Parade Of The Past

Chapter 15

Find You In My Memory

"Cass, check mo nga 'to. Maganda naman diba?" Nilingon ko ang kaibigan na si Ria. She left the dressing room wearing a long pink gown that complemented her body shape. I stopped for a second. Kahit sino siguro ay mapapatigil kung siya rin ang makikita nilang nakaganito. I smiled at her.

"Ano ka ba, Ri. Ako pa ang tatanungin mo? I know you know you're beautiful." I let out a laugh. Bahagya niya akong hinampas sa braso nang makalapit at nagtatatawa pa dahil sa kilig. "Siguraduhin mong may gwapo sa kasal mo ah, maganda na ako, jowa nalang kulang!" She shrieked and jumped.

I, myself cannot believe that I'm already getting married. It has exactly been 10 months since Royce woke up from coma, at iyon rin ang araw na hiningi niya ang kamay ko. I never thought this would happen. Hindi ko rin inaasahan ang aksidente na nangyari bago iyon, pero siguro ay oras narin para hindi ko na iyon isipin pa ng mas lalo.

I've made it clear to Royce that I'll forget what happen, and he promised to also take care of himself. Hindi na daw mauulit ang nangyari. It took us months of assurance before I can slowly get over it. Mas nahihirapan tuloy akong humiwalay sakaniya ngayon.

"Oo na, malay mo, may bayaw pala akong bagay sayo. Ilakad kita." Sakay ko sa joke ni Ria. She flipped her newly-curled long hair before looking at me with sentimental eyes. Natakot ako bigla. Kakaiba ang tingin niya sa'kin ngayon, akala ko ay iiyak na siya!

"Bruha ka, sabi ko mauuna ako eh. Pero sige, dahil mukha namang matino si Royce, go marry him already." She wiped her imaginary tears which caused me to smile. Hindi ko alam kung inaasar niya ako, o iniiwasan niya lang talagang maging seryoso ngayon kaya siya nagbibiro. "Basta, handa parin ang Plan T natin ha?"

I tilted my head, "Plan T?" and proceeded to cluelessly asked her. Wala naman ata kaming pinagusapan na Plan T? At hindi ba Plan A, Plan B dapat 'yon? Bakit siya umabot sa T?

Nanlaki ang mata niya at kinurot ang braso ko. "Plan T! Takas! I studied the Church's map earlier, at may daang madaling takbuhan ng mga gustong tumakas. Elliot will be waiting for you there!" Tinaas niya ang hintuturo at seryosong huminga.

Hindi ko naman alam kung paano ako sasagot. Nilingon ko ang matangkad na lalaking naka-itim sa likod namin. His left hand is scrolling through his phone, while his right is on his pocket. Kumunot ang noo ko. Bakit hindi nalang ito ang gustuhin ni Ria? Hindi ko rin maitatanggi na gwapo rin ang body guard niya, matangkad, seryoso, at matalino! Plus, the way he looks at her? Unmatched!

Ria started to have this man beside her when her agency hired one last April. She's a professional ballerina now just like Zara before, at hindi maiiwasan ang mga fans kaya kinailangan niya naring maghanap ng tutulong sakaniya. She was fine with it at first of course, but the more camera flashes before your eyes, the more fans you'll slowly gain.

Hindi niya na ito naiwasan nang nagsimula siyang mag perform sa mga malalaking events. She even got invited to the ASEAN Games to execute a piece for the welcoming ceremony. Great, right? "Bakit hindi nalang siya, Ri?"

Sinimangutan niya ako, "Huh? Sino? Kung may compatible naman sa'kin dito, i-a add to heart ko na agad." Binalik ko ang tingin ko kay Elliot na inis na binaba ang kaniyang telepono. Is he..

"Ay, siya ba? You must be joking, Cass. He's seeing some girl pagtapos ng shift niya sa'kin sa gabi. I may be looking for a partner to help me with my schedule, but I'm not a homewrecker!" Pumalatak siya at umiling-iling.

Oh, he's not single after all. Na-guilty pa ako sa pagsubok na ilakad siya sa kaibigan ko. My face heated up. "Ria, are you done? We need to go. Mrs. Calissa's looking for you." Elliot exclaimed when he got near us. My friend only nodded and turned to me to say good bye. Hindi narin kami gano'n nagtagal sa pamamaalam dahil ako rin ay may sariling dadaanan.