Place:
Ayala Center Cebu

Year:  
May 2012

Characters: 

                                   Philip (my 20 year old youngest brother)

    Cholo (7 years old)

     Derek (5 years old)

We just had our lunch inside one of the big malls in Cebu last year (my first vacation alone with my gremlins) when my youngest brother asked me money so he and my kids can play inside Time Zone. We were on our way to Dunkin Donut for a coffee (my dad is coffee addict).

I shook my head and said no. We can go after coffee. But he was insisting that he and the kids will be bored watching old folks like us killing time sipping coffee, talking.

Anyway, thirty minutes after, I was sipping my coffee with (baby Dean strapped with me) my parents when I noticed my brother wandering around not far from where we were.

OMIGOD!

My heart was thumping so hard that it felt like was going to jump off my chest. I didn't know how I told my parents that my boys might be missing without raising my voice. I texted my brother (no, he didn't came to us, I think he was trying to look for them on his own). I was really trying not to hit his head when he stood in front of me with his so clueless facial expression and kept on saying it wasn't his fault. He told me they were on their way back to us when Derek ran. Instead of running after the 5 year old like any responsible adult, he instructed my eldest son Cholo, who by the just turned 7 year few weeks ago to run after his younger brother and bring it back to him.

WTF!

Okay, I think this time I did knock his head. Mentally, he was already bugbog-sarado. I was so angry at him. My mom was trying to calm me down.

How could he tell my eldest son to run after his brother when he have no clue about the mall? This was their freaking first time in the place!   

Well, what should we do, right? We had to dispersed on different directions so we can find the kids faster. 

Yes, my head was swirling with crazy thoughts as seconds gone by. I had no idea how scared or scary I must have looked at that time since I can see people were staring at me. Was I turning into a crazy person? Was the line Irresponsible Mom Lost Her Children written with bright neon pen on my forehead? Should I care? No, what I wanted most at that was to find my kids back.

"oh God, is this really happening to me? I just gave birth six months ago and now I lost 2 his older brothers!"

"my husband is going to kill me when he gets I couldn't find the boys. will he leave me? how about Dean?"

I was talking and asking God how are the boys.

Were they together?

Will any crazy couple bring the two at their house? Then I remembered about group of people kidnapping kids and opening them up just to get their hearts, livers..

"oh God, oh God, oh God!"

Dean was sleeping so soundly while his mother was freaking out. 

Just then, I couldn't remember how long I was searching for them until, I heard my name on the speaker. It was choppy, so I wasn't able to get where to pick my kid(s) up. At this point I still have no idea if my boys were together or not, but what I am sure of the one who was calling my name was no other than Cholo. Because I kept on wrecking my head trying to remember if Derek knew my real name or will he choose the names he heard like;

• Mama
• Dedeng
• Tere
• Mama Bear

On our way home I asked Cholo what happened. 

Mama, bien kore gat si Derek (mama, Derek was running so fast). But I was able to catch him. *proud of himself*  Then I grabbed his hand and turned around. Nuway man si diku (but I didn't see uncle). So I looked around for guard and approached him. He kept on babbling things I don't understand. I waited for him to stop and said, "guard, our mama is missing."