Chapter XXVIII: Care
The days at Bayubay Sur go on with a quiet rhythm, though not without change. Meric and Mark always keep to their usual routines, but time feels more limited now. Ben is no longer here. His absence lingers in the air like a missing chair at the table, a pair of slippers not by the door, a silence in the mornings when he used to prepare the motorbike to take Mark to school.
Mark is now in third grade at Hermosa Central School, still enrolled there despite the distance. Before, it was always his father, Ben, who would bring him there each morning—half awake, his school bag bouncing on his back, and Ben humming an old tune on the ride. Now, with Ben working abroad, mornings are different.
Meric must hail a tricycle, calling out, "Ay, Manong, Central po!" and the tricycle driver, with his cap tilted and towel around his neck, nods. Mark climbs in with his lunchbox, staring out the side as the narrow roads of Bayubay Sur blur into the larger streets leading to Hermosa.
At first, the adjustment is rough. Mark looks tired every morning, almost sulking as he sits beside other children in the tricycle. The ride feels longer without his father's chatter or small jokes. By the time he gets to Hermosa Central, his steps drag, and his mother kisses his forehead before leaving.
The first quarter of the school year passes, and Mark gets no awards. He sits silently in the classroom, listening but not shining. Section A is new to him—he's now playing in the "big league," as his teacher says, competing with the sharpest and brightest of his batch. At first, he struggles to find his pace, his name never mentioned during recognition day.
But things change. Meric continues to encourage him, saying, "Balong, just do your best. Don't worry about awards. What matters is you learn." Somehow, her steady voice and presence work. By the second quarter, to everyone's surprise, Mark lands in the Top 10.
The news reaches Mercy in Caluipat. She claps her hands so loudly that Rico, tinkering with his bicycle in the yard, almost drops the wrench.
"My apo is in the Top 10!" she shouts, almost dancing. "Finally, someone in the family who will give me medals on the wall! Not like his grandpa who only gives me excuses!" She eyes Rico, who only shrugs and grins, muttering something about "at least I can fix electronics."
Whenever Mark and Meric visit Caluipat, the first thing they feel is Mercy's embrace. She hugs Mark as if he has been gone for months, squeezing him until he gasps, "Mang, I can't breathe!" Mercy laughs and kisses the top of his head, telling him how proud she is, promising to make him his favorite luncheon for dinner.
Sometimes, Meric and Mark go shopping at Plaza Maestro, walking past the stalls of colorful clothes, old records, and imported goods. Sometimes they stop by Mart One, tucked inside the old Colegio de Niñas building. Mark loves running up and down the aisles, pretending the supermarket is a maze, while Meric chases him with a basket.
One weekend, they decide to watch the Raniag Float Parade in Hermosa. The streets glow with lanterns, floats decorated with lights glide slowly, and the crowd is full of "oohs" and "aahs." Mark holds Meric's hand tightly, wide-eyed, while street vendors shout, "Fishball! Kwek-kwek! Ice drop!" The floats pass by, each more dazzling than the last, and Mark whispers, "Mom, someday, can I ride on one of those floats?" Meric chuckles, saying, "We'll see. Maybe if you win more awards, you'll ride one as a prince!"
Everything seems fine—until one afternoon, Meric feels dizzy while standing in their small kitchen in Bayubay Sur. The dizziness grows worse, nausea hits, and she leans on the table for balance. She tells Mercy about it when they visit Caluipat. Mercy, frowning, immediately insists, "Mayyang, awan met ni Ben nga kadwa yu didiay ta adidiay met suna Abroad. Ken maulaw ka pay, (Mayyang, Ben is not yet in your company since he is in abroad. And if you are still dizzy,) you and Mark can live here in Caluipat for the meantime."
So Meric and Mark move into the second floor of the old wooden house in Caluipat. The stairs creak every night, but there's comfort in knowing Mercy and Rico are downstairs. Meric arranges their room neatly, placing Mark's school things near the window and folding her clothes in the old aparador (clothes cabinet).
Sometimes, in the evenings, Meric and Mark sit together by the window, staring at the night sky. In the distance, they can see the golden glow of Pardas' welcome arc. The air is calm, but one night, something strange happens. They notice a falling star—but instead of shooting quickly across the sky, it falls slowly, almost like it's descending deliberately.
"Mommy, maybe that's an airplane," Mark suggests, squinting.
Meric tilts her head. "Maybe... but it doesn't blink. Maybe it means something else."
The sight leaves them thoughtful, both silent for a while before returning to bed.
Christmas comes, and for the first time, they celebrate it fully in Caluipat. The wooden house fills with food—ham, graham cake, bibingka de pascua, and queso de bola perched on the table. Neighbors come and go, greeting them.
(Bibingka de Pascua is like Bibingka, but with coconut shreds.)
Firecrackers pop outside, children shout carols. For New Year, the house becomes even livelier, but with an unusual guest.
Apo Ina visits again, along with the Ina Poonbato devotees. They stay for a week, praying and singing hymns, their presence filling the house with a sacred aura. When they finally leave after New Year, the house feels quieter, almost hollow.
On the morning of January 1st, Meric and Jonn decide to wash clothes. After finishing, they both feel an odd tingling in their hands, like static. Mercy shakes her head when she hears this.
"Hoy! Anya ba imbagak kaniayo?! (What did I just told you?!) Never wash clothes on New Year. It's bad luck," she scolds, wagging her finger like a teacher. Jonn laughs nervously while Meric sighs, realizing her mother may be right about these old beliefs.
From time to time, Mark and Meric still visit Bayubay Sur, checking the house, watering the plants, and gathering some of their belongings. But Caluipat now feels like their main home.
Then, on January 12, 2015, Mercy insists they join her at the Coronation of the Our Lady of Charity, the Queen of Ilocandia. The day is grand. They arrive at Guardino, where the massive twin-tower church looms before them. To the left, on top of the hill, stands the belfry, its shadow stretching over the crowd. Thousands of people gather, their voices blending into hymns.
The Eucharistic Celebration begins, solemn and beautiful, followed by the procession. As the carroza of The Our Lady of Charity roll down the slope, Mercy guides Meric and Mark inside the church. They walk toward the end, where the original image of the Our Lady of Charity rests. Mark stares, his small hands clasped tightly, whispering a silent prayer.
After the celebration, they head to Hermosa, where the streets are alive with vendors and children running around with balloons.
Meanwhile, Jonn has begun working as a Job Order employee at the Provincial Hospital. He still lives in Caluipat with Mercy and Rico but often comes home late, either from duty or hanging out with friends. Sometimes, he brings them bread or pancit, joking that he is "the hardworking bachelor of the family."
On Mark's birthday, Meric surprises him with a small box. He opens it eagerly—and out jumps a Golden Brown-White Shih Tzu puppy. Mark squeals with delight, hugging the little furball immediately.
"I'll name him Raffy!" he declares proudly.
At first, Mercy isn't fond of dogs. "Ay, maryekak, (Ay, I'm disgusted,) , they bite shoes and pee everywhere!" she protests. But Raffy is different. His playful barks and round eyes remind her of something. She takes to calling him "my Arimunding-munding," a silly, affectionate nickname that makes everyone laugh.
One afternoon, as Meric sits in the sala resting, Mercy quietly joins her on the couch. The air is calm, and the sun filters through the wooden slats of the window. Mercy turns to her daughter, her eyes soft but serious.
"Ammom niya Mayyang, (You know, Mayyang)," she begins, "I am proud of you. Truly. You chose well with Ben. He may be far away, but he is faithful, hardworking, and he provides for you and Mark. That's what a husband should be. Unlike me and your father—Rico has his own ways, but it was always me who carried most of the burden. He dreamed once of nautical engineering in Maynila, but he gave it up. He never found stable work. He preferred his little comforts, his tricycles, his tinkering. And I—I had to do everything, Anak ko. Everything."
Her voice cracks slightly, but she presses on.
"But you—you are different. You work hard, you raise your son with love, and you married a man who knows sacrifice. I look at you and I see what I could have been, had life been kinder, had your father been stronger. I am proud, Mayyang. Proud beyond words. Because you are showing me, every day, what a family should truly look like. You are my lovely daughter, o napintas nga anak ko. (my beautiful daughter.)"
Meric feels tears prick her eyes, and she leans her head on her mother's shoulder. For a long time, they sit there in silence, Raffy curled at their feet, the wooden house creaking softly around them.
And in that quiet moment, the past and present meet, blending into something tender and true—proof that even with hardships, their family endures.