BHO CAMP #5: Syntax Error

Special Chapter

SPECIAL CHAPTER 1

SNOW'S POV

Napasinghap ako ng bigla na lang may kumuha sa kopita ng alak na hawak ko. Nakasimangot na nilingon ko ang taong iyon na handa ko na sanang awayin nang makita ko si Kuya Waine na nakangiting nakatayo sa tabi ko.

Inangat ko ang hawak ko na bouquet at ipinanturo ko sa kaniya iyon. "Kumuha ka ng sa'yo, Kuya. Akin 'yan eh."

Parehas kaming natigilan. Ako lang ba o parang nangyari na 'to?

"Wow. Deja vu," he said.

Kinikilabutang binawi ko ang baso ko na inagaw niya sa akin. "May balak ka bang bigyan na naman ako ng words of wisdom mo katulad noong kasal nina Mira at Phoenix?"

Umakto siyang nag-iisip bago pagkaraan ay nakangiting umiling siya. "Nah. You don't need it anymore."

"Because I grew up?"

"Technically, you didn't. Bansot ka pa rin— Aray!" Hinawakan niya ang braso niya na basta ko na lang pinalo. "Ang bigat talaga ng kamay mo para sa taong kasing liit mo no?"

Pinaningkitan ko siya ng mga mata. "Good mood ako ngayon. Huwag mong sirain ang araw ko."

Umangat ang sulok ng labi niya at nilingon niya ang mga nagkakasiyahan. Sa dance floor ay naroon si Phoenix na kasalukuyang kasayaw si Mira. I was the one dancing with her just awhile ago, but my feet hurt already, so I gave her to Phoenix. I didn't mind, nor did Mira's husband.

"It's like we're back to that moment years ago. Pero ang pagkakaiba hindi ka na malungkot at wala na ring nasasaktan," sabi niya.

He's right. It's like we were transported back to the day that Mira and Phoenix got married. Katulad noon ay ako rin ang nakasalo ng bouquet. Katulad din noon ay umiinom ako habang nasa mga bisig ni Phoenix si Mira.

But the difference now is that no one's hurting anymore. Everyone's free to be happy.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like if this were the natural course of your life? Iyong hindi niyo na kailangan pagdaanan lahat nang pinagdaanan niyo. If there's a choice, would you choose differently?"

"No," I answered without any second thoughts.

Dumaan ang pagkasorpresa sa mga mata niya. "Really?"

"If everything was perfect for Phoenix and I, we wouldn't have her." Tinignan ko ang kinaroroonan ng asawa ko at ng babae na minsan niyang minahal. "If she would be free the same way she is now, then maybe. But what if she didn't? What if she stayed trapped with that monster?"

"Pero paano kung hindi? Paano kung makakalaya rin siya sa paraan na hindi niya kinakailangan na dumaan sa buhay niyo?"

Nagkibit ako ng balikat. "I like to think that there's a reason why we went through all of that. That maybe at that time that was what we all needed."

"Kahit nasaktan kayong lahat?"

"The way I was before... even without Mira, I would still get hurt. I will still hurt Phoenix by not fighting for him, and he'll get hurt by his own decisions too. If life is perfect, we'll all get through it unscathed. But that's not how life is. It can make you learn in such a way that you'll never forget it. At iyong ang kailangan. Iyong ang pinakaimportante. So that you won't take anything for granted again."

He studied me for a minute. "This is not the first time you thought about it."

Nginitian ko siya. "I'm older now. It's been years. Alam ko ang mga mali ko at hindi ako bulag sa mga pagkakamali ni Phoenix. I always excused his decisions before because I knew my part in them. I am not an innocent party. I tell myself that if I fought for him the same way he'd done for years, then maybe I wouldn't be the one he needed to move on from. But the thing is, my decision hurt him the way his own hurt another person who shouldn't have been involved."