Chapter 49

Rhainne Jhammira Alethea Lopez

Two weeks after the procedure, we were back at the hospital. The waiting room was colder than I remembered, the hum of the air conditioning making the silence between us even louder. She sat next to me, nervously tapping her fingers against the armrest.

I wanted to say something—anything—to ease the tension, but what could I say? This was a moment that could change everything.

The nurse finally called her name, and we followed her into a small consultation room. The doctor greeted us with a warm smile, her calm demeanor only making my heart race faster.

“We have the results,” she said, setting the file down on the desk in front of her. “And… congratulations. You’re pregnant.”

The words hung in the air for a moment, unreal and heavy. I turned to look at her, and for a split second, I couldn’t tell what she was feeling. Then, a tear slid down her cheek, and she covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders trembling.

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I let it out in a shaky exhale. “We’re… really having a baby?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor nodded, her smile widening. “It’s still early, but everything looks good so far. We’ll schedule regular check-ups to monitor the progress.”

As we walked out of the hospital, the world felt different. Brighter. Louder. She was clutching the printed ultrasound photo in her hands, staring at it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

When we got to the car, she turned to me, her eyes glistening. “Can you believe it?”

I shook my head, a small, disbelieving laugh escaping my lips. “No. But… I guess we have to now.”

For the rest of the day, we floated through a haze of emotions—joy, fear, excitement, disbelief. We sat on the couch at home, going through baby name lists and wondering aloud what the future would look like.

“What if I’m a terrible parent?” I asked at one point, my voice was low.

She reached over, squeezing my hand. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

And in that moment, as terrifying as the future seemed, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe this wasn’t the life I had planned for myself. But it was the life I had now. And somehow, that felt okay.

Lumipas ang mga linggo, at unti-unti nang nararamdaman ang pagbabago sa bahay—lalo na sa kanya. Naging mas sensitive siya sa mga amoy. Isang araw, habang kumakain kami ng almusal, bigla siyang tumigil sa pagnguya at tumingin sa akin.

“Can you throw that coffee?” tanong niya, hawak ang ilong niya na para bang napakatapang ng amoy.

“Ano?” tanong ko, nagtataka. “Why? Hindi naman masyadong malakas ang amoy.”

“Hindi para sa’yo! Pero para sa akin, it does. Ang sakit sa ilong!” sagot niya, nakakunot ang noo.

Agad kong itinabi ang kape at humingi ng sorry, kahit sa loob-loob ko’y natatawa ako. Pero syempre, hindi ko na sinabi. Alam kong isa ito sa mga unang senyales ng pagbubuntis—paglilihi.

Kinabukasan, nagising ako sa tunog ng kusina. Bumangon ako, at nakita ko siyang abala, may hawak na mangga. And yes nakalipat na kami sa bahay ko.

“Bakit ang aga-aga, kumakain ka na ng mangga?” tanong ko, nagkakamot ng ulo.

“I don't know,” sagot niya habang ngumunguya, parang wala lang. “I've been craving this since last night .”

Tumawa ako nang mahina, pero tumigil din agad nang tingnan niya ako nang masama. “Sorry, sorry,” sabi ko.

Lumipas pa ang mga araw, mas naging unpredictable ang mga cravings niya. Minsan, sa kalagitnaan ng gabi, gigisingin niya ako para maghanap ng prutas, tsokolate, o kung anu-ano pa. Minsan, kahit hindi ko na gustuhin, wala akong magawa kundi sumunod.

Isang gabi, humiling siya ng spaghetti. Hindi kahit anong spaghetti—dapat daw yung style ng karinderya sa kanto.

“Nakakahiya na,” sabi ko, habang nag-aabang sa luto ng spaghetti ng tindera. I can't believe that this is happening to me!

Pero sa tuwing makikita ko ang ngiti niya habang kinakain niya ang hinanap niya, parang nawawala lahat ng pagod ko.

“Thank you,” sabi niya isang gabi, habang nakahiga kami at hinihimas niya ang tiyan niya. “I know that I'm being too much, but… salamat sa pagiging nandyan.”

“Its nothing” sagot ko, hinahawakan ang kamay niya. “Kasama kita sa lahat ng ‘to.”

At sa gitna ng lahat ng pagbabago ay onti onti kong nakakasanayan. Maybe I'm tire of getting everything that she's been craving but at least I could give her that.

I noticed she was becoming more clingy by the day. At first, it was sweet. She couldn’t stop hugging me, even when we were just watching TV. Sometimes, she’d grab my arm out of nowhere and say, “Don’t leave, okay?”

Life was complicated, to say the least.

"Good morning, class,” she greeted, her voice calm and commanding. She didn’t even glance my way, which I was thankful for. The last thing I needed was for the other students not to suspect anything.

She roamed her eyes and end up with me. Nakatingin nanaman siya.

I know na ayaw niya akong pakawalan sa mga nakaraang araw pero baka naman pati dito? Oh well hindi pa naman halata ang tiyan niya pero it's bigger that her usual flat belly

As the lecture progressed, I noticed she was clutching her belly more frequently. At first, I thought it was nothing—maybe just the baby moving, or a little discomfort from standing too long. But as time went on, I could see her face tightening in pain.

What's happening to my wife?

"Miss?" tawag ng isa sa mga kablockmate ko

“I’m fine. Just… give me a moment,” she said, her voice tight, but she didn’t sound convincing.

"I don't think she is" Amrielle commented

I don't think rin.

Before I could react, she bent forward slightly, still holding her stomach.

"Miss Presley!" another student exclaimed, standing up.

Agad akong napatayo at pumunta sakanya,feeling everyone’s eyes on me. Hindi nila alam na buntis ito.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I murmured

She looked at me, her face pale. “I’m… not feeling well.”

Without even second guessing binuhat ko siya ng pa bridal. I don't mind those people who's looking at us, mas importante ang mag ina ko. Naramdaman ko namang nakasunod saakin yung tatlo. Alam kong pati sila ay nag aalala.

When we reached the nurse, she immediately laid down on the examination bed. “I’m sorry about this,” she murmured, embarrassed.

The nurse took her vitals, checking her temperature and blood pressure. “It’s likely just some pregnancy-related cramps,” the nurse said after a while, though her tone was cautious. “But I’d like to monitor you for a bit. If the pain doesn’t ease up or gets worse, we might need to run some tests."

I stayed by her side, holding her hand, watching her closely. She seemed to relax a little, but I could tell she was still worried.

Maging ang tatlo ay nag stay din.

After a few more minutes, the nurse reassured us that it was probably just some early pregnancy discomfort, nothing to worry about. But she still recommended some rest and hydration for the day.

Hindi na muna ako papasok. Mas kailangan ako ng pamilya ko.

I helped her back to the car, carefully guiding her to sit down. She leaned her head against the window, her hand still resting on her belly.

And as I drove her home, I couldn’t help but feel a little more protective, a little more aware of how much I still had to learn about this new chapter of our lives.

Pagdating namin sa bahay, tinulungan ko siyang pumasok, hawak ang kanyang mga kamay habang inaalalayan siya. Pagpasok namin sa sala, agad siyang umupo sa sofa, humihingal nang konti, at pinatong ang kamay sa tiyan niya.

“Masakit pa ba?” tanong ko, nakayuko sa kanya, sinisigurado kung okay na siya.

“Medyo, but it's bearable,” sagot niya, ngunit halata pa rin ang discomfort sa mata niya. “but....I have something on my mind”

“What is it?” tanong ko, habang inaalis ang sapatos ko at naglalakad patungo sa kusina, naghahanda na para sa kung anong hilingin niya.

“Hmmm,” tumingin siya sa akin na parang nag-iisip, tapos ngumiti ng may pagka-sweet na expression. “I want… sopas, tapos may maraming itlog. At… gusto ko rin ng taho.”

Taho? The one that Mama but me when we go to Baguio?

Sa Baguio nanaman ba ako kukuha non? Gosh ang layo. Well I know what is sopas.

Tumingin ako sa kanya ng medyo naguguluhan. “Sopas at taho? It's so different ”

“but I want it both” sabi niya,her eyes were pleading, one glance that I can't say no.

“Baka makulitan ako sa'yo,” sagot ko, ngunit tumawa na lang siya.

“But please, cook me sopas tapos maghanap ka ng taho, mabilis lang naman.”

Bakit ang cute niya

"I will wifey ko, you know that I can't say no to you" habang naglalakad na patungo sa kusina. “Tingnan mo, kanina lang, parang hindi na makahinga.”

Hinayaan ko siya, kahit na tumawa ako ng konti sa pagka-strict niya sa mga cravings. Minsan, parang may hindi makatarungang bigat sa mga hiling niya, pero alam kong para sa kanya, mahalaga talaga. Habang nagluluto ako, naririnig ko siyang tumatawag mula sa sala.

"Love” sabi niya, tinawag akong mula sa sofa. "Come here.”

Pagtapos kong maghanda ng ilang sangkap, lumapit ako sa kanya. "Why? What is it? May masakit ba sayo?” tanong ko, almosy panicking

“Nothing, I just forget my hug" sagot niya habang nakahiga, parang batang nagtatampo. “You need to hug me, ang sakit ng likod ko.”

Bumuntong hininga ako, at naglakad palapit sa kanya, niyakap siya ng mahigpit.

“Dont leave me even for a minute, okay? Magstay ka lang dito. I can't stand not seeing you”

“I'm just here, hindi kita iiwan,” sagot ko, at humiga sa tabi niya, hinawakan ang kamay niya habang hinihimas ang tiyan niya.

Nagtagal kami sa ganoong posisyon, hindi nagsasalita, ngunit ramdam ko ang init ng kanyang katawan.

A day in my life with my clingy wife and her unpredictable cravings.