Chapter XX: A Day in a Life, Part 2
The morning sun casts warm light over the Hermosa Central School playground. Children are spilling out of classrooms, their laughter echoing like a choir of chaos. Mark has just finished his morning kindergarten session. His small backpack bounces on his shoulders as he scans the crowd for the familiar face of his mother.
Sure enough, Meric is already waiting outside the classroom, arms folded, her eyes bright with that mix of maternal pride and tired patience.
"There you are," she says warmly as Mark emerges, hair sticking out like a baby chick's. She holds his hand as they start toward the gate. But before they can even leave, a teacher and another parent wave Meric over.
"Ma'am, Ma'am Meric!" calls the teacher. "Can we have a quick word about the PTA?"
"Oh, sure, sure, what is it about?" Meric answers, stepping aside. Soon, she is caught up in animated chatter, hands waving slightly as she explains something, nodding at the parent's questions.
Mark, however, grows restless. He kicks at a stone, his eyes wandering. Suddenly, he hears the familiar shrill voice of a classmate.
"There he is!"
He turns and freezes. An ugly girl classmate—her ponytail crooked, her teeth slightly too big for her mouth—comes charging at him with a mischievous grin.
"Oh no, it's the girl that looks like that lady from Rango!" Mark mutters under his breath, breaking into a run.
What follows is a miniature marathon. Around and around the paved courtyard they go—one circle, two circles, three circles. The girl is relentless, and Mark's small legs pump like pistons. By the fifth circle, disaster strikes.
Mark trips.
He lands hard on his knee, the sharp sting of scraped skin making him cry out. "Ouch!"
Meric, mid-conversation, whips her head around at the sound of her son's wail. "Mark!"
She rushes forward, abandoning the PTA discussion. Kneeling beside him, she dabs the blood with a tissue, then presses her handkerchief gently on the wound. Mark sniffles, holding back tears, his lip trembling.
"It's okay, Balong." she soothes. "Bassit lang eta. (It's just a scratch.)"
But the scrape is painful enough that walking all the way to RQ Store is no longer possible. The distance is usually manageable, but not with a limping, teary-eyed little boy.
So Meric waves down a passing tricycle. They climb in, Mark clutching her arm as the driver sputters off down the street.
Halfway there, Mark breaks down. The tears flow freely, his small voice cracking, the scrape stinging worse as the tricycle bounces on the uneven road.
"Mo-Mommy..." he sobs.
Meric hugs him tight, whispering, "Almost there, balong. Almost there."
By the time they arrive at RQ Store, Mercy is shocked to see her grandson limping and crying.
"Ay apo ko!" she exclaims, rushing to him. "What happened?"
"Scraped knee, Mang" Meric explains, her tone exasperated but calm.
Mercy wastes no time. She pulls out the first aid kit. Mark is seated on a chair, still sniffling as both mother and grandmother fuss over him.
"Hold still, Apo" Mercy warns, unscrewing the bottle of Betadine.
"Nooo!" Mark cries, squirming.
"Yes!" Meric counters, pinning his leg gently.
The cold sting of Betadine hits the wound, followed by the sharper bite of alcohol. Mark howls, his voice echoing through the store, startling even the customers buying canned goods. Rico pokes his head in from outside, curious.
"Ouch! Ouch! It burns and it hurts! Mommy! Mamang!" Mark wails.
Finally, with a flourish, Mercy smooths down a cartoon band-aid over the wound. "There," she declares. "Good as new!"
Mark sniffles but manages a small, brave nod.
Since Meric still needs to buy groceries, she leaves Mark under Mercy's watch. The boy, exhausted from both running and crying, eventually curls up on the couch. Mercy sits beside him, humming softly, her hand resting gently on his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Meric heads off to the old panaderia, now the JTC Superstore. She picks up cigarettes, liquor, canned sardines, soap, and a small pack of biscuits and chocolates Mark had been eyeing days ago. When she returns, she finds her son already asleep on the couch, his face peaceful, a faint trail of dried tears on his cheeks.
"See?" Mercy whispers with a smile. "He's fine."
Meric nods, scoops up the boy gently, and they head back home to Caluipat.
Not long after, another shift happens in the family. With the help of his friends, Jonn finally lands a job as a volunteer nurse at the Provincial Hospital.
"Mang, I have duty tomorrow," he announces proudly.
Mercy, half-suspicious, half-proud, raises an eyebrow. "Duty? Finally, you will be useful."
Jonn laughs. "You'll see."
And indeed, though unpaid at first, Jonn throws himself into hospital work—cleaning wounds, assisting doctors, fetching supplies. For once, his nights are not spent only with friends but in crisp white uniforms, learning discipline and care.
Months roll by, and before anyone realizes, it is graduation season. Mark completes his kindergarten year at HCS as Top 4 in the class.
The family gathers: Meric, Ben, Mercy, Rico, and Jonn. Together, they sit in the crowded hall, fans waving against the heat, waiting for Mark's name to be called.
When it comes, Mercy nearly bursts with pride.
"That's my apo!" she says loudly, earning amused glances from nearby parents.
Mark walks shyly across the stage. He is given a medal with the words "Best in Numerical Skills" engraved on it. His little chest puffs up slightly as the medal hangs heavy around his neck.
The family claps and cheers. Rico whistles, Ben pumps his fist, and Meric fights back tears. Mercy, of course, cries openly.
Elsewhere, Adrion also finishes kindergarten at Divine Word College of Hermosa. Mercy and Rico attend that ceremony as well, though it is smaller, quieter. Still, the pride shines just the same.
Soon, both cousins step into the next chapter. Mark enters Grade 1 at HCS, while Adrion starts Grade 1 at DWCH, and Adrion's older brother Aldric moves into Grade 4 at DWCH.
Life grows busier. Elric, still working abroad, sends money but seems distant. At one point, he even takes the kids on a trip to Hong Kong.
When Mercy hears of this, she fumes. "What? He takes them abroad but forgets us here? Does he think we don't matter?" she grumbles, banging a spoon against the carinderia table. The others simply let her vent, knowing her anger comes from love.
Mercy also remembers one time, when Elric got home from abroad. She flashbacks to it.
One Christmas, Elric asks Mark what he wants. Mark tells him that he wants to have a robot toy. Meric, Ben, Rico, and Jonn, also hears this. Elric promises him that he will soon give him a robot toy.
Mercy ends the flashback, and up until now, Mark didn't got any Christmas presents from Elric and his cousins, but clothes that don't fit him. Mercy is bugged with this, yet Adrion and Aldric got one.
On many mornings, Rico and Jonn develop their own ritual: cycling together. Sometimes it's short rides around town, but often they go far—to Bagoc visiting the Shrine of La Virgen Milagrosa de Bagoc, Sinai as they visit the Shrine of Sto. Cristo Milagroso, Pindugud's Patapat Viaduct, and even Taguden. A father-and-son bonding of sweat, laughter, and roadside snacks.
"Keep up, Jonn! Pedalem! (Step on it!)" Rico teases, pedaling ahead.
"I'm younger, I'll catch up!" Jonn retorts, grinning despite the effort.
These rides slowly rebuild the bond between them, turning small arguments into shared jokes.
One weekday afternoon, another important event arrives: Mark's birthday. Since it falls on a school day, the family decides to surprise him at HCS.
Mercy takes charge, marching proudly with cupcakes and a small gift. Meric and Rico follow behind, though their journey is not without chaos.
As they ride the old tricycle toward school, a gust of wind blows. Half the balloons escape!
"Hoy! The balloons! Pang, wait!" Meric yells, leaping off the tricycle. She chases them down the road, her skirt flapping wildly.
Rico laughs from the tricycle. "You'll never catch them all!"
But she does—after nearly thirty minutes of frantic chasing, panting hard, clutching the strings like a victorious warrior.
Finally, they make it to the classroom. Mark's eyes widen in shock as the family bursts in with cake, balloons, and loud greetings.
"Happy Birthday!"
His face lights up. Mercy claps her hands joyfully, and for a moment, the whole class joins in singing.
Another day at the RQ Store, while Mark is lounging after school, Mercy calls him over.
"Apo, come here. I have something for you."
She pulls out a small, glittery-gold object. It is an image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia from Naga.
"This was gifted to me," she explains softly, pressing it into his palm. "But I want you to have it. She will protect you."
Mark stares at it with wide eyes. "Thank you, Mamang." He throws his arms around her waist, hugging tight.
Mercy strokes his hair. In her heart, she treats Mark as if he were her last child, though he is truly her grandson.
Banggai Visit
One day, Mercy receives an invitation to a birthday party in Banggai. It is from her cousin Zenaida.
Together with Meric, Mark, and Rico (who drives), they head out. The destination: a small yet charming American-style bungalow house standing in front of the old brick house. And it is the same house Tory used to go back then when she's bored.
Inside, the family is welcomed warmly. On a table that doubles as an altar stand three images: St. Augustine, Our Lady of Charity, and St. Anthony.
Zenaida greets them with a smile. Soon, conversations flow, stories are shared, and laughter fills the air.
In the garden, Mark becomes captivated by a small pond filled with koi fish. Their shimmering colors mesmerize him as they dart beneath the water lilies.
Before they leave, Zenaida gifts Mercy two plants: a welcome plant and a snake plant.
Back at the RQ Store, Mercy tends to her new plants with care. Sometimes she places them in the small plant box outside the store together with the White Angels, Roses, and Hibiscus, other times she brings them to Caluipat for Meric and Ben to plant. Gardening becomes another way for Mercy to nurture life, her hands finding peace in soil and leaves.
Through scraped knees, medals, balloons, and koi fish, life continues. The family navigates hardship with laughter, bonds with sweat and tears, and finds joy in the small gifts—the kind that make each ordinary day shine with extraordinary warmth.
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and then Add to home screen.