When He Loved Me

Ch.8 Amanda

"Nico..." I said tentatively as we sit waiting for Rene Boy's crew to make the boat ready.

"Hmm?" He replied without looking at me.

"Uhmmm, I just realized that I have another problem."

He looked at me quizzically, waiting for me to elaborate.

"Once we get to the other side, I just realized that I have no means to go to the bus terminal. I don't think there will be vehicles available at this time of night," I said.

He looked at me and shook his head, smiling at me. "Yeah, I thought about that," he said calmly.

"And?" I asked, ashamed of my lack of foresight. I forgot that I'm not in a city where I can call for a cab whenever and whatever ungodly hour it is.

"A friend of mine will be there to pick us up from the Port."

"Thank you," I said, clutching my chest as relief rushed over me.

"Not yet. Just thank me once you're in New York."

Nico stood up and grabbed my bag as Rene Boy called us to board the boat.

***

"Are you ok?" Nico asked, rubbing my back as I deposit my dinner into the darkness of the ocean.

"Never better," I joked after I finished heaving out my entire digestive system.

"Sukamichi..." Nico muttered with a giggle, handing over a handkerchief.

"I know..." I said defeatedly.

"How do you travel the world if you're like that?" Nico quipped.

"You can paint an airplane with the amount that you just threw up!" Rene Boy added, the two of them laughing out loud.

"Oh shut up the both of you!" I cried out. "Bonamine has been invented years ago for your information!" I said defensively.

"Bonamine?" Nico said sarcastically.

"Parang bata!" Rene boy replied and the two of them roared into laughter again. "My sons does it better than you, Attorney. They love the sea." He added.

"Well, I don't do well on sea, I guess that's why I'm a lawyer and not a seafarer." I said with a smile.

"Guess so," Rene Boy said with a shrug. "We're near."

I glanced up and saw the glimmering lights of Batangas City from where we were. So bright compared to the island that we came from but dimmer still than the lights of all the other cities that I've been to.

In the distance, I can also see the vague shape of the Mama Mary statue at Montemaria, the Mother of Asia.

When it was being built, it was intended to be a pilgrimage sit, the home base of a Batangueño healing priest whose name I cannot remeber. But due to allegations of corruption, the investors pulled out and nothing much came out of it.

It was nothing compared to the Statue of Liberty, I know. The face of this one cannot hold a candle to the beauty of Lady Liberty. But somehow, it evokes something in me, something I can't quite explain. For me it is a symbol of my past, my childhood. Considering that it's one of the first things I see when arriving at the mainland of Batangas City, it always serves as a signal to me that I've finally left the island of my home, its extended arms welcoming me to the future, to a bigger, wider place where I can chase my dreams and build a better life.