Teardrops of An Angel

Chapter 14

Hiroki Yoshiro

One week had passed, and still no sign of her since the last time we talked, all I know is that she suddenly disappeared and faded away, bigla na lang siyang nawala na parang bula, my team had observed my usual bad days, mood swings, si Steff nga nagtanong kung may PMS ba ako o menopause, hah! Impossible. Hindi naman ako babae.

Hindi na pumapasok si Yessa... at mukhang walang pake ang mga tao sa paligid lalo na ang classmates niya. Tch.

Like my usual routine, pagkatapos ng training namin ng basketball team ay umuwi na agad ako pero naglakad, mas gusto ko ang maglakad... hoping I would bump into her sa playground, bakit kaya siya nawala? Where is she right now?! What is she doing? Is she alright? Tch, sana inalam ko kung saan siya nakatira para mabisita ko siya.

Wala akong pake sa friendship over namin. If our friendship is over, then I'll make it as a relationship.

Ang raming mga tanong sa isip ko, pero wala akong mahanap na kasagutan ni sa isa man lang.

Hindi ko namalayan na ang paa ko ay tumigil na pala sa harap ng abandoned playground kaya naman nagulat ako, parang may sariling buhay ang mga paa ko... pero ang mas kinagulat ko sa lahat ay ang bumungad sa akin sa simpleng pagtingin ko sa playground.

The swings were already gone. The see-saw was no longer there. The tree... it was already cut into pieces of woods, and all I saw was dump trucks, cement everywhere, then I saw a sign beside me.

PROJECT: ROYALLE ACADEMY KINDERGARTEN.

I felt my heart to beat so fast as I watch the completely destroyed playground... all my last memories together with Yessa here drifted in my mind, agad agad naman ata ito?

The view hurts my eye, what's more if Yessa who values this place for her past? How about more if she sees this painful thing that happened to the only sentimental and valuable place of her life?

Our memories together in this place flashed back in my mind, noong una ko siyang nakita, noong gabing iyon na kumakanta siya, noong nagkita ulit kami, noong naging magkaibigan kami, noong nakilala namin ang isa't isa, noong sinabi kong gusto ko siya. This place meant everything to me and Yessa. Tapos mawawala lang ng ganun?!

Now, I am looking at its completely destroyed look. The playground in my mind was no longer in my sight, pumasok ako sa loob kahit na may sign na bawal ang trespassing, since hindi pa masyado madilim ay may nahagip ang mata ko sa pile ng mga woods na alam kong galing sa puno kung saan mostly tumambay si Yessa.

Sa isang wood ay nakita ko ang inukit ko noon dito na pangalan ko at ni Yessa tapos may guhit pang puso, hindi ko namalayan noon na inuukit ko na pala ito, parang may sariling mga buhay ang kamay ko noon at since may hawak akong mini-knife ay iyon ang pinang-ukit ko.

Hindi ko namalayan na napangiti na pala ako, agad kong kinuha ang maliit na wood na ito at saka nilagay sa bag. Lumabas na ako sa playground nang may biglang humarang, nagulat naman ako at nataranta.

"Ikaw ba si Hiroki Yoshiro?" Tanong niya sa akin, parang pamilyar ang mukha niya...

I frowned and nodded, "bakit?"

Biglang lumambot ang ekspresyon niya, "my daughter needs you." Napakunot noo naman ako, "I'm Yessa Jaycee's father, Dreigon Jaycee." Pakilala niya sa sarili niya, he is Yessa's father?!

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata, kaya pala pamilyar siya kasi kahawig niya si Yessa! "A-Asan po siya?" Hindi ko maiwasang matanong.

Nakita ko siyang ngumiti ng mapakla, biglang may itim na sasakyang tumigil sa harapan namin, "she's in her bed... please come with me and visit her. You're my only hope to cling upon to, for her sake."

Napatango na lang ako, pinagbuksan kaming dalawa ng chauffer ng pinto ng sasakyan, pumasok na kami roon at nagsimula nang tumakbo ang sasakyan.

"She's dying." Malungkot na wika ng Papa ni Yessa.

"Alam ko..." mahinang sagot ko, "I read her diary, I know everything about her since her diary told me everything... from her past, to the present... and her future." Nahihirapang sagot ko.

"My daughter likes you, Hiroki. Ikaw ang parati niyang kwento sa akin sa tuwing magkasama kaming dalawa, thank you for making her happy. Thank you for making all her wishes come true."

"Po?"

"She wanted to find the one before she dies, she wanted to find her prince before she dies..."

"Am I the one? Am I the prince?" Tanong ko, hoping the answer was 'yes, yes you are, the one and only prince...'

"That, my son, is an answer you have to know by yourself." Nakangiting sagot niya sa akin ngunit hindi ito umabot sa kanyang mga mata-he was sad too, "but I hope so that you are."

Biglang tumigil ang sasakyan sa harapan ng isang puting bahay, "we're here." Sabi niya at lumabas na kami, is this the home of Yessa? Pinark na ng chauffer ang sasakyang sinakyan namin sa open garage. "Hiro, my daughter is in a state of coma." out of the blue na sabi niya habang nakayuko,

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata, that explains all... that explains her sudden disappearance, "how long?" Mahinang bulong ko.

"One week... and sometimes in her sleep, she often calls your name that's why I hired a private investigator to investigate you, basing on the investigations you're a good man, no wonder..." Sabi niya, pumasok na kami sa loob ng bahay and what greeted me were paintings in frames na nakasabit, ang gaganda nila.

Pero ang lungkot ng itsura ng mga paintings, mostly all about death, martyrdom, and pain ang mga paintings.

"She painted all of it." Biglang sabi ng Papa ni Yessa nang napansing nakatingin lang ako sa mga maraming paintings sa paligid, "she told me that her paintings are somehow like her, no life."

"Ahh..." wala akong masabi habang nakatingin sa mga paintings, but something caught my eyes, napahinto ako sa harap ng painting na may babae at lalake, the girl was a crying angel with a missing heart, and I saw the boy's hand tainted in red paint, he was holding the heart of the angel girl.

"She just painted that last week before she got in a coma," sabi ng Papa ni Yessa, "she's in her room, kakabisita lang sa kanya ng doktor niya kanina before I went out for you, pati na rin ang cardiologist niya, ayaw kasi ni Yessa sa hospital so kapilitang dito siya sa bahay na-dextrose." Tugon niya. "But up until now, hindi pa rin siya nagigising..."

"Can you please take me to where she is? I wanna see her, please..."

***