I thought I'd finally get to talk to them once I got home, but still, nothing. I sighed as I stared at my phone and looked again at my calendar.
Just one more day and I'll be flying back to the Philippines—and I'm already so excited. I kept imagining the happy faces of Mama and Papa. I knew they'd be overjoyed when they saw me.
"Hey, why do you look so sad?"
I looked up at Kyla, one of the close friends I made here at the hospital since I started working. I sighed again and glanced at my phone. It was our break time.
"Are you waiting for your family to message you?" she asked again.
"And your boyfriend too?" Azhina added.
I frowned. "They haven't been online for days. I have no idea what's going on with them."
"But didn't you say they were doing fine? That's what your friends told you, right?" Kyla asked.
I sipped my Milo. My friends did say that, but that was a day ago. I felt too shy to bother them again, knowing they had their own lives and were probably busy too.
It felt embarrassing to ask someone to drop by my house just to tell me how my family's doing. I wasn't used to not seeing them online. They were usually active when they knew I was off-duty.
"Maybe they're just busy? Didn't you say your anniversary with your boyfriend is coming up?" Azhina asked.
"Girl, her parents don't even know she's going home," Kyla chimed in.
"Oh, right! But who knows? Maybe your boyfriend's planning a virtual surprise, or maybe he's not online because he's planning to surprise you in person."
"Okay, let's say that's what her boyfriend is up to. But how about her family? Don't her parents not even know she's in a relationship?"
"Oh, yeah, that's true."
"You dummy, sis!"
I chuckled a little at Kyla's comment. I was really going to miss them when I got back to the Philippines. Of course, the friends I made here in South Korea were different from the ones I had back home.
"I don't know. I haven't heard anything from my parents, and I'm starting to get worried," I said softly. A day ago, I wasn't nervous yet, but now I was starting to feel anxious.
I was worried because they hadn't been online for three days now. If it had only been a day, that would've been fine—I know they get busy too. But three days? That's enough to make me uneasy.
I was about to say something more when my phone suddenly buzzed. The three of us looked at my phone at the same time.
"Girl, open your phone! It might be your parents," Kyla said, so I quickly unlocked it.
And Kyla was right—it was a message from Mama. I felt a bit relieved when she said they were fine. They'd just been busy with the business I started for them. We had our own coffee shop, which used to be just a dream of mine. But now, that dream had come true.
Not just one, but five coffee shops had been opened over the years I worked here. Business was going well, so I didn't have any major worries. Mama managed everything with help from Papa and my two siblings, Shaira and Steven, who were both still in senior high school.
"All good now? Your mom said they're fine, so you can finally breathe easy?" Kyla asked as she scooped a spoonful of food.
I smiled. "Yeah, but Marvin still hasn't replied."
"Maybe he's busy? Didn't you say he's a CEO?"
"Yeah." But even if he was busy, he usually found time to send updates. Why did he suddenly go quiet?
"See? Maybe he really is just busy, sis! Don't overthink. You need to stop stressing—your flight's tomorrow night, right?" Azhina said.
"Maybe…" I replied softly.
Somehow, I felt more at ease thanks to my friends' reassurances. Maybe they were right.
That day flew by quickly. The next day, I couldn't sit still—I was so excited to go back to the Philippines. I kept checking all my stuff, over and over again. From the souvenirs I bought for Mama and Papa to my passport—everything was ready.
"Take care on your flight, okay?" Kyla reminded me, her lips puckered like she was sulking.
"You've said that so many times already," I said, laughing.
"Girl! Of course I'm going to miss you! You act like you won't even miss us."
"Duh! There's social media. We can video call, all three of us."
"Girl, it's not the same! Virtual bonding is different from being together in person!" said Azhina. "It's like you're not going to miss us at all. Heartless!"
I grimaced. Heartless? Would I have let them crash at my apartment if I had no heart? These girls are nuts.
They even had a sleepover here, saying it was their last chance to have fun with me before I left. That's why we ended up staying up all night. We woke up in the afternoon and my flight was at 10 PM. Now it was 8:30 PM and we were already on our way to the airport. Traffic was a bit heavy, but it was still early, so no worries.
"I'm going in now, okay?" I said when we finally arrived at the airport around 9:40 PM and passengers were starting to board.
Kyla and Azhina's faces turned gloomy.
"Why don't you just not go back to the Philippines?" Kyla joked as she pulled me away from the entrance, but I laughed and stopped her.
"Girl, I have to go. Let's just keep in touch," I said, hugging both of them.
"Girl, we're gonna miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, girls!"
I waved at them one last time before heading in.
"Yes! After all these years, I'm finally going back," I said with a smile. Before logging off Messenger, I managed to talk to Mama again—except for my boyfriend, who still hadn't been online.
But that's okay. I knew he'd be happy to see me once I arrived in the Philippines. I couldn't wait to hug him again.
All I did during the flight was sleep. I only woke up once the plane had landed. I smiled as I got off.
"Hello, Philippines! Welcome back to me here!" I shouted while taking in the air—even if it was a little hot.
After collecting my luggage, I called a taxi and had it take me to my apartment in the Philippines before heading to my boyfriend's company. I was sure he'd still be there, since it was still work hours.
"Miss, is Mr. Laurent here?" I asked. If I wasn't mistaken, this was his secretary.
"Uhm, who are you? Do you have an appointment with him?" she asked in return.
"Uhm, no, but I'm his girlfriend," I replied. I saw how her eyebrows drew together. Maybe she didn't believe me.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I know you're not his girlfriend. His girlfriend already came by the other day," she said.
Now my brows furrowed. Girlfriend? Was she talking about Marvin or Marvin's sibling? I hadn't met his sibling yet, but I knew Marvin had one.