Brodie.It's weird that she didn't come out after I finished everything. I did all her orders and requests. I covered the holes, fixed the fences, and planted the plants that she needed. It was my obligation anyway. It was written on the lease contract that anything that my animals damaged along her property is my obligation to cover.The electric fence alongside was set, too. I don't want my animals, whom she called 'polka dots', to wander around again in her yard. I felt terrible that my cows damaged most of her beautiful bush and flowers. And the only remedy I could think of is to replace them with new ones.The animals are good. The Angus beefy ones are pretty calm, except for the two male ones that I mixed together with the female dairy ones. And they're the ones that she named polka dots."This is very professional, Brodie. You will win again. I'm sure about that," Jarrod, my cousin, exclaimed while looking into my sculptor masterpiece.It has become my hobby at the moment. Asi
Carmella . "Shoo! Don't look at me, Polka one. Go away!" "And you, too, Polka two, three, four, five, lahat kayo! Shoo!" I dismissively moved my hand, and the bloody cows just looked at me like nothing! Ang hirap pala makipag-usap sa mga hayop. Hindi nila ako naiintindihan at ganoon din naman ako. Hindi ko rin sila naiintindihan ano! Kumunot ang noo ko habang malayo ang tingin ko sa unahan. Nasa likod ako ng bakuran, at sa pinakadulo na ito. The cows are probably five meters away from me. They can't get close because of the electric fence around. Hindi sila bobo, at alam nilang nakukuryente sila sa tuwing nadidikit ito sa balat nila. Masakit din ano! Konting kuryente rin ito. Mga 12volts siguro. Tanghaling tapat na, pero parang may mali sa mga hayop na ito. I know I'm weird, too. I can't deny that. I'm watering my garden at noon! Mataas ang araw at mainit. Pero may halaman na uhaw at nasa ilalim ng puno naman ang mga ito. I ran the hose around the yard. And when the cows hear
Carmella."I see. . . Hmmm, ang linis ng bahay niya!" I smiled as I looked around. I didn't touch anything, but I was impressed by how everything was tidy inside. It's the complete opposite of Brodie.Kung mukhang kapreng maligno si Brodie dahil sa buhok niya at balbas at pananamit, ay iba naman ang bahay niya. . . Malinis na malinis at ni alikabok ay wala.Binuksan ko ang ref at healthy ang options niya sa lahat. Kompletos recados at higit sa lahat, maraming karne sa malaking freezer niya.Mabuti nalang at hindi siya vegetarian. Halata naman sa hitsura niya na karne ang kinakain.Humakbang ako, at sa sala na ito. The paintings on the wall are livid. Creepy and weird? Who cares about Art! It's not my line ano!Isa-isa kong tinitigan ang bawat dispalys na mga picture frame sa napakalaking book shelves niya. Book reader nga naman siya. Eh, ginawa na niyang library ang dalawang malalaking espasyo sa bahay niya.The smell of books is refreshing. It reminds me of my father."Oh, he have t
Brodie."She did what?"Kausap ko si Rob sa kabilang linya at sinabi niya sa akin ang lahat. Carmella is looking after the farm at the moment. She was doing excellent and easy to deal with everything. According to Rob, she's doing great and is learning fast."That's really cool. I can't wait to meet her. What does she look like? Sexy ba?" tanong ni Nathaniel sa tabi ko.I gritted my teeth, and I had no appetite. I can't wait for us to be home. Nathaniel is temporarily with me. May iilang papelis akong ibibigay sa kanya bago siya babalik sa Queensland."Come on, Brodie, talk, mate. I would like to know about this woman named Carmella. Is she the new girl that made your heart flutters?""Flutter may ass. I'm not into her. She's a neighbor, alright. Siya ang nakabili sa bahay ni Mrs Green.""Really? That's cool anyway. I can't wait."I shook my head and sighed silently. There's no point in talking to Nathaniel because when it comes to women, Nathaniel is crazy, which is his weakness."I
Carmella."This is not good. Huwag ka nga'ng baliw, Carmella! Lumipat ka nga d'yan sa Australia para maayos ang buhay mo! Tapos ngayon balik kabaliwan na naman iyang utak mo!"Gamit ang hightech binocolar ay mas napangisi akong lalo habang pinagmamasdan si Brodie sa malayo.This gadget can get good vision up to one kilometers straight. It can go to two kilometers but it will become blurry. Nakakatuwa ito! Wala nga naman akong baril, pero may mga ganito ako rito.From where I stand, outside my balcony, I can see Brodie. I don't know what's been wrong with me lately. At first, I found him weird, but after working on the farm, I kind of found Brodie's personality and life interesting.Iba ang mundo niya sa mundo. Tahimik ang paligid niya, samantalang magulo ang akin. He was surrounded by nothing except his animals and a few friends. I was surrounded by tough boys who could kill like animals. He can play with money for business. While me? I can play with guns and go crazy."He's very coo
Carmella."Brodie! Good morning!" I smiled, walking towards him. He paused and never smiled back. He was serious.Maaga pa naman, pero mukhang dapit-hapon na ang titig niya sa akin."I cook pandesal. Here have some!" Ibinigay ko ang supot sa kanya at tinitigan niya lang ito sa kamay ko."Is this why you came here? You could have dropped later. Why so early." He avoided my gaze and continued raking the grass.Ako nalang ang naglagay nito sa quad bike niya. Napangiwi ako dahil ang mabait niyang aso na si Almond ay nakaupo lang sa bahaging pwesto nito sa quad bike."What's wrong with Almond? Is he not feeling well?" I patted Almond's head, and the poor dog just ducked."I guess he ingested poison," Bradley answered and didn't even look worried at his dog."Oh, my God! Then let's take him to the vet," I smiled."I will after this. I'm just finishing this then I will take him there.""Good. I will accompany you.""No, need, Carmella.""It's alright. I have nothing to do. I will help you a
Carmella."Axton Crimson Gray?" Halos ayaw kong bigkasin ang pangalan niya, pero nairaos ko ito."Yes," he sighed."What happened to him? Why did he die?"Dapat malulungkot ako 'di ba? Pero hindi ko makuha ang ekspresyon na ito.Axton Crimson Gray is my fucking ex! He is the reason why I stopped kissing boys around. He caught me off guard when I met him. I fell in love with him because of his sweet talk. Mabulaklak magsalita at syempre nahulog ako. I didn't bother knowing his personality because I just felt and thought he was the right person for me.We parted happily when I told him about my identity that night before our wedding. But then, all of a sudden, he didn't show up on the day that we were supposed to get married."I got a call from the police telling me that Axton Crimson committed suicide. He overdosed himself."Pakiramdam ko gatla lang ang ngiti ko ngayon. Knowing Crimson died didn't affect me."He overdosed himself? Of what?""Drugs."I silently chuckled with no express
Carmella."I hate you making noises at this hour, you know!" I sat down beside him and offered him a warm drink.I bought a few coffee in can. Isang kariton ang binili ko nito noong nakaraang araw. Napadpad ako sa Melbourne, dahil sa isang trabaho. Kaya bumili na rin ako ng mga kakailanganin ko at kasama na ang pagkain."Thank you." He opened the can and drank it. "Taste good. I won't be going back to bed with this." He smirked."Oh, yeah? Geez, I never even think of it. I thought coffee helps you go to bed. Hindi ba?" I innocently asked. "Iba kasi ang epekto ng kape sa akin eh. Nakakatulog ako. Baka ito rin ang kailangan mo." Tuwa ko. Napansin ko agad si Almond sa gilid. Naupo ito sa tabi ko."Almond, baby. How are you doing? Is he doing good?" Tanong ko kay Brodie at tumango siya."Yes, he is feeling a lot better. His appetite for food came back normal. I'm happy.""That's good. I'm glad you are okay, Almond. Pinag-alala mo ako sa 'yo." Sabay haplos ko sa ulo niya."Are you okay?"
Brielle."We need to leave, tiya."Hindi umimik si tiya. Alam ko na pagod na siya sa kakatakbo. Medyo matagal na rin kami sa isla. Mag tatatlong taon na. Ito yata ang pinakamahaba na nanatili kami sa isang lugar. Madalas naman kasi noon ay palipat-lipat kami ng tirahan dahil sa mga taong humahabol sa amin."Pagod na ako sa kakatakbo, Breille… Matanda na ako."I press my lips together and look at her.Naipasok ko na ang iilang gamit na kailangan ko. Sa syudad na muna kami. Mas mabuti roon, dahil maraming tao at madali kaming gumalaw.Iniwan ko na ang susi sa bahay ni Morris kay Manong Paeng. Siya na muna pansamantala ang magmamatyag sa paligid. Sa kanya ko na rin iniwan ang susi ng bahay at ng tindahan."Tiya, we have to go, or else…" my lips trembled."Kilala ko ang mexicanong mafia na 'yon, tiya. Mas halang ang kaluluwa nu'n kaysa kay Alfred. Si Cappytano ang nagpapatay sa halos lahat ng mga tauhan ni Alfred, tiya. Kailangan natin na umalis!""Pero bakit ikaw ang hinahanap, Brielle?
Morris."Don't tell her that you're still here, Mors," Linus advises."And why is that?" My brows met halfway."Because that's not you. You don't give your location to anyone, lunatic."I laughed a little bit and shook my head. Linus was right. I don't easily give my location unless it's them, my cousins, asking for it. But Brielle is not just anyone. . . I like her."It seems like you like her. How serious?"I stared at Linus on the big screen. He's not even looking at me. He was busy sorting something. I did not answer and just rested my back on my chair.I'm not sure about it, but one thing is sure… I miss her."Hey, Mors. Don't you know that Cappytano is after you?" He changes the subject.Napatingin na siya sa akin ngayon na seryoso. Nawalang bigla ang tanong niya kanina tungkol kay Brielle.It wasn't important anyway. Linus knows that, and he doesn't care much about it. He is more concerned about the enemies around us."And what does he want? Cappytano was off the hook a long t
Brielle.Pagkatapos malinis ang paligid ay ang mga halaman naman ni tiya ang inasikaso ko. Nakakabagot nga, dahil wala man lang akong lilinisan sa territoryo ni Morris.Lahat ng mga alaga niyang hayop ay wala na roon. Inilipat niya ito sa pangangala ng isang kaibigan. Hindi ko alam kung sino, at tiyak sa kabilang isla iyon.Wala rin siyang halaman sa paligid at purong malalaking bush shrub at mga puno lang. Hindi na kailangan ng tubig dahil nabubuhay naman.Inside Morris house is clean. Nothing else to do there. Nalulungkot lang ako sa tuwing bumibisita ako roon. Dahil naaalala ko siya sa bawat sulok nito.It's not even a week, but it seems like months for me."Tapos na, tiya. Ihahatid ko na lang ito mamaya," tugon ko. Naramdaman ko kasi siya sa likod. Hindi siya sumagot."Siyanga pala, tiya. Ang aga mo naman nakabalik. Hindi ba dapat mamaya ka ba? Wala na bang ganap sa baba?" Pinunasan ko muna ang kamay gamit ang basahan na meron ako. Tumayo ako at saka nagpawis ng pawis sa mukha ba
Eva.I feel lonely already while seeing him walking away from me. Nangilid ang luha ko sa mata at mabilis akong tumingala sa lahat.Sana nga pala ay hind ko na siya hinatid dito sa pier. Heto tuloy. Nakakaiyak na.Kumaway siya at nasa top deck na ng barko. Kumaway rin ako, at nag-flying kiss pa. I want him to remember me as lively and lovely, and will try to wait for him. Alam kong alam ni Morris kung saan kami hahanapin ni tiya kung wala na kami sa isla.Bleu, his only friend was also with him. Wala ng natira sa bahay niya sa tuktok, dahil iniwan ni naman talaga ang lahat sa akin. Nasa akin ang mga susi nito.Nakauwi na ako, at ang tahimik na paligid agad ang namasdan ko. It feel strange. The quite environment around me seems like a haunting dream from my past.Nakakatakot at nakakalungkot. Ibang-iba na. . .Ibang iba na, dahil wala na si Morris sa Islang ito. Naiwan na lang kami ni tiya."Tatawag naman siya 'di ba? Brielle?" si tiya sa likod ko.Gabi na. Madilim ang langit at wala m
Brielle.I look at the blue sea sadly, feeling uncomfortable at the moment, trying to make everything alright.Gusto kong manatili kami ni tiya rito, para pagkabalik ni Morris ay nandito pa rin ako. Nagdadalawang isip na tuloy ako ngayon. Hindi ko alam kung tutuloy pa ba kami sa paglilipat ni tiya sa malayong isla na iyon.Ibinaon ko ang paa sa buhangin at ramdam ko ang lamig nito sa ilalim. Nilingon kong muli si Morris mula sa karagatan.Malayo siya, at hindi ko na halos makita."Inomin mo muna ito, anak." Inilagay ni tiya ang malamig na inomin na gawa niya. At kasama na ang kay Morris."Salamat, tiya." Tinikman ko agad ito, at ibinalik ko lang ang mga mata ko sa kung nasaan na si Morris ngayon. Tahimik ako at panag ang pagbuntonghininga sa sarili."Babalik na ako sa tindahan," aniya. Hindi ako kumibo at tulala pa rin habang pinagmasdan si Morris."Mamimiss mo ano?"Ang akala ko ay umalis na si tiya… hindi pa pala. Nilingon ko siya at katulad ko, ay nakatingin din pala siya kay Morr
Brielle.Busog ako at masaya. Nagpahinga na si tiya at naiwan kami ni Morris na gising pa. Maaga pa naman, at alam ni tiya na sa bahay ni Morris ako matutulog ngayon. Kaya inayos ko muna ang lahat, para wala na siyang iisipin pagkagising niya bukas.Mahigpit ang hawak ni Morris sa kamay ko, at panay naman ang ngiti ko habang tanaw na ang treehouse. Huminto kaming pareho, at saka dumampi ang labi niya sa likod ng kamay ko na hawak niya. "I'll be missing you, Bree…" Humarap siya sa akin, at saka hinaplos ang gilid ng mukha ko."And I will miss you too, Morris…" Pinalupot ko agad ang mga kamay ko sa leeg niya at saka hinalikan siya.With both of our eyes shut, we kissed. . . It was majestic. Nakakatawa ang hitsura namin pareho. Para kaming mga teenager rito. We kissed, hugged, laughed and kissed again. Morri's jokes were not funny at all. Kahit pa anong jokes ang sabihin niya ay hindi nakakatawa ito dahil hindi bagay sa hitsura niya. Kaya heto, tudo tawa ako.Morris is also not romant
Morris."Ilang linggo ka sa Italya? Buwan ba? Taon?"Glenn grimaced as he looked at me with never-ending questions. I shook my head, sipping the light champagne.It must be my last family dinner for I am going to go back to Italy in the next few days.“I will be back before you know it, Glenn.”He laughed a little bit.“I will keep an eye on your woman if you want.”I chuckled as I looked at his wife below."Brielle is fine. She's easy and she'll never go anywhere. Hindi naman siya katulad ng napangasawa mo ngayon. Mukhang palaban ang misis mo."“A little bit. She’s stubborn, but I can handle her.”"Sinusuban ang pasensya mo ano? In that case, I will not bother you to keep an eye on Brielle. I trust her,” I proudly said, and it was his turn to chuckle.“So, are you going back into business again?”I know Glenn is worried, but everything is okay with my business abroad. Iyon nga lang may mga bagay na sadyang naiiba sa kalakaran, at alam na niya kung ano ang mga ito.My father knew abo
Brielle.I couldn't sleep, ending up staring at him while he was asleep.Noon, hindi ako naniniwala sa pag-ibig. Wala akong alam kung ano ang nagagawa nito sa buhay ng isang tao. Marami akong tanong tungkol sa pagmamahal, at nang hindi ko makuha ang tamang sagot ay kinalimutan ko na ang mga ito.Si tiya lang ang mahalaga sa akin noon. Siya lang ang pamilya ko. Siya lang ang kinikilala kong ina. Pero nang dumating si Morris sa buhay ko, ay nagbago ang pananaw ko sa pangalang 'pag-ibig'.I suddenly feel a weird desire, longing, and love for him. I want to be with him. I can't be at peace without seeing him. I want to sleep and wake up beside him. I want him to be a part of me. I want him with me forever… I know I'm selfish at times, but… that's me.Pero hindi naman ako bulag. Alam ko ang pangako namin ni Morris sa isa't-isa. Pumayag ako sa gusto niya, dahil wala namang kasiguruhan ang buhay.I'm not a good person. I've done a lot of bad things, and I have a dark past that I've been try
Brielle."You don't want us to go somewhere, Brielle. Why not? The weather is good, baby. Let's go out fishing.""No. I don't feel like fishing." Tumalikod ako kay Morris at saka nag-kunwaring abala sa lababo."Alright. So, when do you feel like fishing or swimming?""I don't know. . ." Kibit-balikat ko. Nilingon ko siya. Nakaupo siya at hawak ang mainit na kape sa kamay. Dapat sana ay pupunta siya sa kabilang Isla para mamalengke, pero pinigilan ko. Si Bleu ang gumawa nito. Inilipat ko ang gawain na ginagawa niya madalas sa amin ni tiya."Why don't we finish the project you started at your place?" I sweetly smiled and walked towards him.Nasa bandang likod na niya ako nakatayo at niyayakap siya."The tree house?""Oo... Hindi ba matagal mo na na gusto matapos iyon. Mas mabuting tapusin na natin bago ka bumalik ng Italy."Humawak siya sa kamay ko, at saka umikot ang tingin sa akin. Tumayo siya at nakatingala na ako ngayon sa kanya.Matangkad si Morris, at polido ang katawan. His broad