Kissing The Wind

He failed to hug me the second time.

“She’s not someone who you should think about, Sydnee.”

But I turned around and looked at the horizon while my arms were crossed against my chest. I did not know why my heart pound with constant pain. I found it hard to breathe.

Anthony hugged me from behind. My heart skipped a beat. And it pounded faster than usual.

I gulped hard and whispered, “Tomorrow. I’ll go back home tomorrow.”

HUMID air danced across me as I watched the little nipa hut at the distant. Anthony had dropped me here earlier. I just did not want my parents to think that I stayed with my teacher while I was away. That idea would freak them out.

I breathe sharply and took a step ahead. Little by litle, my insides curled. I was not really ready to face them, but I wanted to get Anthony’s approval. I knew that he wanted me to reconcile with my parents. There’s a hard pound in my chest, and then it quicken and quicken until I was out of breathe. I stopped in my tracks to breathe for a few times before I continued walking ahead.

The faint smell of a burnt dried frish caught my nostril. My brows knotted in confusion. Had my mother overcooked some dried fish? Well, she was not that kind of cook who would waste resources.

My mouth gaped when I heard some rumbling inside the hut. Then some crashing noise of broken glass. I hurried towards the small door and looked around the hut.

My parents was not in the compact living room. I found myself running towards the kitchen.

“Mom? Dad?” I called, but it was more like a whisper than an actual calling. I winced because of how hard the pounding of my heart was. I could not breathe properly. The place reeked of fear and I knew something was amiss.

Just then, I heard some faint wailing and some grunt and slapping. I followed the noise carefully and it brought me to the back portion of the kitchen.

And I saw them.

My father was kneeling while smacking my mother’s face who was lying helplessly on the cold bamboo floor. He had this kind of expression wore by some voilent guy in the streets, and I was horrified to see his smiling face while slapping my mother. Clearly, he was enjoying the torture he was inflicting to the woman lying helplessly in and out of consciousness on the floor. And mother… she was not defending herself. She let dad hurt her like there’s no tomorrow.

I yelped, a terrified scream that could reach our neighbor’s ears whose house was a little farther away from ours.

Dad stopped in his doing and both of them looked at my direction. My eyes widened when I saw my mother’s batered face, and even if it was not the right time to joke, I could not help but mutter, “Dad, you battered mom like a chicken.”

He stood and watched mom as she tried to sit up on her own, struggling. I wanted to step close and help her, but I was wary of dad. He might drag my face down on the floor or even smack me straight into my face. I did not gamble on that big possibility after I saw how maniacal he was.

“Mom,” I called and swallowed hard. I tried not to wince in her situation. “A-Are you okay?”

She did not answer me, instead, she glared at me. Like I had disturbed her most favorite game. Insane. I shook my head. How insane were she to even enjoy being battered by my father?

“Why did you come back?” she spat.

I looked at Dad. He was looking at me with his blank expression. I could not assume his emotion in that time so I had to avert my eyes and instead look at mom whose glare was murderous. She was not happy that I saved her? I swallowed hard.

“I want to… t-to get things back together,” I whispered the last word. “But I saw how he hurt you. W-Why are you… why dad hurt you and you let him?”

“Don’t come back here. Go back to where you stayed,” she said and looked away. She had this scoff expression in her face but my mind was in a battle between two sides. I wanted to believe that both of them were playing games, but the bruises on mom’s face and arms were not a kind of joke. I even saw blood on her bottom lip.

I was confused on what’s happening inside the hut. And my breathe hitched when dad took hold some of mom’s locks and drag her towards me.

“Dad!” I shrieked and stood in front of him. I opened my arms wide as an attempt to stop him from dragging mom even further by her hair. “Don’t hurt mom! Stop this!” I hissed.

But he looked at me straight in the eye, and not long after, he laughed. Hard. My eyes squinted at him. I shoo his hand holding mom’s hair away. He released mom’s hair and stepped back.

I hurried to help mom stand on her feet but she kept on shoving my hands away. My nose wrinkled and I huffed. “Mom, let’s get away from him. He’s hurting you!”

I tugged her to stand on her feet but she tugged back, not wanting to stand. Her eyes glanced at dad for a few seconds and I saw fear crossed in them.

My decision was finalized by then. I would bring mom out of that hut and away from dad.

My mind wandered to hundreds of possibilities on how we could escape from dad but then, a slap rang on my mind. My head jerked sideways and I gasped.

“I don’t need you. Stop tugging my arm and go away from me. From us!” Mom hissed.

My brows knotted at her words and I looked at her. “Why are you mad at me?” I stood and pointed my forefinger to Dad. “He’s a monster who hurt you! I saw it in my two eyes and yet you don’t want to leave him? Are you out of your mind, Mom?! Leave him! Now!”

Her murderous gaze was penetrating when she looked at me. “Did I tell you to help me? I won’t leave your father so stop blabbering. You left us. Why did you come back? We don’t ask you to come back. In fact, I was happy that you left. Now, don’t take away my happiness like you did in the past years. Leave us alone. Don’t come back again, Sydnee!”

Her bellowing made me stumble back. I fought the urge to cry and I did as what she ask. I ran out of the house with a pale face and a straggling breathe.