Officially Meeting You

Chapter 30: Release

Hindi ko alam kung ilang oras na akong nakatitig sa kisame ng kwarto ko. I don't even know if it's still morning or already night.

Before afternoon yesterday, nakalabas na kami pareho ni Ate sa hospital pero hindi pa din kami gaanong nagkikibuan. She'll approach me but I will just answer her with my silence.

Simula din nang umalis kami ng hospital, hindi ko na ulit nakita o nakausap pa sila Anna. I didn't even had the chance to thank them for saving us during that night, especially Zeus.

It turns out that Jet still called them when I arrived at the bar. Saktong pagkabalik nila sa bar ay ang pagsakay namin sa kotse. They didn't have the chance to approach us since that pervert started driving right away.

Pero sinundan pa din nila kami. They felt that something was off so they followed us secretly, said Detective according to what Slade told him.

Mas nauna silang dumating kaysa kay nila Kuya Lewis. And they said that if Zeus and the others were a second late, we could have died since there's a possibility that the car will explode.

Napabuntong hininga ako habang inaalala iyon. Lagi silang nand'yan kapag kailangan ko sila at lagi ko silang matatakbuhan sa panahon ng problema.

But all I did was to burden and avoid them.

May nagawa na ba ako para sa kanila?

Maybe this is why I always lose the friends I had before. Because all I bring to people is pain and hardships. I am like a burden they need to carry all the time, so at the end, they'll choose to leave me at the corner...alone.

I wonder if Anna and the others will do the same. Kapag napagod na ba sila sa mga drama ko sa buhay, will they also leave me? Iiwan din kaya nila ako?

Nanubig ang mga mata ko habang iniisip iyon. Few tears fell but I immediately wiped them when I heard the main door of the house opened.

I looked at the clock and saw that it's already two in the afternoon. It's Thursday today. At kaninang umaga, umalis si Ate at nagpaalam na may pupuntahan.

And she's back.

I wanted to ask her where she went. But I just chose to stay lying on the bed. Baka kasi may masabi lang ako na kung ano sa oras na malaman kong bumalik siya sa trabaho niya.

There was a knock on my room's door.

"Cleo, nakauwi na ako. Can I come in?"

Tumalikod ako mula sa pinto habang nakahiga pa din. I didn't say anything at narinig ko din naman ang pagbukas ng pinto.

"Natutulog ka pa din ba?"

I still stayed silent.

Narinig ko ang buntong hininga niya. Naramdaman kong medyo umuga ang kama and one part of the bed suddenly sank so I know that she sat on my bed.

"Cleo, hindi mo pa din ba ako kakausapin?" tanong niya na may kasamang lambing. "Kausapin mo naman si ate mo oh. Sorry na..."

Bahagya niyang tinusok-tusok ang likuran ko pero hindi pa din ako umimik. Then I heard her sigh once again.

"I already resigned."

My lips parted when she said that. Umupo ako kaagad sa kama at tumingin sa kanya.

"Y-you really did that?"

She nodded. "Wala din namang sense na magtrabaho pa ako kung hindi ka din mag-aaral. But don't worry, I'll find a new job as soon as possible."

Tumango ako kaagad at para akong nakahinga nang maluwag. I know that finding a job is hard and we'll go through hardships once again. But that's better than letting her in the building where there's a devil lurking around.