Drawn to His Flame

Kabanata 27

Stay

A car honked at us and the blaring sound it created temporarily made me lose my sense of hearing. Naramdaman ko na lang na may mga malalakas na kamay na tumulong para mas mabilis akong makatayo. I heard some shouting afterwards. I don’t know if it’s the driver because the world was still muted for me.

“Anong nangyari, Reg? Okay ka lang ba?” Hiro’s voice slowly registered into my ears. Napaangat ako ng ulo. Nang magtama ang paningin namin ay nakita ko agad ang pag-aalala sa kanyang mga mata.

I looked past his shoulders to search for someone. “Si Treyton... Nakita mo ba siya?” Bahagya akong napaatras nang lumapat ang hinlalaki ni Hiro sa pisngi ko nang punasan niya ang aking mga luha. I forgot that I cried. Napayuko ako dahil nahihiya akong makita niya ako sa ganitong estado.

“I didn’t see him. Bakit?”

I inhaled a lot of air. Sana tama nga si Hiro. I prayed that Treyton wasn’t here at all and that what I had seen a while ago was just a hallucination caused by my paranoia. Na sana gawa-gawa lang iyon ng isipan ko. Na sana hindi nakita ni Treyton ang ama niya na may kasamang ibang babae para hindi siya madurog ng gano’n katindi.

But it’s just wishful thinking.

I know it’s impossible but I still badly wanted to erase the memory of Treyton crying from my mind because it was too painful to bear.

“You look tired, Reg. Ihahatid na kita. Maaga pa naman. Puwede ka pang matulog ulit,” sunud-sunod na wika ni Hiro. Tumango lang ako sa kanya habang sinasabayan siya sa paglalakad. Pero habang paalis kami sa parking lot ay namataan ko ang motorsiklong sinakyan ko kanina papunta rito. The motorcycle was still there but its owner’s already gone.

Gusto kong hanapin ang may-ari no’n pero hindi ko alam kung saan magsisimula. I don’t even know if he wanted someone to look for him.

Hiro helped me get a ride back to my apartment. Sinamahan niya ako at sa loob ng ilang minuto ay nanatili lang siyang tahimik. If he got inquisitive and irritated because I was trying to reach Treyton multiple times already but to no avail, he didn’t show it. Paminsan-minsan ay sumusulyap ako sa kanya at nakikita ko siyang seryoso ring nakatingin sa labas ng taxi na para bang tinutulungan din niya akong hanapin ang hinahanap ko.

“Manong, pakibagalan lang po ‘yong pagmamaneho niyo kung puwede. Salamat po,” pagkausap niya sa taxi driver. I smiled at his simple gesture and resumed looking for Treyton. The city’s massive and he could be wherever right now but I still continued hoping. Dahil sa pagpatak ng bawat segundo ay lalo akong kinakabahan.

Because by basing on Treyton’s behavior to Tita Thalia, I believed that he took his dad’s side in whatever problem they’re facing. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nakita ni Treyton para masabi niyang nanloko ang ama niya. It must be something huge because he trusts his father so much that he won’t curse him if it’s just a trivial matter.

Once trust is broken, it could never be the same again. And the damage it had cause to Treyton would make it difficult to patch himself back together and will make him consider the other option. And that is to destroy himself further.

At iyon ang kailangan kong pigilan kung mangyari man.

“Don’t panic, Reg. Baka nando’n lang siya sa unit niyo,” Hiro consoled. Kakalabas lang namin sa taxi dahil nandito na rin kami sa tapat ng apartment ko. “And I’ll call you if I see him on my way back,” dagdag niya.

Tinapik ko siya sa braso bago ngumiti. “Thank you, Hiro. Sorry pala sa mga nasabi ko kahapon. Hindi ko lang talaga napigilan,” I apologized when I remembered our fight. Napalabi ako nang guluhin niya ang buhok ko.