Her Fearless Ways

Chapter 33

The concept of luck—wherein a person's fate is sealed by a force that cannot be seen by our naked eyes—is something I have believed in as I grew older.

'Yon nga lang, mayroong tinatawag na good and bad luck. And in my case, unfortunately, my luck was always on the bad side.

But not anymore.

My fate started to change the moment I left everything behind. When I accepted my true identity. When I started moving forward and sought for the brighter side of life. With my little warrior of light, my happiness and contentment are pursued.

"Is Mr. Schwartz inside?" tanong ni Tita sa kanong nagbabantay sa labas ng isang bahay.

Well, puro kano naman lahat ng nandito.

He opened the door for us. "He's expecting you."

Tita motioned me to go inside. Sumunod naman siya sa 'kin at pinangunahan din naman ang daan. It was a big house. More like a mansion. Doble ang laki nito kaysa sa mansion ng mga Obenieta.

We reached the first room in the ground floor and she knocked three times. Seconds later, an elderly woman opened the door for us. Titig na titig ito sa 'kin at bumaling kay Tita na para bang nagtatanong ang mukha nito.

"Yup. That's her," anas ni Tita. "Pretty, isn't she?"

"Very," the woman answered.

"This is your aunt, Olga," pagpapakilala ni Tita Diane. "Your father's sister."

Aunt Olga shook my hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Iginaya niya kami sa loob at mula sa gilid ni Tita ay sumilip ako. Right there, a man in his fifties sat in a wheelchair. Although he has a receding hairline, freckles that seem darker than usual, and visible lines on his forehead, anyone can tell he was a good-looking man in his younger years.

Nakaupo siya roon at halatang hirap gumalaw ang kaliwang bahagi ng katawan niya. Nang ipukol niya ang paningin sa 'kin ay agad na bumuka ng patagilid ang bunganga niya. May nais siyang sabihin ngunit nahihirapan siya.

"Go to him," the woman said.

Roshan was sleeping when I gave her to Tita Diane. I started walking towards the man who turned out to be my father. His right arm was stretched out, reaching for me. Hinawakan ko ang malambot niyang kamay at doon na bumuhos ang emosyon niya.

He pulled me with his weak arms for an embrace. I didn't know how to react at first. Yayakapin ko ba siya? Kakausapin? I ended up standing there, unable to move. He must've felt that I was stiff so he looked up to me, making our eyes with the same color meet.

Katulad na katulad ng kanya ang mga mata ko. Mabilog, mahahaba ang pilikmata at nag-aagaw ang kulay berde, abo at tsokolate. Hindi mapagkakailang namana ko iyon sa kanya.

"S-so-rry," hirap na hirap niyang sabi.

I never realized how I longed for that word.

Hindi lahat ng may nagawang kasalanan sa 'kin ay humingi ng tawad. Kahit pa sinadya nila o hindi na gawin ang bagay na alam nilang makakasakit sa 'kin, hindi nila iyon nasabi.

One sorry is not enough for all the pain I had to go through before knowing who I am. But it was a great start to mend my broken heart.

I kneeled in front of him and hugged him. "Thank you... for having me."

May inihanda siyang mga gamit para sa panahon ng pagdating ko. I also have a room of my own and a crib for my little Roshan. Halatang inaabangan niya ang araw na magkikita kami at nangyari na nga iyon ngayon.