Golden Hour (Hour Series #1)

prologue

Naaalala ko pa noong anim na taong gulang pa lang ako. Nakatitig sa mga magulang kong sumasayaw sa paborito nilang kanta, 'Your Song' ng Parokya ni Edgar, may malalaking ngiting nakaukit sa kanilang mga mukha.

Back then, I thought their marriage was perfect. Kada uwi ni papa sa gabi, sasalubungin niya si mama ng mga halik at rosas at kung hindi naman rosas ang kaniyang dala, tsokolate naman, kaya halos araw-araw akong sinasakitan ng lalamunan sa lahat ng extra chocolate na nakakain ko.

Kahit hindi Valentine's Day, may pasalubong talaga si papa at mga encouraging words para kay mama kahit pagod siya sa trabaho. Hindi niya nakakalimutang sabihan si mama ng 'I love you' bago umalis at pagbalik galing sa trabaho, o 'Ang ganda mo' at 'Ang swerto ko at ikaw ang kasama ko ngayon, hanggang sa habang buhay'. Noon, tatlong beses sa isang linggo, sasayaw sila at pagkatapos, kakain kami sa isang restaurant. Naaalala ko pa kung gaano ka saya ang mga panahong iyon. Iyong ang routine namin noong bata pa ako. Kaya siguro na impluwensiyahan akong magkaroon ng pangarap na sana makakilala rin ako ng kagaya ni papa.

Haha, napakatangang pangarap.

Ngayon, nakatingin lang ang halos walang buhay kong mga mata sa umiiyak kong mama. She's been crying for an hour, hugging and clutching at one of my papa's shirt. He came back again today, another woman I've never seen before, clinging on to his arm, the smell of cigarettes protruding from both of them.

Kulang nalang sakalin ko siya nang makita ko siya sa harapan ng bahay, and the audacity the man had to bring his girlfriend along with him.

But I stayed civil. I wasn't going to stoop down to their level. They weren't going to get on my nerves.

Kaya, mahinahon ko siyang tinanong kung bakit siya nandito. I was tempted to add 'At bakit dala-dala mo ang bruha mo?' but as I said, I wanted to show him that his daughter was raised well by the woman he stabbed multiple times in the heart. He's been separated from mama for five years or so, but the man just can't stop taunting her.

I almost laughed in his face when he said he wanted to grab an old watch his grandfather left behind after his passing a decade ago. That watch apparently costs a lot if pawned off. The reason I wanted to laugh was that I distinctly remember my grandfather telling me that the watch was for me. Sabi pa nga ni niya, 'I don't trust Jeremiah to hold on to this watch, so I want you to look after it until you're old enough to be able to read time.'

Hm, wonder why lolo didn't trust him. Surely it wasn't 'cuz he knew his idotic son would just pawn off a prized treasure right?

I was about to tell him to get off the property and that the watch no longer exist, when suddenly mama walked out of the door.

Greak, perfect timing.

Muntikan na akong napasapak sa noo ko. Kahit gaano ka gago ng papa ko, alam kong deep inside, mahal pa rin siya ni mama. Ilang beses na niyang pinaglaruan, sinaktan, ginago si mama, pero wala eh, nahihirapan pa rin siyang mag-move on. So the mere fact that he's standing here with his new partner is another slap to the heart.

Frankly I couldn't care less. I've learned to turn off my emotions when it came to the man standing in front of me. He doesn't deserve my tears, nor does he deserve mama's but that's not really something I can control.

"J-jer bakit ka nandito? At bakit...?" mama stopped mid-sentence when she saw the young woman stuck to his hip, casually looking up at our house as if she struck a gold mine. She whispered something to papa and he whispered back something which made her giggle. The action itself gave me goosebumps that I immediately shook away.

"As I was going to say. The watch is no longer here, and even if it was, it doesn't belong to you. Lolo gave that watch, specifically to ME. Now I suggest you leave before I call the police and make this your second restraining order." I fished my phone from my pocket and pretended to type in a number. One thing I knew about this man was that he was a coward. After all, he covered his cheating habits with multiple love bombing gifts to mama and I. We only ever realized it when it was too late.

"Now Rozelle Iya, I didn't raise you to act like this, I-"

My eyebrows furrowed and a glare formed in my features. "First off, do NOT call me by my full name, you don't have the right to use that as a way to make me follow you. Second, hindi mo ako pinalaki, I vividly remember a certain woman who's standing in front of us being the one who raised me and protected me from all the hell you caused us. Kaya wala kang karapatang sabihan ako na hindi mo ako pinalaki ng ganito."

He was fuming when I was finished. I glanced to the side and saw my mama clutching her chest. Tears running down her face.

"Just please leave." I closed my eyes for a bit and rubbed the bridge of my nose before walking towards the door. Kakauwi ko pa lang galing school, ito kaagad ang bungad sa'kin.

He didn't say anything more and just grabbed the woman he was with harshly before leaving. I sighed deeply and closed the door with a loud bang. I turned to face my mama, her eyes red and swollen. I immediately embraced her. Letting my warmth seep into her.

Our old fairytale life, now turned into some sort of soap opera.

I no longer trusted what people called romantic love. My mother experienced that not so long ago, I myself wanted to experience that when I got older. But all I ever witnessed from it was pain and suffering.

That's why, I swore I was never going to fall in love. Ever.