CHAPTER 3: COMING HOME

“HMM…” Padaing na reklamo ni Ruby Rose nang masilaw sa liwanag mula sa labas. Pumasok iyon sa kanyang silid mula sa kanyang bintana na nasa uluhan niya. Someone opened her roller blind curtain and the sun was hitting her face.

Itinakip niya ang kumot sa kanyang mukha at nagtangkang bumalik sa pagtulog ngunit may humila ng kumot niya. Wala siyang magawa kundi magising dahil mataas na ang sikat ng araw sa labas na tumatama sa kanya.

She groaned like a wounded beast when she felt like her head was going split into two. It was the worst hangover she had ever experienced and last night was the first time she got wasted. Ni hindi niya maalala kung paano siya nakauwi sa kanyang apartment.

“Get up and drink this.”

Tinanggap niya ang binigay ng kanyang manager na pain reliever at baso ng tubig. Mabilis niya iyong ininom at isinandig ang likod sa pader habang nakaupo sa kanyang kama.

“My head is killing me.”

“You were so wasted last night; you couldn’t even stand up straight. If Carrie hadn’t called me, something bad could’ve happened to you. Why were you hanging out with those people? I told you that group was up to no good. The men in that room were drunk and high with drugs when I got there…”

Naipikit niya ang mga mata at napahilot sa kanyang sentido. Her manager’s continuous nagging was making her head ache even more. Hinayaan niya itong magsalita dahil alam niyang totoong naiinis ito sa ginawa niya.

When they finally stopped, Ruby Rose sighed in relief.

“Thank you for bringing me home,” she said sincerely and grab the coffee from the bedside table. “I did not take drugs last night, so you don’t have to worry. And I’m sorry.” She looked at her manager to show them her apologetic face. Napabuntung-hininga nalang ito habang nakahalukipkip at nakatingin sa kanya.

“Fix yourself, you look like a mess. Have a shower then go to the kitchen for brunch. You still have a flight few hours from now. You mother asked me to make sure you go will go home.”

Hinabol niya ito ng tingin nang tumalikod ito sa kanya upang lumabas ng kanyang kuwarto.

“I love you, Leonardo Colombo Brown,” she said with his full real name.

“Shut up!”

Ruby Rose chuckled with her manager’s response. Ayaw na ayaw nito na tinatawag sa totoong pangalan. Her manger was known as Leny Brown to everyone, Leny prepared the pronoun they or them. Leny was gay though they wer not the type who cross dress. They looked like a very manly man. Leny was tall, they also had a nice body and face even though they were almost forty years old.

Walking distance lang ang university kung saan siya nag-aaral dati kaya nilalakad lang niya iyon. She was near the gate of their school when Leny approached her. Tinanong siya nito kung gusto niyang maging model. Noong una ay inakala niyang nambubudol lang si Leny at may masamang balak sa kanya.

Leny explained that they were looking for potential models and they saw Ruby Rose, her body and face could pass as one. Biglang dumating ang boyfriend ni Leny na kakilala niya, naging classmate niya ito sa iilang subjects niya. Dahil doon ay nagkaroon ng credibility ang sinasabi ni Leny. Nalaman niyang hindi iyon ang unang beses na nakita siya ni Leny dahil sa tuwing sinusundo nito ang boyfriend ay nakikita siya nito na papasok naman sa university.

Ruby Rose thought about the offer for many weeks. It was her bestfriend who told her that why don’t she try it. Kung hindi niya gusto ang trabaho ay puwede naman siyang tumigil. She contacted Leny from the business card they gave her. Hindi katagalan ay nagdebut siya bilang isang modelo. Her first gig was ramp modeling for a fashion show of a cloth designer. In the last minute, the fashion show organizer needed a replacement because one of the models couldn’t make it because of an accident.     

Dinala siya ni Leny sa show na iyon para mag-observe, hindi iyon ang unang beses na ginawa nilang manood ng mga fashion shows. The organizer was Leny’s bestfriend, Leny also used to work under the fashion designer who was holding that event, and when Leny suggested that they could use Ruby Rose as a replacement, they agreed to it. She had her trainings and her mentors approved of her.

Naalala niyang takot na takot siya noon, kinakabahan siyang baka madapa siya sa runway. But she did not trip, she walked the runaway strongly and gracefully. Not long after, someone contacted Leny asking if she was available to be a runway model again. Doon nagsimula ang pagiging modelo niya, hanggang sa naging promotional model siya, then she ventured into fashion and print modeling.

She had a long way to go compare to other big names in the modeling industry. Pero kahit na papaano ay nakabuo siya ng pangalan para sa kanyang sarili. Marami-rami naring mga tao ang nakakakita at nakakakilala sa kanya sa mga print ads at mga fashion gigs niya.

Inubos ni Ruby Rose ang kanyang kape bago pumasok sa loob ng kanyang banyo. Napangiwi siya nang makita ang sarili sa salamin. The word messy was an understatement to describe herself right now. She had dark circles under her eyes, her face was puffy and her hair was like a bird’s nest.

UMUPO SIYA SA harapan ng kanyang vanity table paglabas niya ng banyo, she felt refreshed after taking a shower. Nakita niya ang kanyang purse na nakapatong sa ibabaw ng vanity kaya agad niya iyong binuksan upang kuhanin ang kanyang cellphone. She needed to text Carrie and thanked her for calling Leny last night to fetch her from the bar.

Inaya siya ni Carrie sa bar na iyon. Carrie was also a model like her who she could consider her close friend in that industry. Ruby Rose accepted the invitation because she already went out with her to party almost two weeks ago. Maayos ang grupong nakasama nila noon kaya nag-expect siya na ang mga ito parin ang makakasama nila sa pagkakataong iyon. They went to a bar last night and entered a private room. Agad niyang nakilala ang grupong nasa loob, most of them were from the same agency. That agency didn’t have a good reputation because of their talents. Ang daming mga bulong-bulongan tungkol sa agency na iyon.

She gave the people inside that room the benefit of the doubt and accepted a drink from them. She would go back in her home country the next day, and she had a lot of worries, there were different kind of emotions inside her that she didn’t know how to deal with. Maybe drinking would lessen the tension she was feeling ever since she learned that Russel was getting married.

The people she was drinking with were fun at first, but then, someone entered the room, bringing drugs with him. They were distributing the drugs to everyone. Tumanggi siya ng bigyan siya, but they insisted, they were looking at her and cheering for her to take it. Ayaw niyang maging center of attention at kumakabog ang dibdib niya sa kaba kaya tinanggap niya ang drugs na nakalagay sa maliit na plastic ziplock. The powder inside was very fine and white.

Nakita ni Ruby Rose ang paketa sa loob ng kanyang bag kasama ng kanyang cellphone at wallet. She was planning to dispose it in the restroom, flashing it in the toilet, but she forgot to do it last night because she was wasted. The drug was concentrated to alleviate the sexual desire of a person, the effect will be painful to the user if they failed to release the sexual tension in their bodies and satisfy their sexual craving. That was those people told her.

Ruby Rose went inside the bathroom and flushed the drugs in the toilet.

“What’s taking you so long? Brunch is ready,” she heard Leny said outside her room.

“Okay…” Lumabas siya ng kanyang silid at pumasok sa kusina. Kumalam ang kanyang sikmura nang makita ang hinanda nito. She was really lucky to have a manager and friend like Leny.

“Did you finished packing?” they asked while they were eating.

“No, but I am almost done with it.”

“Just make sure that you’re ready before four pm.”

IT WAS FIVE MINUTES BEFORE FOUR in the afternoon when Leny fetch her in her apartment. Umuwi ito kanina pagkatapos nilang kumain ng brunch. Leny will drive her to the airport, her flight was five thirty in the afternoon.

She thanked Leny when they arrived at the airport.

“Have a safe trip, Love. Call me when you arrive home. See you in a month.”

Ruby Rose embraced Leny tightly and kissed their cheek. She would miss them, she wished they could come with her.

Not long after, she found herself boarding the plane for her flight. When she finally got settled on her designated seat, reality hits her again. She was reminded of the reason why she was on that plane heading to the Philippines.

Gusto niyang bumulalas ng iyak habang nakatingin sa labas ng bintana. Matinding pagpipigil ang ginawa niya upang hindi iyon gawin dahil nahihiya siya sa kanyang katabing pasahero.

She closed her eyes when the plane took off and leaned on her seat. She reminisced her life before she decided to go to Brooklyn. It happened after a month when she foolishly tried to offer herself to Russel and got rejected. Takot na takot siya noon pero wala itong sinabihan tungkol sa nangyari. Dalawang linggo pagkatapos ng insidenteng iyon ay lumipat ng bahay si Russel. He bought a bachelor’s pad and started to live on his own. Alam niyang dahil sa ginawa niya kaya lumipat si Russel dahil hindi nito iyon ginawa noon sa halos dalawang taon nito na naninirahan sa bahay nila. Russel’s adoptive family were from Denver, he only went to the Philippines to train under the famous businessman Malcolm Klinton Peters, Ruby Rose’s father, who owned MK Holdings.

Ruby Rose could not forget the humiliation she felt that night, she was also heartbroken. She could not bear it and talked to her parents if she could live with Rebecca. Rebecca was her father’s aunt who was a widow. The old woman was lonely since her husband died and asked Ruby Rose to live with her in Brooklyn.  

Napapayag ni Ruby Rose ang mga magulang, tuwang-tuwa si Rebecca dahil may makakasama na ito. She lived with Rebecca for five years before she passed away silently, in her sleep at age seventy-two. Gusto na marahil nitong makita ang asawa. Palagi nitong sinasabi sa kanya kung ganoo nito kamahal si Phil, ang asawa nito.

After Rebecca died, hindi siya bumalik sa Pilipinas, lumipat siya ng apartment at nanirahang mag-isa. And then she met Leny. Nakasanayan na niya ang buhay roon at nanghihinayang siya na lumipat ng school. Hindi madaling makapasok sa university na pinapasukan niya sa Brooklyn. Naalala niya ang mga gabing wala siyang tulog upang mag-aral para sa kanyang entrance exam. She was so happy when she passed the exam, though her score was a hair’s breadth to failing.

How she missed Rebecca so much. She was one of those few people who knew about her feelings for Russel.

In more or less sixteen hours, she would see Russel again. He didn’t even have an idea how many times she cried when she learned that he was getting married three weeks ago when Katie visited her to personally announce the news. A day after the visit, Ruby Rose’s mother called her, she told her to clear her schedule and go back home for Russel’s wedding.

Bumibigat ang kanyang dibdib habang nag-iisip kaya itinulog niya ang halos buong biyahe. She felt well rested when they finally landed at their destination. It was ten in the morning when she gets off the plane.

Her mother texted her earlier that they were already at the airport. Sinabihan niya itong sa labas siya hintayin.

Nang makalabas ng airport ay agad niyang nakita ang kanyang Mommy Magenta. Kumabog ang kanyang dibdib nang makita ang mga kasama nito. Sandaling humina ang kanyang lakad, na hindi niya alam kung may nakapansin man, nang magtagpo ang kanilang mga mata ni Russel. Agad niyang inilayo ang mga mata sa binata dahil naninikip ang kanyang lalamunan habang nakatingin dito at gusto niyang maiyak. Hindi niya iyon napaghandaan, hindi niya ini-expect na kasama ito sa sasalubong sa kanya.

Inilipat niya ang mga mata sa isa pang kasama ng mommy niya, it was Joanna, her bestfriend since she was five.

“Welcome home, dear,” Magenta said, she was teary eyed.

“I miss you so much, Mom.” Mahigpit na niyakap ni Ruby Rose ang mommy niya. It lasted for a few minutes, hindi niya gusting lumingon sa katabi nito dahil natatakot siya. But she had to.

“Hi. How are you? I hear you’re getting married?” She mentally gave herself a round of applause because she managed to utter those words without breaking. She then kissed his cheek for pleasantries.

Agad siyang lumayo kay Russel at binalingan ang kanyang bestfriend. “You’re looking good, Joanna.”

“Y-You too,” ani ng kaibigan.

Hindi niya pinansin ang tila pagkailang nito.

Joanna stiffened when she embraced her. She was hesitant at first to return her hug. “Do not think that I forgot how you ghosted me for almost two months. I need your explanation later,” pabirong aniya patukoy sa hindi nito pagreply sa kanyang mga messages.

Doon na nagtaka si Ruby Rose nang mabilis itong lumayo sa kanya at naramdaman niya ang pagkailang nito pero hindi siya nagtanong. She would talk to her later.

Then they decided to go home. Habang patungo ng sasakyan ay naunang maglakad si Russel bitbit ang kanyang mga gamit, katabi nito si Joanna. Ruby Rose was talking to her mother asking her about her father and siblings when her eyes accidentally landed on her bestfriend’s hand. Kuminang ang gold ring na nakasuot sa daliri nito. She unconsciously searched for Russel’s fingers and she felt like she was struck by a lighting when she realized something.

Napapikit siya ng biglang tumulo ang luha mula sa kanyang mga mata. How could she forgot to ask about Russel’s bride?

“Are you okay?” nag-aalalang tanong ng kanyang mommy nang makitang umiiyak siya.

“I’m… I’m just so happy to go back home. I miss you so much, mom, I miss everyone…” she said while trying to stop herself from crying.

Hinagod-hagod ng kanyang mommy ang kanyang likod at inakay siya patungo sa sasakyan. “You silly kid.”

 She forced a smile and uttered. “What a good day to be home.”