Muntik na 'kong masamid dahil sa sinabi niya. They doesn't know about what happened to us, wala rin akong balak sabihin sa kahit na kanino. As much as possible, I want to keep our problems. Baka kasi mas lalo lang lumaki kapag pinagsabi namin sa iba, mas maraming nakakaalam, mas magulo.
Lumipas ang mga araw, pinayagan nang umuwi si Papa dahil maayos na ang lagay nito ngunit hindi muna siya pwedeng pumasok sa trabaho dahil kailangan niya pang magpahinga ng ilang araw. Isaiah is always sending me a message, tuloy tuloy pa rin siya sa pagpapaalala sa'kin sa mga dapat kong gawin araw-araw. Minsan nga nakakalimutan ko nang kumain pero dahil sa message niya, bigla kong naaalala. Tinupad niya naman yung pakiusap ko na huwag muna siyang magpakita sa'kin at sa ilang araw na 'yon, nakapag-isip isip na 'ko.
I already booked a ticket, bukas ng gabi na ang flight namin papunta sa New York, sabay kami ni Rio at tinanggap ko na rin ang offer niyang doon mangupahan sa isang condo unit niya. Pahirapan din kasing kumuha ng unit o apartment doon, ang mahal pa, yung kay Rio naman ang mura lang. Ni ready ko na rin ang sarili ko dahil araw araw kaming magsasama ni Almario, mahaba habang pasensya ang kakailanganin ko panigurado.
Isaiah, I never told him anything about my plans yet. Balak ko sanang huwag na sabihin sakaniya pero ayoko namang maglihim. I'm still mad at him for hiding the truth but I already forgive him. My love for him is just too overflowing than my madness, I can't stay mad at him.
"Sigurado ka bang ayaw mo magpahatid, Treia?" tanong ni Papa.
We are eating dinner together, last dinner na magkakasama kami. Nagpasya kaming dito nalang sa bahay maghapunan, gusto pa nga nila na sa restaurant kami kaso ayoko.
"Sigurado po ako, Pa.." desidido kong sabi.
Ayokong magpahatid sakanila dahil baka umatras ako bigla, baka magdalawang isip ako at mag stay nalang dito. Ayoko silang iwan pero kung ito ang paraan para mag grow ako at maabot ko ang mga pangarap ko, I'll gladly leave them behind.
Natapos ang dinner na puro paalala sila sa'kin, panay ang bilin na huwag ko daw pabayaan ang sarili ko. May pa-despidida party din ang mga kaibigan ko ngayon at doon na 'ko magpapalipas ng gabi sa penthouse ni Adel. Tomorrow night pa naman ang flight ko at balak ko rin kausapin si Isaiah bukas.
Nasa kwarto ako ngayon, inaayos ang mga dadalhin ko. Nakaayos naman na siya pero kailangan ko pa rin i-double check. Isasara ko na ang luggage nang pumasok bigla si Mama sa kwarto, may hawak siyang lumang model ng camera at photo album. Lumapit ito sa'kin at naupo sa gilid ng kama ko.
"This is your father's camera, ito yung ginagamit niya tuwing fini-film niya yung mga ginagawa niyo, simula noong pinanganak ka, bininyagan ka, lahat nandyan. Even your last moment together, nandyan 'yon, anak.." sambit ni Mama.
Kinuha ko mula sakaniya ang camera, gusto ko sanang panoorin ang mga video na 'yon kaso ayokong mas maging madrama ang gabing ito kaya nagpasya akong sa New York na panoorin. Inabot niya naman sa'kin ang photo album at tiningnan namin pareho isa-isa ang mga litrato. Sa unahan ng album, nakalagay ang pangalan ko.
"Gusto niya na magkatunog ang pangalan ng mga magiging anak namin kaya sinunod niya ang pangalan mo sa pangalan ni Chandria. Ang Daddy mo ang nakaisip ng Sage samantalang ang Mommy mo naman ang nakaisip ng Chantreia," kwento niya.
Ang unang litrato ay yung ultrasound at pregnancy test ng Mommy, sa baba no'n ay picture ni Mommy habang nagpapa ultra sound siya, she looks very happy. Sa pinakahuling picture sa page na 'yon ay litrato ni Daddy na hinahalikan ang tiyan ni Mommy. May note sa gilid no'n, 'Can't wait for you to see the world, our princess'. Sunod ay ang mga process na kung paano ako ipinagbuntis ni Mommy hanggang sa ipinanganak na 'ko, duguan pa 'ko at karga ako ng Mommy ko. Nakatingin siya sa'kin habang nakangiti at may luha sa mata. May note sa gilid no'n, 'All the pain was worth it. Welcome to the world, our beautiful daughter. We love you more than ourselves.' Sa baba naman no'nang picture namin ng Daddy ko, malinis na 'ko at nakabihis na 'ko doon. Daddy is carrying me, nakahalik siya sa noo ko at bakas sa mukha nito ang tuwa. May note din sa gilid no'n, 'See that old man, he is your father. I am your father and I'll do everything to make you and your Mommy be the happiest.'
Isinara ko na ang album at nagpasyang sa New York nalang tingnan ang lahat. Kailangan ko nang pumunta sa penthouse ni Adel at magpaalam sa family ko, ngayon na yung huling araw na makikita ko sila.
"I will not go back here until I prove something. When I get home, I promise, you'll be proud of me," huli kong sinabi sakanila bago ako umalis para magtungo na sa penthouse ni Adel dala ang mga gamit ko.
I expected balloons and party popper but the opposite of it is what I encountered the moment I entered Adel's penthouse. Ang gloomy ng atmosphere, lahat pa sila nakaitim. Ano ako, patay? Tahimik lang silang nakaupo sa may couch, mabuti nagkasya sila doon. Ako naman ay naupo sa tapat nila at kulang nalang ay matawa ako sa mga mukha nito.
"Despidida party should be a happy party, bakit ganyan ang mga mukha niyo? Para naman akong mamamatay nyan. Paalala ko lang, ha? Film school ang pupuntahan ko, hindi military service!" I hissed.
Nakitaan ko ng pagkairita ang mga mukha nila kaya hindi ko na napigilan ang matawa dahil sa reaction nila. Hindi ko alam kung kaninong idea na mag itim silang lahat, noong una akala ko umaarte lang sila pero mukhang totoong nalulungkot sila ngayon. Oh God, nagpunta ako rito kasi akala ko may party, nagpunta ako para makatakas sa drama ng pamilya ko tapos mas madrama pa pala ang madadatnan ko?
"Joke 'yon, beh?" Grace sarcastically said, she even rolled her eyes at me.Natawa lalo ako sa reaction nila. Tumayo pa si Grace at nag walk out, sa kitchen yata pumunta. Wait, is she serious?"Sa tingin mo matutuwa kami knowing na aalis ka?" si Iris. Mukhang seryoso ito at galit na nakatingin sa'kin.Natahimik ako dahil doon. Kakaibang despidida party yata ang napuntahan ko. Magsasalita na sana ako nang maunahan ako ni Mads."Aalis siya? Saan ka pupunta?" inosenteng tanong nito.Napa-face palm ako, binatukan naman siya ni Kendall at si Grasya na nag-walk out ay tumawa ng malakas, rinig na rinig siya sa buong penthouse.
Isaiah’s Point of View"Hoy Treia, come here!" Chandria said, referring to the girl who went inside their house.Chandria is one of my brother's friend and we are here in their house. Isagani bring me with him because I will be left alone in our house, it's fine being alone though, I can call Mateo and play basketball with him but my mother insisted and told me to join my brother.My brother has a lot of circle of friends and I can say that this circle is the most special for him. I've known them for years because they usually hang out in our house.The girl who was about to go upstairs suddenly stopped walking and faced us. She looks tired, her hair is in a messy bun and her face is covered with sweat. She's holding a bunch of paper on her hand whil
Isaiah’s Point of ViewDays went slowly, ganoon yata talaga kapag may inaabangan kang araw, mas bumabagal ang oras. We are here at the plaza waiting for the event to start. I chose the seat near the stage para makita ko siya nang malapitan, I want to see her performing. The other reason is I want her to see me watching and supporting her."Uy, pre! Ayan na yung crush mo, yung crush mo pre! Whoa, go crush ni Nikolai!" sigaw ni Mateo. Sana pala hindi ko na sinama ang ungas na 'to.God knows how many times I cursed Mateo in my mind. Mabuti nalang at maingay ang crowd, natatabunan ang sigaw niya. I'm watching my girl intently as she performed, she act, dance and sang and I can't help but to be proud of her. Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang beses kong isinigaw ang pangalan niya o kung ilang beses akong napapalaklak. I feel l
Isaiah’s Point of View"Dude, yung crush mo ‘yon ‘di ba?" bulong ni Mateo.I glance at the group of girls coming our way, they sit on the couch near us. One of them caught my attention, it's her again, the only woman that caught my attention. I didn't respond to Mateo, nanatili akong nakaupo roon habang pasimpleng nakatanaw sakaniya. But damn, hindi nakakatulong ang ingay ni Paul at Davis."Sino bang type mo dyan, bro?" Paul asked, he's not yet wasted, they are in their usual self, mahilig mangolekta ng babae.I shoot dagger-like stares at them but it seems like they didn't even care. I don't know why we ended up being friends, si Mateo ang pinakamalapit sa’kin at nakilala ko lang si Paul at Davis nitong college na. Nakakasundo ko sila sa ibang bagay pero pagdating sa trip n
Isaiah’s Point of View "I break hearts..” I thought she's just kidding when she said that, never thought it was real. We became close as weeks passed by. It started when I lend her my clothes, I intentionally forget to took it from her so that I could get the chance to be with her again. As days passes by, she became comfortable with me. I worked really hard to gain her trust, it's not that easy but I manage to do it. All my life, I'm so used to be called Nikolai or Niko but here's Treia, she chose to call me Isaiah instead. I really hated that name before but hearing her calling me that way, God knows how much I thank my parents for giving me such name. It is like a music to my ears and everytime she's calling me that way, I felt alive. She's the only one who have the privilege to call me that. "It's not easy son but we have connections so leave it to me, I'll sue everyone who harmed your girl!” Dad said, full of authority. He called someone from his team to do me a favor, my f
DISCLAIMER:This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.-"How does it feel?" he asked out of nowhere while staring at the view, without facing the girl who gave him both pain and love. The girl suddenly stare at him, she didn't know what to say. A thought formed into her mind but she manage to keep quiet while staring at the beautiful scenery that once lead her to tragedy."How does it feel when you hurt someone you claimed you love," he added, you can feel the pain by the w
"MAGPAPAHANDA na ba 'ko ng red carpet para sa pag-uwi mo?" malokong sambit nito mula sa kabilang linya. Napairap ako dahil sa sinabi niya, someone's calling me from behind but I didn't dare face whoever that person is. It is still my break time, did they forgot it? "Fuck you, Rio!" tugon ko rito. I heard him chuckled on the other line, kahit kailan talaga, nakakairita pa rin ang tawa niya. "Madame Sage, the boss is waiting for you," wika ng isang babaeng hindi ko matandaan ang pangalan. It's been five years since I went here and I've been working for thi
"Fuck you, Almario! What's this, huh?" singhal ko rito. Hinampas ko siya sa braso, wala akong pake kung masaktan siya. Mukhang hindi niya naman iniinda yon kaya mas nilakasan ko pa. This jerk planned this. "Chill, Treia.. they just want to surprise you!" aniya, natatawa pa. Medyo kumalma na 'ko at inayos ang sarili. Nagdadalawang isip pa rin kung tutuloy ba o hindi. "Wala siya, I assure you. I even told your sister not to invite or tell him kaya sigurado akong wala siya d'yan," aniya. Tila pinapagaan ang loob ko.i Kalaunan ay lumabas na rin ako at nag-lakad na papasok sa bahay nila Ate Dria at Kuy
Isaiah’s Point of View "I break hearts..” I thought she's just kidding when she said that, never thought it was real. We became close as weeks passed by. It started when I lend her my clothes, I intentionally forget to took it from her so that I could get the chance to be with her again. As days passes by, she became comfortable with me. I worked really hard to gain her trust, it's not that easy but I manage to do it. All my life, I'm so used to be called Nikolai or Niko but here's Treia, she chose to call me Isaiah instead. I really hated that name before but hearing her calling me that way, God knows how much I thank my parents for giving me such name. It is like a music to my ears and everytime she's calling me that way, I felt alive. She's the only one who have the privilege to call me that. "It's not easy son but we have connections so leave it to me, I'll sue everyone who harmed your girl!” Dad said, full of authority. He called someone from his team to do me a favor, my f
Isaiah’s Point of View"Dude, yung crush mo ‘yon ‘di ba?" bulong ni Mateo.I glance at the group of girls coming our way, they sit on the couch near us. One of them caught my attention, it's her again, the only woman that caught my attention. I didn't respond to Mateo, nanatili akong nakaupo roon habang pasimpleng nakatanaw sakaniya. But damn, hindi nakakatulong ang ingay ni Paul at Davis."Sino bang type mo dyan, bro?" Paul asked, he's not yet wasted, they are in their usual self, mahilig mangolekta ng babae.I shoot dagger-like stares at them but it seems like they didn't even care. I don't know why we ended up being friends, si Mateo ang pinakamalapit sa’kin at nakilala ko lang si Paul at Davis nitong college na. Nakakasundo ko sila sa ibang bagay pero pagdating sa trip n
Isaiah’s Point of ViewDays went slowly, ganoon yata talaga kapag may inaabangan kang araw, mas bumabagal ang oras. We are here at the plaza waiting for the event to start. I chose the seat near the stage para makita ko siya nang malapitan, I want to see her performing. The other reason is I want her to see me watching and supporting her."Uy, pre! Ayan na yung crush mo, yung crush mo pre! Whoa, go crush ni Nikolai!" sigaw ni Mateo. Sana pala hindi ko na sinama ang ungas na 'to.God knows how many times I cursed Mateo in my mind. Mabuti nalang at maingay ang crowd, natatabunan ang sigaw niya. I'm watching my girl intently as she performed, she act, dance and sang and I can't help but to be proud of her. Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang beses kong isinigaw ang pangalan niya o kung ilang beses akong napapalaklak. I feel l
Isaiah’s Point of View"Hoy Treia, come here!" Chandria said, referring to the girl who went inside their house.Chandria is one of my brother's friend and we are here in their house. Isagani bring me with him because I will be left alone in our house, it's fine being alone though, I can call Mateo and play basketball with him but my mother insisted and told me to join my brother.My brother has a lot of circle of friends and I can say that this circle is the most special for him. I've known them for years because they usually hang out in our house.The girl who was about to go upstairs suddenly stopped walking and faced us. She looks tired, her hair is in a messy bun and her face is covered with sweat. She's holding a bunch of paper on her hand whil
"Joke 'yon, beh?" Grace sarcastically said, she even rolled her eyes at me.Natawa lalo ako sa reaction nila. Tumayo pa si Grace at nag walk out, sa kitchen yata pumunta. Wait, is she serious?"Sa tingin mo matutuwa kami knowing na aalis ka?" si Iris. Mukhang seryoso ito at galit na nakatingin sa'kin.Natahimik ako dahil doon. Kakaibang despidida party yata ang napuntahan ko. Magsasalita na sana ako nang maunahan ako ni Mads."Aalis siya? Saan ka pupunta?" inosenteng tanong nito.Napa-face palm ako, binatukan naman siya ni Kendall at si Grasya na nag-walk out ay tumawa ng malakas, rinig na rinig siya sa buong penthouse.
Muntik na 'kong masamid dahil sa sinabi niya. They doesn't know about what happened to us, wala rin akong balak sabihin sa kahit na kanino. As much as possible, I want to keep our problems. Baka kasi mas lalo lang lumaki kapag pinagsabi namin sa iba, mas maraming nakakaalam, mas magulo.Lumipas ang mga araw, pinayagan nang umuwi si Papa dahil maayos na ang lagay nito ngunit hindi muna siya pwedeng pumasok sa trabaho dahil kailangan niya pang magpahinga ng ilang araw. Isaiah is always sending me a message, tuloy tuloy pa rin siya sa pagpapaalala sa'kin sa mga dapat kong gawin araw-araw. Minsan nga nakakalimutan ko nang kumain pero dahil sa message niya, bigla kong naaalala. Tinupad niya naman yung pakiusap ko na huwag muna siyang magpakita sa'kin at sa ilang araw na 'yon, nakapag-isip isip na 'ko.I already booked a ticket, bukas ng gabi na ang flight namin papunta sa New York, sabay kami ni Ri
I couldn't contain it, I just want to cry and cry all day pero pinigilan ko dahil ayokong makita niyang umiiyak ako. Ayokong makita niyang mahina ako ngayon."You knew yet you didn't even told me? How dare you, Isaiah!" my voice thundered.Agad na napalitan ng pagkabahala ang itsura niya. Lumapit ito sa akin para pakalmahin ako pero bawat pagdampi ng kamay niya sa balat ko, siya namang pag-iwas ko. Panay ang paghampas ko rito, hindi ko na naisip kung nasasaktan ba siya kasi ako, sobrang nasasaktan ako!I told him everything, wala akong nilihim sakaniya. Alam niya kung gaano ko kagustong malaman ang dahilan kung bakit ayaw sa'kin ng pamilya ko, alam niya kung gaano ako katakot makagawa ng pagkakamali dahil baka tuluyan na nila akong hindi tanggapin. Alam niya rin kung gaano ako
Nagpasya akong umalis sa hospital noong araw na 'yon, I drive all the way to Isaiah. Sigurado akong nasa condo lang siya. He's sick, mag-isa lang siya roon kaya walang nag-aalaga sakaniya. I felt bad becase of it, I should be the one to take care of him, ni hindi niya sinabing may sakit pala siya. The hell, Treia, you're out of your fucking mind for the past days!Dumaan ako sa fastfood restaurant at pharmacy para bumili ng makakain at ng gamot. I have spare key kaya madali kong nabuksan ang room niya. I saw him on the couch nakahiga ito at hindi pa nagpalit ng damit, mukhang kagagaling lang sa trabaho. He looks tired and cold, nakayakap siya sa sarili niya at nanginginig pa.My baby's sick.Ibinaba ko ang mga binili ko at agad na nagtungo sakaniya. I held his cheeks, mainit ito. Bahagyang dumilat ang mata niya, kasunod no'n ang paghaplos niya sa kamay kong nakahawak sa pi
Kararating lang namin sa ospital, my father is in the ICU, fighting for his life. Sumabay nalang ako kay Isaiah patungo rito, hindi ko kasi alam kung kaya ko bang mag drive knowing that one of the important person in my life is in danger. Iniwan namin ang kotse ko roon, he promised to take care of that. Isaiah never leave my side, my mother is also here with us, nakaupo lang kami sa labas ng ICU habang hinihintay na matapos ang operasyon. Si Ate naman hinatid daw pauwi si bunso pauwi. No one told me what happened to Papa, parang iwas silang lahat sa'kin nang dumating ako, even my mother.Napatayo kami nang makarinig ng ingay, patungo sa'min si Tita at mukhang galit na galit. Huminto siya sa harap ko, akmang sasampalin na 'ko ngunit naiwan sa ere ang kamay niya at dinuro-duro nalang ako nang makita kung sinong nasa tabi ko."You.. this is all your fault!" her voice thundered.