A/N: Hi! MIA ako, I know. Hahaha! I'll change the contents of Viper2 from CH10 to the current, as well as may madadagdag na chapters doon. Maglalagay na lang ako ng Author's Note sa mga chapter na nabago para may heads up din. And the title for Viper 2 will be changed from Mon Bonheur to Other Universe. Oo na, ako na pabago-bago ng isip. Sorry na. Hahahaha! I'll start the change asap, maybe today. Thank you!_________________________
Lloyd Vincent
True to her words, Aileen took care of the flat that I owned in California. She sent someone to run through my things at sabihin sa'kin kung ano ang mga dadalhin dito sa Pinas at kung anong pwedeng i-donate sa mga local shelters doon, then she put it on lease.
She then took me on a shopping spree on her day off; grabbed every clothing, shoes, or accessories that she thought would make me look good. Pati allowance, tinanong niya ako kung kailangan ko ba. Natatawa pa akong umiling ng sumagot sa kanya.
'What you gave me was more than enough.'
'This is the standard. So don't tell me this is enough.'
Aileen Zaldivar Buenaventura is a force to be reckoned with. Not that I'm complaining but there's so many alphas in the family and I'm wondering how they function harmoniously. I'm also getting anxious about how I would fit in the family.
Mag-iisang linggo pa lang ako dito sa ancestral home but I could feel it shifting because of me. Having dark humour in a conservative household has turned the place upside down. Naririnig ko pang nagugulat ang mga maids kapag nagsasalita ako. And I said a lot of offensive things in the past days that I didn't even know were that bad.
Dumaan ako sa library ngayong araw para makita si Aileen. She offered to accompany me for my overall physical examination and I wanted to ask if she's free tomorrow.
Pagdating ko doon, tanggal ang mga carpet ng lugar at nakatabi ang mga furnitures malapit sa mga bookshelves na nakadikit sa pader. Sa gitna ng napakalaking kwarto, bukas ang pamilyar na basement na minsan ko nang pinasok noon.
May tatlong lalaking helper na ang bubuhat ng mga gamit galing sa baba palabas ng basement at may tatlong maid na nagpupunas ng mga gamit na 'yon. Lahat sila may suot na facemask, pati na rin si Aileen, habang naglilinis. Nilapitan pa ako ng huli para lang abutan ng panyo at sinenyasan na magtakip ng ilong at bibig dahil sa nagliliparang alikabok sa buong kwarto.
"Anong nangyayari?" tanong ko.
"We kept your things here."
"My things?" Sumilip pa ako sa bukas na basement just to see the same stairs that I stepped on years ago. Nandoon ang dalawang helper na binubuhat pataas ang isang cabinet.
Lumapit si Aileen sa isang maid doon at dinala sa'kin ang isang photo album saka binuksan ito sa harap ko. "Your baby pictures."
It was a different photo album that I saw before; it was birthday parties that Kiel had. Different themes, same joyous faces in each year that passed. And it stopped on the fourth birthday. Just as loneliness dawned on us, naapakan ng isang helper ang puting tabing sa bitbit nitong malaking bagay, dahilan para malaglag ang telang ito at bumungad ang nakabaliktad na family portrait. It looked the same as they had outside hanging on the third floor's living room. The only difference was I am in it, my younger self smiling at me.
"Bakit ako nandyan?"
"We had that taken when you were young."
At times like this, it felt like that kid and I were not the same person even though we have the same face. And sometimes I wonder who they're seeing. "Can we have another one with me here?"
