Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Ingrid's POV

Everyone's gaze is now on mime. So are Indigo's eyes.

"I thought you still had a meeting?" Raya asked me.

"Hmm, you might be bored," I said weakly at him. I can still feel how my heart was beating so fast right now.

"That's why she's smart, her mom is a teacher."

"Ma'am Ingrid is her mother!"

"Omg! That's why she's beautiful, her mother is gorgeous too!"

Their voices didn't even become clear because my eyes remained on Indigo who was just looking at me. He also looked at Raya who was hugging me now.

"Raya, let's go home now," I said. This is me again, acting like a coward. I lifted Raya before walking away from the crowd, away from the eyes of someone watching our every move.

We were already in the car park and I was about to let Raya in when I saw Indigo approaching us. I couldn’t avoid biting my lips because of his presence.

"Indigo…" I called Indigo who was just staring at us. I saw his long stare at Raya. Raya looked at him too.

“Indigo? Isn't that my Dad?” Raya asked, looking at me. I didn’t even know what to say because I just kept looking at Indigo.

"So, he's really my father, Mom?" she asked me. It was so long before I answered her. Tears are already welling up in my eyes because I can see that Raya is already crying.

"He is," I said so my daughter frowned. Indigo was just looking at her, I saw how his tears form in his eyes.

"I told you! You look like my father, you said you weren't!" Raya said while she was crying now. I tried to stop sobbing when Raya approached him and just cried to his father. Indigo felt so weak that he just sat across from his son but I'm only sure of one thing. When he hugged her, it was as if he didn't want to take his hug away from her. I just cried quietly as I watched both of them.

"Dad, why did you leave us?" my daughter asked while crying. I never saw Raya cry this hard. She also never asked about her father but when I told her about him she was always determined to listen.

“I'm sorry…” I heard Indigo trying to wipe his child's tears.

"Don't you like me?" Raya's voice was still broken when she asked that.

"Why did you say I'm not your child?" she asked, crying even more now. Indigo simply apologized. He rarely cries so while watching him cry with my daughter now, I feel like I'm going to be destroyed. It pains me to see them crying because of my own fault.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know…" He couldn't even complete the simple word well. "I'm sorry… my princess…"

My hand was still in my mouth trying not to make any sounds.

"I see you on TV… you look happy… are you happy that we're gone?" Raya asked so my lips felt open. When we watched the news, I thought she was always busy with her toys. I didn't know that she was actually secretly watching her father.

“I'm not… I…” I could see the pain in Indigo's eyes as she tried to wipe the tears from Raya's eyes. Her tears are like a river that never stops dripping.

"Will you leave us again?" Raya asked, looking at Indigo. Indigo looked her in the eye. It is true that you can actually see how a person's world is slowly falling apart just because of his eyes. I can't even see that in Indigo's eyes right now.

"I won't… Tatay is here now… I won't leave you again… not anymore… forgive me, my princess," he said trying to smile. I could see the trembling of his lips. I couldn't even stop crying when I saw how Raya's little hand wiped the tears from Indigo's eyes. Instead of it stopping, the fluid dripped from Indigo's eyes even more because of what my daughter did. Raya hugged him tightly when she calmed down slightly.

“I love you, Tatay… you love also Mom and me too, right? It's not like what my classmates said… that… you left us because we don't matter to you… isn't it?” Raya asked. It was as if she had gathered every courage she have to ask and this was the chance to find out all of that. I also tried to suppress the emotion I was feeling but I couldn’t. Especially since she's not telling me those things. My daughter is indeed strong.

"I love you… I love you… so much… you are important to me, my daughter…" he whispered here as he hugged her. They both just cried until they finally calm down.

I saw Raya memorize every part of her father's face. So did Indigo who just kept staring at his daughter. After that, Raya smiled at him. I feel like I'm going to melt because of that. I guess I still haven't calmed down because my tears are still dripping.

"You're really handsome personally, Tatay," my daughter said so I could see the slow smile on Indigo's lips.

"What about on TV?" He laughed at what our daughter said.

"You're handsome too," he nodded. I saw Indigo's smile looking at our daughter. He even managed to pinch my daughter's nose.

"You still have snot,” he teased, so his daughter pouted at him.

“Hah! You too, Tatay!” I wiped away my tears when Raya looked at me.

"Wait, Tatay," she said to her father before approaching me. I sat down to face her. I smiled even as tears welled up as she wiped the liquid from my eyes with her small hands.

"Don't cry anymore, Nanay, we're fine," she said with a wide smile at me.

"Nanay, the drama is over," she whispered as she hugged me. I laughed softly before pinching her cheeks.

"Why did you wipe your hand on me when you just hold the ground earlier?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She snorted because of that.

"I can wear gloves," she said so I just laughed. I could see Indigo just looking at us. I was also a little nervous about the way he looked at me. He was furious and accusing. I just close my eyes because he really has the right to be angry with me.

Raya approached him. Even though she was a bit heavy he was still able to lift her.

"Can we go to your place, Dad?" my daughter asked.

"We will," he said, looking at me. I nodded because of that. It is not possible for me not to give him what he wants when I have deprived him of so many years that he can spend with his daughter..

I just waited for them to leave in front of me. They walked towards Indigo's car but before that, he turned to me.

"Let's go," Indigo said. My lips open because I thought he had no intention of taking me with him. I just bit my lip before following him

I was just quiet when we were in the car. Raya and Indigo are busy talking. Raya is even more talkative because, for some unknown reason, her father seems to be running out of topics. Raya also inherited being friendly to anyone. I even saw her once talking to Manang in the canteen. They enjoy talking to her so sometimes they add palabok when she buys there.

"When you're not busy, you can come with Nanay and me. We'll plant, Tatay," Raya said to him so her father immediately turned to her.

“When? I'll make time for the both of you,” he said immediately. He promises so much to her as if he'll really do it. I just hope he will stick to his word because Raya will probably think about it all day long again. She doesn't pike people who don't do what they say.

“Really, Tatay? You said that, ah?! I'll set the date!” Raya said while smiling at her father.

Later on, we arrived at the hotel where he was staying. It's one of the most expensive hotels here so almost everyone who checks in is also rich. My monthly salary can just spend for 3 days if you'll stay here.

“Are you sleeping here, Tatay? I hope we just go straight to our home, there is no payment there,” Raya told him. Indigo is carrying her. My daughter is really acting baby to her father which I understand. She is always like a father but not just vocal about it.

“So, you like plants? Do you want to build a garden?” Indigo asked her.

"I have a garden in our house but it's already full," she said.

"We'll build another one in our house," Indigo said.

"Do we have a house?" Raya asked him. He nodded here. I don’t know if it’s true or if he’s just making up a story. But Indigo doesn't like bluffing so I think it's really true.

I just silently watched the two of them.

“What do you want to eat? Dad will cook for you,” Indigo said who even smile at his daughter.

"Menudo po!" my daughter said immediately. Indigo looked at me there.

"That's her favorite," I said so he nodded at me and smiled at our son again.

"Menudo it is," he promised.

Surprisingly, he was only here for two days but he had a lot of dishes in the refrigerator. As if he was going to live here for the rest of his life.

"I can cook, you can just bond with Raya," I told him.

"I can do it," he coldly said to me. I bite my lips because of that. He's really mad at me. It seems like he also wants to cook for Raya so I just nodded.

"Nanay, let's stay here, let's just watch Tatay," Raya said to me with a smile. I smiled at her and nodded. Raya just looked down while watching her Dad. They were the only two who are talking, sometimes Raya would take me with them to talk. Indigo is very interested in the child's stories even if they are just random things. Indigo even listens to her story of losing her pencil.

"I'll buy you two boxes," he said so Raya's eyes immediately widened.

"I don't need that much. It's a waste for the trees," she said so Indigo stared at her. After a while, he suddenly smiled at his daughter. He even messed up her hair and seemed proud to be watching our daughter. I just smiled there too.

"Do you know how many trees are cut down just because of paper and pencil?" she asked further.

"So you can repay them by planting a single plant," she said with a wide smile.

"You really like nature, don't you?" Indigo asked her. It seems that in just one day with her, he knew the child's passion very well.

"Yes, that's why I just can't believe that they're building more buildings than planting trees or plants, even though it's easier to do," she said, still looking thoughtful. I laughed because Indigo was really just staring at her and seemed to be thinking as well. I lost my smile when he turned his gaze to me.

"You did well raising this young lady," Indigo said. He's not looking at me but I know that I was the one he was talking to.