The Burning of Summer

Epilogue

Epilogue

"How sure are you that your plan will work?"

"Reid naman! We've been over this! I don't want to marry you and you don't want to marry me too! And you know that I am madly in love with someone else!"

"And where is that someone else?"

"That's why I am asking you to go somewhere far! Hide or something! Just give me some time and I will find him.."

"You owe me."

"Okay fine. I owe you.. as if it's only me who will benefit from this."

Since high school, I always know that I am to marry the daughter of my family's closest friend but we've always known too that we are not going to do that. We're just friends. That's it.

But right now, the guy she's in love with is hiding at ayaw pumayag ng parents nito na siya ang aatras sa usapan. Saying that by doing that, not only it will bring disgrace to their family name but also humiliate them.

And now she's asking me to go somewhere while she looks for that guy and she's planning to elope. She didn't give me a choice.

"You can stay at my grandmother's place in the province if you just need a vacation." suwestiyon ni Pierre.

"Is it far from here though?"

"It's not that far."

So that's how I came here. Pierre's grandmother is the owner of a hacienda here in Quezon. She wanted me to act like a visitor but I couldn't do that.

"Thank you for letting me stay here Señora but I don't want to live here freely."

So I started working as a farmer.

"These are my granddaughters!" the old woman happily showed me a picture where four little girls are in it. "They will be having a vacation here soon! All four of them!" she exclaimed.

I have been staying here for a year now. It's fine. I learned to like living here. Everyone is nice and warm and welcoming.

"Reid these are my daughters!"

Sir Anton came here earlier and then his daughters arrived. He introduced Winter, Autumn, and Rain.

"And where is Summer?" malungkot ang Señora dahil kulang ng isa ang dumating.

"Abuela, Summer said that she will come here. Let's just wait for her."

Kumunot ang noo ko.

Summer.

For the past months, Señora has been bragging about the success of her granddaughters. Sa mga kwento niya ay napansin kong paborito niya si Summer. She showed me a lot of magazines where Summer is always the front cover.

"She might be here today." narinig ko habang nag-uusap si Winter at Autumn.

"She better be or else I will drag her by the hair just so she'll come." galit ang tono ni Winter.

Nang araw na iyon, ay umalis sila upang mamasyal. Papalapit pa lang ako kwadra ng mapansin ang isang babae doon. Nakatalikod ito kaya hindi kita ang mukha nito.

All I can see is her curly long black hair. Bigla akong nairita nang makita ang suot nito. Denim shorts and a white shirt paired with white sneakers. Why would she wear something like that here? What if mosquitoes decided to feast on her milky white legs? Fuck. What am I thinking?

Lalo pa akong nasiraan ng bait ng humarap ito sa akin at maski ito ay natigilan ng makita ako. Damn. Those pictures and magazines didn't do her justice. She looks like a freaking goddess!