Chapter 6

Chapter 6 | Watch

"Ian, nabayaran ko na pala ng advance ang space mo kina Kurt hanggang January," imporma sa akin ng aking ina nang lumabas ako ng aking kuwarto.

"Sige, ma, salamat. Ano iyang ginagawa ninyo?" I asked right away as I noticed them doing something.

"Ito?" tinaas ng aking ina ang hawak niyang stick, "barbeque lang, kakainin mamayang gabihan."

Tumango ako at tumungo sa aming banyo upang maglinis ng sarili. Grabe ang init kaninang tanghali, himala pa nga't nakatulog ako. Nagtagal ako sa banyo upang magbabad sa tubig. Hindi naman kalakihan ito ngunit sakto naman para sa dalawang tao. Kompleto rin ang aming mga kagamitan at maayos ang pagkadisenyo like the usual comfort rooms of a house.

Nang natapos sa sarili ay lumabas ako, bumungad na ngayon sa akin ang mabangong usok na nagmula sa barbeque.

Napansin kong may karamihan ang ginawa nina Aphro at mama na aking ikinatuwa. I won't deny that my mother's cooking was good, actually it was the best.

"Kaya mo 'yan, Aphro?" I asked my sister randomly.

"Oo naman, tinuruan ako ni mama," she answered back.

"Sana all marunong," natatawa kong komento.

"Marunong ka naman ng ibang pagkain at sa ibang gawain, okay lang 'yan, ate. Hindi pa mamamatay ang kung sinomang magiging asawa mo," Aphro joked.

"Gaga!" I hissed, then laughed with her.

"Nako, kung pipili kayo ng mapangangasawa dapat iyong marunong din," mom commented.

"True! Iyan din ang na sa isip ko, ma," I agreed.

"Ah, so, may plano ka na talaga ate'ng mag-settle after college?" Aphro teased me.

"Gaga, hindi pa naman super after no'n. Pakikinabangan ko muna ang course ko saka mag-iipon. Ayaw kong kumapit sa matandang mayaman, 'no," I said back.

Tumawa si Aphro dulot ng aking sagot.

"Parang pamilyar 'yan, ate," she started to give hints.

"Parang kamag-anak natin 'yan," dagdag ko pa.

"Parang kapitbahay nga lang natin," she said in between her laughs.

"Hayaan ninyo na ang gusto ni Drinea sa buhay niya," mom dropped the name.

I laughed when she really said it. Wala namang ibang tao sa aming paligid at tanging kami-kami lamang ang madalas na nagc-chismisan ukol sa aming kapaligiran. Our opinion never got out of this house to avoid "offending" others.

"Jusko, nagulat talaga akong may jowa siyang mas matanda ng eight years. I mean, I expected much from ate Drinea. I looked up to her when I was young because of her beauty," I stated.

"Hindi po siya nakapagtapos ng high school, 'di ba?" Aphro asked mom.

"Oo, hindi. Lahat silang magkakapatid, hindi nakapagtapos," sagot ni mama, "I even tried helping Drinea to get back to school noong third year siya. Bumalik nga pero hindi talaga niya sineryoso."

"Bakit kasi gano'n magpalaki si tita Marian? Siya ang ina pero kung magdesisyon akala mo ay walang anak. Did she ever convinced her children to study hard? I guess not," I said.

"Iba silang mag-isip, Ian. Alam ba ninyong ganyan din si Marian noong kabataan niya? Your tito Senzo had a first lover yet they broke up when Marian came. Your tito was wealthy that time... and he loved his first woman. Naisip nga namin na baka nagayuma lang siya ni Marian at silang dalawa ang nagkatuluyan," mom shared.

"Kaya tingnan ninyo, nakita ninyo na bang magtrabaho 'yang si Marian? Kapit mayaman din kaya siguro, gano'n na rin ang kanyang pag-iisip para sa babaeng anak," mom added.

"I don't want to think it that way. Ate Drinea is still young and she still has a chance to change her life," I commented.

"We're not in the dark ages anymore where women have no choice to make a change. Ate Drinea can lift herself if she will just work hard for it," Aphro added.

"Seriously, settling to someone rich to provide you a better life is disgusting. Where's the empowerment on that?" natatawa kong lait.

Aphro nodded and asked, "Then tito Senzo doesn't know his children never finished high school, tama?"

"Oo, tinatago nila ang totoo kay Senzo. Mahirap namang mangi-alam sa buhay pamilya nila. Masasabihan ka pa ng masasamang salita sa pag-abot ng tulong," mom answered Aphro.

"Ayos. Tito Senzo is working hard abroad yet his family is doing nothing but enjoying the time of their lives using his money. Masuwerte nga sila kay tito dahil nagt-trabaho pa rin kahit may edad na. Hindi ba sila nag-guilty dahil napaka-walang kuwenta nila?" I hissed.

Alam kong nakatatak na sa ating dapat ang lalaki ang magt-trabaho habang ang ina ay mananatili sa tahanan upang bantayan at palakihin ang mga anak... but tito Senzo sacrificed enough... and he hadn't got anything good in return from his called family.

"And what? They even faked the diplomas and certificates to trick tito they finished high school. Grabeng kapal ng mukha," Aphro said, pissed.

"Huwag ninyo ng stress-in ang sarili sa problema ng iba. Halika na, kumain na kayo," mom told us.

"Ayon, chismis plus barbeque is the best combination," I joked.

"Pero ito, seryoso, ma. Kahit gaano pa kahirap ang buhay, never akong kakapit sa matandang mayaman," I said, chuckling.

"Hindi ko naman kayo pinipilit ni Aphro sa mga ganyan. Matatanda na kayo at may sariling isip o diskarte para sa sarili. Masuwerte ako dahil masisipag kayo at hindi nai-impluwensyahan ng kapaligiran," mom told us.

Dala ko ang mga iyon hanggang sa pagpasok sa iskwela nang dumating muli ang Lunes. Naiwan si Kurt sa karindirya tulad ng aming nakagawian at tutulong na lamang ako mamaya sa pag-uwi.

Hindi ko naman madalas pinapansin ang mga tao sa aking paligid ngunit ngayong araw tila ba kusa ang aking mga mata kung tumingin pabalik sa mga taong mapanghusga.

They were looking at me like I was an outcast of this place. I couldn't remember anything that could make them hate me... kaya laking pagtataka ko dahil tila sila galit sa akin.

Dulot ng iniisip, hindi sinasadyang may nabunggo akong babae. Naka-uniporme itong puti na tulad sa ibang chef students ng unibersidad. I concluded her to be one of them because of it.

"Watch where you're going, bitch," she told me in a strong feeling.

"Sorry, hindi ka rin naman siguro nakatingin dahil nabunggo mo rin ako," I calmly said.

She chuckled and got alerted, "You're Mercian Bueno, right? The bitch who Jacob dated. You smell like a spoiled fungi, amoy galing sa hirap. Kapos ka na ba at pumatol pa sa mayamang pangit?" she attacked me.

Ayos, ha. Paano kami napunta sa ganitong usapan? Isang linggo na rin ang lumipas mula noong hindi na kami nagkita o nag-usap ni Jacob.

I wasn't sure if Jacob told anything about me as an insult or people just concluded that. If he happened to spread things about me after I burned the shit out of him, then he was a total chicken.

"Thank you but sadly, I don't fight back to cheap looking people," sabi ko na lamang sapagkat wala ring pagtutunguhan kung lalaki ang gulo.

She looked offended but I didn't care. Wala rin ako sa mood upang gumawa ng away dahil alam kong mas higit pa ako sa gano'ng bagay. When you started growing up, you'd handle things differently from before.

The people stared at me with so much judgement yet I walked like I didn't notice anything. Sometimes, ignoring things was better than acknowledging its presence. I'd give myself an unworthy headache, I didn't want that.

Nakarating ako sa aming unang klase at sa aking pagpasok, wala ring pinagka-iba sa labas.

Tangina, lahat ba sila ay alam ang tungkol sa amin ni Jacob at ganito na lang kung makatingin sa akin? I didn't know Jacob was somehow famous or known inside the campus.

Issue ba talaga sa kanilang makakita ng mahirap na may kasamang mayaman? O talagang ako lang ang nakita nilang good topic at target upang laitin?

Minutes passed but our professor wasn't still here. Tila pa hindi ako komportableng gumalaw dulot ng mga tao sa paligid.

"Uh, wala pa si prof?" I tried asking my seatmate.

She immediately stood up and went to a vacant chair away from me.

Ayos.

"Wala pa si prof?" I asked the guy behind me instead, hoping he'd answer.

"Wala pa. Hindi yata 'yon papasok," he answered me and smirked afterward.

Ngumuso ako at pinagmasdang kumonti na rin ang laman ng silid. They probably decided to go out since naging vacant itong oras.

"Labas tayo, gusto mo, Mercian?" the guy asked me.

"Uh, no," I immediately answered him.

"Ayaw mong sumama sa g'wapo?" he asked me in between his chuckle.

My brows arched and asked, "Na saan 'yong g'wapo?"

His smirk and playful face faded as he realized my insult. It was my turn to plaster a mocking smile.

I stood up and grabbed my bag hanged on the side of my chair. He still couldn't get over on what I said, hindi ko na iyon kasalanan kung dinamdam man niya.

Lumabas na lamang ako ng putanginang silid na iyon imbis na pagtiyagaan ang mga tao at napagpasiyahang tumambay na lamang sa tahimik na lugar ng unibersidad.

Maraming sulok dito na halos hindi matao at suwak kung gusto mong mag-munimuni o mapag-isa. Isa na rito ang paborito kong old building ng unibersidad. Tunay na hindi matao sapagkat nagagamit lamang ito tuwing may mga importanteng pagpupulong o seremonya.

Students also believed that this building was haunted pero sa ilang beses ko ng punta rito ay napatunayan kong wala namang kung anong ispirito.

The old building was also the smallest out of all structures of the university. It was painted in white and the dirt marks were easily distinguished because of it.

The building had marbled floors and stairs, the leaves from the near trees scattered as the wind blew softly. I could almost hear the breeze because of silence.

Narating ko ang second floor at dito napagpasyahang maglakad tulad ng dating gawain. Tumigil ako saglit sa gitnang bahagi ng gusali at hinayaan ang sariling tingnan ang tanawin sa harap.

I closed my eyes and let myself relax by watching the trees dance. The moment was peaceful and the scene was as comforting as a lullaby.

Ang nakapikit kong mga mata ay dahan-dahang napadilat nang may narinig na hindi kaaya-ayang tunog mula sa paligid. I tried waiting for it again to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Iisipin ko na sanang hindi iyon totoo nang narinig ko muli ilang minuto ang lumipas. It was a weird squeak or more like a slurp, I exactly couldn't identify.

Tumayo ako ng maayos at nilibot ang tingin sa buong second floor. Wala namang iba rito o anomang laruan upang tumunog... at kung mayroon man, paano tutunog kung walang gagalaw?

Biglang sumagi sa aking isip ang pinaniniwalaan ng karamihan. Baka ngayon pa lang magpaparamdam sa akin ang building?

I stopped myself and chuckled on the thought. Gaga ka, Merican, nababaliw ka na yata. Paano magpaparamdam sa 'yo ang building? But then I considered that maybe it was now plaguing the hell out of me.

May halong takot ang bawat paglakad ko patungo sa dulo ng second floor. My system won't just stop on finding that unusual sound! I needed to know it to prove myself that I was just thinking nuts.

As I came near the end of the hallway, the squeak became louder, I heard it very clearly! It was repeated several times and my heart kept on beating hard every damn time.

The last part of the hallway was a comfort room. Tanda kong sarado ito noon ngunit ang pinto ngayon at bahagyang nakabukas. I heard the squeak once more and it came from inside.

Tangina.

Baka may tao lamang sa loob at naglilinis? Pero madumi nga ang lugar kaya walang sinoman ang naglilinis na!

I composed myself and decided to finally open the damn door to know the mystery I'd been following. I was beside the doorknob and was so ready to hold it when the wind blew stronger than the usual.

It opened the door!

The leaves flew along the air, I shut my eyes to avoid it from getting hurt. When the wind was calm and back to normal, tinali ko ang aking buhok nang bun upang hindi na muling magulo.

I was still beside the comfort room and the squeak kept on producing. I sneaked my eyes inside and what I saw shocked the shit out of me.

Tangina.

The place wasn't haunted after all.

It was my mind that got haunted.

And the unusual sound wasn't a squeak this damn time.

I saw a woman, also a student of this fucking university. She was on her knees, I noticed they were red but the woman seemed unbothered because of what she was doing.

She was giving a head to the man she was with... hindi ko sinadyang tingnan pa ang ari ng lalaki ngunit... naagaw nito ang aking paningin.

He was insanely huge... and the woman looked satisfied on every suck she took. What made my eyes widen was when the woman let the dick sprang out of her mouth.

It was really huge... and the man had piercing on his manhood.

Shit?

P'wede pala iyon?

Akala ko ay tapos na sila sa ginagawa ngunit hinawakan ng lalaki ang ulo ng babae at tila ba kinontrol ito sa gusto niyang mangyari. He, again, entered the woman's mouth yet only this time... he thrust roughly.

I couldn't handle anymore of it! Live porn was never my thing. At least I knew where the sound came from and proved that the building had no bad spirits!

Okay na, Mercian!

I was about to ran an escape when suddenly... the man noticed me!

His eyes were full of desire and frustration, it was like the blow job wasn't enough to satisfy him and his friend. Our eyes met and I froze in my place.

Tangina, Mercian, tumakbo ka na! My mind commanded me but my reflexes seemed to stop working at the moment we stared at each other!

When he groaned and thrust faster, that was when I realized I got stunned for too long! He withdrew his cock from the woman's mouth and released his fluid onto her face.

My sinful eyes focused, he slapped the woman with his manhood as he came and she kept licking the white fluids as if it was the holiest liquid in the world.

I swallowed hard and lastly gazed at him. I saw him staring blankly at me as he did it to the woman.

Agad akong tumakbo palayo dulot ng hiya at nagmadaling bumaba ng hagdan. What I just watched corrupted the peace I fucking felt earlier.

Nang na sa baba at nakalayo na ako sa building ay saglit akong tumingin pabalik... sana lamang ay hindi na kami magtagpo pa ng landas.