of mom." I muttered while trying to act relaxed.
I throw mom a swift glance before heading to open the door; she is sleeping like a sweet child. And I hate to disturb her, so I twist open the doorknob slowly to let the man on the side step in. As expected, my guess was correct.
"Come in," I invited Angelo.
"Good evening, Angel.," Angelo greeted as he stepped into the room.
I reply with a brief smile.
Oh, how I hate to see him standing next to me or even looking at his face. I refuse to voice out my anguish and let Angelo take a seat on the couch. I'll treat him like a visitor who wants to wish mom a speedy recovery, not my father.