Five O'clock Sky (Nueva Caceres#1)

CHAPTER 9

"Lucy!" Pagkababa ng kotse ni Emiranda ay agad niya akong tinakbo ng yakap. "I missed you!"

Mom and Dad who were beside me laughed shortly when we almost went out of balance.

Pinakawalan niya ako at lumapit kina Mom and Dad.

"Tita, Tito." She greeted happily and kissed them on the cheeks. Pagkatapos ay sabay niyang tinalon ng yakap sina Adam at Hobie na nasa tabi ni Mommy. Lumambitin siya leeg ng dalawa at sinadyang magpabigat kaya napamura nalang ang dalawang lalaki.

"Get down, Emiranda." Banayad ngunit striktang saway ni Auntie Aurelia, na kabababa lang ng kotse, "For goodness sake, behave like a fine lady, will you?"

Anda obliged. She stood formally and smiled apologetically to my brothers and parents. Kinabig ni Adam si Anda ng yakap. "We missed you too, love." Aniya at hinagkan ito sa noo. Ganon din ang ginawa ni Hobie.

"Sorry about my daughter, Canda, Escario." Si Auntie Aurelia sa mga magulang ko.

"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about, Aurelia. Anda must be just too happy to see her cousins." Saad ni Mommy and looked at Anda with consoling eyes.

Ang pinaka-huling bumaba ng kotse ay si Dahlia. Unlike Anda, she was composed and calm upon seeing us on the mansion's balcony, yet she had this wide smile on her lips.

She hugged me tenderly. "I missed you, little brat." Sunod niyang binati at niyakap sina Mom at Dad at ang aking dalawang kapatid.

"You and Anda grew so lovely, sweetheart." Puri ni Mom.

Ngayon ang araw ng pagdating nila mula Nevada. Ang Tito Pacifo at si Avelino ay sa susunod na araw pa darating dahil may mahalaga pa itong inaasikaso doon.

Kinuha ng katiwala ang mga gamit nina Auntie and brought it to their designated rooms while we headed to the dining room for lunch. Pinasadya ni Mom ang paghanda ng maraming cuisines for them.  After lunch, pumanhik na sila sa kanya-kanyang guests room to freshen up and rest.

I was sitting in front of the vanity mirror and combing my hair when someone knocked on my door.

"Lucy?" Boses ni Anda, "Are you still awake?"

"Come in, Anda. It's not locked."

The door opened. Anda came in with a wide smile on her lips. She's wearing pajamas.

"I was about to go in your room pagkatapos ko dito to catch up with you and Dahlia." Ani ko at tinapos ang pagsusuklay.

Patapon niyang hiniga ang sarili sa gitna ng kama. "Dahlia's still asleep. Sobrang napagod siguro because she traveled wasted. Buti hindi nahalata ni Mommy."

Anda and Dahlia were occupying the same room. Sobra nga sigurong napagod ang huli dahil mula pa kaninang tanghali itong tulog and didn't even woke up for dinner.

I squat on the bed while she's in front of me lying.

"Tour me in Nueva Caceres tomorrow ha?" May halong demand sa malambing niyang tono, "I've seen many changes in the town while we're heading here."

"Sure. We'll visit tourist spots tomorrow." Pag-payag ko, "But we have to visit Auntie Tereisita and Uncle Vedasto first. They missed you and Dahlia."

"Oh! I want to see them too! I missed Elgino, Vides and Zano as well." Banggit niya sa mga anak nina Uncle Vedasto.

Ibinagsak ko ang katawan sa tabi niya. "It'll surely be a long day tomorrow."

I stared blankly at the ceiling. Sandro, out of nowhere, suddenly just appeared in my mind. I shook my head and smiled lopsidedly. Was there ever a time that I'm not thinking about that damn man?