Thirty-five

There were only blankets that covered the naked bodies of Isiaah and Maeluthe. Isiaah gently stroked the hair of the woman next to him. She has been sound asleep ever since they returned from a walk on the beach.

The man smiled faintly. If you think about what he has gone through in the past, he is lucky now, and on an unexpected night, he found the woman.

Sometimes, Maeluthe can be in despair, but she doesn’t know how much will it give Isiaah to survive.

Isiaah thought that a life with his friends and family was enough. But when he recognized and suddenly disappeared, he realized that he had so much missing.

Soon, he also gave the woman a lot of love, so he will definitely not be able to cope when she disappears again.

Especially now that they have a family.

Isiaah immediately got up, began to move. He wanted to prepare some food for the woman, but he was still really not mean for the kitchen.

He made the porridge he cooked yesterday for Maeluthe for over three hours, including the preparation of the side dishes. He’s sure that Mae will wake up any time now, so he can’t stay long.

Holding his cellphone, he typed in whatever food he could cook, but he did nothing but be discouraged.

Of all the many dishes he saw, he just fell for the fried fish that was already in the refrigerator.

‘At least, it’s a healthy meal, though,’ he convinced himself. That was correct because when he was over, Maeluthe also came out of the room.

“Good morning–”

Confused, Mae approached the sweaty man who she thought was from a few hours of running. “What happened to you?”

Isaiah did not have to answer the question. Those scattered things was in the kitchen, the fish still placed in the pan as well as his red neck and hand of the man because of the oil. . . that was an answer for her question.

Maeluthe immediately took the ointment that was in the bathroom, made Isiaah sit on the sofa, and then touched his burns slightly. “What came to your mind. . . and why. . .”

“I. . . I want to take care of you,” Isiaah said shyly. “But it ended up with you, taking care of me. I’m sorry, Maeluthe.”

“You need to take good care of yourself first before taking care of me. Is that clear?”

Actually, Maeluthe wanted to laugh at the man, as his very cute face appeared to him earlier. The man’s sweat spread all over his body, and there was concern on his face. “Wait,” she added. She lowered the ointment first and then addressed the man properly.

“How come you own a restaurant, but you just fried fish, and you almost got hurt? I mean, you are hurt.”

Instead of being embarrassed, he just smiled big and accepted his defeat. “You see, I am a businessman who wanted to eat different foods. There is nothing wrong because my employees are professionals. And. . .” He brought his face closer to Maeluthe’s.

“This boyfriend of yours, who doesn’t know how to cook, he has almost thirty branches of restaurants as of now.”

Maeluthe kept laughing at that bragging. “Alright. Yes, Sir Isia–”

The woman couldn’t continue what she was saying because of the man’s quick kiss. “Mae, stop.”

“Sir Isaiah–”

He kissed her again. “Come on. You just wanted me to kiss you, huh?”

“Sir Isaiah–”

Isiaah didn’t hold back anymore, and he gently laid the woman on the sofa there and then put her on top.

“Sir Isiaah,” Mae repeated without receiving a kiss from the man. “Why aren’t you kissing me?”

Isaiah, on the other hand, laughed.

She’s so precious. I love her.

“Unli kiss delivery, Ma’am,” he said and then finally squeezed the woman with his kisses.

***

That situation is very simple for two; the sun was so high, the breeze was so sweet as they struggled to dip their feet in the sand. It’s very simple, but it feels like their hearts are going to burst any moment now.

“How are you feeling?”

For Maeluthe, it was really nice to hear those words. Due to her pregnancy, she feels the increasing demand for attention. She wanted to be more focused on, more watched, and cared for.

That is why she is so lucky that Isiaah is there for her.

“I feel. . . really different. It’s been three months, but I can still feel the need for adjustments. I still can not believe what’s happening. . . I couldn’t help but be scared. I’m still thinking for what ifs–”

The man stopped her by holding her hands. “You’ll be a great mom.”

Maeluthe faced him persistently and nodded. “I want to be like my Mom. Someone who can take care of everyone. You put us before herself.”

Her mom. God knows how much she misses her.

A mom who is in charge of our groceries, kitchen, household concerns, and budgeting funds for the entire family.

The first person to sacrifice her life by giving birth to all of us. My mother, who taught me how to walk, talk, and smile. My first mentor and teacher in helping me determine what is right and wrong.

Just like every mother.

With that, I learned that moms, especially in our new generation, evolve as the sole providers of the family.

Many are saying that mothers are the emotional backbones of the family. If problems occur, they are the strongest person to hold back, and we can always rely on them; help us when we are undergoing certain emotional or physical problems along the way in the challenges of life—a person who does the work of many for free.

A mother’s unconditional love can’t be replaced, and as their children, let us show them our appreciation and love for the priceless sacrifice they have done every day since we are born. For this moment, maybe we are making our dreams come true and facing our adult life and grow, but they are also getting old every day.

Many people are longing to have a mother’s love. Let’s be thankful that we have a mother who is always with us along the way. Respect them at all times. Be with her in the worst part and in our happiest moments and best times of our lives.