COLLIDED

1

"Falling inlove isn't included in my bucketlist anymore. All it brings is just deep distress and sadness. Once is enough, I'm done." -Irene Victorina Isabelle Marcos.

"Irene!" She heard a voice coming from her back but she didn't even cared to take a glance to who ever shouted her name. "Irene, Irene!" A woman shouted again and for this time she turned her back and face her. "What now Manang? I'm tired please wag mo na dagdagan." She answered.

"Tired? Eh maghapon ka lang nandito sa bahay mo eh." She said. "Pagod nga kase ako, I fixed something and I'm hella tired now. Why are you here ba kase?" She questioned her older sister. "Anong fixed? Don't make me look like a stupid person Irene, we all know na if you have to fix something ipapagawa mo yan sa iba. And besides you have your yaya here, so why bother to fix that 'thing' of yours." She said.

She just make face to her older sister. "Are you here ba to make pikon of me? Kase if yes then you're free to leave kase I don't entertain monkeys here and I'm not in the mood pa manang" she rolled her eyes. 

'Maldita'.

"You know what? Hindi na kita papatulan for now because I have a lot of unfinished paper works pa sa office ko, but anyways I'm here to pick you up, mama wants you to go home. She misses you a lot. Well honestly we miss you so much." She answered her younger sister in disbelief. 'Maldita' nga she thought.

"What? Is that all? Sana you texted me nalang. We both have phones naman. You just wasted your time coming here. I'm not coming home manang." She said.

"Whaaat?!" Her older sister half-shouted in disbelief from what she said. After how many hours of land travelling from Ilocos to Makati tapos di lang pala to sasama? She thought.

"You heard me right? I'm not coming home with you. I have a lot to do here in Manila, saka nalang siguro manang." She said.

"Of course I heard you right, pero what about me? Ang layo pa ng trinavel ko para maisama ka!" She retorted.

She rolled her eyes. "Toldya! Sana you texted me first before coming here." She giggled. "Hay! You never changed Irene. You just aged but you're still the stubborn and hard-headed little Irene of us!" She rolled her eyes back to her younger sister.

"No kaya! You and Bonget always make fun of me before kaya I was not always in the mood." She retorted pouting.

"Kase you were easily pissed off that's why." She giggled. "But anyways pasok kana sa loob! Pack your things and we'll go to ilocos by 1pm alright? No buts Irene." She said pinching her younger sister's waist.

"Ah aray! Ano ba it hurts manang!" She shouted. "Pasaway ka kase! You deserve it. C'mon hurry up pack your things na so you'll have enough time to decide what to bring. " She laughed at her younger sister.

"Fine! Happy now? How can I ever say no to you?" She rolled her eyes again. "Isa pang irap mo luluwa na yang mata mo Irene." She laughed so hard infront of her sister. "Crazy! I don't acknowledge you as my sister, nakakahiya!" She shouted.

"Ugali nito, pasok na nga tayo baka masapak kita." She pulled her sister to the inside. "Ouch! Can you please be careful of me naman?! Makahila ka naman wagas" she retorted. "Maldita ka kase, sige na nga akyat na kase bagal mo pa naman. I'll wait for you here m'kay? Please learn how to be fast!" The older one commanded.

"Whatever Manang! I'll make you wait for half a century" she giggled.

"Subukan mo lang Victorina I'll make your house explode in just an hour." She rolled her eyes at her sister.

She make face on her sister and run to her room as fast as she could to get ready.

"Alright, I guess these are enough clothes for my one week home vacation. I won't bring toiletries nalang since I knew that it has a lot in our family house" Irene talked to herself while closing her baggage. After packing her things she headed to her walk in closet and changed for her comfy travelling clothes. A white semi-formal blouse, a nude trouser and she put on her simple yet elegant doll shoes. Her go to look. And she's ready to go.

"Alright here I am!" She shouted loudly while struggling to put down her baggage. "Wow I thought you fell asleep already. You're so tagal talaga." Her older sister complained, obviously got tired of waiting for her.

"Shush! Stop complaining manang! It's your fault din naman. If it weren't you coming here edi you'll not gonna wait for me." She rolled her eyes.

"Blah blah whatever Irene! Let's go na!" She said. "Really now? Papabuhatin mo ako nito? It's so heavy kaya! Tingin mo sakin kargador?" She half-shouted in disbelief.

"Gaga si Marko ang magbubuhat niyan hindi ikaw" she chuckled. "Oh edi pabuhat mo na, tara na sa car." She answered.

"We will use my car so you don't need to bring yours na okay?"

"What? I thought we'll use my car." Irene said.

"No we'll use mine, tara na. Wag na madaming arte jan. Just get your important things from your car and transfer it to mine so you'll not be complaining for the whole trip for not having your stuffs here in my car." Imee suggested.

"Alright! Wait for me. Again." She giggled.

"Faster slug!"

"Shush froggy!"

"Can you make it faster?" The older one retorted.

"Okay I'm good. Let's go?" Irene said.

"Damn! Finally after so many years of waiting!" Imee sighed.

"Oh shush just get in and drive manang!" She laughed at her sister's reaction.

Imee hopped in to her car and start driving. She turned on her radio and start playing music. While Irene was just peacefully scrolling at her cellphone.

I would never fall in love again
Until I found her
I said I would never fall
Unless it's you I fall into

I was lost within the darkness
But then I found her
I found you.

She glanced at her sister and saw her wiped her face using her bare hands and hiding her face by facing the window at her side. Oh their themesong she thought.

She turned off the music and tapped her sister.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked. Her sister turned her head and faced her. "Yep, I'm fine manang" she smiled trying to hide the pain in her. "I know you're not. It's fine Irene, let it all out. After all, you haven't grieve yet for what happened between the two of you." She said. "No I'm fine manang. It's just the song that makes me cry. Not the person anymore." She look at her in teary eyes.

"No matter how hard you try to hide all your pain, it can still be seen in your eyes Ading." She said.

"It doesn't matter anymore manang. What matters is that I already learned my lesson and I don't have any plans on coming back." She smiled bitterly.

"Just please focus on the road, I don't want to die this young manang. Ayokong mamatay na virgin." She added trying to lighten up the mood.

"Ikaw talaga" she laughed. "Nagagawa mo pang magbiro ng ganyan despite of the pain you were keeping from us for a very long time." Imee smiled at her.

"C'mon manang I'm fine nga lang ano ba. I was just being dramatic again because of exhaustion na rin siguro."

"LIE."

"You sure you're fine? I don't want mama to get mad at me when we arrived ha. Baka sabihin pinaiyak kita jan" she chuckled.

"Of course I am." I'm not.