Above Her Past

EPILOGUE

***

NADIA

"Asawa ko! Picture-an mo 'ko dito! Dali!"

PUMWESTO SI DAZE SA DI KALAYUAN, umiiling-iling pa ito nan may ngiting nakaukit sa labi bago inihanda ang kanyang DSLR. Nag-pose ako na parang tinutulak ang sikat na istraktura dito sa Pisa, Italy. Maraming tao ang kumukuha ng larawan katulad ko kaya hindi ako nahihiyang mag-pose. Pinalitan ko ang mga poses ko para marami akong mai-post online. Tumakbo ako papalapit sa kanya at ipinulupot ang kamay ko sa kanyang braso.

"Let me see!" excited kong sabi. Pinakita niya sa akin ang magaganda litratong kinuha niya gamit ang camera. "Wow! Ang galing mo talaga sa kahit anong bagay, Dazey! You can take great photos too!"

"Masyado mo naman akong pinupuri, asawa ko." sabi nito.

After our marriage, we came up with a new endearment. It is not an endearment at first, it is more like a tease. It became special to us because we love hearing it. Mas lalong nagsi-sink in ang kasal namin kapag asawa ang tawagan.

"Ikaw naman! Picture-an kita!" I said excitedly.

"Sige na nga." parang napilitan, gusto din namang kuhanan ng litrato. Naglakad siya patungo sa spot kung saan ako nakatayo kanina. He copied my pose as if he couldn't think of anything. My husband is photogenic, he'll just stand there and I can take better photos. Ano pa bang e-expect mo sa lalaking ni-take ang modelling career para sa taong mahal niya? Kapag naiisip ko 'yun, kinikilig pa rin ako.

"1... 2... 3... say 'I love you, Nadia!'"

Inilapit ko ang mata ko sa viewfinder. My heart raced quickly when I saw his smiling face. Kahit araw-araw ko siyang pagmasdan, parehong epekto pa rin ang nararamdaman ng puso ko. The Daze effect never fades even though we've been together for years now.

"I love you, Nadia Kreall." he mouthed.

My stomach is tied up in knots and my cheeks become tinged with a subtle blush.

"I love you too." I mouthed back then giggled like a 16 years old girl.

After the solo shots, we asked other people to take photos of us. Daze is the spokesperson, he's good at speaking with other people like his own kind of butterfly. Binili ko talaga ang camera para punuin ng masasayang memorya ngayong honeymoon. Pinag-awayan pa namin kung saan kami pupunta. Gusto niya sa Greece, ako sa Italy. Of course, I won! Here we are, living the moment in Italy.

Sobrang saya ko nang makita ang mga litratong kinuha ng mga mababait na tourists. The kindness of people can be seen in these small moments.

"Isn't this beautiful?" natutuwa kong sabi sabay pakita sa isang litrato kung saan nag-ki-kiss kami at kunwaring tinutulak niya ang sikat na istruktura. He's the one who initiated the kiss, I was the one who was embarrassed after the shots.

"Yes, beautiful like my wife."

"Stop making my heart beat faster! I might die in another country because of a heart attack." pagbibiro ko.

"Don't say such things. Mabubuhay pa tayo hanggang 100 years old."

"100 years old? Ang tanda!"

"Syempre, kasama kitang tatanda." He chuckled. "We will grow old with our children and grandchildren. We will have white hair together. Drink coffee or tea on our veranda or patio. We will do everything together now that we're married."