Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Aries's POV

*Continuation of Flashback*

The boy with my aunt is my cousin, Angelo. Since he is older than me, I should respect and follow him.

"Get me a glass of water," Kuya Angelo said, his words unfamiliar to me.

I looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Get me some water."

I was about to stand up to obey him when, suddenly, a book flew straight into his face.

"Ugh!" he shouted, clutching his face in pain.

I turned to see where it had come from and spotted Tita Lara standing nearby.

"Hey! Do you think you're the boss here? No!" she snapped, spitting at Kuya Angelo. "Get ready! You have something coming for you!"

Kuya glared at her. "Why? That hurt!"

"And yet you still insist on speaking English! You're in the Philippines! Speak Tagalog!"

"Why did you hit me?" he protested.

"Because I like hitting you! And stop speaking English in front of me! I'm better at English than you!" Tita yelled, landing another punch on Kuya's face.

I didn't understand their argument, but I knew one thing—Kuya had fallen victim to Tita's wrath. She was one of the people I feared the most.

"What's going on here?" Aunt Gema asked as she approached us.

"Mom! She hit me with this!" Kuya complained, running to his mother while holding the book that had struck him.

"Lara…" grandma said, standing behind Aunt Gema. "...You always do this to your nephews."

"It's fair for everyone. I still have one nephew left who hasn't gotten a beating." Aunt pouted. "…And there's another one in the hospital, right? I haven't seen her yet."

She was referring to Jay-Jay. She was still in the hospital, which was why Mama hadn't picked me up yet.

"Who's in the hospital?" Aunt Gema asked.

"Who else? His monkey's sister." She pointed at me.

Aunt Gema turned to grandma, and they began talking about something I didn't understand. Meanwhile, Kuya continued rubbing his face from the pain, while aunt Lara huffed and flicked her fingers in annoyance.

I thought of Jay-Jay. I wanted to see her. I hoped she was getting better.

Aunt Gema and Kuya Angelo were staying with us for a while, but they would eventually return home. They said they were just visiting.

While he was here, Kuya always gave me toys. Sometimes, he would even take me to the mall to buy more. He also handed me down his old clothes.

"Hey!" Aunt Lara suddenly called out.

"What?"

"You're ugly," she said with a laugh.

I simply turned away and rested my elbows on my knees, propping my chin up with both hands. Aunt sat beside me, watching me closely.

"Hey!" she called again.

"What now?" I responded without looking at her.

"When Kuya Angelo asks you to go with him, will you?"

Go with him? Kuya said he had more toys. He even had a bicycle I could borrow. He also promised to give me a lot of things.

"Yes, as long as we come back right away. Mama might pick me up."

Tita sighed. "What if she never come back? Would you still go?"

I shook my head. "That's not possible. Mama will bring me back here. She wouldn't just leave me."

"Your Mama is never coming back for you," she said, her words sending a chill through me. "...The other day, Jay-Jay was discharged from the hospital. Ate Gema paid the hospital bill."

"She is coming back! Maybe she's just fixing the house!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face. "You're lying!"

"It's the truth," she replied.

I hit her arm, but it didn't seem to affect her. She just stared at me.

"Making kids cry—that's what you're best at," Kuya suddenly remarked, standing in front of us.

Tita shot him a glare. "Oh? You want me to make you cry instead?"

Without another word, she lunged at him, and Kuya took off running. "Help! Help! SOS!" he shouted as he fled.

I didn't believe aunt. She always made me cry, so I knew she was just teasing me. Instead of dwelling on her words, I decided to find Lola and ask her if Jay-Jay had really been discharged.

I found them in the backyard, where they were collecting clothespins. Aunt Gema was helping Lola with the laundry.

"Grandma…" I called out, and she looked at me.

Aunt Gema smiled and walked over, crouching down to meet my gaze.

"How are you? I thought you were playing with your Kuya Angelo."

"Aunt Lara is his real playmate," I muttered.

Grandma suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked in the direction I came from.

"Let me go first. Angelo might not be alive," Grandma said, and Kuya quickly went to them.

Aunt faced me again. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"You want to study, right?"

I nodded and answered eagerly.

"...I will send you to school," she said with joy.

My eyes widened at her words. I couldn't help but smile. I had always wanted this—I could finally study.

"Really?"

"Yes. And you will be studying at your older brother's former school."

My smile faded. "W-where is that?"

"It's close to us."

Did this mean I would really go with them? Was what Aunt Lara said true? Was I really going to live with them because Mama didn't want me anymore?

"Aunt Lara told me that you are going to take me and not bring me back here. Is that true?"

Her smile slowly disappeared. She picked me up and made me sit under the table where she had placed the clothes she was folding earlier.

"Because, Aries… Jay-Jay needs to be watched carefully. She is unwell and needs attention," she said, taking a deep breath. "...So, you will come with us for now. You'll stay there first, and once your sister gets okay, we will bring you back."

I shook my head. "I don't want to. I want to be with Jay-Jay. I'll take care of her."

She smiled and held my hand. "You're a loving brother, but do you think Jay-Jay will be happy knowing you're not studying because you're taking care of her?"

I lowered my head. Jay-Jay knew how much I wanted to study. I always told her that I would teach her everything I learned at school.

"No."

"Then study first. You'll see each other every vacation."

I didn't know what to say. I really didn't want to be away from Jay-Jay. If Mama needed to work, who would stay with her? Who would feed her?

I really didn't want to go.

I was in Kuya Angelo's room when I overheard Grandma and Aunt Gema talking. They were talking about me, so I couldn't help but listen.

"The child doesn't have a birth certificate," Aunt said.

"Why not? His full name is Aries Fernandez," Grandma replied.

"Only Jay-Jay is registered."

"Why is that? How can Aries be enrolled in school?"

"Maybe I'll just register him late."

I didn't understand what a birth certificate or registration meant. But whatever it was, why didn't I have one? Why did it seem like only Jay-Jay was registered?

Aunt Gema was about to leave. They said they were going home, and that I would go with them. But I really didn't want to. I knew Mama would come back for me. And I was right—I saw her entering grandma's gate.

"Mommy!" I called out happily.

I ran to her and hugged her.

"Mom! Are you here to pick me up? Are we going home?" I asked excitedly, but she just looked at me.

"Where is your Aunt Gema?"

I loosened my hug and pointed toward the house. She walked past me as if she hadn't seen me. I followed her. At the door, I saw Aunt Lara wearing a scarf. She didn't seem to like Mama.

"Gema," Mama said.

"Inside," Aunt Lara replied coldly.

Mama entered, looking for her target. I was about to follow, but Aunt Lara placed her hand on my head to stop me.

"Just stay here. That's a conversation for adults."

I removed her hand from my head. "I told you, Mama came to pick me up. We're going home."

She didn't say anything, but something in her expression told me she didn't believe me. Soon, shouting came from inside the house. The other people living there turned to look. I recognized Mama's voice, followed by another aunt's.

"You might as well let Gema adopt your son! After all, he doesn't have a mother!"

"Jenny! Don't interfere!" Grandma's voice rang out.

"Why do you still care? That's my son! I know what's best for him!"

"Lower your voice so the children can hear you," Aunt Gema said.

The shouting stopped for a moment until Mama suddenly came out. She was very angry again and headed toward me. She sat down so that we were at the same level. I saw a tear fall from one of her eyes, but she quickly wiped it away.

"Aries... listen." She touched my face gently. "...You will stay with your Aunt Gema for now. She will teach you, feed you, and give you toys and clothes..." She took a deep breath. "...Stay with them for now."

I shook my head. "I don't want to. I want to be with Jay-Jay."

"Not yet. I promise I'll bring you back to her. I will."

I couldn't stop my tears from falling. "I don't want to! You said that before, but you never came to take me home!"

"Because I had to take care of Jay-Jay."

"You only love her! Maybe you're giving me away because you don't want me! You don't love me!"

"Aries! It's not like that. You're still too young to understand."

"No! You're lying! You're giving me away!"

I was about to hug her, but I quickly pulled back and hid behind Aunt Lara. She never liked me, so Mama gave me to Aunt Gema instead. Jay-Jay was always the most important to her.

Everything was ready. Kuya Angelo was just waiting, and then we would leave. I was going to live with them now.

"Hey! Monkey!" Aunt Lara called out to me, but I didn't look at her.

I just stared at the ground. I would never see Mama and Jay-Jay again.

"You're sad! You should be happy!"

I looked up at her. "Why?"

"Because you're finally getting out of my sight!" she said and laughed.

That was good, anyway. She was always mean to me. She hurt all of us, even another cousin of mine who sometimes visited. She always fought with him too.

"Aries." Aunt Gema called as she approached me. "...Are you okay? We're leaving soon."

I shook my head. "I didn't get to say goodbye to Jay-Jay. Maybe I should go find her."

"You'll see her on vacation."

"Go ahead," was the only response I got.

Kuya Angelo stepped out of the house with his bag. I glanced at him for a moment before turning to Aunt Gema.

"Shall we go?"

Aunt Gema nodded, and they all said their goodbyes to Grandma. They kept saying I would be happy, but I didn't feel that way. We got into the car, and as it started, I felt unprepared. Kuya Angelo sat next to me, watching me closely.

"Everything will be okay," he said, ruffling my hair.

What Aunt Gema had said turned out to be true—or rather, what Mama had said. They had arranged my birth certificate so that I could be legally adopted. They even added "Michael" to my name, just like Kuya's.

Since moving in with them, my life had been good. I had my own room with a bathroom. I had lots of clothes, toys, and books. Every vacation, I went home to Grandma's and visited Jay-Jay at their new house. It wasn't far from our old home.

I rode my bike—one that Kuya Angelo had given me—to Jay-Jay's place. As soon as I saw her on the road, I noticed dhe wasn't wearing slippers.

"Aries!" She called out, waving.

She could say my name properly now. It was funny, but at the same time, it made me sad.

"...He's my cousin," she told her friends. "...I'll go with him for a while."

Cousin.

I didn't know why she referred to me that way. She was only three years old when I left, but I never thought she would forget who I was so quickly. I tried to push the thought away. I forced a small smile before looking at her seriously.

"You're not wearing slippers again! Where are they?" I asked, annoyed.

She looked at me strangely. "What did you say? Are you speaking English?"

"Your slippers! Where are they?!"

She scratched the back of her neck. "They threw them on the roof."

I raised an eyebrow. "They? Or you?"

She smiled innocently. "Both."

I groaned in frustration and scratched my head before motioning for her to get on the bike. As I pedaled, she waved at his friends.

All of her friends were boys. I wasn't surprised that she acted like one too. She even fought with them sometimes.

As we walked, the wind greeted us, making her hair fly constantly. I accidentally glanced at her neck and noticed a strange purple mark. There was another one behind her ear. I also saw some on her arm.

I stopped my bike, surprising her.

"What? Why did we stop?" She asked.

"How did you get these?" I asked, grabbing her arm.

"Aahhh... That hurts!" She shouted, pulling her arm away. "It's nothing! Just ignore it."

"Where did you get these bruises?"

She shook her head and avoided my gaze. I had a bad feeling. The last time we met, I noticed scars and wounds. I knew she didn't get them from just fighting.

"Does your stepfather hurt you?" I asked without hesitation.

She suddenly got off the bike, turning her back to me.

"I'm going home. Let's play tomorrow," she said before running away.

I wanted to follow her, but I was afraid her stepfather would get angry. Her mother had remarried.

Her mother!

I wasn't sure if I should still consider her my mother. Every time I tried to call her "Mama," all I could remember was pain. I decided to go home to Grandma. Jay-jay was the only reason I came here. As I sped up on my bike, I noticed a car following me. I tried pulling over to the side of the road, but it kept up with me.

I stopped, and so did the car. Annoyed, I turned to look at it. After a moment, the window rolled down, revealing a man wearing sunglasses. He smiled at me.

"Are you Aries?" he asked.

I didn't answer. I studied him carefully, and for some reason, my heart started beating faster. Without a word, I turned my back on him and pedaled away as fast as I could. I took a detour into an alley to make sure he couldn't follow me. Before returning to the main road, I stopped and glanced behind me, breathing heavily.

Something about that man felt strange.

I couldn't get him out of my mind. What was worse, I kept seeing him near my school—just like now, while I was waiting for Kuya to pick me up. His car wasn't far away. The window was open, and cigarette smoke drifted out.

"Aries!" Kuya called as he ran toward me. "Sorry I'm late. Let's go."

I quickly followed him. The man's car moved slightly but never left its place. Who was he? And why was he always following me?