The day didn't go as planned.
Natapos naman namin ni Loki ang buong tour hanggang alas siyete ng gabi. Kaya nga lang, binabagabag pa 'ko sa sinabi niya sa'kin. It was easier for him to continue, he grieved for five long years. Ako naman, sinusubukan ko pa iproseso lahat.
Ibig sabihin ba nun... wala nang Atty. Pierre Radaza sa mundo?
The bright, hilarious, genuine friend that I know is reduced to a name engraved on a gravestone in the countryside of Sicily.
Tinanong ko si Loki kung bakit hindi sa Pilipinas nilibing si Pierre. He told me... he wouldn't want that. Loki told me Pierre hates the Philippines more than anything else in the world. He has the intellectual capacity to work abroad but there was someone who always held him back.
Tulala ako buong araw. Nawawala lamang ako sa sariling huwisyo kapag kinakausap ako ni Loki. Siguro naman naramdaman niya na nawalan na 'ko ng gana kaya bago pa mag-aya ang tourist namin para mag-dinner sa isang pavilion, pinangunahan na siya ni Loki at sinabing aalis na kami.
Kaya nga lang, hindi pa kami pwedeng makaalis sa mainland dahil kailangan pa namin sumakay ng cruise pabalik. The cruise was waiting for the other people who are having their dinner but it only took Loki's simple introduction to have the captain agree to take us back.
Tiningalaan ko si Loki at binaba naman niya ang tingin sa'kin. I looked at him confusingly but he just gave me a small smile, as if to say that I didn't need to worry about anything.
I wasn't worried, just concerned. Nasanay na siya na gamitin ang kapangyarihan niya sa mga tao dahil lamang sa pangalan niya. Dati, akala ko mas nakakabuti 'yon, pero ngayon, parang nakakabahala pala. We were leaving all those people who paid fairly just because he said so.
Pero ngayon, wala na 'kong gana na tumanggi. Gusto ko rin naman, e.
We took the cruise silently. Minsan, tinatanong niya ako kung may gusto ba 'ko sa menu na inooffer ng cruise dahil hindi pa ako kumakain but I declined.
The day was tiring and draining. Punong-puno naman ako ng energy kanina hanggang sa sinabi ni Loki kung ano yung nangyari kay Pierre. Simula nun, parang nakalutang na lang ako sa sarili kong utak.
It's painful, yes, but it's the type of pain that will just shut your tears and make you feel numb.
Pierre...
Tangina, ba't nauna ka pa kaysa sa'kin? You deserve a peaceful life more than I do.
Ba't ganon?
The best ones always get the short end of the line.
Napakagat ako sa labi ko nang maramdaman ang biglang pagkirot ng puso ko. My eyes brimmed with tears as everything crumbled down. Parang ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng kakayahan na umiyak. Hindi ko na mapigilan ang pag-agos ng mga luha ko. Parang gripo.
Loki was there to let me cry on his chest. Habang umiiyak ako dito, marahan niya na hinahagod ang likod ko.
It hurt to know that I wasn't there to bid him goodbye. It hurt that I didn't take a second look at him when I walked out of the airport, oblivious that that would be the last time I'll ever see him.
"Ang sakit, Lo..." my voice was strained as I hugged him tightly. "Why... I thought... I thought I saved them both..."
"It wasn't your fault," he whispered gently.
Although it wasn't, I still can't help but blame myself.
We remained like that; standing at the deck of this cruise while we reminisced all those times we spent with Pierre. Kalaunan ay tumahan na ako pero hindi ko pa rin maiwasan paminsan-minsan kapag nakikita ko sa isip ko ang nakangiting imahe ni Pierre.
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Jack Of All Trades | COMPLETED
General Fiction[DECK OF CARDS # 2] In the battle of luck and love, she tries to prevail against all odds. Due to a national case that originally stemmed from a globally known company, Astrid Fuentabella was assigned on a mission to monitor the son of the most powe...
