"MIA"

"Give that to me," the elderly woman living with them said as she took the washcloth from Mia’s hand. Mia had been using it to press warm water against the bruises on her arm. 

Bernie, her live-in partner, had hurt her again earlier. 

"I just don't understand why you can't leave that demon of a man, Mia! Look at yourself! Face the mirror! Don't you feel sorry for yourself when you see your reflection? Because I do—I feel so, so sorry for you!" The old woman's voice finally broke as she said the last words. 

Absentmindedly, Mia turned to face the mirror. And at that moment, her tears began to fall again. 

Yes, she pitied herself. She had pitied herself for a long time. 

But as the saying goes— 

She had fallen because of Bernie, so she had to endure because of Bernie. 

"I... I don't have any money, Aling Ising. Even if I wanted to leave, I don't have a single cent in my wallet," she admitted, and with that, she broke down into sobs. 

The elderly woman immediately pulled her into a compassionate embrace. "Pack your things. I'll take care of everything. We're leaving right now—before your husband comes back from his mistress. I can't keep serving him any longer, so I'm going back to my province to live with my nieces and nephews," she said firmly. 

Mia looked at Aling Ising's kind face. In the almost eight years they had lived together, the elderly woman had become dear to her heart. Even though her own mother, Nanay Rosita, had passed away, Aling Ising had somehow filled the void she had left behind. 

Mia had been twenty years old when she got pregnant by Bernie, who, at that time, was working as a sales agent at a high-end car dealership. She had been working as a waitress in a nightclub. 

How had she ended up with that kind of job? That was a long story. But one thing she could say for certain—despite the nature of her work, she had never allowed any customer to take her to a table. The only person she had ever agreed to be with was Bernie—because they had known each other since childhood. They had been high school classmates. 

Bernie came from a well-off family. His family stayed in Manila, but they ended up moving to Laguna because of his job. He had been assigned there, and to save money, he decided that they should live there as well. 

Like she had said, she got pregnant when she was twenty. 

Bernie had been overjoyed at the thought of becoming a father. He had also known that despite her work, she had never been with anyone else but him—her boyfriend of two years at the time. 

By then, Mia had already been alone for two years, her mother having passed away. She had been working as a nightclub waitress for just as long. And for those two years, she had been in a relationship with Bernie. 

At first, everything had been fine between them. 

Bernie had given her a beautiful home, and that was also when he brought Aling Ising into their lives—to keep her company. 

But then, the unexpected happened. She lost the baby. 

She had been three months pregnant. Bernie had not taken it well. 

Mia had thought he was simply grieving over the loss of their supposed first child. But things didn’t turn out that way. Bernie changed—quickly and drastically. She wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Aling Ising did, too. 

It got to the point where he started coming home drunk most nights. Sometimes, he wouldn’t come home at all for days. And when he did, he was always angry. He started hitting her. 

She didn’t know where she had found the strength and endurance, but she ended up staying with him for six years. Six years of holding onto a man who, in the end, never really loved her. A man who had promised they would grow old together but had instead slowly destroyed her. 

Mia broke into heart-wrenching sobs. 

A moment later, she felt Aling Ising wrap her in a tight embrace. Like her, the old woman was crying. 

For so many years, why was it only now that she felt truly, deeply exhausted? 

Was it because of the hard slaps Bernie had landed on her face at dawn when she tried to stop him from leaving? Or was it because of the two travel bags filled with clothes that he had hurled at her head? 

A bitter smile spread across Mia's lips. 

Maybe that was why. Maybe that was why she had finally woken up. 

Just recently, a woman had come to their house and told her she was Bernie’s girlfriend. That she was pregnant. That Bernie was the father. 

Mia’s entire world crumbled at that moment. 

And when she asked the woman how long she had been with Bernie, she only cried harder. 

Five years. 

Five years. That meant he had been cheating on her ever since she lost the baby. 

That very same day, all of Mia’s lingering doubts were answered. 

So that was why Bernie had treated her the way he did. Because he had someone else. Someone he truly loved. 

Just as Aling Ising wanted, they left that same day. With the savings the old woman had managed to gather, they boarded a jeepney and headed toward the bus terminal bound for Manila. 

At the terminal, Aling Ising handed her some money—enough for a fresh start. 

"Take care of yourself, my child. Here, take this money. Use it to begin a new life," she said, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Mia. 

Mia didn’t want to accept the money—she knew how hard the old woman had worked to save it. But she had no choice. Like she had said earlier, she didn’t have a single cent in her wallet. 

"Here’s my niece’s phone number. Call me if you ever need anything,"Aling Ising said next, handing her a small piece of paper with a handwritten number on it. 

Mia nodded, then, with tears in her eyes, she hugged the old woman tightly. "I’ll pay you back someday. I promise," she whispered, referring to the money. She estimated it to be more than ten thousand pesos. 

But the elderly woman shook her head. "Just make sure you're okay. That’s all I need. Now go, or you might miss your bus," she said with a forced smile. 

Mia took a deep breath and finally turned to leave. But she couldn’t resist one last look. 

Aling Ising had been her only ally for so many years. She had been like a mother to her—tending to her wounds, comforting her after every painful night. 

So she ran back to the old woman and threw herself into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. 

"Everything will be alright. And I know we'll see each other again," Aling Ising murmured, her own tears falling as she gently stroked Mia’s back. 

"Nanay… Nanay," Mia whispered brokenly. 

She was starved for a mother’s love. A mother’s comfort. And ever since she had lost Nanay Rosita, Aling Ising had been the closest thing to family she had. 

Finally, the old woman pulled away, gently cupping Mia’s swollen cheek. The same cheek that still bore the mark of Bernie’s cruel hand. 

"We’ll meet again. Call me. I love you, my child. Always remember that," she said before pressing a soft kiss to Mia’s forehead. 

With a heart finally ready to let go, Mia boarded the bus bound for Manila. 

She knew that from this moment forward, anything could happen. Good things. Bad things. 

But above all, there was only one thing she wanted. 

Peace. 

The peace of mind that had been taken from her for so long.