Father
“We’re done!” Bianca cheered.
They finished redecorating Lance’s room. The walls were now covered with beige wall paper. The tiled floor became wood and they put a carpet by the fire place. The bed, desk and chairs inside we’re rearrange so that the room will have more space.
“Thanks guys,” Lance thank his cousins.
“We’re not done yet,” Robi blurted. “We still have to decorate Charles’ room too. Or else the witch will get angry.”
“Yeah,” agreed Nel.
“Okay,” Lance said. “I’ll help you out. I’ll just go get some things on the attic. You go to Charles’ room. Oh, and don’t forget that he likes nothing for his wall but color blue.”
“As if it’s not obvious,” Robi murmured. “Most of the things he has were color blue.”
Lance went straight up to the third floor. His room is located in the second floor so he had to climb the staircase. The third floor was mostly composed of the girls’ rooms, and there was a spare room for the guests. There was also a mini floor above it – it’s the attic. Lance entered the attic, there was a time that he’ll never forget here, and he can clearly remember that night.
When he came, of course they sent him to school. He entered his third grade at Saint Vincent Catholic School. Everyday, he spends an hour reading bible stories, praying, studying everything about church, God and Saints. Of course, even after being a Nationalian, he’s still proud to be a former Vincentian. He had quite a journey at SVCS after all, and he met his friends here that soon enough became a Nationalian like him. But you know how children’s mind work, when they found out that Lance was adopted he became the apple of the eye of the people. Parents talk about him from here and there; pupils and students tease him, and so much more. Bullies pick on him.
One afternoon he came home crying. He doesn’t like anyone to see him that way so he went up to the attic. He cried all afternoon hidden from everyone.
Greg was home that afternoon, and even if Lance didn’t notice him, Greg notice that Lance was crying. He went up and followed him to the attic.
Greg opened the door, there was a small squeak and sent birds flying. He heard no sobs, but he heard someone sniffing. He followed the sound and saw Lance sitting hidden behind the boxes. Lance was small for his age, he look like six years old rather than eight before. No one thought that he will grow tall that time until he turned thirteen. Greg sat beside him and tapped his son in the back gently.
“I think I know what your problem is,” Greg said. “You know, it doesn’t matter what they say, it doesn’t matter if they call you names because of what you are. What matters the most is you, and what you are made of. If they call you names because you we’re adopted, then, don’t mind them. At least you have me.”
“But they said having no parent –”
“Oh don’t listen to them. I am your parent now. It doesn’t matter if you have my blood in your veins; it’s not the standard of being a real father anyway.”
Lance smiled at the memory. He sat on the same spot where they sat before, the memory was so clear he can almost see it happening again. That was the day he felt like home, the day that for the first time he felt someone accepted him for just him and for no other reasons.
He picked up the box containing old news papers and some files that are not going to be use. They will use it to cover the floor of Charles’ room while painting the walls and ceiling.
He went straight to Charles’ room. There, everyone was moving things outside and Bianca was preparing the paint. Lance put the box on the floor and opened it. One by one, he pulled the papers inside the box and putting them on the floor. There was an envelope that made his cousins panicked – the folder was containing the DNA test for Lance and Greg. Bianca took the envelope when Lance wasn’t looking. It was a relief he didn’t open the envelope. Bianca handed the folder to Janine who went outside to hide the envelope in her room.
Lance continued pulling out papers from the box and scattering them on the floor. Unexpectedly, he pulled a photo of him and Greg when he was 9. It was taken on the pool; Greg was teaching him how to swim. Those we’re one of those memories of the days when everything is so much better for him.
Lance started helping Bianca and Charles to remove the old blue wall paper. Ivan and Robi took the new blue wall paper. Nel and Janine started mixing the right shade of blue for the room’s ceiling.
“Maybe it’s time for you to choose a new color for your room,” Lance told Charles. “Brown is a good color, very relaxing.”
“I’m thinking of using brown or green actually,” Charles replied and scratches his nape. “But I can’t decide which to choose so I just stick to blue.”
“So what school are you going to apply for college?” Nel asked.
“Ateneo is nice, but I think I’ll go to Cardinal’s Academy,” Charles answered.
“Yeah, Cardinal’s Academy only admits two students per province. So we should have the top two places,” Lance said.
“If you’ll pass,” Charles joked.
“Ha! You’re talking to your valedictorian,”
“I was just kidding,” Charles said. “I am the one who should study well. I’m sure you’ll get the 1st slot.”
Cardinal’s Academy was a prestige Academy in the Philippines. It was a catholic school, they offer almost all courses. They only have one campus and they don’t need many branches or campuses around the country because they only admit few students per year. They select only the best student in every province or city in the Philippines. But only those who are rich are the only people who can afford the tuition, so there we’re only few takers per region. Luckily, Vallejo’s are rich enough to send the two of them in the Cardinal’s Academy.
“So when is your admission test?” Nel asked.
“Two weeks from now.” Lance answered.
“We need to pass to CA, or we have no choice but to go to University of Bayambang.” Charles said.
University of Bayambang is a school almost like BNHS. It stood at the back of BNHS. It’s a new University, about two to three years ago when it was built. The quality of education here is magnificent. The professors are graduates from different Universities in Manila – Adamson, Ateneo, Mapua, UP, and even UST.
Lance picked all the old wallpapers and crumples them. He went down to the kitchen and put the trash on the garbage bag. He looked at the door and memories again came. It’s more like a dream, or maybe a dream of a dream.
It was September 2003, a boy named Robert ran away from the orphanage. It was a bit hard sneaking at the office of the head mistress to the back gate. But once he was out of the gate, it will be easy to be out of the facility.
Robert wandered in the town for days. He experience sleeping on the streets, eating food from the garbage and even being chase by syndicate; all of that for a while. The orphanage didn’t look for him. There we’re no posters looking for him.
One time, he searches for food in a trash can beside a burger stand beside the Saint Vincent Parish Church. A man eating in the stand look at him, he observed him for a minute and finally the man called him.
“Hey kid,” the man said. “Come here.”
Robert approached him. The man gave him food and asked him things.
“Do you have a name?” Greg asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I’m Robert.”
“So Robert,” Greg began. “Where are your parents?”
“I don’t have any, I ran away from the orphanage because a volunteer said that the man who will adopt me is a horrible person.”
“And you believed him?”
“Shouldn’t I?”
“You know, maybe you should trust more in your instincts than what the others say when it comes to a person’s being. What if he’s a good man? Then you missed a chance of a lifetime.”
“But if he is a bad man, then it would be lifetime regret and who knows what that man might do to me.”
“Why don’t you go with me to my house?” Greg told Robert.
Robert went with him. After few days staying in Greg’s house, Greg decided to adopt him and soon enough gave him the name Lance Robert Vallejo.
It all came too quickly for him. This family gave him many things, but when Charles came, he was forced by his conscience to give everything for his brother. He thinks he should repay their kindness in everyway he can. But this logic will put him on his crossroads of destiny.
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