MAHAL KONG PINAS - PROLOGUE
Denise loves the Philippines, from the land, the sea, the sky—to its culture and the people.
Well, most of the people; that’s for sure.
She grew up there, of course it is natural for her to fall in love in the country where she grew up; everyone loves their homeland, and she was no exception.
When she was little, she listened to her grandmother read stories and sing poems about their love for the island.
But, as time flew by, with her grandmother no longer by her side, she started seeing the flaws in society. Every day, high expectations overwhelmed her and is constantly being dragged down by her peers.
It was pressuring at age 5. “Do this!”, “Do that!”, “Try again!”, “You could do better!” was all she ever heard.
She felt like she was drowning, like a chain wrapped around her ankles—and she couldn’t escape.
But that’s when a hand reached out to her, like a lifeboat.
Her dear friends.
Gabriel, Evelyn, Nathalie, Mary, and Rowan.
They shared great memories with one another, that one time where Evelyn chased down Mary just because she stole the last of her food, or that time where Rowan accidentally spat milk at Nathalie’s face because of the tea that Mary spilled to the five of us. I love them so much.
But that’s not even the most miraculous part of her life.
Her favorite memory.
It was a beautiful afternoon; the sun falling down on the horizon reflected beautifully inside the classroom.
Not a single classmate in sight, except the students who stayed late after class and the two of them.
Gabriel.
He was holding a bouquet of roses in front of Denise, declaring his undying love for her—and how he adored her ever since they were little children who were oblivious of the real world.
Her maroon skirt swaying with the calm wind that breezed through them both,
It was an afternoon to remember.
That’s what she always craved the most.
Love, intimacy, warmth.
The warmth in the mind, body, soul, and spirit.
The warmth in her veins, her blood. Heart.
Wake up, Denise.
The sun seeped through the grey curtains of her room, blinding her when she woke up. The morning birds, already chirping and soaring high into the orange-baby blue skies. A specific sound of her alarm blaring in her eardrums.
She quickly snatched the loud phone and hit stop.
Denise then looked around her room, which was previously clean—now turned into a wasteland. Wasteland is an exaggeration. It’s just a little less cleaner than before.
Pints of ice cream and mugs were placed on top of her study table; other pillows that used to be placed neatly on the bed one night ago were suddenly tossed aside. A few of her favorite books laid on the floor.
“This will be the end of me if Ma finds out I made a mess.” She thought to herself, but still did not move an inch from her position. Still warm, unmoving.
Her phone vibrates; it reads:
My cutie patootie <33
99+ new messages.
43 missed calls.
lyn da birdie
5 new messages.
MY LITTLE PONY GNG
99+ new messages
Denise stared at it as it stared back at her, mocking her from last night’s events.
She doesn’t want to open them just yet, not when it’s too early.
…
There was knocking on the door, soft taps. Only three knocks.
“Nak, gising ka na ba?” the other
side gently asked her and tried to open the door once. It was her mother. She always seemed to be the first one to wake up before her and her father. Denise replied with “Opo,”
The sound of the washing machine could be heard nearby; she didn’t even realize it was that time of the week already, considering the fact that Denise had lost the sense of time. But that was beside the point –
“Pagbaba mo, may itlog at hatdog sa baba—initin mo nalang yung rice cooker pagkakain ka na.” She told her daughter before she walked away, the sound of her slippers fading away.
Not long after Denise rose from her bed and slowly walked towards her full-length mirror.
God, she looked awful. Her raven-colored hair was all over the place; her eyes were slightly red and puffy from last night—her shirt hanging on one shoulder.
She fixed her shirt up so it wouldn’t go off her shoulder again, and grabbed a hairbrush from the shelf.
She took a step back from the mirror, good as new. As she hoped. Now.. time to tidy up her room before her mother tries to barge into her bedroom..
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It took only a few minutes to clean up, then Denise walked along the hallway—the walls colored in a mint-green shade, and some family pictures that were hung up by her parents to seem more like a… happy family.
As the raven-haired girl entered the kitchen, a rough voice called her. “Denise,”
Her father.
“Kain na, nak.” She mentally rolled her eyes; he was one of the worst people to see so early in the morning.
She took a clean plate and utensils off the racks; she really didn’t want to be bothered by her father’s daily scoldings—so she chose to sit at the far end of the opposite side.
Both father and daughter ate in silence; not one of them spoke a word until a familiar footstep returned.
“Ay, Juan, sinabi mo na yung balita kay Denise?” The raven-haired girl looked towards her mother with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. “Anong balita, Ma?”
“Ah, nalimutan ko pala.” “Ano nalimutan mo sabihin sa akin??”
“Lilipat tayong ibang bansa.”
WHAT
