Chapter Ten

Avyanna Elyse

It’s been a year since kinasal kami I Rigel, and still the Gonzales company ay naasikaso pain ni Xali, I think sobrang na bankrupt talaga ng company nila na kahit may tulong na ng dalawang company namin matagal paring makatayo.

Tommorow is finally my 17Th birthday and dalawang araw nalang wedding anniversary na namin ni Rigel but from the looks from it busy silang dalawa ni Fhreya, he new best friend since last year, the girl who we helped sa restaurant, noong may lalaking panay usap sa kanya.

Di ko alam na same year and school lang pala ni Rigel and always silang busy sa school and minsan sa company, she told me na instead of ako ang tu-tulong ni Rigel sa C&G company since im still a mino siya nalang ang tu-tulong kay Rigel, and I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Now I'm on the way to my classroom, habang nag babasa ng books, ng biglang may kumalabit sa aking likod at agad nakitang si Kit pala ito.

We’re both on the same class since sumunod ito, pumasok ako sa humms, I always wanted to be an criminals attorney, habang si Kit gustong maging judge, ewan dati gusto niyang maging engineer ngayon gusto niya na yon simula nang sinabi kong mag a-abogado ako, copycat lang.

“Dati tong babaeng to nag a-antay lang sa kit niya ng sagot, ngayon nag stu-study na? mega evolved!” sigaw nito habang niyug-yog  ang balikat ko.

“Will you shut up Kit? Nag ba-basa ako,” I said at tinaboy ang kamay niyang naka kalabit sa balikat ko.

“Bat ka ba nag ba-basa?” he said habang sunod sunod sakin.

“May quiz,” I replied at tumingin sa kanya na parang wala lang.

“Oh? Bat relax ka lang? di ka mag a-aral?” I said.

“Stock knowledge,” he replied.

“Edi wow,”  I replied and continued to read.

“Birthday mo na bukas, naks matanda na baby namin! Dati hi-hingi ka nang food sakin bulol pa,” he said while laughing.

“Bat panay ka pang bwi-bwisit Kit? Dati na yon, pinapaiya moko ah,” I said habang akmang da-dapiin it, ng bigla itong tumakbo.

**

After school ay agad nakong nag plan ng ga-gawin bukas, I want  to prepare everything by my own, syempre kasama parin si Rigel.

I made a list before getting to bed, dahil nag text si Rigel sakin na wag niya na akong antayin at kasama niya naman si Fhre ay nag okay na ako at natulog.

**

“Happy birthday to me!!” I shouted right at the spot pag gising ko.

I quickly stood up and was about to go to Rigel's oom to get a hug from him, every morning I always have a goodmorning kiss and hug, but wala siya.

“Eh? Bat wala siya?”  I said and closed the door sa room niya.

Baka  nag p-prepare na surprise sakin.

Dahil walang class ngayon I just lay on the couch and took my phone agad na tumaas ang kilay ko ng biglang may message request sakin. I quickly opened it baka nag greet ng happy birthday but iba ang sumalubong sakin.

“7 pictures, tamang tama 17th birthday mo diba? I want to show you something,” basa ko nit and immediately opened the pictures.

Napatayo ako ng makita ang mga pictures ni Rigel kasama si Fhre na nag ha-halikan.

Tears fell, I don’t know I cant stop it.

My legs suddenly lost its force at nabagsak ako sa semento, I hugged my own feet, and cried hard.

The person I truly loved and the person I gave my trust,  why?

Why is this so unfair? Simula ng una ako ang nasa tabi ni Rigel ah, ako ang nasa tabi niya noong umiyak siya noong na mi-miss niya mommy niya, kahit na mi-miss ko rin ang mommy ko ah, am I not enough? Why? Why?

**

I told myself na baka edited lag ito and tried to forget it by doing shopping at bumili ng things mamaya sa party ko.

I  dialed Rigel’s number and he  answered it.

“Hello, Avyanna,” he answered, I can feel the coldness from his voice, and the way he called me, noong bagong kasal kami AVYANNA ang tawag niya sakin but noong tumagal na AVY na but now, bumalik sa AVYANN

“Ahh, are you busy? I want to go shopping with you kasi,” I said not mentioning my birthday.

“Ahh, yeah, busy ako, nasa company ako ngayon,” he replied coldly .

“Oh? Is that so? Is ate Fhre with you?” I asked, while my tears are now flowing down.

“Oo, sige I need to go,”he said and drop the call.

Now im crying again, malas ng birthday ko.

Habang umiiyak ako, biglang tumunog ang cellphone ko ata agad sinagot ito.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVY! ARAT SHOPPING TAYO? ALAM KONG KATING KATI KA NA MAG SHOPPING!” he said in a high power of his voice.

I smiled, knowing Kit remembers it, kesa kay Rigel.

“Ahh, no, I can’t busy ngayon eh and I wanna chill muna for the party,” I lied.

“Eh? Sige na nga sige mamaya nako pupunta d’yan, sige babay Avy! Happy birthday.

**

Tulala akong nag lalakad sa highway, pauwi nako at kahit isang bagay ay wala akong nabili.

While nag a-antay ako ng taxi ay biglang isang van na tumigil sa’king harap at biglaang hinila ako papasok.

A group of men now surrounded on me, habang nakangisi.

“Who are you?” I said, kabado.

“Neng, ibigay mo lang ang gusto namin mabubuhay ka,” the man said while disgustingly looking at me.

“A-anong kailangan ninyo?” I said while tears falling.

“Yang katawan mo, Kaya mo naman sigurong yong sampo hindi ba?” the other man answered now unbuckling his belt.

Now I cried, pleasing them not to do this.

I prayed many times I’m my head na Sana may tumulong sa’kin while the man besides me shows me his private part poking with it.

“P-please,   d-don’t,” I said a thousand time but they laughed.

The man who’s infront of me touched my thighs, slowing moving up hanggang umabot Ito sa shorts ko and pulled it down.

I screamed and cried but they just laughed and slapped me at the face.

“Please, don’t,” I said again but it was to late, halos bukas na lahat ng damit ko.

“May check point!”  the man who drives said making everyone panick and every covered my mouth, habang may naka lagay na patalim sa gilid ko.

“Tumahimik ka kung ayaw mong mamatay,” he said while ang iba ay inaayos ang damit ko.

**

The man pulled over.

Opening the door of the van, and acted like pamilya nila ako.

“Sir! Kamusta!” the driver said, while the police looks at me.

“Kaano ano mo itong dalagita sir?” the police ask.

I quickly kicked the mans feet and let me go I immediately jumped and shouted that they’re about to rape me and ran besides the police, shaking.

**

The van ran but in the end the police caught them, while they calmed me down, from all the shaking and crying.

“Maam, mas mainam po kung tawagan ninyo ang pamilya ninyo,”the police said giving me a glass of water.

While my hands are shaking I held my phone and dialed Rigel’s number.

But he didn’t picked it up.

I tried a hundred times, dialing his number but he didn’t pick it up. Maski Isa.

I dialed Kit’s number, at wala pang isang ring ay sumagot na agad Ito.

“Oy! Birthday girl anong aten! Kumain na you? Ano ulam?” he said but agad itong natahimik nang marinig akong umiyak, inikayan ko siya.

“Kit, kunin mo’ko dito, please,”I said and made him cussed and panick a hundred times.

**

Agad namang bumyahe si Kit dito and pinasakay sa car niya.

“Sabi ko na nga ba, kung may gusto kang puntahan sinabihan mo sana ako,” he said trying to lower his voice, habang ako ay panay parin ang iyak.

**

“Sa bahay mo nalang tayo Kit,” I said still crying.

**

After naming dumating kila kit ay agad nalamang akong natulog sa higaan niya.

“Avy, Avy,”agad akong nagising ng marinig kong boses ni Kit.

“Avy, gumising ka, ilang oras nalang mag si-simula na party mo, hinahanap kana ng daddy mo,” he said habang tulala pa ako.

“Wag ka nang mag alala sa mga lalaking yon, nag babayad na sila ng kasalanan nila,” he said while patting my head.

“Wag mo na isipin yon oy! Tara balita ko pu-punta daw old crush mo, si Rigel?” my sadness and anger mixed up when I heard Rigel’s name.