kostik

he hugged me tight and kissed my cheeks, then he asked in a very soft voice and a face anticipating disappointment, " are you leaving? " i said "yes". he turned to his mom and spoke in russian. she said " you told him you’re leaving now? aww he’s upset".

kostik was only a year and a few months old when tina brought him kat back to russia. they came back for a vacation after a year. kost is now 2 years and a few months old. when i met them for the first time since they arrived in the philippines i was surprised that he still remembers me. he ran towards me with outstretched hands and hugged me so tight, giggling and saying so many words i couldn’t comprehend…it was all in russian. again it surprised me that he can say so much and sometimes in three different languages, tagalog, english ad russian. when they left the phils last year, the only things i heard kost say were " ate kat o ate kat ", "mommy cucumber mommy cucumber",  "tita wuth o tita wuth" and " moizie". now he speaks so much and i am in awe. he’s so smart. the baby boy i used to play with in the workroom, sometimes put to sleep and baby talked with has really grown so fast i have a hard time believing.

on our way to their apartment from the grocery, i literally dropped my jaws at the argument he and kat got into. we hailed a cab and when the cab stopped in front of us, he rushed to the door and tried opening the same. kat opened it instead and he was so mad. they were exchanging words in russian. i asked tina to translate and she said " kost is mad because kat opened the door first. kat said i’m older so i should open the door, and kost said i am the man so i should open the door". i can’t a imagine a boy who’s only over two years old can assert gendered power. i asked " how in the world did you learn to argue like that ?" he was then busy talking in three different languages about how he wants surf’s up and skateboard.

kost has become hyperactive too that it’s a little hard coping with his running here and there but he remains to be the sweetest. sometimes he flutters his lashes ever so slowly and smiles the biggest i can’t help kissing him. sometimes he grabs my arm and tuck it between his shoulder and chin. sometimes he tickles my neck which basically is his way of telling me to do the same to him. he enjoys it.

he loves cakes and was whining about eating his slice of tiramisu which his mom wouldn’t allow unless he eats his breakfast first. it was my last visit so i asked him " kost, you wanna come with me to school? " he reached for me and rested his head on my shoulder and asked his mom in russian, will the cake  wait for me until i get back? tina and i let out good laughs. tina had to talk about nice things and the cake waiting and his cousin moizie’s coming just so he wouldn’t be too upset i’d be leaving for school.

they’re leaving today and i am going to miss him terribly.

when i was having coffee this morning i asked how it would be like meeting kost and kat when they are all grown up and i am all wrinkly. would they still run to me shouting "tita ruth!". would they still hug me tightly and kiss my cheeks eagerly? it made me smile.it made me hope.

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