"Eli!" a woman called out. When Eliezer turned around, the corners of his lips pulled into a smile. It had been over a year since he last saw her, and he had missed her terribly. "You haven't changed at all."
"Well, I'm not like you, Mom, becoming more beautiful with the passage of time," he said, taking over the luggage cart she was pushing. "You didn't tell Dad you were coming home today, did you?"
"Oh, you caught me." His mother chuckled, linking her arm through his. "Your dad is busy saving patients every day. If I told him about my flight, he would cancel his appointments and feel guilty if anything happened to those patients."
"So Dad feels that way, but I don't?"
"Do you?"
Eliezer didn't know what to say. His father would surely scold his mother later on for coming home without a word, and his mother would undoubtedly retort with arguments about work and professional etiquette. He was always caught in the middle of their warfare.
"Actually, I have another mission for coming over."
"A mission? I think I have a clue what that mission might be."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! How would you know when I haven't mentioned this to anyone before?"
Eliezer just smiled, pulling his phone from his pocket. As they drew closer to where his car was parked, he took his time showing his mom the message he had received from his nephew, Andrei.
"Th-that... that little squirrel!" his mother exclaimed, stomping her feet as she watched the video of her grandson holding a whiteboard. She thought she was safe telling only her grandson about the plan since he couldn't speak. She had completely forgotten the fact that he could write. Worse, the person he leaked it to was none other than Eli himself.
[Gram is going to look for Uncle's girlfriend. She will leave in three days.]
And that was exactly what had brought her home from the States.
"Mom, I'm fine."
"How long has it been? It's been four years, Eli. She already married someone else. Why must you—"
"Mom. I'm not staying single because of her. I've moved on. I just haven't found anyone interesting."
"It's because all you do is work! How can you find someone to replace her if you keep working?"
"I'm not looking for a replacement. I'm looking for someone unique."
His mother sighed at his words, but he did nothing to pacify her. He understood that she was worried about him since he wasn't getting any younger. He was over thirty years old and should be settling down. But he just couldn't bring himself to love someone else.
Since he was thirteen, he had devoted all his love, attention, and care to one person. He loved her so much that he had become a doctor just to take care of her. Then, she married someone else and started her own family. He didn't know if he could ever love someone with that same intensity again.
"Whatever. I'll arrange some dates for you. Go out and see if any of them can stir a little interest."
"Mom."
"Don't argue with me about this. You have to go, no matter what. Don't worry, I'll find you a decent match."
[I guess I'll have to squeeze in more appointments], Eli thought, keeping his expression impassive to hide his intentions.
Eliezer Rivera came from an average family. His father was a neurosurgeon and his mother was a full-time housewife. She used to work as a club manager, but after meeting the love of her life, she stopped working to raise their three kids and handle the household chores. Eli was the middle child and the only boy. Both of his sisters were already married, and the eldest had given birth to Andrei. His older sister worked as a pharmacist, while the youngest was a lawyer.
Their small family was getting bigger, and his mother wanted him to contribute a child—something that probably wouldn't happen in this lifetime.
"I don't hate Jill for marrying someone else," his mother stated out of the blue. "I just hope she won't be the reason for the end of our lineage."
"The first part sounded great, but you spoke nonsense at the end."
"What nonsense?! I am telling you the truth. You are the only male among my children and the bearer of our family name. If you aren't going to get married and have a child of your own, isn't that the end of it?"
"I can adopt, you know."
Fuming with annoyance but knowing she couldn't change his mind, his mother sealed her mouth and closed her eyes. She decided to get some sleep; otherwise, she would keep talking, and it would only fall on deaf ears.
***
"Belle, make sure you meet with Prince later."
"Ma, I have—" Belle swallowed the rest of her words when she saw her mother's sharp glare. "I will go. I just have to finish something at the hospital first."
"Good! Be sure to play nice with him."
Isabelle couldn't understand why her mother was forcing her to marry that man. She had already explained that Prince liked someone else and had been seeing that woman for a long time. Why must they bother them when there was no love between them? She would rather stay single than engage in a loveless marriage.
Yet, she couldn't say no to her godmother, who had raised her and her brother after their parents passed away.
"Go! Stop thinking about him having another woman. Who doesn't have someone outside their home?"
Isabelle bit her lower lip to stop herself from retorting. She couldn't change anything even if she spoke her mind, and she didn't want her brother to suffer if she disobeyed.
"Belle, are you going to work now?" Neon asked, holding his backpack. "Can I come with you? I promise I won't disturb you or get in anyone's way. I just want to be there because I don't have classes today."
"Okay."
Seeing how hard his sister worked just to earn money for their daily expenses, Neon couldn't bring himself to mention the bruises he had gotten. He didn't want to add to her worries.
Isabelle worked as a nurse at Senyu Medical Hospital. It had been her biological mother's lifelong wish to become a nurse, but because she got pregnant quite early, she had to stop going to school and focus on her children instead. Her father had been a college professor, but after he got into a relationship with his student and impregnated her, his license was revoked. He had to look for any job that could support his growing family.
One day, her father won a trip to Boracay for two. Since they had been so caught up in the grind of raising their kids, he wanted to unwind with his wife. It was during this trip that the ship they took capsized. They had never been heard from since; to this day, their bodies had never been found.
Their relatives hadn't wanted to take them in, and that was when her godmother came into the picture, raising them all by herself.