"Bye son! Be careful, and call us every day! If you don't, your father and I will immediately drive to Ouigab to talk to you." I said, almost tearfully as I bid my son goodbye at the parking space near his dorm room.
If it was a month ago, I would totally be worried. Currently, however, I am not as worried as a mother bird should be when her hatchling leaves the nest.
Since the day of his college entrance exam, I felt something change in my son. At first, I thought his nervousness for the exam is what changed his attitude, but as I observed him more, I realized that it's like he matured overnight.
First, he no longer squabbles with Payew. If it was before, Tayaw would start raising his voice at the littlest bit annoyance from his brother. He prioritized his brothers over himself when sharing snacks to the use of the computer.
Whether Payew or Agew would play or browse the internet, Tayaw would limit his own use and no longer made up excuses to hog the computer like he used to. If he really needed an uninterrupted use the computer, he will either negotiate with his brothers, or goes to the neighborhood internet café.
He became very self-sufficient. He cleans the house and does his chores and more without being told. Not only does he clean the house without being told, he no longer misses many spots like he used to. He also no longer hates it when I send him to run errands.
Whenever I ask him to get groceries, he always bring back extra ingredients that I forgot or didn't bother to put on the lists I give, as if he knows which dishes I will use the ingredients for.
I was also surprised one morning when I slept in late after writing my reports for the school the previous night. When I headed down the stairs from the master's bedroom to the kitchen, I walked in on him cooking breakfast.
He used three of the four burners of the stove at the same time! One for cooking rice, one for cooking soup, and one for cooking omelets. I was nervous looking at first glance, but was finally reassured when I noticed he knew what he was doing with practiced skill.
Over the past few weeks, I honestly felt like my son eased up a lot of burden I didn't know I had. With the house always neat and tidy, I have a more relaxed mind. Instead of spending my time cleaning, I found more spare time to relax, thanks to Tayaw.
He also, even only maybe temporarily, solved my problem of teaching Payew and Agew to do the chores. Tayaw made a deal with them that if they clean their rooms to Tayaw's satisfaction, Tayaw will give them his time in using the computer. At first, Payew and Agew were indignant at Tayaw's proposal but gradually eased up and did as Tayaw said. After all, Tayaw never went back on his word.
I also saw my husband feel the benefits of Tayaw's change. Tayaw took it upon himself to pack Liboo lunch every morning. In addition, Tayaw also took upon himself to wash the van every morning and even did a better job at it than Liboo did by making the van spotless and shiny both on the outside and on the inside.
With Tayaw's assistance, it's as if Liboo got younger by a few years. That may also have led to more steamy nights between me and Liboo, which we never had in a few years. I was reminded of how good of a lover Liboo is.
A few nights ago, Tayaw asked to speak with us in the master's bedroom. Over his actions the past few weeks, we asked him if he wants anything, and we'll get it for him. We were moved when he refused our offer to buy him something, saying that he knows we will spend a lot on his school expenses and dorm accommodation.
His intentions however of wanting to speak with us had both me and my husband worried. Instead of a gift, he asked us if he can move to Ouigab ahead of schedule. In addition, he also asked if he can do part time jobs before the semester starts.
We wanted to refuse him at first, but we knew it's better for Tayaw to be more ready for society as early as he can. He reassured us by asking us to accompany him the next day to Ouigab, let him do everything, and prove to us he can take care of himself.
4 am the next morning, Tayaw, I and my husband headed for Ouigab City. Following Tayaw's lead, we went to the Internal Revenue Bureau office for him get his TIN number and Tax ID card. It usually takes two weeks for someone to get their Tax ID card, so we were puzzled how he was able to get one immediately.
He told us that after the first day of the college entrance exam, he went to the Tax bureau to apply when he had nothing to do while waiting for my husband to pick him up. My husband also explained that he had decided to pick up a few fares while waiting for Tayaw to be done with his exams. That gave Tayaw the time to apply. Both my husband and I realized that Tayaw was already planning his move to Ouigab city for a while now since he got his college acceptance letter.
After he received his number and Tax ID, we went to a branch of a nationally known bank and Tayaw registered for a bank account and asked us to pay for the deposit, which we happily did. We were puzzled when he led us next to an online tutoring company. He said he was called in for an interview for a job, to our surprise.
An hour later, as we waited in the van, Tayaw walked out of the building with a smile on his face. He was hired as an online English tutor for kids from East Asia. Mixed with our pleasant surprise were our unanswered questions as well.
Tayaw saw this and explained that he applied online for some jobs, and the tutoring company was the only one that responded, and did an initial interview with him over the phone.
As a science teacher in a public high school, I sometimes substitute for absent co-workers, which included English teachers. I read science books written in English so it gives me some ability to substitute for my English teacher co-workers
On the drive back home, I tested Tayaw's English proficiency. I thought my English wasn't bad at all, but to my shock, I couldn't compare to Tayaw's English proficiency at all. He speaks English with the fluency and pronunciation that is comparable to a native English speaker. This led me to ask him why he did not just enroll for an English degree instead of Civil Engineering, which he answered by saying along the lines of "I think I'll make a better engineer."
That day, while we felt conflicted of being deceived, we also felt reassured of Tayaw's maturity. Later that night, while lying on bed, my husband and I had a very long conversation about our son until we fell asleep.
Today is the day he moved to Ouigab, exactly a month ahead before our initially scheduled date for him to move. We wanted him to stay home for a little longer but he starts his job tomorrow.
"Don't worry mom. I'll call every night. If I can't, at least I'll text you." Tayaw assured me with confidence.
"Hey Tayaw, I hope you bring back someone special next time you visit home. I know you don't have room mates yet, so I hope you don't bring a girl here." Liboo also said with a smirk, which made me pinch his ass.
"I'm an attractive lad, so you know I can't promise you that, dad." Tayaw replied with a smirk of his own, which made me pinch his cheek. They just laughed together while rubbing the respective spots where I pinched.
"You two should head back. I hope Payew learned from me and have dinner by the time you arrive home." Tayaw said
Over the past few days, I no longer see my Tayaw as a helpless little boy who I should always protect, but a young man who is ready for the world.