In a small village, Trina lived peacefully. She was a dedicated public teacher, a soon-to-be mother, and a newlywed wife. Her husband, Tristan, worked as a seaman, and this was the month she eagerly waited for her husband's return after his six months on board.
Trina had already used their setup as a couple, but she anticipated this return the most because it coincidentally fell on her husband's birthday.
Trina used to surprise him when they were still lovers. But this time, she ensured everything was planned before his arrival so he would not notice it. She planned not to have a welcome-home party, as she wanted to reserve it for his birthday.
When the time came for his arrival, she waited for him at the airport. After their eyes both met, she winked, smiled, and waved her hands for her husband.
"Welcome home, Daddy!", she said.
"Thank you, Mommy! I love you," he replied as he pulled her closer to kiss her and gently rubbed her baby bump.
"So, where are we going now, Mommy?" he asked.
"I didn't book a hotel, Dad, but we'll just eat at our favorite restaurant and go home after," she replied.
"Why does it seem different today?", he wondered.
"Nothing, Dad. You know I'm about to give birth, Dad. Let's save our money, okay?", she responded awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Trina and Tristan ate at their usual favorite restaurant without any hint of celebration. After they ate, they went to their newly built home.
Tristan immediately lay on his soft mattress and said,
"Finally, Mommy, I can sleep soundly after months of sleeping on the rough seas."
"Rest well, Dad. I know you're tired from the trip," she replied.
"Did you miss me, Mommy?" he asked.
"Of course, I missed you, Dad! Get some much-needed rest. I'll be here working on my lesson plans, but know that I love you," she said while sitting on the edge of the bed and holding his hands.
The next day, Tristan asked her permission to renew his motorcycle registration on his birthday.
"Mommy, I need to renew the vehicle registration today, and I might as well get an emission test done."
"Dad, you don't need to do it yourself. We can pay someone to take care of those things for us," she replied.
"It's not only that, Mom. I also need to go to the City to inquire about the training for my next ship assignment," he added.
"Oh, I see, Dad. If you're going anyway, would you mind dropping me off at school on your way?"
Tristan ferried Trina to her workplace. They said goodbye to each other with warm hugs and kisses.
"Make sure to come home early today, Daddy, okay? We're celebrating your birthday. Let's just have dinner at a restaurant," she insisted.
"Alright, Mommy. So, there's no surprise waiting for me today, on my birthday?" he asked and giggled awkwardly.
"Hmmm, no, I don't have anything planned, Dad. I've been so busy with work and the kids have exams coming up," she lied.
He smiled and said,
"It's okay, Mommy. We can just have dinner out later. I'll get going now. Take care of yourself and the baby."
After Tristan sped off, Trina immediately called the organizer and her family to prepare their dinner plan for his surprise party.
"Hello, Mom! Could you please assist the organizer once they get there? They should be arriving soon," she pleaded.
"Of course, dear. We'll handle everything here," her mother assured her.
"Thank you, Mom!"
On the other side, Tristan accelerated, putting more pressure on the throttle, trying to cover more kilometers, and found a space to overtake the truck carrying heavy steel.
The truck driver didn't notice her husband beside him as he only focused on his front without looking at his side mirror. He only saw when Tristan's motorcycle had fallen. He tried to stop his truck, but the heavy loads prevented him from stopping right away.
In the middle of her morning class, someone called her from traffic operations.
Her heart was pounding, and she confirmed.
"Hello, Ma'am! This is Joey from traffic operations. Is this the wife of Mr. Tristan Alvarez?" he asked.
Her heart was pounding, and she confirmed.
"Yes sir? How may I help you?"
"Don't feel bad about this news, ma'am. We just saw your husband's phone open, so I called to inform you that he had an accident."
She was quite a few moments away. Her tears started shredding, her nerves shaking, and she asked him,
"Where is he now, sir?"
Joey provided the accurate address. They never informed Trina about the devastating truth. All she knew was that her husband was being rescued by the nearest rescue team as he lost his balance, resulting in an accident. She immediately went off to the place provided and left her class. She prayed her husband was still alive and not in serious condition.
The news of the motorcycle and truck accident spread fast, especially on social media. However, Trina didn't notice it as her battery was running low, so she preferred not to browse the internet, which prevented her from being updated on social media.
As Trina reached the place provided, her eyes widened, after knowing the place provided was a funeral home. She walked slowly toward the coffin, covering her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes welled up, and she burst out into tears when she saw her husband's disfigured face.
Tristan was run over by the truck's tire, resulting in his immediate death.
Trina spread her arms and wrapped Tristan's coffin while her head leaned on its glass. She screamed and said,
"Daddy, tell me this is just a nightmare. This is not real. We're supposed to celebrate your birthday. We're still preparing your surprise for tonight, Daddy.
Wake up, please...
We're supposed to have the gender reveal along with your birthday today.
Dad? Daddy?"
Trina's tears shredded heavily as she couldn't accept the fact. Her plan to reveal their child's gender as a surprise for her husband's birthday has been snatched away in a second. She blamed herself. If she just told him earlier about her plan, maybe he was still alive, and they both prepared for it.
In a devastating accident and heart-wrenching twist, Trina was the one who seemed to be surprised by her husband's loss instead of surprising him on his birthday.
