His Umbrella Girl

Chapter One

Could It Be?

KASABAY ng pagbuhos ng malakas na ulan at dagundong ng nakabibinging pagkulog, na sinabayan pa ng matatalim na mga kidlat; ay tila ulan din ang mga alaala ng nakaraan na nanumbalik na parang kahapon lamang ito nangyari. Do memories fade instantly and eventually?

I am on my way home riding a UV Express since the classes were suspended in the school I was teaching. The suspension was announced late so the students were in their respective classes already. The teachers were in the middle of teaching the lesson when they heard the announcement.

My breath fogged up the glass I was leaning on. I drew a smiley face on the window and sighed. Trickles of rainwater etched on the glass made it look like the smiley face I drew is crying. I watched the city pass by. I woke up in my drowning thoughts when the UV Express suddenly halted and honked repeatedly.

The driver rolled his windows down. Sumilip sya sa labas ng bintana habang paulit na nagmumura.

"Hoy! Ano ba? Magpapakamatay ka ba?!"ani ng driver.

Tila lalo pang nagalit ang driver at pinasok muli ang ulo sa loob ng van. Paulit ulit nitong hinampas ang busina at naiinis na hinawakan ang manibela.

"Umalis ka dyan! Nakakaabala ka! Kung gusto mong magpakamatay, wag mo kaming idamay!" sigaw pang muli ng driver.

Nagising na ang ilan sa mga pasahero ng sinasakyan kong van dahil sa sigaw ng driver. Nairita ang ilang pasaherong tumingin sa driver ngunit sumandal lamang sila muli sa headrest ng upuan at nagsibalik din sa pagtulog. Ang iba nama'y nakasilip na sa bintana at tinitignan kung anong kumosyon ang nangyayari.

Out of curiosity, I looked outside the window too, to see what was causing all of this ruckus. I saw a man standing in the middle of the road in an all-black suit. He was just standing there, looking blankly at nowhere. His clothes were damp from the intense pouring of the rain but he seems not to mind it.

Even with the angry screams of the UV Express driver, the man didn't budge one bit. It looks like he's not hearing anything at all.

Nakita kong umaamba nang lalabas ng sasakyan ang driver. Naubusan na ata ito ng pasensya sa di pagpansin sa kanya ng lalaki. Base sa mga nasaksihan ko, sa palagay ko, alam ko ang mangyayari sa mga ganitong sitwasyon. Kung kaya't naisip ko nang pigilan sa pagbaba ang driver bago pa tuluyang gawin kung ano man ang balak nito.

"Kuya, wag mo na hong patulan. Dumaan ka na lang sa kabilang lane. Wala namang mangyayari kung sisigawan mo sya." malumanay na sabi ko sa driver. Na sinangayunan naman ng mga kapwa ko pasahero sa sasakyan.

"Oo nga, manong. Uwing uwi na kami!" sambit ng isa.

"Makinig ka na lang kay Ma'am, kuya. Wag mo nang hamunin ng away yung mama." ani ng isa pang pasahero.

Ang ilan sa kanila ay mga walang pakialam sa kanilang paligid at kinakalikot ang kani-kanilang mga telepono.

Dahil na rin marahil sa mga sinabi ng ibang sakay ng UV ay sa wakas nakinig ang driver at muling inangat ang salamin ng kanyang bintana. Nakahinga ako ng maluwag ng unti unting umandar ang sasakyan at nilagpasan ang lalaki.

My eyes went back to the man in black to check on what he is doing or if he is still there. I was taken aback when I looked at him, his eyes were directed towards mine. His gaze never left my eyes. Nang nagtama ang aming paningin, it felt like the air was suddenly robbed out of my lungs. My breathing hitched as I stared still directly into his eyes. It seems like I was drawn to the energy he is giving off.

Lumiit ang kanyang imahe sa paglayo ng sasakyan subalit pilit ko pa rin itong sinundan ng tingin. He slowly faded as the van moved by faster and swerved past other vehicles in front of us.

He was gone. The man dressed up in an all-black suit was gone. But I was still looking at the window in the back of the van as if the man was still there when he actually isn't.

Inayos ko ang aking pag-upo ngunit nasa isipan ko pa rin ang nakita ko. I've seen a lot of brown eyes in my entire existence, but his pair of orbs were a lot different. Parang ang kanyang mga mata ay nangungusap ng mga salitang hindi masabi ng bibig.

The rain had already stopped when I got home. Nakauwi ako sa bahay ng maayos ngunit wala sa sarili sapagkat naiisip ko pa rin ang lalaking iyon. I mindlessly took my shoes off and went straight to my room. I head to the bathroom to shower and ease my mind off.

As the warm water trickled from my face down to my body, those brown eyes appeared in my memory. The bath didn't seem to take away those thoughts. I shrugged my shoulders back and turned off the shower. I got dressed and immediately head back to bed after I dried myself up.

A part of me wants that man to be someone I know, but it couldn't be possible. Maybe I just missed someone too much that I mistake someone else being him. It's not him. It couldn't be him. It's impossible. I doze off to sleep with that thought in mind.

It's another day, a pleasant Tuesday morning. The sun was shining brightly and the birds manage to chirp lively; you wouldn't think the rain poured heavily last night if not for the wet roads outside.

I fixed my uniform and took a last glance in the mirror before I get my bag. I called a cab and said where I am heading.