Gemini at 6 years old

"I'm home!!" I exclaimed while running to the kitchen where my mom usually was everyday when I arrive from school.

"Gem! Be careful! Don't run!" Hindi ko na pinansin ang sinabi ng daddy ko na wag tumakbo at patuloy pa rin sa pagtakbo.

Nagtaka ako nang makitang wala si mommy at si yaya lang ang nandoon. "Yaya, where's mommy?"

"Upstairs, Gem," yaya said while preparing snacks.

I just nodded and ran upstairs, ignoring yaya shout na wag daw ako tumakbo. "Mommy!" I called when I saw her. She was in her room, surrounded by boxes filled with pictures and photo albums.

Her face lit up when she saw me and she extended her arms. "Baby!" I immediately ran into her arms and hugged her. "How was school? Was it fun?" she asked with her usual sweet voice.

I enthusiastically nodded showing her the stamps on my arms. "Look oh mommy! I got many stamps from teacher!"

"Wow! Very good!" she said and patted my head and patiently listened to me ramble about my day.

When I finished my story, I looked at the photo album she was holding. "Oh! Mommy!! That's me!" I excitedly said, pointing at the baby my mommy was carrying in the photo.

She nodded and let me sit on her lap while we looked at the pictures together . "Yes, Gem, that's you,"

I started pointing at the faces I recognized. "That's Ate! There's daddy too! And Yaya!"

I paused when I saw unfamiliar faces and I just stared at the picture, trying to guess who that was. When I really didn't know who that person was, I asked my mom. "Mommy, who's that?"

"Ah, she is mommy's best friend, Tita Isnelda," she said and pointed at the woman. It was a photo of my mommy carrying me while standing next to another woman who was also carrying a baby.

I looked at her, visibly confused. "You have friends?"

She laughed out loud and nodded. "Of course I do!"

I tilted my head to the side. "But why don't I see them?"

"I do meet them sometimes but they're very busy and some live far away," she explained.

"Who's that ugly baby?" I innocently asked while pointing at the baby her friend was carrying.

Her jaw dropped in both amusement and disbelief. "Gem that's not nice! You shouldn't say that, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay, but who is that baby?"

"Ah, that's her son, Everest,"

I frowned. "You mean like the mountain?"

She nodded. "Yes, like the mountain. His name is Arlo Everest Tyler,"

I just nodded and kept flipping the pages of the album and pointing at every face I'd see; not knowing that the boy who owned that name would play a huge part in my life later on.