ang Kalinaw sa magulong mundo

Chapter 18

[Video Call]

“Kasama mo ba sila tito at Vya? Pasabi merry christmas.” tanong ni Zaki habang kumakain ng graham, referring to Ssel's father and sister.

“No, me and vya are somewhere and with someone.” sagot ni Ssel. Napaangat ang kilay ni Zaki. Well, Ssel usually spends his Christmas at home, kasama si tito at ang bagong asawa nito.

“That explains why Ssel looks so happy.” sabi ko. I immediately regretted it, kasi sa akin na naman napunta ang attention nilang dalawa.

“Speaking of looks, ano na teh kanina pa tayo nag-v-vc di ka nag-o-open cam.” Pagreklamo ni Zaki, na sinundan na naman ng pag agree ni Ssel.

“I can't. Mahina kasi ang signal namin, kaya hindi ako makapag open cam," Of course it was a lie.

How do I tell them the truth na yung reason why I can't show them myself is that I have bruises all over my body, which made me look extremely broken.

Paano ko ba masasabi sa kanila na ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ko kayang ipakita ang sarili ko sa kanila ay dahil may mga pasa ako sa buong katawan.

Auntie Loren was with us on our Christmas vacation here in Cebu. Out of all Dad’s four siblings, she was the only one who came.

[Warning: Physical and Verbal Abuse]

[Flashback]

“Lio, come here.” Auntie Loren’s voice echoed from the staircase, kaya agad akong napalingon. I gulped, but still obeyed.

I stood up from the breakfast table, leaving my meal unfinished.

When I approached her, she gripped my arm tightly, dragging me up the stairs. All I could do was whine  from how hard she was holding me.

When we reached her room, she finally let go, only to slam the door shut behind us. The loud noise made me tremble in fear, knowing what was coming next.

She walked toward me and slapped me hard across the face. Napahawak ako sa mukha ko as I shakingly sat on the edge of her bed.

“Hinding hindi ka talaga na tututo ‘no?”
she said, her calm demeanor only heightened my terror.

She cupped my cheeks, squeezing them painfully. All I could do was sob, pleading with her to stop. This was my life—growing up in constant fear of her. I knew I should be used to it by now, but I wasn’t. I was still that young boy, scared of his aunt and terrified of being punished.

Alam ko namang may kasalanan ako, pero kasi, the punishments I would receive sa maliliit kong kasalanan is the same as the punishments na natatanggap sa malaki.

She slapped me again, this time on the other cheek. My head spun, my ears ringing from the impact.

“What the fuck were you thinking, you stupid bitch?!” she screamed in rage. Hinawakan ko ang pisngi ko, writhing in pain and confusion, unsure of what I had done to suddenly provoke her.

"You went to meet a stranger! A complete stranger who was filling your head with lies about our family!” Auntie Loren's voice probably reverberated through the entire house.

“Bobo ka! Hindi ka na natuto, your father doesn't even know what to do with a piece of shit like you. Mukhang hindi gumagana mga disiplina niya sayo.” Sigaw niya sa akin.