"Nat, let's leave Philippines and start afresh. Forget all the bad memories here and we'll build our life again in Singapore." Nat stopped crying as his father knelt in front of him. His father's eyes were bloodshot and dry...he had cried himself dry.

"What about mama? Will she come with us?" A 4 year-old Nat asked as he pointed to the brown casket. His mama was lying inside motionless when she was supposed to be by his side kissing his ouchies away.

"Yes, mama will always be with us." Nat's father nodded as he carried his son up to take a look at his mother through the tiny glass window of the casket. Nat leaned down to give his mama a kiss before nodding at his father.

"Daddy, let's go and bring mama with us." And just like that, the fate between Nat and Philippines was entwined. For good and worse.

~

Meet...

- Full name: Nathaniel Luca Torres Lee

- Born to a Singaporean-Chinese father and Filipino mother who passed away in an accident when he was 4

- Raised in Singapore since 4, fluent in English and Chinese

- Has no memories of his life in Philippines and cannot speak the language

Note: Author here actually isn't Filipino and cannot speak Filipino (like Nat). But I am writing this story with utmost respect for the Robredo family, Philippines and the culture. I learned about Philippines' politics during my middle and high school history lessons; and through my Filipino moots on twitter, learned even more about the overall socioeconomic and political culture of the country. Of course this included me knowing who the Robredo family is. I thus would like to assure that I am writing as a foreigner who purely respects and admire the family as public servants and individuals respectively. If this story makes any Filipino reader uncomfortable, please inform me and I will be sure to refrain from using the family as characters. As such, I am always open to criticism and help, especially when it comes to the language and culture. But rest assured that I will do my best to research as well and portray the characters and culture appropriately.