He complacently sat waiting for Leonor to wake up.
He was crestfallen at the arm of the single-seater sofa caused by his long travel from Metro City. He wanted to doze even for five minutes.
Leonor's father called him to be in the dining room for a breakfast. Hungry and tired, he did not hesitate to go to the dining table to dig in.
He ate to his heart content since he did not eat well before leaving for Leonor's place. In the bus, he just ate light meals, which his body was not used to it.
"Pa, has Kenneth not arrived yet?"
Kenneth who was drinking a glass of water fidgeted his body when he heard her voice. He had almost accidentally released the glass out of his hold. Perhaps it was due to his mixed emotions. His anxiety, thrill and excitement to see his beloved made him quite jittery.
When Leonor entered the dining room, Kenneth was dumbfounded that he wasn't able to say a word.
"Ken, you're here! What time have you arrived?"
His consciousness was back when she asked and put her two hands on his right arm, squeezing it lightly.
He faced her by sitting sideway on the dining chair and petted her bulging tummy.
"So... Is this our problem that you have texted me?"
She just nodded and was seated beside Kenneth.
"Why did you just tell me now? How many months is our baby?"
"She will soon be out to see the world around her."
"I understand that I am a father of our daughter? You said 'She'."
Without having his second thought he bent his head and kissed Leonor's tummy before the eyes of her father, mother and younger siblings.
"Muwaa. Hello baby. I am your daddy. Your mommy did not tell me about you."
"I don't want to disturb you from your training. But, now that you are working with your licence as a certified private pilot, I have to reveal it to you."
"God, please forgive my wife for being so secretive."
"Secretive, your ass!" She whined while hitting his arm.
"This month is your due date?"
"Anyday of this month."
He turned his eyes to Leonor's father and said; "I'll bring Leony along with me in Metro City. I have my work there."
Then he continued, "I'll be more at ease if she would be with me. I want to be the one taking care of her and our daughter."
On that same day, they helped each other packing her clothes for Metro City to be with Kenneth Allen. She did not forget to bring her pertinent papers because she had to apply for a teaching job in the city where the father of his daughter was.
There was no point waiting for the next day for them to travel going back to Metro city. Kenneth might be AWOL- Absent Without Leave from his work. And to think that he had a wife and a child to feed, the more he should work harder and pursue his goal to be a certified commercial pilot.
They were already in a bus when Kenneth asked about her conception. She told him that her monthly period did not ovulate in March, the month next to February, when they had a tour to that City of Pines.
"We did it only for two nights."
"You did not remember that I told you I was at that time in my fertility period?"
"Yes, I remembered it. Why? Are you blaming me now?"
"I don't. I agreed with you, too. We're in a relationship for five years."
Before talking again, Kenneth caressed the belly of Leonor and said,
"We made you during our fourth anniversary as sweethearts, baby."
"How can I blame you for it?
But it was your fault telling me to see each other in person after three long years."
"You are still blaming me. Don't you know that I regretted it? That was why I sent you money for the tour so we could be at least together."
"Look at my belly. I am as big as a whale. So it was not 'at least', it was the greatest'."
"We enjoyed it, didn't we?"
"I can't say 'no' because I have the evidence. Even if you say 'yes' no one will believe you. You have no evidence."
"Just wait, you temptress woman.
I shall make us enjoy again."
With this kind of conversation, they knew that it was just be discussed between the two of them. So, not to let other listen to their secret of how their baby came into being, they whispered in one's ear when talking.
They even wanted to make out for at least some minutes just like the way they did during the tour. However, at this point, their mind outwitted their heart that they didn't want to be scandalous for they had their fellow passengers to consider. They were not animals that did not know the phrases 'right place' and 'right time' . Hence, they would just have to wait till they arrive at Kenneth's home.
In privacy they would recall how the fruit was developed from the city of Pines during the tour. It was such an indescribable moment and feelings in their lives. Their happiness leaped as high as the moon and helped them come back to earth once more. They should be aware of Responsible Parenthood, Human Sexuality, Importance of communication, Family Planning and others for a peaceful, understanding, caring and above all, a loving family.
No words could have described the feeling of satisfaction once a man expressed his unconditional love to his beloved through actions. It was as though he was in the 9th heaven... floating.... to cut the ribbon before the path to procreation could be opened.
The cutting of her ribbon sprinkled with reddish sparkling glitters
proved to be so worthy for they did not wait for too long till a fruit has bloomed.
As of that time, Kenneth Allen's financial stand was still unstable as he had loaned for his modular course to enable him for his flight time that required him to earn 1,500 hours.
But he had a job and was planning to look for a part time job to augment his income for his wife and for his daughter.
When they arrived in Metro City, Leonor was astounded that he did not bring him to his parent's home. Instead, they occupied a small rooming place.
"I thought we're living with your parents!?"
"No, we're adults degree holder who could have started our own family from scratch."
"Okay, you're the boss."
Kenneth rested for a while before leaving for his work. When he was over with his duty on that day, he went home to his parents to tell them about his sudden situation. He likewise brought some more clothes and beddings.
The room was so small that had a built in double deck where they slept and a kitchen lavatory. Above and under it, there were built-in cabinets. There was also a small convertible table with two chairs. What Kenneth decided to lease this small unit was it had its own rest room. It had also sufficient water supply. In this tiny but cozy place, a home occupied by a family of three, should rise to attain what they had planned before.
Before their baby would be borne, they had their marriage certificate so their baby would not ba an illegitimate child. He refused to the thought of not letting his child use his family name.
They even borrowed some cooking wares from his parents to start their independent life. He didn't want to be reproached of being dependent when he had joined those whose status were married like him.
At their age of twenty three, they got married as they were already degree holders. Whatever more they would like to achieve as married couples, it is up to them to work for it as a team.
When they were on that tour at the City of Pines they agreed to consummate their married life in advance. They pledged to face the consequence of their disobedience to wait till they were married.
Kenneth knew that their present situation at that time would happen after what they had done impulsively. Even though, Leonor didn't tell him of his pregnancy, still he had another meager amount he saved which he never dare to spend.
That saving would be spent for Leonor's time to give birth to their daughter.
Leonor, on the other hand, was really a matured knowledgeable young woman. While she was teaching in a private school for a teaching experience, she had accepted tutorial job. Despite that she was giving her parents financial assistance from her monthly earnings, she made it a point to open a bank account where she saved money for her regular check up, their baby's clothes and others, for her vitamins and an amount to finance her hospitalization once the giving of birth to their child would come.
Even without the mention of the result of what they privately did in a hotel they checked in for two nights in that cold City of Pines, they prepared for the coming of their child. Unknown to Leonor, he never discard from his memory that when they had given to the needs of their body for each other, she told her of her biological cycle as a feminine.
If a young man knew about this biological cycle of every woman, Leonor was much more aware of it. Thus their union being two bodies joined into one as a couple would have resulted to a new human being. And that new individual would be their child.
Finally, the infant wanted to see the world together with her parents. The contraction started that after three hours they decided to proceed to a nearby hospital when the interval of contraction was only five minutes.
They were blessed that it was a normal delivery without a complication.
When the nurse brought the infant in the ward for her to breastfeed her, he gently put her in his two arms with love visible from his eyes, with a smiling face, he said, "Thank you dear God for this fruit we made from the City of Pines."
Leonor who was already awake at that moment cracked a joke. "So can we give her a name 'Pinyacolada'?"
"A boring joke, darling"
"What about Valentina?"
"heh! Stop kidding. Be serious about giving her a name."
"Lizbeth Mae Ayo Lacandula, Is it an appealing name for her?"
"So be it. So it shall be done." He said with finality mimicking the dialogue of the Pharaoh in that movie entitled 'The Ten Commandments" or' Moses."
A week after they were discharged, their daughter was baptized with only Kenneth's family who attended that baptismal rite since Leonor's was far away from them.
Kenneth's married life was spent in hectic schedule of his being a bread winner, an aggressive flight trainee, a young father, and a very thoughtful good provider husband.
As a graduate of education degree who had an experience in teaching even for a short period of time, she could not just stay at home without helping her husband earn a living for them. While her child was still an infant, she had long hours of her idle time. It would be a waste of it, if she would just keep on lying and sitting down after the very limited household chores.
She accepted tutorial job from their neighbours whose kids were in their formative years. She taught them the 3Rs, reading, (w)riting and (A)rithmetic. She was earning an amount that she could augment for their daily needs as her Kenneth was still investing a huge amount to become a certified commercial pilot.
Never in his thought would he blame himself for his drastic decision to have a family of his own at his young age.
Their love for each other bloomed till it was developed to a fruit that significantly marked their lives being a couple.