Nobela ni ApoNiPopoy

Carla’s POVMahigit isang linggo na ang nakakalipas magsimula ng tumira na kami ng anak ko sa pamamahay ni Gino. Sa loob ng isang linggo, marami na ang nangyari ngunit hindi pa rin nagsi-sink in sa aking utak ang mga ito. Nakalipat na ng school si Kyle, sa school ng kaniyang pinsan na sina Karl at Karel. Alam na rin nina Greg na dito na kami tumutuloy ng anak ko. At mamayang gabi ay pupunta kami sa bahay ng mga magulang ko para sabihin sa kanila ang mga nangyayari. Ilang araw na rin kasi ang pag-aalala nila sa amin. Napag-usapan namin ni Gino na mauuna ko munang sabihin sa magulang ko ang namamagitan sa amin bago kami pumunta sa angkan niya. Nagulat ako ng biglang may yumakap sa aking likuran. “What are you doing?” bulong ni Gino.“Just designing some dresses,” sagot ko.Nasa veranda ako ngayon at busy na nakaharap sa aking ipad ng biglang sumulpot itong si Gino. "I can't wait until later."Bakit naman?” tanong ko habang gumuguhit pa rin ako sa ipad.“Because I can face your parents

Gino’s POVNag-aya ang anak ko para manuod kami ng movie kaya naman kaagad ko itong pinagbigyan. Everything for my son. Nagpunta na kami sa entertainment room ni Kyle, si Carla naman ay nagpunta sa kusina para maghanda ng aming makakain habang nanonood. Parang ang sarap naman sa pakiramdaman ang ganitong pangyayari, nagba-bonding kami ng anak ko tapos naghahanda naman ng pagkain ang mommy niya. “Daddy can we watch this one?” tanong ng anak ko sabay lahad sa dvd na hawak niya.Napakunot ang noo ko dahil ito ang favorite movie magsimula bata ako. “Of course we can watch that.” Kinuha ko kay Kyle ang dvd at nilagay na sa dvd player. “You know what Kyle, this is my favorite movie,” wika ko.“Really Daddy? I also want this movie,” nakangiting sagot ni Kyle.Pasimula na ang movie ng saktong dumating si Carla, may dala-dala itong bowl ng popcorn at tatlong juice drinks.Napapatalon ang puso ko sa saya, ito ang pangarap ko noon pa man. Ang magkaroon ng isang masayang pamilya.“Mommy sits b

Gino’s POVNakalabas na kami ng hospital at sa bahay ko dineretso si Kyle, pero kasama ko pa rin si Carla, sumama rin si Greg at Bea.Hindi ko na pinakinggan pa kung ano ang sasabihin ni Carla. Mas uunahin ko muna ang kapakanan ng aking anak.“Mommy, who’s house is this?” tanong ni Kyle kay Carla.Lumuhod ako sa harapan ni Kyle. “This is our house baby,” sagot ko.Sina Greg at Bea ay busy sa paghahakot ng mga gamit. Hindi naman karamihan ang dinalang gamit ni Carla para kay Kyle. Siguro ay iniisip pa rin nito na ibabalik ko pa ang anak niya.“Really? Does this mean that Mommy and I will live here?”“We will talk about that later. Pasok muna tayo sa loob,” ani ko.Nang papasok na kami sa loob, nakasalubong namin sina Greg.“Kuya, alis na kami, biglang tumawag si mama at may inuutos sa amin,” wika nito.“Ah ganoon ba, sige maraming salamat sa pagtulong,” sagot ko.“Wala po iyon kuya, masaya po kami na makatulong lalo na sa gwapong batang ito,” sambit ni Bea at hinaplos pa niya ang buhok

Carla’s POVNarito ako ngayon sa harapan ng malaking building kung saan naroroon ang kumpanya nila Gino. Pa-urong sulong pa ako sa pagpasok, dahil hindi ko talaga alam kung kakayanin ko bang sabihin kay Gino ang ganitong bagay. Hindi ko kasi akalain na sa ganitong paraan pa niya malalaman na may anak kaming dalawa. Nang mapag-isipan ko na hindi na lang ako tutuloy, dahil baka isipan niya ay gumagawa lang ako ng gulo. Pabalik na sana ako sa aking sasakyan ng biglang may tumawag sa pangalan ko.“Ate Carla.”Hindi na sana ako lilingon dahil alam kong si Greg ang tumawag sa akin. Ngunit hindi ko namalayan na nasa tabi ko na siya.“Oh Greg ikaw pala ‘yan,” maang-maangan kong wika.“Ano ang ginagawa mo rito ate? May kailangan ka ba kay kuya?” tanong nito.“A-ahm a-ano kasi, oo sana. Gusto ko sana siyang makausap,” sagot ko.Nandito na rin naman ako, lalakasan ko na ang loob ko para makausap si Gino.“Let’s go inside. Hindi naman siguro busy si kuya today,” ani Greg.Sumunod ako kay Greg sa

Greg’s POVNarito akong muli sa hospital kung saan naka-confine ang anak ni ate Carla. “Ano na naman ang ginagawa mo rito?” salubong sa akin ni doc Perez- ang doctor ng anak ni ate Carla.Binigyan ko siya ng isang nakakalokong ngiti. “Hindi na ba ako p’wedeng bumisita sa iyo?” wika ko habang naglalakad papalapit sa lamesa niya.“Alam ko na ang mga ngiting ganyan Greg, hindi mo na ako madadaan sa paganyan-ganyan mo,” masungit na sagot nito.“Ang sungit mo naman. Hindi ka na naman ba naka-score sa syota mo,” biro ko.Bigla na lang may lumipad na ballpen sa harapan ko. At kitang-kita ko sa mukha ng kaibigan ko ang galit na kaniyang nararamdaman.“Hoy Mr. Perez nagbibiro lang ako,” ani ko. “Para namang hindi ka pa sanay sa akin.”“Ano ba kasi ang ginagawa mo rito?” masungit pa rin nitong wika. “Kung manggugulo ka lang ulit, pwede ba ‘wag ngayon Greg, marami akong ginagawa.”Nagmasid-masid ako sa office nitong kaibigan ko. “May extra ka bang uniform dito?” tanong ko.“Extrang uniform? At

Carla’s POVNaglalakad ako sa hallway ng hospital para sana hanapin ang office ng doctor na tumingin sa anak ko. Abala ako sa pagbabasa ng mga pangalan ng mga doctor sa bawat pinto na nadadaanan ko, at nagulat ako ng biglang bumukas ang pinto habang binabasa ko ang nakasulat na pangalan sa pintuan ang niluwa nito si Greg. Napakunot ang noo ko at nagtataka dahil ano naman ang gagawin ni Greg dito sa hospital eh may special event sila ngayon.“Greg? What are you doing here?” tanong ko.Hindi ako matignan ni Greg ng harapan, pinabaling-baling nito ang kaniyang mukha na parang iniwas nito sa akin.“Oh hi ate Carla, ikaw pala iyan. What are you doing here?” pabalik nitong tanong.May hinahanap lang ako. Ikaw anong ginagawa mo rito?”“Ah may binisita lang ako na kaibigan. Sige ate mauna na ako ha,” sagot nito at mabilis na akong tinalikuran.Sinundan ko ng tingin si Greg habang naglalakad ito palabas ng hospital. Nagtataka man ay binalewala ko muna ito, mas mahalaga sa akin ngayon ang kalag

Isabelle’s POV I had trouble sleeping for nearly two days because of Jericko's wink the other night. And since I woke up around noon again, I decided not to go to work today. I texted my boss to let him know I'll be working from home. I'm currently enjoying brunch and will begin working later. I'm not sure why what Jericko did keeps running through my head. My cell phone rang as I was daydreaming. I answer the phone and see that Jena is the caller. I took her call and said, "Good morning." "Isabelle, what is good in the morning?" she answered. "Why don't you report to work?” “I'm sorry Jena, but recently I've been experiencing trouble sleeping. I woke up at noon.” "What kept you from sleeping, exactly?" she inquired. I took a brief break since I couldn't tell Jena that Jericko was the reason. “Are you still there, Isabelle? Why are you unable to respond to my question? Don’t tell me that the guy in the bar is the reason again!” “Huh? Jena, I'll call you again later. I said, "

Jericko’s POVWe are here right now at Clyde’s family farm. His parents welcomed us warmly, it's been a long time since we visited here and we just came back now.“Jericko, how are you? It’s been a long time since I saw you,” Clyde’s mom said when she spotted me in their living room.“Hi auntie Liza, I’m good. How about you? You seem prettier today,” I remarked with a smile and then I hugged her.She smiled and continued. "You are the one who has changed a lot, Jericko, so please don't crack a joke.”“They are complete now, It's good that you go for a visit here Jericko,” Clyde’s father said.“"I'm sorry, uncle, if I only paid you a visit today; I've been really busy with the company.""It's alright, Jericko; you don't have to apologize. We are aware that city life is considerably different from farm life," stated uncle Ruddie.We used to love coming here since Clyde's parents are so sweet and treat us like legitimate children."Clyde tour your friends on the ranch, the horses are rea

Isabelle’s POVWhen I arrived at the club, I waited for Jena for a while. I want to get drunk myself tonight. I can’t forget the words that dad said. It’s like he stabbed me in my back. I think he is not aware of the words that are coming out of his mouth, all he wants is to control our lives. But as I said earlier, I will never imitate my siblings. I’m the one who will choose whom I will marry. I lit the only cigarette in my car as I waited for Jena. I only smoke when I'm under stress. After a few puffs of cigarettes, Jena came."Isabelle, why are you smoking again? "She questioned."My father is making me anxious and angry.” I responded by saying with a tear in my eye, "I feel like he never treats me as his daughter.”From my side, Jena hugged me. “Isabelle, don't worry; I'm here to help you with your problem. You can count on me at any time, so don't worry.”"Jena, I thank you for constantly being at my side. Maybe I would have lost my mind if you and Jayson hadn't been by my side

Jericko’s POVI'm currently enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee at the hotel café. My friends haven’t shown up yet; perhaps they drank too much last night and are still asleep. Because when I joined Gino and Clyde on the dance floor last night, I just said goodbye to them and went back to the hotel.It's a good thing my coffee cup wasn't totally full because it might have spilled on me while I was in the middle of sipping it when someone unexpectedly pushed me in the back.Charlie snorted, "Hey Jericko, where did you go last night, huh? Why did you just disappear like a bubble?"If my friend Charlie snorted, you'd think his fiancée had abandoned him in the pouring rain."What's missing? You are the ones who suddenly disappeared from our place," I responded angrily.He sat next to me and drank some of my coffee as well.I grabbed the coffee cup and exclaimed, "Hey, that's my coffee. Why don't you make an order for you?”“Really, what happened last night?” he asked.I turned to glance aro

Isabelle’s POVI awoke in the morning with a severe headache that felt like there were numerous hollow blocks in my head. I'm unsure of how I'll feel because, despite what I constantly promise myself to never drink again, my body craves drinking.I got ready right away because I still have stuff to do. The start of my office work is at 8 a.m., but it's already 7 a.m.When I got to the office, Jayson and Jena were already there. As I sit in my cubicle, they are giving me a weird look.“Why do you look at me like that?” I asked them.Jayson came into my cubicle and said. “Who is the handsome guy that you were talking to last night?”“Handsome guy? What are you talking about?” I denied it, saying, "I can't remember chatting to a handsome person last night.Jayson sat next to me and said, "Don't deny it Isabelle, Jena and I could clearly see that you were chatting to a lovely man last night.” Although I was too wasted last night, I couldn't help but think of Jericko's lovely face. His

Isabelle’s POVI’m Maria Isabelle del Frado, an interior designer and a daughter of a politician. I love going to a place where it is smoky, noisy and a lot of people are dancing. . I get happy when I'm in places like this, this is where I come out who I really am. I can do everything I want to do. I left home when I started working because I prefer to be alone than with my parents who did nothing but force me to marry a politician's child too. My father is a Governor here in La Union that’s why our surname is well-known, and he also supports the practice of arranged marriage, and leaving our house was the only way to escape his tradition.Here we are today with my friends at Party City NightClub, one of the famous clubs here in La Union. It's a little early so there are still a few people. We just sat on the sofa while drinking, later when the number of people increased, we would join the dancers, for now we will drink first."Isabelle, how many are your targets tonight?" my friend