Sarina
“Mommyyyy!!!” screamed my seven-year-old daughter, Chastity, as she ran towards me, crying. I was in the kitchen preparing snacks for them, so I left them in the living room with their nannies for a while.
“What’s wrong, honey?” I asked worriedly.
“Channing keeps bullying me…” she complained, still in tears. Looking behind her, I saw my third child, who was about to turn six and is currently in grade one, scratching his head.
“What did you do to your sister, honey?” I asked him, motioning for him to come closer, which he did.
“I just told her that she doesn’t look like us.” I wanted to be angry at him, but I held back because I knew he was just a child and was only saying what he observed.
In truth, Chastity is my exact replica. How I looked when I was young is exactly how she looks now-very different from how I look today. Meanwhile, all seven sons look like Maximus, so maybe that’s why Channing thinks his sister doesn’t look like anyone in the family.
I took both of them by the hand and led them to the living room, where their five other siblings played. “Leave us for a moment and have your snack with Lisa,” I told the five nannies. They nodded and stood up, and I turned to face my children. I picked up my youngest, Chandler, who probably couldn’t understand what I was about to say, but I still wanted him to know. Chase, who is in grade 6, reviewed his lessons in the study room, and I believe he understands things already, so he doesn’t need to hear what I’m going to say.
“Now, I want all of you to listen to Mommy, okay?” I told my seven children, who were all looking at me. I had Chandler in my arms, Chastity sat to my right, and the other boys sat on the floor.
“Your big sister Chastity looks exactly like me.” The five on the floor furrowed their brows, glancing back and forth between me and little Chastity.
“Something that happened to Mommy before caused my appearance to change. But if you look at my pictures when I was a little girl, just like Cha, you will know we look alike. You can ask your Dad about this.”
“Really, Mom?” Chastity asked, to which I nodded and smiled before gently touching her cheek.
“So don’t think you don’t look like anyone in this family because I’m the one you resemble the most.” I saw the joy on my daughter’s face, and the relief I felt knowing she felt like she belonged in our family was immeasurable.
I looked at my third child and said, “Chan, never say that to your sister again, okay?” He nodded repeatedly before standing up and approaching Chastity.
“I’m sorry, Cha…” he said.
“It’s alright, Chan Chan…”
“I don’t see the resemblance, Mom,” interrupted my fourth child, Chanden, who’s about to turn five and is currently in kindergarten. He seemed indifferent, but when I looked at her, I saw the sadness on Chastity’s face.
“It’s because I got sick before and needed medication, which changed how Mommy looks. Don’t worry. When we visit your grandpa and grandma in Catanduanes, I’ll show you my pictures from when I was a little girl, okay?”
“We’re going to Catanduanes?” Channing and Chastity asked excitedly.
“Yes, I’ll tell your Dad so he can prepare, and it won’t interfere with his work. You know he’s needed in the company and couldn’t leave for long.” I love how understanding my kids are; since they were kids, I understood if they would think differently. They are curious kids and ask about almost everything. So, I tried my best to answer them with the utmost truth that their young minds could comprehend.
“Yay!!!” they all shouted in unison, looking excited while I happily watched them. My youngest, who I was holding, was clapping as if he knew what was happening.
“Is that also the reason why you’re fat, Mommy?” asked my fifth child, Chancy, who’s almost four years old. I froze at what he said. Am I really fat? Not only did I notice it, but even my little one, barely aware of anything, did too.
Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say, and I just stood there, staring at them as if they were waiting for my reply. “The nanny of my classmate said that another classmate’s nanny is ugly because she’s fat.” I couldn’t respond to that either. Am I ugly now?
“There’s nothing wrong with being ugly,” I looked at the one who spoke and saw Chase walking towards us. “And Mommy’s not that fat either. Because you’re stressing her out, and she’s always taking care of you, she doesn’t have time to exercise and look after herself. And do you think Mom is ugly?” Chase sat on the floor beside his siblings while I still looked at him.
“No!!! Mom is the prettiest!” my children said together, with Chastity’s voice taking over. Chase smiled and looked at me.
“Thank you, sweetie,” I said to him.
“You’re the prettiest mother in the world; remember that, Mom.” Our eldest, Maximus and I’s firstborn, is really growing up. When he was younger, he looked just like his grandfather, but he started to resemble his father more as he grew.
I couldn’t help but cry at what he said. During my time with Maximus, I never noticed that my body and appearance had changed. Or was I just ignoring it even though I could see the changes? My attention was always on my husband and our children until recently.
My children understood the issue with Chastity and Channing and promised not to say those words again. The younger ones, like Chandler, Chanton, and Chansen, didn’t understand, as they had no idea what we were talking about. I made a mental note that I will always remind them that their sister looks like me as they grow older.
Only Chastity is a bit darker among the eight of them. You know, brown-skinned because that’s my natural color, which she inherited from me. Given how much I’ve changed, anyone who looks at her would wonder who she takes after. But those who know me well can clearly see that she’s my carbon copy, the only princess of the Lardizabal family.
I was in our bedroom drying my hair while Maximus was on the bed, looking at something on his phone. “Honey,” I called, and he turned his head.
“Hmm?” he responded without even looking at me.
“Honey,” I called again, hoping he would look at me.
“Hmm?” he asked again, still focused on his phone. I took a deep breath and faced the mirror.
“Nothing.” Then, I continued brushing my hair, staring intently at my reflection. I couldn’t help but think about what Chancy said earlier. Am I really fat and ugly, which is why I can’t get my husband’s attention anymore? I looked at Maximus again in the mirror, still focused on his phone.
What could he be looking at? Is he texting someone? I took a deep breath, then stood up and walked towards him. When he noticed me standing beside the bed, he looked up at me and smiled, then set his phone aside and opened his arms for a hug.
I shook my head to dismiss any negative thoughts, smiled back at him, and went into his arms, hugging him in return. Maximus loves me and would never cheat on me, right?”