Overheard

A little boy passed by me at McDonald's and was muttering under his breath what seemed to be curses. Walking next to him was his mother. She ushered her little boy to a vacant seat.

"What's wrong, dear?" the mother asked once they were seated. He just groaned.

"Are you mad at me?" the mother asked without a hint of anger in her tone and gave him a smile. That soothing kind of smile that shows 100% maternal love.



The little boy still didn't say a word. He opened a box and produced a little toy train. He looked at his mother and somehow, his face softened. His mother continued to smile. No more grumpy little boy.

I can't help but stare at them for a while. They remind me of my own mother and my little brother. They almost always find themselves in the same scenario. And of course, they always meet halfway, somehow.

Because of this flashback, I realized how much I missed my family already. Sure, we call each other at night and always send each other text messages saying that I'm still alive and fine. The Internet has also played a big part on keeping me sane every time a terrible attack of longing gets me.

In high school, I have stayed in the dorm for around a month without going home and yet I did not really feel missing home. Maybe it's because I know deep inside that I can go home on any weekend that I please. Here in Manila, however, is a different story. I have only stayed here for a month but the dreaded feeling of longing to go home kills me. Well, it almost kills me. I don't really have the luxury to go home in Aklan anytime that pleases me.

Maybe that's why the dread keeps growing. It's because I know that it will take a long time before I could finally go home. And it hurts.