"Enjoying the breakfast, Albert?" teased Sienna. She giggled as she dashed to the kitchen, then opened the refrigerator to get the carton of milk.
Our face flustered red. I could still feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I moved away, and he released me from his embrace.
Dad put Billy quietly on his high chair, then gave him his favorite toy truck. I avoided his gaze because I already saw this forehead furrowing about what he just witnessed in our kitchen.
"Early riser?" He asked his eyes on Albert.
"We didn't have dinner last night, dad," I answered for him before he could talk. "We got hungry, so here we are," I continued, rolling my eyes, then I walked to the oven. I could smell the cheese.
He raised his hands in the air as if trying to say he didn't mean anything from his question. I guess I was too guilty to react like that to him. I sometimes forget I was in a nineteen-year-old body, and not the old me.
Mom was still quiet. She was lo
"Albert," I croaked as I called his name. We have to hurry to the hospital before it's too late. I didn't care about Marco, but Philip is very important to him. He already lost Charles, and losing another brother is too much.He was in shock. His lips parted as he stared blankly at the TV screen."Albert!" I shook his shoulders. This time I screamed in front of him, startling everybody.He blinked, then nodded."Ah... The car key," He said to the guy in uniform. He nodded, but Ed raised his hand, taking the key inside his pocket."I'll drive. We'll use my car," said Ed, patting him on the shoulder.He nodded, still unable to say anything."We are ready sir, where to?" Hubert, the older guy asked Ed."To the hospital," I answered. He nodded and talked to the radio. I was surprised he didn't wait for Albert's answer. Maybe he knew that at this time, he was not in his mind to make a sound decision."We'll follow you there,"
Marco was crazy, making up stories to shake me. I shook my head again and smirked at him. I looked at him straight in the eye, and he met mine with a mock. I clenched my teeth and balled my fist in anger. "Listen to me carefully, Selene. You had an affair with Melvin!" He said in a mix of disappointing and angry tones. No, I wasn't.Why would I have an affair with Melvin when I was too in love with Albert? What had happened in that future? My arms went weak that I slowly released Albert, and this time stared with horror at Marco. I shook my head. It couldn't be, and sure he was lying again, this time to both of us. "It looks like the princess didn't know a thing?" He laughed as he took another cigarette. "I wonder if James was even your son, Albert?" I darted my eyes on him, mortified at that thought that James could be Melvin's son, but he clearly told me that he was the father, but was it another lie? I was hoping Albert would fill in
Did I have a cardiac arrest? I felt like my heart stopped pumping blood to my body that I felt an excruciating pain in my chest. I suddenly felt weak from what Marco had said. No, it can't be. It was easier to accept if Melvin had opened the door to get me back if we genuinely had an affair. My tears raced down my cheeks as I witnessed Marco slowly fading away. "No...no... no!" I cried and shook my head. "Tell us first, who opened the door? Who changed the past?" I was on my feet, ready to run. He has to live, just a little more.Then, for the last time, Marco stabbed me painfully with his words. "Your husband did. Albert opened the door. He was the one who changed everything,"I continuously shook my head in disbelief. "I'm... I'm not finished yet," I stammered as I ran towards the elevator. I had to get to the operating room. As much as I would like him to die, now was the moment that I needed him alive. In between my sobs, I pressed the
"Honey, do something," I could hear Mom's voice, but I dared not to look at them. I knew they were standing on the frame of my bedroom door, but both of them hesitated to come to me. I just kept on staring at the open window while I sat on my bed, hugging my knees."What will I do? Neither Sienna nor Jane could cheer her up," answered Dad in a low voice. "I couldn't even get hold of Albert," he gritted his teeth as he mentioned his name.No matter how I explained to them that it was my decision to break up with him, dad was still mad at him. He kept on telling me he should be man enough to defend our relationship. If Dad only knew that he moved heaven and earth just for us to be together again. Was risking the lives of other people proof in defending our love?"It's been two weeks, Honey," I heard Mom sniffing.Two weeks? I have been living like a zombie for two weeks. I missed him so much. In this timeline, I have never been apart from him for a
"Hey old lady, you missed your bus."I remembered clearly the day and time I heard those words from the homeless guy whom I did not notice at first. I was thinking I was too preoccupied with many things.“You missed your chance,” He said, emphasizing something that shouldn’t have happened if I didn’t miss my ride. He told me to walk although he knew I seemed to be in a hurry but reminded me not to miss my chance again.“Be careful of falling debris,” I whispered, snapping my fingers to understand it better. I was dumbed thinking he was referring to a safety hazard caution from a construction company.“What sweetheart?” asked Dad.Both my hands were holding my head. It was like it will explode anytime now. I closed my eyes. I was so stupid not to realize it sooner. Of course, he was speaking in metaphor. I have to be on guard, be careful of people who will break us apart.&ldqu
Maybe a supreme being, the homeless guy, asked me a question that scared the innermost part of my heart. Whoever he was, he was pointing out to me the truth.“What.” He furrowed his forehead. “If.” He reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Selene, putting these two words together has the power to haunt you for the rest of your life. This word what if will never lead you to the right path. You are like holding onto regrets, for the time wasted.”“I love Albert so much, and I am scared that I am too late.” I massaged my temple. I felt dizzy with all his words.“There is always time, and it only ends when you give up.” He stood up.My eyes followed him as he walked back to his beloved box of cartons.“Go back home, Selene. Take time to rest today. Spend time with your family,” he said, laying his back down again, facing the sky.I stood up, but before I starte
“Melvin,” I tried to make my voice as cheerful as possible. Deep inside me, I wanted to strangle my sister for pushing me here in the living room. I could still hear her chuckling from where I stood, and even Dad and Albert exchanged amused expressions. He stood up and found himself in an awkward situation. “I just want to drop by to say hello,” he said, giving me the bouquet. The red bunch of roses was arranged in a spiraling look, and any girl’s heart would feel giddy. “Thanks,” I said. “Please, take a seat,” I said. I sat down beside my father on a long sofa, ignoring Albert, disregarding me intentionally. I felt my blood boiling because of what he was doing. He was talking casually to my father as if nothing was happening inside the four corners of this room. “Jane said you weren’t feeling great the past few days, and I wanted to know if you’re now okay,” He continued, this time not minding the two men in the room. “I guess, yea
I looked at the wall clock. It said 9:05 p.m., but my eyes were drooping. I had never felt so sleepy like this before. Maybe those sleepless nights were finally telling my body to rest. We watched Interview with the Vampire on TV, but I could not understand their words.Mom’s eyes were still wide awake, concentrating on the movie while she tapped my brother’s arm lightly as he tried to sleep. Sienna was sitting crossed-legged on the floor while enjoying the popcorn that I refused a while ago because of its funny smell. Dad went back to the living room with two cans of beer in his hand. He handed the other one to Albert.“Dad, he’ll be driving,” I said, trying to keep my eyes open.“I’ll sleep here then,” he whispered, leaning my head to his shoulder.“Where will you sleep?” I asked, my eyelids now closed.I heard him mumble something, then I heard Sienna answer, but I did not understand a
Nine months laterI kept pacing the room and taking deep breathes. Albert and I may have gone back time, but this was the first time for us to experience this. I took another breath, inhaling slowly and then breathing out slowly to release the tension I was feeling.“Albert!” I screamed from the hospital room. The contractions increased, and I tried to move a lot, preparing myself for this new experience. As soon as I felt the pain and the contractions last night, he decided to bring me to the hospital. We both don’t want to panic at home when our babies decide to come out. My water bag broke already, but the contraction has often come now.Yes, Albert and I were having twins. We were ecstatic when we found out we had two instead of one. He came running to the room, his face pale that I could not stop myself from laughing.I bit my bottom lip and smiled at him.He dashed to me, massaged my back. “Are you feeling oka
I looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm my heart. It has been hammering my chest since I came to Dr. Melissa’s office. She has been my shrink for many years, but I never get to graduate from this couch. I laid my back on the familiar leather sofa and waited for her.The sound of her shoes told me she was on her way to her chair. She sat on the egg chair, facing me. She smiled at me gently and quietly opened her notebook. Perhaps, my notebook. I have seen how it was changed after several sessions with her. With my life opened to her, she could write a series about me.“How are you today, Selene?” She asked, taking her pen from her shirt pocket.My eyes flickered on her, but I returned my eyes to the ceiling. It could be because it was her job, but I liked Dr. Melissa. She was always patiently waiting for my answers, and if I chose not to talk, she would assure me that all I needed was to call her and listen to m
“I leave the future now to you, my love,” Albert pulled me closer to him, wrapped his arms around me, making me feel his warmth, his love, and then he kissed me at the top of my head, making me remember what he said on my birthday as he sealed his gift with a kiss."I'll protect you no matter what, my love. It's a promise." Indeed, he protected me, but then he slowly faded, and then Albert disappeared before my eyes. I couldn’t breathe, and for a second, my heart stopped beating.No. He couldn’t be gone!The horror of being reminded when Marco faded away before us was the day he died.Terror and shock were like waves that overwhelmed me. I could not move. It took me a while before I scrambled on my feet, and then I ran to the elevator.As the elevator opened on the second floor, I ran to the operating room, but I was too late. Lady Margarette and my mom broke down in tears when they saw me. I could
“I wanted to see you with my own eyes, the young and beautiful Selene, the curse of our family!" Those were the only voice that I could hear at the moment. It was playing on my mind repeatedly as I sat on the floor, hugging my knees, near the operating room.In whatever timeline, if I did not entertain my feelings to Albert... if only I did not allow him to love me again... if I did not travel in time, he would be okay. I may not understand it entirely, but I was a curse.When Dani and Edwin ran to the office, they did not see anyone except Albert and me on the floor. The backdoor was open, so the police officers had a hunch that the suspect had run away. I was the only witness, but they could not ask me at the moment.I could hardly notice my surrounding. I kept thinking how happy we were last night and how we climbed together in cloud nine when I found out we were pregnant. I was hardly blinking as I looked back at what had just happened. I was
My vision got blurry, tears just kept flowing, and my feelings were so overwhelming that I could not speak. Albert met my eyes and then told.“Mom,” He said, alerting his mother and, I guess, everyone in the room. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I think Selene won’t be wearing your wedding gown in June,”I chuckled. After Marco’s death, we decided to move the wedding to June instead of this month out of respect. I turned to my parents and his mom and smiled.“It won’t fit.”I turned my face to the love of my life. As our eyes met, he pressed his forehead to mine, and we both cried. In their eyes, we were just a young couple, getting pregnant at the age of nineteen, but for us, we waited for thirty-seven years to be together, to have this chance of sharing this wonderful experience.“I’m gonna be a mom,” I whispered excitedly, saying those words that I could not contain
Everybody seemed to be anxious about the result of the test. Dad kept pacing the room while Albert’s dad had been tapping the arm of his seat like he was playing the piano. Our mothers were chatting, exchanging their pregnancy experiences. Sienna and Jane were chatting about their excitement about the possible results. We had to wait in Dr. Mayer’s office because staying in the OB Gyne’s doctor won’t fit all the expectant guests. Albert and I stood by the large window overlooking the hospital’s garden. “It would be fun to watch their faces if I’m not pregnant,” I said, rolling my eyes. Albert smiled, pulling me closer to him and kissing my forehead. “But this would be a great story to tell to our child if you are indeed pregnant,” I leaned my head on his chest. The truth was I was scared because even if I had James, it was something I never had a memory of. This would be my first experience. “I’m scared,” I muttered. “Would you rather be not p
“Congratulations, you’re pregnant!” The doctor smiled at me, showing the result of my test. The lines and the signs definitely did not lie about it.I could not believe what I was hearing. Am I really pregnant? I gazed at Albert, tears brimming into his eyes as he came to me to wrap his arms around me. When the door opened, my eyes widened to see the tunnel. It was like sucking my body to get into it, but Albert held onto me tightly.We were shocked when a man, wearing a black mask and overall, pointed a gun at me. No, not particularly at me, but to my belly. My forehead furrowed because I just knew I was pregnant, but my belly was so big that anytime I would likely give birth. Before I could understand what was happening, I heard a gunshot and found myself bleeding.I gasped, sucking as much air to my lungs as I got up from the bed. My heart was pounding fast, and I could hear my heartbeat from the silent night. I was sw
“Are you like together again?” Sienna asked, gawking at us. She shook her head. “Something’s not right,” She squinted her eyes on us, glancing at our hands, fingers interlacing. “Did something happen a few seconds ago? Wow, you changed really fast, Sel,” She glanced at the ceiling, trying to remember the clothes I was wearing.When I heaved a sigh, she gasped, opening her mouth in surprise. “Did you just...”“Just what?” I asked, looking at my sister, hoping she would stop talking about how surprised she was at seeing us.“Got together,” she chuckled, pointing his lips to the engagement ring I had on my finger. “Fix your problem, Selene,” She said, standing up to continue setting the table. “Either you face your problem now or later.”Sienna was right. The reason things got complicated is that I tend not to face my problem. I tried to ev
Everyone in the living room went quiet. No one made a single sound, not even a movement. It was like they stopped breathing for a while, just like in the movies when we hear the most critical line of an important character, whether from the protagonist or the antagonist. In the middle of our silence, we could listen to the sound of crickets.Their faces were hard to read as well. Jane was twisting her lips, fidgeting with her hands. Ed was staring blankly at us, his hand on his chin. Dad has lines on his forehead, squinting his eyes as he analyzed what I said. Mom wrinkled her eyebrows as she pinched the skin in her throat.I glanced at Albert, and he shrugged.Suddenly, Mom broke down in tears. Sienna and I looked at each other, raising our brows as we stared at her.“I hope you’re not on drugs, Sweetheart.” She sniffed, holding my father’s hand. He squeezed Mom’s hand.I almost rolled my eyes at her, but I think it w