LOST AND FOUND

"IT'S your fault! I told you to drink your pills! So what do you want me to do now? Marry you? I can't do that! I have so much to do in life and I am not yet ready to become a father!" Marvin raised a high-pitched voice when Ella spoke to him at the motel where they checked in.

Ella then started to cry." Please don't do this to me. You know my Aunt would hurt so much and I don't want her to," she is talking about her Aunt Ludy who raised her since she was a baby. It is because her mother left her after giving birth to her. Since then they never heard of anything about her mother Isabel.

Marvin clicked his tongue annoyingly. "Don't ruin my life because of your pregnancy! I didn't force you to have sex with me, and besides, we both know that you enjoyed everything that I did to you!" he said following his words with a sarcastic laugh.

Ella stared at Marvin's face because of what she heard. She can't believe he just said that. "It's not just me! We both agreed on this Marvin! Both of us!" tears welled up in her eyes when she gave Marvin a sharp look who quickly turned away from her gaze.

“No matter what you say you can't force me to marry you! In fact, I must have told you about my departure,” he said briefly as he regained his composure. He glances at her and looks away after a while.

Ella wiped away her tears. Calm herself despite the shock at what she heard. "You are leaving?" she asked sitting down on the edge of the bed. She feels like a melting candle which gradually weakening especially her knees.

“Next week I will be leaving for Dubai. I had a three-year contract there so it would be nice if we call it quits," he suggested arrogantly like everything is nothing to him. Like nothing serious had happened between them.

Ella's eyes widened because of what she heard. “What did you say? You will still leave me even if you know my situation?” and then tears went down from her eyes freely again.

"Shut up! I just told you right? I'm calling it quits because I don't want you to be in my life anymore! Nobody! Not even that child of yours can do anything to stop all of my plans!” after that, he grabbed the doorknob and adjusted to exit the room. But Ella quickly stood up and embraced Marvin from behind.

"Please, don't do this, have mercy on me and your child," she begged as she cries louder now.

Marvin was forced to break free from her embrace. "Shut up! Let's break up and don't call me or even text me if you don't want to hear any nasty words from me!” and then he left.

____________________

"LUIS! Son!" at the airport arrival Luis immediately started looking for the person who owned that familiar voice.

Yes, it has been eight long years since he left the Philippines but he will never forget who owned that voice.

"Mama!" controlling his own emotion, Luis hugged his mother Daisy tightly.

“I miss you, son, why you are so handsome? It seems that the weather in America looks good on you,” she reached out for his face and gently rubbed it with her both hands as she cries with joy.

"I missed you too, Mama," Luis replied and gave his mother a loving kiss in the forehead.

He was nineteen years old when he accepted his aunt's offer to continue his studies in the United States. Luis smiled bitterly when a flash of memories reminded him of the reason why he decided to leave.

He continued his remaining years on his course Mechanical Engineering there. His Aunt Linda, the younger sister of his late father was the one who paid for his tuition fee and everything. But in return, he helped her in running her convenience store. Now he works at a well known and large aviation company in the States."Congratulations on your promotion Luis. I'm sure if your father is still alive, he would be very proud of you," his mother said as they walk to the parking lot.

Two weeks after her mother Daisy gave birth to him his father Nestor died because of a heart attack.

The promotion that his mother is talking about is the reason why he decided to go back to the Philippines. Their company will be opening a branch in Manila where he was promoted and assigned as Project Engineer.

"Thank you, Mama, at least now I can be with you always," he said giving his mother a tight hug.

Daisy smiled at him. "I should ask you anyway, have you left a special someone in America?"

Luis laughed softly and then let his mother get inside the car she's pointing at. "I'm not in that rush," he said, putting the seatbelt on as he looks back to his mother who has now seated in the backseat.

His cousin Dennis who was one-year younger was sitting in front of the steering wheel. Their mothers' are siblings only Dennis' died after giving birth to him while his father just disappeared when he was still inside his mother's womb. Dennis grew up in the guidance of his mother and like his mother, they used to talk on Skype so they don't seem to be separated for long.

Currently, Dennis is a Branch Manager of a prominent bank in Manila. He just came home now because he was coming.

His mother, Daisy, used to sell vegetables at the market. And that was their bread and butter back then.

"Luis you are twenty-seven already! Let me remind you that you are not getting any younger!" his mother said aloud.

Dennis who is already busy driving laughed. "Aunt Daisy it's now a trend among us men to marry at a late age. You know like thirty-seven. Some get married at forty, anyway, why rush right?"

Luis saw her mother rolled her eyes. "We're there yes, but what I am trying to say here is that I hope I could experience having a grandson or granddaughter from you two. You have stable jobs and successful careers, what are you waiting for? Christmas?"

“It's easy to get a woman to marry if you want to. It's just that, we want to marry out of love. Right dude?" Luis said to his cousin.

"Right,” Dennis agreed with him so they never hear her mother speak again.