Love Me on December

Kabanata 25

Kabanata 25: Date

"Dad... Mom... Giftson and I are now leaving to New York." I said beaming in front of my parents' remains above our hearth.

Giftson caressed the side of my waist, kaya nilingon ko na siya sa tabi ko at nagtama na ang mga mata namin.

"Thank you, Mom, Dad, for giving me Rita..." Giftson said locking his gleaming eyes at me, as if he's talking to my parents right now.

Parang may yumakap sa puso ko pagkatapos kong marinig iyon, at naluluha na akong napangiti sa kaniya.

"Who told you, you can call my parents like that?" Pabiro ko nang asik sa kaniya kahit nagiging emosyonal na ngayon.

Napapangiti na siyang napatitig sa'kin dahil sa pambibiro ko.

"No one. But I can kiss you right now as a consent to call them that way." Pambibiro na rin niya sa'kin na mabilis ko nang ikinairap ng mata dahil sa kilig.

I jokingly pushed his chest away from me after he teased me. "Don't be coquetting with me in front of my parents!" Natatawa ko nang reklamo.

Nagtawanan na kami pagkatapos, at nag-offer na ng prayer para sa parents ko as a farewell before we finally decided to leave to New York today.

The entire flight of me and Giftson was fun and sweet for me. We took pictures together, listen to our favorite Christmas songs while now boarding in the plane, eat our meals together, taking naps, and becoming goofy and flirty towards each other inside the plane as if it's only the two of us.

Hindi ako kailanman na bored sa napakamahabang biyahe ko na yata ngayon kasama si Giftson. He paid for this long vacation, and it's all his plans pati na rin kung saan kami magsta-stay and all other expenses namin sa bakasyong ito.

Sabi niya, he saved up for this long Christmas vacation with me dahil ilang taon niya na raw inaasam na makasama na niya ako sa Pasko.

I smiled thinking about it as I stared at him beside me sleeping and leaning his head on my left shoulder. I leaned my head too on his head after I stared at him, and thought of him more as I am falling in love.

Nakatitig na ako ngayon sa mga kamay naming magkasalikop sa hand rest, at mapayapang iniisip ang lalaking ito sa buhay ko.

To have him now... is like a dream I never asked for. A few years ago, I only wished for my mother to celebrate Christmas with us back in Sydney. But now, I never thought of a man that would celebrate his entire Christmas vacation with me in New York. I never thought I would fall in love with the man of my life now after all the things happened in my life.

Hindi ko inakala na mas mahigit pa ang ipapalit ni God sa akin... sa mga Paskong inaasam ko lang naman noon na makasama ng buo ang mga magulang. Ngayon, nakakalambot sa puso ko nang sasalubungin ang Pasko sa taong ito.

Nakatulog na ako habang ang buong paligid ng plane ay kanina pa tahimik, at sana sa paggising ko ay nasa N.Y. na kami dahil hindi na ako makapaghintay sa bakasyon naming ito.

I woke up from Giftson's soft caress on my shoulder and hair, ako na ngayon ang nakasandal sa balikat niya at unti-unti na akong nagbukas ng mga mata.

Pagkabukas ko ng mga mata ay kaagad na siyang nagsalita.

"Did you rest well?" He whispered softly beside my left cheek as I yawned from my sleep.

"Y-yeah..." Inaantok ko pang sagot.

"Naglayover 'yong flight na'tin kanina. I didn't wake you up 'coz you were soundly sleeping in your sleep." Aniya.

Nakaramdam kaagad ako ng panghihinayang na hindi man lang kami nakababa rito sa plane doon sa pinaglayover na bansa kanina as what he said.