Consolation In Distress (Consolation Series #1) COMPLETED

Chapter 04

"Does your wound hurts, Ate?" Nycka asked while eyeing the band-aid on my index finger.

Nasa backstage kami ng church ngayon. May plano ang mga youth para sa kaarawan ni Tatay. They asked us to make wishes for him. Wala naman akong ginagawa kaya pumayag na ako.

"No."

"Okay, Ate..." she stared at me for a minute, "Are you alright, Ate?"

I folded my forehead, "Why?"

"Because a lot of people were judging you. Teacher said that it pains a person when they received painful words."

Napaawang ang bibig ko. My sister is only seven years old. She is too young to think about things like this.

"People's opinions about us are hard to navigate. It is beyond our control... But we have the power to control our actions towards the issue. It's either we let them think about that or prove them wrong."

"You chose the first one, Ate? You let them judge you?" inosente n'yang tanong.

Ngumiti ako nang tipid, "Their opinions are factual, Nycka, but you know what I did? I let them judge me but I didn't let them step down at me."

"That's good, Ate! They're bad for degrading you!" she crossed her arms on her chest and creased her forehead. Umiling ako. I placed my fingers on her forehead and fixed her creasing forehead. Tuluyang nawala ang pagkakakunot nito.

Her age wasn't enough to understand that I'm really what other people are thinking about me. Siyempre pamilya n'ya ako, she won't believe other people pero kapag tumanda na siya. Alam kong Isa rin siya sa mga taong huhusga sa akin.

Everyone will judge me eventually. No one will think positively about me... I will always have a bad image for everyone.

Hindi lang kami ang babati sa kaarawan ni Tatay. All the staff of our church and other churches who's close in his heart will also go here to record their greetings.

Lumabas muna ako sa labas dahil matagal pa magsisimula ang recording. They're still fixing things that are needed.

"Hoy!" sigaw ko kay Dawn. I saw him watering the plants.

I don't really know him. I rarely recognize his face even if he's working here but I got curious since I saw him at the same club where I used to go.

I'm not the type of person who meddles with other's life. Hindi ako 'yong katulad ng ibang kabataan na magaling sa tsismisan because I believe that it's not my duty to broadcast what's going on in their lives. Kung gusto nilang ipagsabi iyon, they will. I don't have to be the first person to spread it because I don't have the right to do so. It's invading their privacy.

But with Dawn, I feel like I have to know everything about him. Parang dapat may mata ako sa kan'ya para malaman kung ano ang ginawa n'ya. Is this still curiousity?

"I don't see you anymore sa club. Lumipat ka ng club?"

"Hindi."

"Talaga? But I don't see you anymore."

He stopped watering the plants and faced me, "Why? Do you go every day?"

Humalakhak ako, "So you really visit that place, huh?"

I was just trying to catch him. Baka first time n'ya lang pumunta sa club noong nakita ko siya. He might only want to try clubbing but it turned out that he's a regular customer in that place.

"Ilang babae na ang natikman mo?" I frankly asked. Natigilan siya sa sinabi ko.

"Ano?! Your mouth, Ace!"