The lead picture was edited by Canva.
Three years ago, I took my last journey by airplane. It was one of the saddest biyahe of my life because my beloved father had passed away. That time, I was carrying my daughter Doris in my womb. Naglakbay ako mag-isa, but my doctor gave me a letter saying it was safe for me to fly, matapos niya akong i-check. When the plane took off, my heart felt sobrang mabigat with sorrow, but I prayed quietly — para sa kaluluwa ng aking ama, para sa safety ng aking baby, at para sa lakas na kakailanganin ko sa mga susunod na araw. My bag was magaan, pero ang dala kong lungkot ay napakabigat. After four hours, I arrived in Manila. My connecting flight to Davao was still ilang oras pa, so I stayed in a maliit na hotel near the airport to rest. Para hindi ako ma-late dahil sa traffic, I chose to stay malapit lang sa airport. That evening, I walked to Jollibee for dinner.
It may seem simple, pero iba ang lasa ng Jollibee sa Pilipinas — mas masarap, mas mainit sa puso, at mas comforting kaysa sa nakasanayan ko sa Malaysia. I ordered Chickenjoy with rice and peach mango pie. For a short moment, the familiar lasa made me feel na para bang nasa bahay ako. Back in my hotel room, I tried to sleep, pero puno ng alaala ng aking ama ang isip ko. Naalala ko ang kanyang mainit na ngiti, ang malumanay niyang tinig, at kung paano niya tawagin ang aking pangalan. Tahimik na pumatak ang luha. I placed my hand on my tiyan and whispered to Doris. Sinabi ko sa kanya na malapit na naming makita ang aming pamilya, at ang Lolo niya ay nagbabantay sa kanya mula sa langit. Before sunrise, nag-check out na ako sa hotel. The streets were still madilim, at malamig ang hangin. I walked slowly pabalik sa airport. Inside, I heard the rolling luggage, the voices of travellers, at ang boarding announcements.
The flight to Davao was short. Pagbaba ko, nakita ko ang mga green trees, bundok, at dagat. Alam kong nasa bahay na ako. At the arrival area, my mother, brothers, sisters, at kamag-anak were waiting. My mother hugged me tightly. Ramdam ko ang kanyang luha at tahimik na sakit. My siblings hugged me too. Wala kaming masyadong sinabi — we simply held each other, and through our eyes, we shared the same pain. That journey was isa sa pinakamahirap na araw ng buhay ko. Puno ng lungkot, pero puno rin ng pagmamahal — love for my father, love for my family, at love para sa maliit na buhay sa aking sinapupunan. Kahit iyon ang huli kong plane journey for many years, I will treasure it forever. It reminded me na ang tahanan ay hindi lang isang lugar — tahanan ay ang mga taong tunay na nagmamahal sa’yo.