Sometimes, the road to happiness is quite rocky, long and winding. My son was barely 5 years old when we fled to Cebu. His sister was only 2 1/2 yrs. old then. While I was beyond ecstatic that I finally freed myself from the claws of a turbulent marriage, my children were forced to face the harsh reality of a broken family.
After our Great Escape, my son and I became the worst of enemies. He stubbornly demanded for their father to live with us and it didn’t help that my EX was pleading for our family to be whole again. He showered me with buoquet of flowers every week but I did not budge. Through the innocent eyes of my favorite son, I was the ruthless monster in human form that caused our family to split. Eia was born with Down Syndrome but acted as my pacifier during the Mother Vs. Son War that dragged for almost 10 years. I thought I could finally breathe and relax when the battles between Gio and I miraculously ended but I was wrong. We were all taken by surprise when Eia suddenly showed disturbing and violent behaviors. The recurring episodes prompted me to seek the help of a psychiatrist and clinical psychologist. At 16, she exhibited signs of Bipolar Disorder. Gio had this theory that Eia was probably reacting to the aftermath of the separation but only manifested at a much later time because of her condition. With this unexpected turn of events, a reversal of roles played into action. It was now Gio who consoled and assured me that things will get better sooner than I expected. And he was right! It didn’t take 10 years for Eia to be herself again. Though she still takes ANTIPSYCHOTIC tablet to prevent any episode, it is now reduced to only 1/4 of the prescribed dosage of 1 out the 3 meds that she used to take. Praise God!
I sometimes wonder if I made the right decision to give up my marriage. Whenever I think about it, I immediately hit the pause button to stop my line of thought because it’s now water under the bridge. When you decide on something, do everything in your power to make it right. Put in your heart and soul to make the people you love happy with the consequence of your decision.
My son is graduating Cum Laude for Bachelor in Music, Major in Piano from UP Diliman. He is overjoyed living his passion of teaching piano to children and adults anywhere in the world. He also plans to study Psychology and pursue Law and I’m gonna support him all the way. My daughter enjoys her Reading class in Kumon and is always excited to complete her daily worksheets. She already fulfilled her childhood dream of staging her own Concert when she turned 18 and is now awaiting for the reschedule of her drums recital which was originally slated last May, 2020.
Are we happy now? You bet we are!
(Thanks for dropping by. You may chat with me via Messenger or send email to ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe everyone!)
