Wild Beat [BxB] |ON-GOING|

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11

I go to the grocery store near here and buy her some essentials that she needs.

I also buy her a lot of food. I'm comfortable with that old lady. I just remembered my grandma.

When I arrived, I saw the old lady sitting by the side, wiping her dirty hands. I stood in front of her, catching my breath.

She looked up, surprised to see me and the items I was carrying. I placed the items in her cart and helped her stand up.

It was dark already, and the only light came from the street lamps, casting a faint glow around us.

The air was cool, and the sound of distant traffic echoed through the empty streets.

As we stood there, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the nearby trees, adding to the quiet of the evening.

“Kumain na muna ho kayo, bago kayo umuwi sa bahay ninyo,” I said to her, offering the food that I bought.

Gulat siyang tumingin sa akin at tila nagdadalawang isip pa kung tatanggapin ba niya ang pagkain na inaalok ko sa kanya.

“I bought you groceries, help yourself, please, para sa inyo lahat ng ito,” I said to her, and I gave her the food that I opened for her.

She smiled from ear to ear and bowed down. “Maraming salamat, apo,” she said as she started eating the food.

I was just staring at her eating. “Kumain kana rin, sabayan mo ako.” She offered me her food, but I refused, I'm still full.

“Busog pa naman ho ako,” I said.

“May pamilya pa po ba kayo?” I ask her, and she looks at me.

“Ako lang mag isa ang nakatira sa bahay ko,” she responds, drinking the water.

I just nodded. I didn't ask her more. “Hindi ko alam kung paano kita mababayaran sa lahat ng mga ginawa mong mabuti sa akin,” she said as she held my hands. I was just looking at her sitting at her front, squatting. 

“You don't have to, i mean, hindi na ho kailangan, maliit lang ho na bagay ito,” I answered and stood up.

“Mauuna na ho ako,” I added, ready to go, but she suddenly stopped me.

“Sandali lang iho, may ibibigay ako sa'yo, bilang pasasalamat man lang sa mga kabutihang ginawa mo sa akin,” she said, and rummaged through her cart.

“It‘s really fine, ayos lang ho talaga,” I said.

“Sandali lang, hahanapin ko lang ‘yon, alam kong nandito ko lang iyon nilagay,” she said, ignoring what I'd said to her.

“Nandito lang pala,” she said as she faced me, holding a necklace.

She looked at the necklace, smiling. Kumunot naman ang noo ko habang pinagmamasdan ang hawak niyang kwintas.

The necklace looked so familiar to me. I know I saw it somewhere, but I can't remember where.

“Sa‘yo na itong kwintas, alam kong mamahalin ito, ibinigay ito sa akin ng isang binata na dapat daw ay ibibigay niya sa kanyang matalik na kaibigan,” she said as she motioned me to sit on the edge of her cart, sumunod naman ako sa kanya at isinuot niya ang kwintas sa akin.

“Alagaan mo itong mabuti, apo, kung magkita man kayo ng kaibigan mo sa kabilang mundo, gusto kong sulitin mo ang bawat oras na meron kayo, ngunit gusto ko lang ipaalala sa'yo na, bawal mong baguhin ang hinaharap.” While she was talking, I couldn't help but furrow my brows at what she said. Has she lost her mind?

“Hindi ko—” she cut me off. “Maiintindihan mo rin ang mga sinasabi ko, maraming salamat apo, mag iingat ka,” she said, and she gently pushed me and motioned her hands that I should go.

I'm too tired to understand everything she said. I just shrugged my head and started to walk to my house. Even though I was confused, I set aside her words.

Lumingon ako sa kung saan ko iniwan ang matanda at wala na ito doon. How can she leave that fast? I pulled my hair out of frustration. 

When I arrived at home, I was greeted by a dark and quiet house. I turned on the lights and placed my keys on the side table, tanging kalansing lang ng susi ang maririnig mo sa loob ng bahay.

I collapsed onto the sofa and closed my eyes. This day had been extremely tiring for me. Masyadong maraming nangyari ngayong araw.

I sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. It felt like the same things kept happening in my life over and over again, paulit-ulit na at nakakasawa. I stayed in that position for a long time before deciding to get up and take a shower.

I didn't even feel hungry, dahil na rin siguro sa pagod.

After I took a shower, I dried off with a towel and put on my soft pajamas. I lay down on my bed and felt the coolness of the freshly changed sheets.

I reached for my cellphone on the side table and turned it on. Numerous notifications popped up on the screen, mostly from social media apps and a few text messages, but I ignored them for now.

I opened the gallery and saw the old pictures saved there. I found photos taken several years ago. Even though I've changed phones several times, these pictures remained in my backup storage.

As I looked through the photos, I remembered the happy memories with friends and family. I smiled while reading old captions and enjoyed the captured moments. I had no intention of deleting them because each memory was important to me.

I stared at my cellphone screen for a long time, reminiscing about the past. The photos seemed to transport me back to those times, as if everything had just happened yesterday.

I realized how quickly time had passed and how much had changed, but the memories would last forever.

Habang tinitignan ko ang mga litrato ay napukaw ang tingin ko sa nag-iisang files na hindi ko pa nabubuksan. I've been hesitant to open the files.

It was Me and Ace Pictures. He's the one who created this file on my phone to have personal files with our pictures. There's a lot of pictures that we took. I saw some pictures that I wasn't even aware that he captured.

While scrolling through our pictures, I saw Ace's necklace, a necklace that he always wears.

He always says to me that his necklace is personalized, which means there's no other necklace with the same design as his.

I narrowed my eyes, staring at the necklace that he was wearing in our pictures, the same as the necklace that I'm wearing now.

I got up quickly and went to the bathroom to look at the necklace that I'm wearing. My heart beat fast when I realized that it was the same design as Ace.

Mabilis kong tinanggal ang kwintas sa aking leeg at binusisi ng maigi.

In the back of the pendant is the engraved JIX. I tremble reading my name in the back of the pendant.

I quickly ran outside of my room to get my motorcycle keys. I'm just wearing my pajamas and my tank top, speeding up my motorcycle where I always see the old lady.

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