Page 131 of The Fallacy of True Love
She pulled me to a stop. “You’re not failing. Failing means you stopped trying, and I haven’t seen you stop. You keep pushing yourself to perform at a standard you set. I admire you for that, but I admit that I’m glad that you’re setting aside time to do things that make you happy.”
“Papa isn’t.”
Shaking her head, she said, “He’s learning. But it’s harder to change our ways now since we’ve lived with them for years. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It just takes more time—and patience.”
“I don’t have a lot of that.”
“You have more than you give yourself credit for.” She started walking again, and I kept pace beside her. “It takes patience to go after a career like yours, especially because you have to postpone some milestones other people your age might be experiencing.”
My throat felt scratchy. How could Mama zero in on exactly what had been nagging me since last summer?
“I know it’s tough, but you’re doing so well. I’m incredibly proud of you, and I want you to know what a comfort you’ve been to me. It was hard for me too, being left behind.” Her voice grew unsteady. “You helped to keep me going. My steadfast, dependable son.”
I stopped walking and looked at her. “Mama?—”
She smiled, though her eyes were glassy. “Don’t look so stressed. I just want you to know that I appreciate you. And I want you to be happy.”
My heart swelled. Of all the compliments and reassurances I’d received, those coming from my mom always hit me the hardest. They weren’t flowery or extremely profound. But coming from the person who birthed me and witnessed each season of my life—and who loved me throughout it all—they meant the world.
“Thank you, Mama.” Hugging her, I whispered, “There’s this girl I want to introduce to you one day.”
She lifted her head to look at me. “I had a feeling about that.”
Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, given that Maya and I weren’t officially dating yet. But I wanted Maya to meet my family. I wanted to see how she would respond to Mama’s caring nature. I could imagine her observing my sisters and chiming in with her candid perspective. The guys she’d be wary of at first, but I had no doubt she’d warm up to them too.
One step at a time, I reminded myself. She hadn’t argued against me visiting. That alone was a sign of how far we’d come.
Next, I had to find out if she was ready to go even further.
But before that, I had to figure out how to deal with my dad.
Chapter Forty-Six
Cam
I wasn’t expecting to hear from Tritech so soon, but at three-thirty p.m. on Monday, I got an email from HR.
Dear Camaya,
Thank you for joining us during last week’s boot camp. We are pleased to let you know that we were impressed by your performance. After further evaluation, we are excited to extend an offer for the role of web developer.
I froze at that last sentence. My eyes couldn’t move past that period, and my brain seemed to hang on the words offer for the role of web developer.
I did it. A nobody from Bataan who didn’t have a family or a degree to her name. On my own strengths, I’d received an offer for a full-time job at an international company.
How could it be real?
I started over from the top, making sure that the sender email was correct and that it was, in fact, addressed to me. When those details panned out, I pinched the crook of my elbow to confirm that I was actually awake.
Barely able to think beyond the pounding in my head, I downloaded the job offer and went through the details. I zeroed in on the salary first, and my happiness dimmed. They’d offered the lower end of their advertised range, which was less than what I made in a good month of freelancing.
Was that what impressed amounted to?
Logic told me that my educational background must have factored into my offer. They probably had their doubts about me because I didn’t have a degree. If I were in their position, I would too.
But that didn’t mean it didn’t suck.
Two raps sounded on the door. Standing, I went to open it. Inang stood right outside, holding up a white envelope.
