Chapter 47
I still can't believe it. She gave me something na alam kong sobrang pinaghandaan niya. Sobrang pinag-ipunan niya. What's her gift, you might ask? It's an Omega watch. Hindi ko alam bakit at kung anong meron. Hindi naman namin monthsary. Hindi ko rin birthday. Tapos na rin naman ang Christmas. And isa pa, sobrang natouch ako with the things she said...
'Time is Gold'
That's engraved at the back of the watch she gave me. Yeah. Time is gold. Kasi kung di ko siya binigyan ng oras at pinilit ko siya, baka nawala siya saken. Baka di niya ko binigyan ng chance na iparamdam sa kanyang mahal ko siya. Kung hindi ko siya binigyan ng oras para mabuksan yung puso niya to the possibility of falling in love, we wouldn't be where we are right now.
"Fuck, man! Tititigan mo na lang ba yang relong yan buong gabi?!" Jax said.
Nag-angat ako ng tingin and saw them looking at me. Oo nga pala. Kasama ko nanaman tong tatlong kumag na to. Nagyaya kasi uminom tong si Jax at maglaro ng poker.
"Sorry. Ano nga uli yun?" tanong ko.
"Tinatanong ka namin why you came home early. Nag-away nanaman ba kayo ng kuya mo?" Exel asked.
I shook my head and took a swig of my beer bago ako tumira sa poker.
"Eh anong nangyari?" Brent asked.
"Andun siya." I answered simply.
"Siya?" they all asked. I nodded and they just stared at me.
"Bakit?"
"She works as a photographer for a magazine." I said.
"No. I mean, bakit doon? I thought she's in Japan?"
"Yeah. Bakit biglang nasa LA na. Eh diba photographer na rin siya sa Japan?" Exel asked.
"Ewan ko." I shrugged. "And guess what? Nagpunta pa siya sa bahay."
"Fuck! Seryoso?! Edi nakita siya ng kuya mo?"
"No. Kuya's not home when she came. And ito pa. Umiyak siya saken telling me that she loves me still. Parang gago lang."
"Eh baka nga mahal ka pa rin..." Jax trailed off.
"Dude, nakalimutan mo na ba? Mina was the reason why Elmo and Kuya Tim fought. Gumawa siya ng kwento na nagsex daw sila ni Elmo the night she and Kuya Tim had a fight. Now tell me, mahal ka ba ng taong yun kung siniraan ka niya sa pamilya mo?" Brent said.
"Yeah. That's not love dude. That's bullshit." Exel agreed. "So? What did you do nung nagpunta siya dun?"
"I told her na may girlfriend na ko and I love Julie." I said. Tumango silang tatlo.
"What did she say?"
"Wala. Umalis ako after ko sabihin sa kanyang galit ako eh." I replied.
"Yun lang." Jax nodded.
"Bakit ba kasi pinipilit niya sarili niya sayo when you made it clear na ayaw mo sa kanya right?" Exel asked.
"Elmo loved her. And kung titignan, he was really the first guy to ever loved Mina. Kaya lang itong si Kuya Tim, nagkagusto rin kay Mina. And Elmo, wanting to fix whatever's wrong with his relationship with his brother, did what he was asked to do. Ang layuan si Mina. And he did. Kaya lang si Mina ang naghahabol."
"I warned her a lot of times. Sinabihan ko na rin siya na ayoko sa kanya. I had to lie to her and to myself para kay kuya. But what she did was wrong. Yes, I did loved her. Pero mali yung pinalaki niya yung gulo namin ni Kuya Tim." I said.
