***
"Who gave you information?"
"I don't know him actually, but he looked like the man she introduced to me as her boyfriend,"
I am hearing a lot of whispers. Hindi ko na maintindihan 'yung iba. As I open my eyes, I slowly familiarized myself with the place. It was, the old house. Dito ako dinala ni ate. I saw them at the kitchen table talking to each other. Tumanda ang itsura ni mama, same to our father. The house didn't change at all.
Pupuntahan ko sana sila, but then I realized na nakatali pala ako sa isang upuan. My hands and my feet are all tied up. May takip din ang bibig ko na duck tape, hindi ko agad 'to namalayan ng magising.
I thought of ways kung paano ako makakaalis dito. Ayoko sa bahay na 'to. I already deleted this in my memory, even them. Kinalimutan ko nang pamilya ko sila.
"I see you're awake!" I heard the voice of our mother, masaya ang tunog but not the true happiness. I can sense something else.
Hindi naman ako makapag salita dahil sa nakatakip ang bibig ko. But that makes me think, why am I all tied up? It's not that tatakas ako kaagad. If they want to talk, haharapin ko sila. I'm fine with that. But that doesn't mean that I'll stay.
At sino nga ulit ang nagpa-alam sa kanila kung saan ako tumitira? Nag paiba din ako ng schedule sa school, so that if they want to see me, hindi kami mag tatagpo. I heard them say something a while ago, hindi ko lang maalala dahil hindi pa maayos ang lagay ko no'n.
"You're home honey," she whispered to me. Sinamaan ko lang siya ng tingin. I want to talk back to her, kung wala lang talaga akong tape sa bibig. Galit na galit ako sa kanila, all of the pain that they gave me. They are the burden in my life. But, they never did apologize to me.
"I supposed you missed us," sabi niya habang hinahaplos haplos ang buhok ko. Iniwas ko 'yun sa kaniya, at akdisenteng natalisod siya sa paa ko kaya natumba at nauntog ang ulo sa babasagin na lamesa. May mga kaunting parte na nabasag, and her forehead is bleeding. Kinabahan ako, but there's also part of me that feels nothing for her.
"Irreverent!" my sister said and slapped me hard. She helped mom to go up, and now they both look furious.
