State of Grace

Chapter 1: Who Are You Now?

(Twelve Years Later)

SAGE

"There! All done!"

"Wow! Thank you, Kuya! Buti na lang talaga at nandito ka! Paano na kami ni Dara kung wala ka dito?"

I hugged my brother in appreciation. Tinulungan niya kami sa pag-aayos ng kwarto namin dito sa boarding house. Hindi naman siya electrician, but he excellently fixed our TV setup, and also helped sort our bookshelf.

Sancho Gabriel Gonzales Lucas is the eldest in our brood of four, and the only son. He's currently home for a vacation. Nagtatrabaho siya sa New York bilang certified public accountant. Yes, he's licensed both here in the Philippines and in the US. Kaya ganun na lang kami pa-proud sa kanya.

He has accomplished a lot, and he's not even in his thirties yet! That alone inspired me and my sisters to be successful. Hindi man sa Accountancy, pero sa field kung saang gusto naming mag-excel.

My name is Savannah Gabrielle Gonzales Lucas, but everyone calls me Sage for short. I've been using that nickname since junior high because I figured masyadong mouthful ang full name ko.

I'm in my third year in college, studying Business Administration at the University of the Philippines Diliman. I plan to take up my Masters after graduation, which hopefully will happen in two years.

Because of Kuya Sancho's success, Papa is training me to take care of the family business. Ayos naman sa akin yun. It's not that napipilitan ako. I know how the business works like the back of my hand. Ilang beses na rin akong nag-on-the-job training under Papa's supervision, so I'm willing to go the extra mile and excel. Para sa akin din naman ang magiging success ko.

Dalawa kami ng sister ko ang nasa college na ngayon. My younger sister, Sandara Gabrielle, is a freshman at the Ateneo School of Medicine. She's aspiring to be a cardiologist. In Dara's own words, she hopes to make a significant contribution to taking care of one broken heart at a time, whatever that means.

Lastly, si Samantha Gabrielle, the youngest in our brood. She's only in junior high, but she consistently aces in spelling bees and essay writing contests. Hindi lang sa loob ng campus, but also in inter-school competitions. She also posts her written works on the internet and has gained a huge following. Her readers gave her an idea to publish a compilation of her written works, and she was cool with it. Amy is currently working on her first book and aims to release it before her graduation. Ngayon pa lang, masasabi kong she'll take up either journalism or creative writing in college.

My brother ruffled my short hair as he hugged me back. "Wala yun, Sage. Malakas kayo sa akin eh. Bakit naman kasi ganyan ang set up niyo? Ako tuloy ang nahihirapan sa inyo ni Dara."

Napakamot na lang ako ng ulo when Kuya Sancho let go of me. "Eh, sinunod lang namin yung instructions na nasa manual. Akala namin okay na."

"It's all right, at least ngayon mas maayos na." Kuya Sancho chuckled. "Tara, lunch na tayo. My treat. Sigradong gutom na rin sila Dara at Amy."

This boarding house–named The Turf–is owned by our grandmother, Felicia, the matriarch of the Gonzales clan. Nanay siya ng Mama namin, na pangatlo sa kanilang sampung magkakapatid. That's why most of the occupants here are actually our cousins, which is a good thing. Nakikilala ko ng mabuti ang mga pinsan ko, and get to bond with them during our stay here.

This place doesn't look like a typical boarding house though. A little too opulent, in fact, pero ayos na yun. If anything, naging comfortable naman kaming lahat sa aming pag-stay at hindi gaanong na-ho-homesick.

We were buckling up in our car when I saw a red BMW pulling up in front of us. Ngayon ko lang nakita ang sasakyan na yan, so I guess we have a visitor. Hindi ko nga lang nakita kung sino ang lumabas sa kotse na yun dahil pinaandar na ni Kuya Sancho ang sasakyan namin.