Gone With The Ring (SUAREZ SERIES II)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The night ended bitterly. Eyes still swollen from crying, I crawled up on my bed and curled into a fetal position. Naiiyak pa rin ako sa tuwing naaalala ko ang mga sinabi ni Kuya Asher.

Ngayon lang naging ganito ulit kalungkot ang buong bahay. Parang kahit saang sulok ako magtago, mararamdaman pa rin iyon. Ilang taon naming pinilit ibaon sa limot ang nangyari pero ngayon ay sumabog at muling nanumbalik dahil sa sagutan namin ni Kuya. It hurt so much, but I believed that this was the closure that we all needed. Hindi ako naniniwalang limot na nila ang nangyari. Because for me, it would forever leave a scar in my heart. We all lost two precious members of the family, and that was not something you could forget with just a flick of your finger.

Magang-maga na ang mga mata ko pero sa halip na makatulog agad ay kabaligtaran ang nangyari. I spent the remaining hours before midnight staring at my bedside table. Naroon ang picture frame naming tatlo nina Rhyne at Princess noong graduation namin sa kolehiyo.

Guilt continued spreading throughout my system like a wildfire. Gusto kong tawagan si Rhyne para alamin kung ayos lang ba ito at para na rin humingi ng tawad.

But then Mama said there was no need to worry because Kuya Asher was with her. Sabay raw na umalis ang dalawa kanina. I just wished that they wouldn't hurt each other anymore. No more blaming, no more hurtful words... I wished they would finally talk.

Pansamantala akong kumalma dahil sa isiping iyon. Sigurado akong kahit pa gaano kalaki ang galit ni Kuya sa kaibigan ko, hindi niya ito pababayaan at sasaktan.

Just when I was about to fall asleep, my phone vibrated with Kuya Asher's call. Agad akong napabangon at kinakabahang sinagot iyon. "Kuya?"

Dinig ko ang malalim na paghinga niya mula sa kabilang linya. Hindi ko alam pero muli akong napaluha dahil doon. "Kuya, bakit?"

I refrained immediately from demanding answers from him. Unti-unti ko na siyang naiintindihan ngayon. Troy was right. Sa aming lahat, my brother had also suffered on his own. Just like Rhyne. Ang kaibahan lang, umalis nang tuluyan si Kuya.

The next thing I heard broke my heart nonstop. Ang akala ko ay wasak na wasak na ako. Ngayon ko lang nalaman na may idudurog pa pala ako. Hearing my brother break down in tears hurt a lot more than a broken heart.

"Where are you, Kuya?" umiiyak na tanong ko. Wala akong ibang marinig kundi ang pag-iyak niya. I wanted so much to go over the call and hug him and apologize for all the hurtful things I had told him over dinner. "I'm so sorry, Kuya..."

On the day of Rhyne's accident, he said he was in Orazon. When we fetched him at the airport, galing din siyang Orazon no'n. In all these months, pagkatapos ng kanyang military service ay dumiretso siya sa lugar na iyon? To save Rhyne's past? To plan for their future? Ginawa niya pa rin ang mga iyon sa kabila ng mga nangyari?

I felt so stupid for underestimating Kuya's feelings for my best friend. I should've known better. I should've given him the benefit of the doubt. He had been in love with Rhyne since college, and he waited for so many years for her to finally fall in love with him, too. Bakit ko pinagdudahan iyon? Ano ba naman ang dagdag na tatlong taon na paghihintay?

Pinatay niya ang tawag nang hindi nagsasalita. Ilang oras na akong umiiyak at sobrang sakit na ng dibdib ko. Pakiramdam ko ay may napakalaking sugat doon na binudburan ng asin. I felt so raw.

Nang hindi na makatiis ay dinampot ko ulit ang aking cellphone. I scrolled through my contacts and found Troy's contact number. Bago pa man muling makapag-isip ay nagtipa na ako ng text message para sa kanya.

"Dalmatian..."

Or should I just call? But it was already almost two in the morning.

"I am such a bad sister."