[03] Positive?!

Key Notes:

“Nanay Lucing” – it’s a term of endearment (like ‘Mommy Lucing’).

“Kuya” – tagalog word of ‘Brother’; it’s also a sign of respect to a stranger in Filipino culture.

***

I’M now in Bea’s hotel car. After our conversation, I didn’t hesitate to leave.

I left some clothes and belongings behind since I wouldn’t need them at home anyway—I have plenty of clothes there. Besides, if I ever go back, I’ll have something to wear.

We’re almost home, and I’m sure Mom and Nanay Lucing will be surprised by my early return. I originally told them I’d be staying there for a week for a vacation, even after Bea and the others left. But unexpected things happened.

"Ms. Claire, we’re here."

The driver’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked outside and saw that we had indeed arrived. I must have been so preoccupied that I didn’t even notice our surroundings.

"Thank you so much, Kuya. Here’s something for your trip home," I said with a smile, handing him a thousand pesos.

"Oh, Ms. Claire, this is too much! I’m already paid for this," he protested, but I shook my head.

"I don’t take no for an answer. Come on, take it for your family," I insisted. He smiled gratefully and accepted the money.

"Thank you so much. May the Lord bless you," he said. I nodded and stepped out of the car.

I took a deep breath as I stood in front of our house. Something felt different—I could tell today wasn’t going to be an ordinary day.

I can’t tell Mom and Nanay what happened to me. I don’t want them to worry, and besides, what I did was embarrassing. I sighed and walked straight inside.

I have a spare key, so I let myself in easily.

"I’m home!"

I announced cheerfully, and soon after, I heard noises coming from the kitchen. It was already past eleven, so I knew they’d be cooking.

"Claire? Claire!"

I smiled when I saw both of them rushing toward me. I immediately hugged them tightly. I grew up with them by my side, and we’ve always been close.

"Why are you back so soon? Didn’t you say you’d be in Batangas for a week?" Mom asked as we pulled away from the hug.

"I changed my mind, Ma. I’d rather be here with you," I said with a smile, and they both gave me amused looks.

"Oh, our little girl’s all grown up now. What happened? I’m sure there’s more to it," Nanay Lucing teased.

"She’s right. Did you meet a handsome guy and get shy? Is that why you came back? Hahaha!" Mom joined in, and they even high-fived.

They were really ganging up on me.

"Ma, Nay, come on! You’re teaming up on me. Fine, I’ll go sulk in my room then!" I pretended to threaten them. They hated it when I sulked.

"Oh, come on, we’re just joking!" Mom said.

"She’s right. We’re just happy you’re here. We were actually planning to follow you there so the three of us could have a vacation," Nanay Lucing added, surprising me.

"Really? Let’s go to Baguio instead! It’s cooler there—you two can’t handle hot places. Don’t worry, there are plenty of beautiful spots to visit. We’ll go there soon!"

They both nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I know you haven’t eaten yet. Come on, we’re about to have lunch," Nanay Lucing said, so we headed to the kitchen to eat.

I wish we could always be like this—happy and together.

---

ONE MONTH LATER

I woke up feeling nauseous and immediately rushed to my bathroom to vomit into the sink. I didn’t understand why—I hadn’t eaten anything unusual, and I always ate on time.

After I finished, I looked at myself in the mirror. It had been a month since that night.

My eyes widened in realization. Over the past few days, I’d been constantly tired and sleepy, even though I wasn’t doing much. And I didn’t even have a job!

"No, please…"

I grabbed my wallet from the table and took out two pregnancy tests.

Yes, I had bought them a while ago because I had a feeling this day would come. I went straight to the bathroom to take them.

After a few minutes of waiting, I flipped them over. I couldn’t hold back my tears when I saw the results.

"P-positive."

I didn’t know how to feel. My emotions were all over the place, but… I was happy. I was happy that I was carrying a baby.

I used to wonder what it would feel like to be pregnant, and now here I am.

I stepped out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of my bed. What do I do now? How am I supposed to handle this? I know pregnancy isn’t easy. And what if Mom and Nanay find out? I’m not ready to tell them yet.

Bea! That’s right—Bea can help!

I immediately called her. She and Dylan were still in Paris for their three-month honeymoon. She was the only one I could think of who could help me in this situation. I needed to get out of here—I’d go to Paris for now.

"Bea!" I called out as soon as she answered.

"Oh, Claire! You called? Feels like we just talked yesterday," she said with a laugh. I didn’t know why, but tears started falling.

"Claire? Are you crying? Hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me," she urged. I sniffled before speaking.

"B-Bea… I’m pregnant. Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want anyone else to know except you."

I struggled to get the words out, but then I realized she had gone silent. I checked if the call had dropped—it hadn’t.

"H-hello? Bea? Hello?" I called while wiping my tears. After a few seconds, she finally spoke again.

"OMG! OMG! OMG! You’re pregnant?! OMG! I’m so happy for you!" she whispered excitedly.

"Seriously?! You beat me to it! Hahaha!" She laughed, making me shake my head. I wasn’t crying anymore, so I lay down and touched my stomach.

"I still can’t believe it, Bea. There’s a baby inside me now," I said with a smile, gently rubbing my still-flat belly.

"No wonder you’ve been so clingy lately! Always calling me even though you know I’m busy!" She giggled. Well, one time I called, they were in the middle of… something. I just wanted to talk—I had something to ask her.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, I wanted to ask if it’s okay for me to stay in Paris for the first few months. I know I’ll be nauseous and weak, and I don’t want Mom and Nanay to notice. Can you help me, Bea? Please?"

"Really?! Of course! I’d love that! I’ll have Dylan reserve a room for you right away! OMG! I’m so excited for the baby to come out!" I winced—it’s only been a month, not nine!

"Stop it, Bea! Dylan might hear you. Besides, it’s only been a month," I scolded.

"Hehe, sorry! I’m just excited. Alright, I’ll arrange everything for your trip, including your flight. And hey—no refusing! I’ll spoil you when you get here. Okay, bye!"

She hung up before I could even respond.

I smiled. Bea was truly a blessing. I didn’t know what I’d do without her.

As for the father of my child… I had no idea. I hadn’t heard from him since that night. All I knew was his name—Kiel. Wait, what was his last name? I think he’s some big shot in the business world.

I stood up and went to my laptop to search for him. But how? Hmm… Bea said he was handsome, which was true. Maybe I should try that. I started typing:

"Handsome Kiel from the business world."

I laughed a little at how ridiculous that sounded. I hit search, and my eyes widened when I saw his face on the screen.

"I knew it! ‘Handsome Kiel’ worked, hahaha!" I muttered, then read an article about him.

‘Zekiel Gray – A young, renowned businessman. He was trained early in the corporate world, but many describe him as a cold, ruthless CEO. Rumors say he’s made countless employees cry. Yet, despite that, many are still obsessed with his looks. And who wouldn’t be? Perfect eyes, nose, lips, jaw. His bad temper only adds to his charm, they say.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of those obsessed with him.

Want to see him in person? Visit Gray’s Company in the Philippines—he’s often there. Good luck, dear!’

I frowned at the article. Next time, I should avoid reading stuff like this—the author was way too nosy. But then again… was I really one of those obsessed with Zekiel?

His name was beautiful—Zekiel. Wait, it’s only right that I know the name and identity of my baby’s father, right?

My heart raced as I stared at his picture. That’s right—I was only searching for him for my baby’s sake. That’s all…

I looked at his photo again. Why was he so handsome? And why did I suddenly want to keep looking at him? I quickly closed my laptop—this was bad. I shouldn’t be craving his presence, or worse, fantasizing about him. What if I ended up seeking him out?

But a moment later, I found myself reopening my laptop. Maybe saving one picture of him wouldn’t hurt. With so many photos of him online, he wouldn’t even notice, right?

I immediately saved one where he was in a business suit and smiled. But then another photo caught my eye—he looked just as stunning there!

Before I knew it, I had saved multiple pictures of him. I couldn’t help it! I sighed and stared at his face, even setting one as my wallpaper.

"What am I doing, Zekiel? It looks like you’re the one I’ll be craving. This is bad." I touched my stomach and whispered to my baby.

"Child, out of all the people you could’ve made me crave, why did it have to be your father?" I grumbled.

"Claire? Claire?"

I jumped when I heard Mom’s voice. I quickly closed my laptop and stood up to open the door.

"Ma! What’s up?" I smiled, though my heart was pounding. I was terrified she might find out I was pregnant.

Wait—where did I put the pregnancy tests?

"I just wanted to ask you something and see if it’s true," she said. My eyes widened. I quickly glanced at my bed and spotted the tests. I had to hide them!

My panic doubled as I grabbed the tests and faced Mom again. She frowned.

"What were you doing? What’s that?"

I nervously tucked the tests into the waistband of my shorts and showed her my empty hands.

"Nothing, Ma. What did you want to tell me?"

I guided her to sit on my bed. She sighed before speaking.

"Bea called me. She said you want to leave the country and go to Paris for vacation—and that your flight is today. Is that true?"

I was stunned. What was Bea thinking?! And today?! Ugh, fine—she was just trying to help. But I could see the sadness in Mom’s eyes. I was sure Nanay Lucing felt the same, which was why she wasn’t here—that was just like her.

This time, I sighed and held her hand.

"Yes, Ma. It’s true. I’m sorry it’s so sudden. I know you and Nanay must be shocked."

"Is something wrong, Claire? Why won’t you tell us? You know we’ll understand. We’ll help you," she said.

I shook my head.

"Ma, there’s no problem. Look at how happy we’ve been, right?" She nodded hesitantly.

"But I’ve noticed you’ve been sleeping a lot lately. What’s really going on? Are you sick? Are you dying?!" I laughed at her dramatics. If only you knew, Ma. Hahaha.

"Ma, that’s too much! ‘Dying’ right away? Shouldn’t it be ‘hospital’ first? You’re so over the top," I teased.

"Ma, I’m going to Paris to find myself. You know I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer. Paris is the best place for that. I want to experience life there because I plan to study there someday."

She nodded slowly.

Luckily, they all knew about my dream. Good thing I was quick-witted enough to come up with an excuse—hahaha. But I did plan to study in Paris—just not now, especially since I’m pregnant.

"Don’t overthink it, Ma! Bea and Dylan are there, so at least I’ll have people I know. It’s better than going there clueless, right?" I laughed, but her sadness remained.

"Oh, Ma, you’ll only make this harder for me. I’m not doing this just for myself—it’s for all of us. And besides, it’s been a year since I’ve had a job."

At my words, she could only nod in reluctant agreement.

"We’re just worried about you, Claire. Always remember to be careful, okay? Don’t neglect yourself, and don’t trust strangers too easily. If anything happens, tell us right away. Nanay and I will always be here for you."

I pulled her into a tight hug, overwhelmed by her words.

"Thank you, Ma. Thank you."

I couldn’t stop the tears this time.

Pregnant women really are emotional—guess I’ll have to get used to this. Good luck to me.