In Another Life, I would

IALIW 1

Farrah Amelie

How did I end up in this situation? Sitting close to the person, na hangga't maari ayaw ko pa sana makita ng oras na ito. At siya pa ang sumundo sa akin sa Airport.

I sighed heavily and shifted my gaze to the window.

The truth is, I'm entirely to blame. Kahit saan anggolo tingnan, kasalanan ko talaga. After a few years, I'm the one who reappears unexpectedly. Ako itong absent for almost 3 years in a row, ako yung wala paramdam, ako ung nag deactivate ng Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber, ako ung hindi nag bukas ng kahit ano social media account mapa messenger man yan twitter, Instagram, Skype, ako ung wala pasabing aalis, at ako ung hindi sumasagot sa kahit anong emails nila. Inshort, ako talaga ung nawala ng para bula sa buhay nila.

I read every email they sent, updated ako sa lahat ng happenings sa buhay nila. Tipo hindi nawala ung mga holiday parties na ginawa naming tradition para sa mga tinutulugan namin simula noon pa man, that every month na get together ay tuloy pa din. A year after I left, dun nag simula mas lalo naging maganda takbo ng buhay nang bawat isa.

Just like today, the day after tomorrow is a special day for someone I care about. And this person next to me, I'm aware that he already has the business that he truly wanted to own. Naikwento sa akin ni ate nun nag email siya last time kasabay ng wedding invitation na pinadala nya.

"Amelie.." I was jolted out of my reverie when I heard him call my second name. He is the only one who addresses me by that name. Yes, indeed. I'm officially back in the Philippines.

As I looked at him, I straightened up.

I asked him, "My apologies, are you saying anything?"

"Yes, if you want to grab some food, we can drive thru at the nearest fast-food chain we'll pass by," he explained.

"Yeah. Sure! Pwede ba sa Jollibee?" I told him, I really miss Jollibee. Jollibee ng Pinas.

"No problem. Alam ko may malapit na Jollibee dito." he informed me.

"Nag dinner ka na ba? If hindi pa, we can do dine in naman para makakain ka ng maayos." I told him.

"Not yet, but it's okay. Mag take out na lang tayo ng madami, for sure kanina pa sila naiinip kakahintay sa atin lalo na sayo." he answered.

I suddenly realized that old habits die hard.
Both of us, parehas natigilan because of what I said.
It's just like before, back in the day.

After that, we both fell silent again. It feels like a solid wall of heavy air is surrounding us. On the radio, I could only hear Kelly Clarkson's rendition of the song "The One That Got Away."

"Great! Sa lahat ba naman pwedeng song na mag-play. Ito pa talaga. I think Universe is really mocking me right here." I shake my head slightly.

Tanggap ko naman, kasalanan ko. Wag na sana ipamukha pa lalo sa akin, kasi qouta na ako simula pa kanina nun lumabas ako ng airport.

As we go to the nearest drive-thru, kung saan oorder ng pagkain suddenly he said,

"Bubba, what do you want? Super meal or Spaghetti and 2pcs Chicken? Sa drinks, iced tea pa din ba?" he casually said those questions para bang hindi ako nawala ng matagal. And I let it passed, because at this moment I want to feel na it's like the old times.

"I'll go with spaghetti and 2pcs chicken make it spicy - wings and breast part please. Yes, iced tea. Hindi na talaga ako nag softdrinks. Kindly, add large French fries." I answered and smiled at him.

He looked a bit shocked but nodded, then he repeats my order before he order for himself and order another set of foods para naman sa buong barkada. I wonder kung sino pa ang gising ng ganito oras. It's almost passed 10 in the evening already.