Last Photograph

Chapter 11: Puzzled truth of their past

     "Hailey?" Tricia looked behind, gently wiping her tears before smiling at her.

     "It's Tita Patricia po right?" Halley confirmed then quickly made her way towards Tricia.

     "Yes." She nodded.

     Tricia then glide slightly for Halley to sit beside her.

Halley saw Tricia wiping the tears left on her face and was concerned about what happened to her.

Unfortunately, she did not hear a single word from what Tricia had said earlier.

     "Are you alright, Tita?"

     "Yeah." Tricia pulled a smile. "I just remember something... We—I used to go here kasi before."

     "Really, Tita? I thought no one knew this place."

    "That's what I thought too." She managed to laugh a little. "Ikaw, how did you know this place?"

Tricia asked hoping to hear something that would confirm her thoughts.

"It's kinda weird, Tita, but I just knew this place." Halley chuckled looking at her.

Tricia had been staring at Halley too, tracing every feature of her face I know it's impossible, but I just hope it's you.

"I keep having flashes of me in this place but I don't think I've been here before, wala po kasi akong maalala, Tita."

     I used to bring Halley here when she was a little girl, Tricia wanted to say.

     "You're Hailey right?"

     "Uhm... yes Tita, why?"

     "Who are your parents?"

     Halley hesitated to answer that question for she knew her papa wouldn't want her giving any informations about them to someone she just met.

     But what else can she do, her guts were telling her it must have been okay to speak up and answer.

     "Vince." Halley answered, thinking it will be a safe reply since her papa's real name is Vicente.

Not knowing that Tricia had been expecting to hear Vince or Vicente from her, that was all she needed to confirm.

     "Vince?" Tricia continued to ask.

     She knew it was him, she just needed to hear the whole name from her for confirmation purposes.

     "Vince Gomez." Halley wore a smile when Tricia was just staring at her. "Tita, still fine?"

     "Who's your mother?"

     "Honestly Tita, we don't talk about her."

     "Why?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about this, Tita..." Halley hesitated again.

Tricia noticed that and so she reached for her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze as if telling her that it will be fine.