As soon as she lost sight of the girl, Lyrica shifted her gaze towards Robert as the boy told Lyrica he and Nilo will take a bath in the backyard using the water from the water drum. Rona's older brothers went ahead soon after hearing Lyrica's "Okay".
Right then, Lyrica crouched down and looks into Rona's face. "Are you all right?" She asked the little girl.
Rona bobbed her head in agreement.
Lyrica noticed how tears formed up in the little girl's eyes yet she kept herself from letting out a loud cry in front of everyone. It's either because she knew she's also in the wrong, or it's because whatever it is that's keeping people from expressing what they feel is restricting her from letting out bawl. Whatever the case, Lyrica is truly impressed by Rona.
"You're strong Rona. I envy you."
Lyrica blurted out of the blue.
"Huh?" Rona looks up to Lyrica in wonder. "What did you say, ate Lyrica?"
"Nothing."
Right then, Lyrica proceeds to let go of the little girl, letting her stand on her own two feet whilst holding one of Lyrica's hands.
"It's the first time that ate Nela shouted and looked at me like that." Said the little girl. "I wonder if she's all right?"
Lyrica puts her right hand on top of Rona's head and proceeds to caress her brown hair.
"She's all right, I'm sure." She replied. "Nela's probably just tired, so we should let her get some rest, okay?"
"Okay."
The little girl and Lyrica stayed outside for a little longer until Esmeralda came out of the door and called out the two for their turn in the bath. But before she entered the bathroom, Lyrica asked the old lady if she can make dinner for tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning.
Soon after Esmeralda gave her the affirmative, Lyrica finally went inside the bathroom and took care of Rona and herself. Right after that, wearing the balabal she borrowed and the money she received from the old lady, Lyrica went outside to buy ingredients for both dinner and breakfast in the town square.
"You're Roberto's wife... H-How much are these beef bones?"
"I'll give you a discount for saving Roberto."
"T-Thank you!"
From one store...
"Uh... three whole corns, pechay, and bananas."
"Here's your corns, pechay, and bananas!"
... To another.
"A tray of large-sized eggs please."
"Coming right up!"
Lyrica sweeps the town square and went home with the baskets in her hands full of ingredients. After taking off the balabal, the girl goes to the kitchen straight away to prepare for dinner.
"Lola, everyone, what do you guys want for dinner?"
Nela asked Esmeralda and the others who're playing in the living room. That's when she noticed Lyrica is not with them. She turns around to the kitchen to see the girl watching the dinner simmer.
"Ate Lyrica, what are you doing?" Nela rushed to the kitchen. "You're a guest, we should be the one making dinner for you."
"It's all right," Lyrica replied while looking at Nela. "It should be done soon. Until then, go sit down with the others in the living room. I'll ready the dining table."
"But..."
Nela reluctantly joins her siblings and her grandmother in the living. From there, she wordlessly watches Lyrica ready the dining table for everyone.
"Just relax," Esmeralda spoke, taking Nela's attention from Lyrica. "Lyrica can handle it."
"But, lola Esmeralda, she's a guest." Nela retorted. "We should be the one doing those things for her."
"Do you know what time it is?" Said the old lady towards Nela. "It's already past the time you usually make dinner, and yet you came out of your room just now."
"Ah..."
Thanks to Esmeralda, Nela finally realized she lost touch of time. Although she couldn't figure out how.
"It's fine. Like I said, just relax."
"All right..."
Nela eventually listened to the old lady, allowing her body to relax against the chair. As she does, she shifted her gaze to Rona who's playing with her older brothers. Their eyes meet for a quick second before the little girl turns away and focuses on the game.
Nela who seems to be dejected looks down on the floor. Until the smell of Lyrica's cooking prompts Nela to hold her head up.
"What is this?" She asked herself. "It smells good. But more importantly, it's kind of familiar to me."
"I can feel its warmth enveloping me." Esmeralda followed suit. "It should be ready."
Just like the old lady predicted, Lyrica finished cooking the dish. The girl proceeds to call everyone to the dinner table.
The curious siblings of Nela and the old lady went ahead to see the source of the delicious smell on the dinner table. There, they see the mouthwatering sight of Lyrica's cooking.
"This is..."
"...Beef bulalo!"
Nilo and Robert's eyes sparkled in awe, their mouths drooling with saliva.
"This is Nela's favorite," Esmeralda added.
"I figured we warm ourselves up with some hot soup, eat some delicious beef bone marrow along with corn, bananas, and other vegetables."
As Rona, her older brothers, and the old lady sits down on the table without a second thought, Lyrica took notice of Nela who's quietly looking at the beef bulalo, frozen.
'Does she not like it?' She mumbled to herself. 'I thought I got lucky I made something that she liked, but why does she look like she's hesitating?'
Without Lyrica knowing, the dish right in front of Nela made her picture a familiar scene. A scene where she was sitting in front of the dining table along with the others. The cold coming from the seemingly endless rain filled the house. Until a pair of hands put a pot in the middle of the table.
Nela looks up and met the eyes of an adult woman who then gave her a sweet smile.
"It's your favorite, Nela."
The woman takes off the lid with her fair white hand. The white mist waiting to be released bursts out and begin to envelop the entire dinner table.
"It's bulalo."
A light-colored soup made by cooking beef shanks and bone marrow until the collagen and fat melted into the clear broth. Together with leafy vegetables, and other ingredients, it's a beef dish that helps people warm up in cold times.
"Let's warm you up."
A dish that holds all the most precious memories Nela had with her mother.
Lyrica watches the girl sit down on the chair beside the others and takes a sip with the bowl of bulalo in front of her. Right then, tears started flowing from the corner of her eyes. She's not crying, nor is she sad or anything, but the tears just won't stop from leaking out.
They let Nela be and started eating on their own. Time went by, the dinner ended without anyone saying anything.
Rona and her older brothers continued playing with each other, but Nela went ahead to her bedroom. It was Lyrica and Esmeralda that told her to sleep and let them handle the rest for the evening.
Lyrica and the old lady had an opportunity to talk one on one while doing the dishes in the kitchen.
"I thought it'll help her warm-up and sleep easily, not to make her cry." Said Lyrica after washing one of the plates.
"Her mother used to say "Let's warm you up" whenever she cook that dish for Nela," Esmeralda replied.
"So it was her mother, huh. Where is she?"
"I can't say it. But a lot of things happened, and now she's gone."
Ever since her mother disappeared, Nela stopped eating the dish her mother used to cook for her. Unless it's any other ulam, Nela would stop Esmeralda from cooking their food and make one other than bulalo herself.
Nela would work hard every single day, doing the things her mother used to do for her and her siblings so that they don't have to go looking for someone who will never come back. It was Nela's way of trying to help her siblings and herself move on.
But that dish Lyrica made one thing clear. Other than her siblings, it appears that Nela is the one that hadn't move on yet.
"I'm sorry." Said Lyrica towards the old lady after hearing Nela's story. "I should've asked before doing something."
"Don't be," Esmeralda replied after letting out a short chuckle. "I know you're just trying to help."
"No..." Lyrica reluctantly told the old lady. "It's just my way of showing my gratitude for letting me stay in your house."
"Still, thank you for making her realize she hadn't moved on yet. I think it's what she needed."
Esmeralda proceeds to put the bowls on top of one another.
"You know, not forgetting things doesn't necessarily mean we can't move on from our past, from our mistakes. Sometimes, those memories are what helping us move on with our lives. To avoid doing the same mistakes we did in the past. To start over."
"To start over, huh..."
Before they realize it, they've finished cleaning all the dishes. The old lady tells Lyrica to go and rest in bed and leave the rest to Esmeralda. Lyrica insists that she will accompany the old lady at first, but eventually, she listened to the stubborn old lady and went to Riko's room to sleep.