:Tonton Side

Aixela's Pov:

"Hey, Aixela, don't be shy. Just eat a lot. The food in the city isn't this delicious, right?"

Amia signed me to eat a lot, so I smiled and started scooping up rice and some of the fire-roasted goat.

"If you don't want that, just eat vegetables," Officer Dy said.

I shook my head and signed as if I was saying I wanted to eat it.

Honestly, it was my first time eating a roasted goat, and I even saw for myself how it was cooked. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before tasting the roasted goat. I was surprised because it tasted good. They even laughed at my reaction.

Amia handed me a carrot. "Taste that carrot, Aixela. Amia prepared it for you," Auntie Rebecca said.

I thanked her using sign language before taking the carrot she was handing. It was still a bit hot, so I blew it first before trying to peel with a knife, but Officer Dy took it. He peeled it off with his hand and then handed it to me. I was happy with what he did. He also knows how to be a gentleman at least once.

"Marco said you two often meet at the precinct with your Uncle James," said Auntie Rebecca.

"Yes, Auntie. Uncle James introduced Marco to all of my colleagues. Marco often goes to the precinct to get some news he will report to their station," Officer Dy answered.

"Amia is always waiting for her brother to report on the television. As soon as it's seven o'clock in the evening, she's sitting in front of the television and waiting for her brother to appear on the screen."

"Your brother Marco, will be happy when he hears that, Amia," Officer Dy smiled.

"I'm just always reminding you to be careful. Your jobs are dangerous. Especially you and your Uncle James. It's a good thing that Marco didn't continue his plan to become a detective like his father and his Uncle James. You know how traumatized I was when your Uncle Joey died. So you, Aixela, your heart must be strong if you will marry a cop like Tonton."

I suddenly got choked on what Auntie Rebecca said.

"Hey, are you alright?" She slapped my back and gave me water. "Just eat slowly. You won't run out of food. There's a lot more here."

¬¬¬

"Coffee?" Officer Dy offered.

I took the coffee and smiled at him. I was sitting in a hammock attached to the trees. He sat on another hammock near me.

"When Marco and I were little, we always wondered who would sit in that cradle. It's bigger and more comfortable than this one," he said. I suddenly smiled.

"Why?" He noticed that I was smiling.

"I just didn't expect you to be like that," I looked at him. "I didn't think you would show me your soft side... I'm so lucky."

"Why?"

I blew the hot coffee I was holding before speaking. "I know why you're doing this."

He looked at me. I took a sip of coffee and looked at him as well. "You brought me here and showed me your soft side so I could forget what happened to Louis and me. Am I right?"

He did not utter a word.

"I'm also happy that that happened to Louis and me. Because otherwise, I won't see the other side of Mister John Dether Anton Dy Jr.," I giggled. "Let's call that side as Tonton side."

"Tonton side?" He smirked.

"Oum! The Tonton that except your family, I'm the only one who can see, right?"

He just shrugged.

I smiled. "See! I'm really lucky. If you're Officer Dy in the precinct, here on the farm, you're Tonton. It's good that you're smiling here. In the precinct, you always have a poker face. In our house, you always look screwed up."

He lifted a brow.

"I mean, in your house," I clarified.

"No, it's not that..." he uttered.

"Hmm?"

"Nevermind," he said and lay down on the hammock.

I sipped my coffee and lay down on the hammock.

"Officer Dy, are you still awake?"

"Mm."

"Isn't the moon beautiful?" He did not answer. "Now I just realized again how beautiful the moon is, as well as the other things. For three years, Louis is the only one on my mind. He's the only one I always think about, so I didn't notice the good things around me, even myself, "I sighed.

"So thank you..." I tittered. "Thank you for letting me see how beautiful the moon is."

I didn't notice that tears were crawling down my face.

"We will leave early in the morning tomorrow. You should take a rest now," He whispered.

"Oum," I wiped out my tears. "Goodnight, Officer Dy."