"MIA"

"Give me that," said their old maid who took from her hand the towel that Mia was using to dab the warm water on the bruises on her arm.

Bernie, the man whom she was living with, had hurt her again earlier.

"I don't understand why you can't leave that demon man, Mia! Look at yourself! Look in the mirror, don't you feel sorry for yourself when you see your reflection? Because you are going to ask me I feel so sorry for y-you!" with the last words she mentions. The old woman broke her voice.

That's when Mia looked in the mirror absent-mindedly. And that was when her tear rolled down her face again.

Yes, she felt sorry for herself. She's been feeling sorry for herself for a long time.

But as the saying goes.

With whom she stumbled, so she has endured everything.

"I-I don't have any money, Nanny Ising, even if I wanted to leave, I don't have a single cent in my wallet," she said truthfully, then burst into tears.

That's when the old lady hugged her pitifully. "Get dressed, I'll take care of it. We'll leave here right now. We have to take advantage of the opportunity that Bernie is not here to spend time with his mistress. I can't stand to serve him any longer, so I'm going back to my province to live there with my nephew," said Nanny Ising.

Mia looked at Nanny Ising's kind face for a moment. In less than eight years that she has been with her, she can say that the old woman has become very close to her heart. And she can say that even though she lost his Mama Rosita, Nanny Ising filled her longing for her late foster mother.

She was twenty years old when Bernie got her pregnant. At that time he was already working as a Sales Agent at a high-end car store. While she was a waitress in a nightclub.

How did she get into that kind of job? Long story. But she can only say one thing. Even with the job she went to, she did not agree to be tabled by any customer. Bernie was the only one whom she allowed doing that because she had known him since childhood. Because they were classmates in high school.

Bernie came from a well-to-do family. His family was left in Manila and that's why they ended up in Laguna because of her partner's call of duty. Because Bernie was assigned there, so to save money, the man chose to live there.

As she said. She was twenty years old when Bernie got her pregnant.

The young man was very happy because of the idea that he was going to be a father. In addition to that, she knows that even with her job, there is no other man she gives herself to except him who was her boyfriend at the time.

At that time, her Mama Rosita had been dead for two years and she has no one in her life. She has been working as a waitress in a nightclub for two years and it has been two years since Bernie became her boyfriend.

In the beginning, everything went well with her and Bernie.

He gave her a nice house and that's when he took Nanny Ising to be with her.

But unfortunately, she had a miscarriage.

She was three months pregnant at the time and Bernie didn't take that lightly.

Mia thought that maybe her partner was just mourning the loss of what should have been their first baby. But that's not what happened. Bernie's change was fast, and she wasn't the only one who noticed that then but Nanny Ising as well.

Until he reached the point where he often came home drunk. There are also times when he doesn't come home for days. And when he comes home, he is always angry and lays his hands on her.

She doesn't know where she got her strength and patience because it took her six years to be with a man who couldn't love her until the end. He is different when he says that they will still be together until they get old.

That's when Mia burst into tears.

A few moments later, she felt Nanny Ising hugging her. Like her, she is also crying.

After a very long time, why did she feel completely exhausted just now?

Was it because of the hard slaps on the face that Bernie gave her earlier this morning when she tried to stop him from leaving? Or because of the two traveling bags full of clothes that the man hit on her head?

A bitter smile broke Mia's lips.

Maybe, that's why she came to her senses and woke up.

Recently a woman came to their house and told her that she was Bernie's girlfriend. She also mentioned that she is pregnant and Bernie is the father of the child she is carrying.

Mia's world seemed to collapse because of what she had found out. And when she asked the woman how long she had been in a relationship with her partner, that's when she cried even more. Five years.

Five years, which means from the time she had a miscarriage that's when Bernie started cheating and betraying her.

That same day, all the questions that had been playing in Mia's mind for a long time were answered.

That's why the man treated her like that. Because he has an obsession with another woman.

Just as Nanny Ising wanted it to happen, they left together that same day. Carrying the sufficient amount of money that the old lady had saved, they boarded a jeep to catch the bus to Manila.

At the terminal, Nanny Ising handed her money that she could use to start a new life.

"Take care of yourself sweetheart, here's the money, use it too," she said as her eyes stared at her.

Even though she didn't want to accept that money that she knew the old woman had been saving for a long time, Mia was still forced. Just like she said earlier. She didn't have a single cent in her wallet.

"Here is my nephew's phone number, call me if you need anything," she said, handing her a small piece of paper with a cellphone number written on it.

Mia nodded then cried and hugged the old woman. "Someday I promise to repay you," she was referring to the money handed to her by Nanny Ising which she estimated was over ten thousand pesos.

The old lady shook her head. "Just be okay and be safe. That's all I want to hear once you called me, and I'll be happy. All right, go on, the bus might leave you," she pushed her away and then tried to smile.

Mia took a deep breath and then turned around to board the bus. But she still couldn't stand it. Nanny Ising was her only ally for a very long time. She stood by her as her mother treated all the cuts and bruises she got from Bernie.

That's why she couldn't help but turn back to the old woman who was sobbing and then hugged her tightly.

"Everything in your life will be okay. And I know we will see each other again," she said crying while gently caressing her back.

"Mom, mom," were the words that escaped Mia's lips.

She is very eager for the love and care of a mother. And since her Mama Rosita died, Nanny Ising has been her parent.

That's when the old woman loosened her embrace. Then she caressed her cheek which was still swollen due to the strong slap that Bernie landed there.

"We'll meet again, call me. I love you so much, my child. Always remember that," she said kissing her forehead.

It was then that Mia took a bus out of Manila with a sigh of relief. She knows that if she does this, a lot can happen. It can be good or can be bad. But out of all that, she only wanted one thing. To get the peace of mind that had been lost to her for a long time.