The Royalties

"Are you sure about this, Mom?" The sixteen-year-old Mary Charmaine asked her Mommy Dei.

"Yes I am, and why did you asked?" Dei replied to her daughter while she continued packing her stuff for their trip to Manila.

"I just want to make sure we will not get the next flight back here in Cebu once you see Dad and Athena at the airport." Charmaine replied

"Are you done packing?" Dei asked to change the topic.

"Yes I am, you know that I always travel light. I did not bring many clothes, and I will just borrow from Athena if I will need one." Charmaine replied while busy tinkering on her phone.

"That reminds me, please do me a favor, ask you sister what else she wants us to bring for her."

"She only reminded me to bring the book I borrowed from her. It is in my luggage already."

"Great, so I think we are all set then," Dei said while sipping the last luggage.

"Oh, there is another thing." Charmaine exclaimed

"And what is it?" Dei replied.

"I have to make sure you are coming on her birthday. Please, Mom. Let us not disappoint her." Charmaine replied

"Can't you see I already finished packing for this trip!" Dei said, giggling.

"I'm just making sure Mom." Charmaine said. "Hey, I wanted to know. Are you excited, Mommy?" she asked.

"Yes I am. I missed Athena so much." Dei answered.

"Did you miss Daddy too?" Charmaine asked, kidding.

"Have you called Tita Coleen? She needs to sleepover tonight. We have an early morning flight tomorrow." Dei asked back.

"Here we go again, you always change the topic when I talk about my dad." Charmaine said and rolled her eyes.

"I am not changing the topic. It just pops into my mind what else do I need from your Tita Coleen."

"Tell me the truth, Mom, don't you miss my dad?" Charmaine asked Dei, and she is wishes to get an answer from her mom.

"Sweetheart, there is nothing to miss about your dad. You and Athena both know what happened. Are we discussing it again now?"

"Fine, let us just put it this way. Daddy is your best friend am I right?" Charmaine said

"He WAS my best friend. Let's be clear about that." Dei butts in to correct Charmaine

"OK, I will rephrase that, Daddy WAS your best friend, right? I wanted to know Mom, don't you miss your best friend, Mom?"

"Still NO," Dei replied.

"Your heart says otherwise, you are not looking at me straight in my eyes when you said NO."

"Don't push it, Mary Charmaine. You won't get anything from me about that." Dei said.

"Oh another thing, we are clear I am not staying with you in your Dad's house, right?"

"Yes Mom, I know that, I also told Athena that you are staying in the hotel." Charmaine replied

********

In the meantime, in the Reyes residence in Manila, "What time is Charmaine's arrival?" Richard asked Athena.

"Tomorrow morning, Dad, she and Mom will arrive at around 6:00 a.m."

"Your Mom is coming too?" Richard's surprise exclaimed.

"Ooopppss, sorry Daddy I forgot to tell you. Mom has a new project here in Manila. She will be here, so I will be with her on my birthday." Athena explained.

"Why did you not tell me, I could have asked Ms. Fely to prepare our room?"

"Your room? Hello Dad, as if Mommy will share a room with you. Get real Dad." Athena said chuckling

"I mean the guest room ... yeah ... I could have asked Ms. Fely to prepare the guest room for her." Richard said in defense.

"Don't bother Dad. Mommy will stay in the hotel." Athena said.

"And why is that so, the house is huge for the four of us?" Richard said.

"I don't know! That's what Charmaine told me the last we talk. Daddy, please tell Mom to just stay with us. I want to spend more time with her." Athena pleaded.

"Let's just respect your Mom's decision on where she would like to stay." Richard told Athena.

"But I want her to stay in our house." Athena insisted

"Then go tell her that yourself, if that's what you wanted." Richard said.

///

Early the next day, Richard and Athena arrived at the airport at around five in the morning.

"Don't you think we are too early for their arrival, Dad?" Athena said.

"You do not know your Mom sweetie. She is very impatient; waiting is not in her vocabulary." Richard said.

"Well, since we are too early, let's just play the twenty questions game Daddy," Athena uttered in reply to her dad.

"You have all your gadgets with you Athena so stop that nonsense twenty questions game."

Athena just plays with her gadgets to get rid of her boredom until Richard asked her.

"Have you decided how would you convince your Mom to stay with us?"

"Nope, I thought you don't want to. You told me to respect Mom's decision to stay in the hotel." Athena replied.

"I said that, but I did not say I don't want her to stay in the house." Richard uttered.

"So you want her to stay in our house? Are you sure you are OK with that set-up?" Athena asked in an excited mood.

"Sweetie, I would not want it the other way. But knowing your mom, the last thing she would do is to stay in one place with me. But if her girls would ask her, I'm sure she'll consider." Richard said and gave Athena a wink.

"Don't worry, Daddy, Ate, and I will take care of that." Athena said.

"That's my girl." Richard said with a huge grin.

"You missed her even if you won't admit it, Dad. You are too obvious that you missed her." Athena said smiling.

"I don't deny that. I missed your mom every single day, sweetie. I want her back." Richard replied.

"How about Tita Elise, what will happen to her if you and Mom get back together?" Athena asked her dad.

"What about her? What do you mean on what will happen to her?" Richard asked back.

"She is your girlfriend. If you and Mom get back together, you will break her heart."

"Sweetie, your Tita Elise is my good friend." Richard replied.

"But she loves you." Athena told Richard

"And I love her too but only as a friend. I am still so much in love with your mom." Richard said.

"Why was she telling me to call her Mama Elise, if you will not marry her?"

"She tells you what?"

"She wants me to call her Mama Elise, but I told her I don't want to, I already have my Mom." Athena said.

"Good girl." Richard said grinning.

"When are you going to ask my Mom to come back?"

"I am just waiting for the right time sweetie .... Wait a minute, are we playing the twenty questions game?"

"Nope, you were the one who started to ask questions daddy" Athena said in defense when her phone rang "Hello Ate, you've landed already, I have to commend Dad for in deciding to come here at the airport early, he could predict that you'll arrive earlier than your estimated time of arrival .... Yes we are here at the parking lot, call me again after you get your luggage ... ahhhh … Ate ... is mommy with you? ..... Great! I'll see you later."

"Dad they have landed, they are just waiting for their luggage" Athena informed the dumbfounded Richard when he heard about Dei.

"Get hold of yourself Dad, you got dumbfounded upon hearing that Mom and Ate have landed what more once you saw them in person, you don't want turned her off don't you?"

"Stop teasing Athena Rose."

"I bet this will be exciting." Athena said.