"It's good that you're here, hijo. Can you accompany Mia to her doctor's appointment?"
That was the immediate question his Aunt Ising asked him as he approached her to give his respect by kissing the old woman on the hand.
"Oh, yes, of course, her checkup is scheduled for today," he replied with a smile, nodding. "No problem, Aunty," he added.
"Thank you very much, hijo," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "Have you eaten? Mia cooked Chicken Adobo."
Upon hearing that, the young man immediately felt hungry. "I have already eaten. But because Mia is a great cook, I will eat again," he answered in an enthusiastic tone.
A wide and sweet smile once again formed on his aunt's lips. After a few moments, he left her. Just as someone arrived at the store, his aunt stood up to attend to the customer.
In the few months that Mia had been living in their house, he couldn't deny that he felt comfortable around her. She is naturally kind, despite her initial shyness, which he noticed. In addition to that, she is truly beautiful.
Mia never shared anything about her personal life with him. Like who the father of her unborn child is. Why she was living with them now? Because, truthfully, none of that mattered to him. Because for him, who had admired her for so long, knowing her personally is enough, along with all the stories he heard from his aunt before. Stories about Mia and the kind of life she had gone through.
*****
"Why did you finish so quickly?"
Nathaniel asked her with amusement. They were on their way home from the hospital.
"There were only two patients, and I went first," she replied, turning to look at Nathaniel with a smile.
Nathaniel is kind, handsome, and intelligent. And honestly, in many instances when they ate together or when Nathaniel accompanied her to her doctor's appointments, she was often reminded of Erik.
She always prayed that he would be Erik instead. She knew Erik would be delighted if he were the one accompanying her on these special occasions. She is certain that Erik’s heart would be filled with joy upon hearing the strong heartbeat of their child in her womb.
But all of that, she could only keep to herself. At that moment, Mia quickly averted her gaze to the window of the car. She felt the corners of her eyes welling up with tears.
"Do you know that ever since Aunt Ising came back here and I heard her reasons why, I became curious about you?" Nathaniel spoke in a gentle voice.
Surprised, she turned to look at him and stared. "W-What do you mean?" she asked.
She saw Nathaniel shrug his shoulders before answering her question.
"I don't know why I feel so at ease with you. It's like you're no different from me, Mia. That's the truth," he said.
Mia couldn't speak immediately after hearing that. In truth, she feels the same way about Nathaniel. It feels like she has known him for so long. And it wasn't like the familiar feeling she had for Erik.
"Do you know that I have a younger sister?"
Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing that.
"Um, where is she?" Mia couldn't say why she suddenly felt anxious, a tone she couldn't hide in her voice.
Nathaniel shrugged his shoulders before releasing a heavy sigh. "Actually, you're the same age. From what I remember, my sister was only two years old when she disappeared, and I was four," Nathaniel recounted to her.
Mia's eyebrows quickly furrowed. "Are you suggesting that I'm your lost sister?" she couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know. But I can't explain why my curiosity has been so intense from the beginning," Nathaniel replied, his tone revealing his confusion. "Anyway, don't mind me. Maybe I just really miss Natalie," he added, followed by a soft laugh.
Mia also laughed after that. But in her mind, she struggled to recall everything she could before she ended up with Nana Rosita. She remained silent for a few moments, and so did Nathaniel. But after a brief moment of silence and contemplation, she failed to remember anything.
She wanted to tell Nathaniel about her true identity. However, because she had only recently met him, she hesitated to do so. Ever since she parted ways with Erik, she had always relied more on her intellect than her emotions. It was something she couldn't do before.
"I'm sorry, but you know, I have a feeling that I would be happy if you will call me 'brother.'"
Those were the words Mia heard Nathaniel say when she remained silent.
Those words resonated deeply within Mia's heart. She didn't want to think of Nathaniel as a replacement for Erik in her life. But in situations like this, when it is just the two of them, she couldn't help but feel that way. So, she tried to convince herself that it is normal because she felt comfortable with him.
"Is that what you want? To be called 'brother'?" she asked, with a smile, looking at Nathaniel.
Nathaniel didn't look at her as he was focused on driving. But since she was gazing at him, she saw him nod, his beautiful smile lingering on his lips.
"Okay, brother," she replied.
He didn't respond, so she continued.
"By the way, what happened to your sister, Nathalie? Why did you get separated?"
She knew she wasn't being fair to Nathaniel because she wasn't sharing her own story, yet she was asking about his. But perhaps, there would come a time when she would feel comfortable discussing and telling her true life story to her future friends.
"The truth is, we both ended up in an orphanage during those times. Our parents separated, and Aunt Ising went to Manila to work as a house helper," he replied.
"Where are your parents back then? Why did they separate?" Mia couldn't deny her genuine interest in Nathaniel's story.
"Our father had an affair. Our mother initially tried to endure everything. I'm not sure if my memory serves me right, but she worked in bars just to support us. However, she eventually found another man, and when she grew tired of taking care of my sister and me, she gave us up to an orphanage," he shared with her.
Mia remained silent, attentively listening to it all, prompting her companion to speak again.
"My sister and I escaped from the orphanage because we wanted to go back home and find our mother. That was the biggest mistake I made in my entire life. Perhaps, if I hadn't insisted on leaving the orphanage, we might still be together today."
"How did she go missing?" Mia asked.
"I left her in front of a bakery. She was hungry at the time. I had a little money, so I was going to buy her bread. It was just a moment. When I went back for her, she was no longer in the exact spot where I left her. She was only two years old then. So you know, I wonder, if we ever meet again, would she still remember me? Would I recognize her too? Even if, in reality, I have no idea what she might look like and vice versa?"
Mia involuntarily swallowed at what she heard. Then she tried to hold her pounding chest in those moments.
"If you have a picture of her when she was a child, maybe there's a chance. Because I'm sure she would recognize herself if that were the case," Mia suggested.
"A picture?" Nathaniel asked.
"Yes, do you have a photo of Nathalie?"
Mia couldn't understand why her longing for a positive response from the young man was so intense.
"No, we didn't have one. We were poor back then, so we didn't have a camera," he replied, followed by a faint laugh. "But I know something that could help me, just in case."
"What is it?" Mia asked.
"At the orphanage where our mother left us, I think there might be something. Because if I remember correctly, they took our photos back then to include them in our files," he explained.
"Do you know where that orphanage is?" Mia asked again.
"Not really. But I think Aunt Ising knows," Nathaniel replied.
"So that means Nanny Ising is your mother's sister or your father's sister?"
"She's my mother's cousin. A second cousin, actually."
"So how did you end up with her?"
"When I went back to her house, she happened to be here in the province for vacation. Her employers were on vacation in Hong Kong at the time, so she was allowed to come home," Nathaniel told her.
"Since then, I've been living with her. She had no one in her life, so she treated me as her own child. She provided for me and gave me a good life. But despite all that, I couldn't be completely happy because I couldn't forget the beautiful and kind face of my sister. I blame myself for what happened to her and for not being able to protect her," he said, unable to hide the sadness in his voice.