David's Smile

The sun just peeked through the bushy leaves of dear old Narra after a long night of rain.
David, who just woke up, walked to his door to get his daily subscription of newspaper and carabao milk. He smelled the after-rain aroma and smiled lovingly. ”What a good way to start the day,” he thought.

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“Good morning David,” said Mrs. Cruz who lives next door. He smiled at the old lady who was holding a small radio with a rabbit antenna and then, he returned to his kitchen.

He cooked fried rice, sunny-side up, and a few fried eggppant which his daughter, Molly, loves. He poured the fresh and warm milk to Molly’s favorite panda cup and proceeded to her room to wake her up.

The ever energetic little girl yawned and gave his papa a bear hug. Still the sleepy girl that she is, Molly climbed to his papa’s arms so that he can carry her to the kitchen where they would eat their breakfast for the next 12 years.

On the morning of Molly’s first trip to her dormitory, David noticed that it is exactly the same morning 12 years ago. He woke up early to the sun slightly spreading its warm to the rain-soaked little town somewhere in Luzon. He picked the newspaper and milk. He was greeted by Mrs. Cruz. He smiled at her and went back to the kitchen to cook the same food he cooked 12 years ago. It was Molly’s request.

While they were eating, Molly kept on talking about how excited she was to finally explore the other side of the world. David just smiled and poured more milk to her panda cup.

He helped her put her luggage in the tricycle. She waved goodbye. “I’ll be leaving now, papa. Take good care of yourself,” she said. David could only force a smile but it’s a smile nonetheless. A smile that’s engraved to Molly’s memory forever.

Three years later, he would wake up to the same morning. There’s the sun, the wet grass aroma, Mrs. Cruz with her radio, the newspaper, and the milk. Molly will be arriving shortly.

He spent his time washing the dishes and cleaning the entire house with his frail hands. He wiped his wife’s picture frame and looked at it with a hint of love and longing. He continued to sweep, wipe, sweep, wipe.

He turned their old sepia-colored TV on after the chores. There’s no radio in the house. Not even a small one that looks like Mrs. Cruz’. He found no use to this.

As he gets hypnotized by the images on the screen, he slowly drifted to sleep…

only to wake up with fire everywhere.

Outside the window, he saw Molly crying. He saw her being stopped by Mrs. Cruz’ as she tried to get closer to the burning house.

He saw her screaming before he was engulfed by the fire that will burn their entire home, the Narra tree, the bottle of milk, and the countless newspaper near the old-sepia television.

It broke her heart to see her screaming. Because even without hearing anything for the past two decades, he knew how Molly’s voice would sound.