PGS05: In Fact, You Waited

IFYW01

Morgan Mikolos Hughes

When we all fall asleep, where do we go?

"Did you hear what I said, Morgan?" Rinig kong tanong ni Minerva na nakapagpagising ng aking ulirat. We just arrived at our destination from the airport. It was a long and tiring flight. I was asleep for the whole duration of our trip.
Whatever she's saying might have been dissolved by my groggy mind.

Bumuntong-hininga lang siya at bumaba na sa van. "Paulo, pakibaba nga ng mga maleta sa likod at pakidala sa kwartong pinahanda ko kay Lusing," utos niya sa nakaabang na lalaki sa pinto ng van.

Dali-dali naman itong sumunod kaya bumaba na rin ako sa sasakyan. Sa harap ko ay may malapad na bahay. Hindi gaanong engrande pero di rin maliit. It's a cool home. Makikita mula sa harap ang nakapaligid na mga halaman at bulaklak.

Halatang alagang-alaga ang lugar. The breeze is more pleasant, fresher in comparison to the pollution of the city. The background noises are more appealing here. In my recent place, you're either gonna live with the noisy streets or be stuck with the depressing silence paired with the cold.

"Why are you just standing there?" I stopped my survey of the place and followed Minerva entering the main door. Papasok ng bahay, bumulaga ang abalang mga tauhan. Mayroong may bitbit ng bulaklak na nakalagay sa vase, may mga nagpupunas ng mesa't mga display. 

Kitang-kita ang liwanag kahit nasa loob. Big windows and long opened curtains. Nadaanan namin ang living room patungo sa malaking hagdan. More people are busy fixing up the place.

Minerva walked upstairs elegantly while I heavily stepped upon the steps. I'm too tired to ask what and why, I'm just looking forward to a comfortable bed. Nang makarating kami sa pangalawang palapag ay sinundan ko siya sa nakahilerang nakasarang pinto. We arrived at the door in the end of the hallway.

Binuksan niya ang pintuan at bumulaga sa'kin ang malaking kwarto. May malaking kama, nightstand sa magkabilang gilid nito. Sa kabila naman ay may aparador at study table. Kahanay nito ay may nakasaradong pinto na hula ko ay ang bathroom.

'Yan lang ang nasakop ng tingin ko nang bigla siyang nagsalita. "This is gonna be your room. Go downstairs if you want to or stay here if you like. Do what you want." Kasabay no'n ang pagsarado ng pinto. The sound reverberated through my mind. This is it. The start of my new life. No turning back now.

That was my mom. I call her Minerva since she wants me to call her by her name rather than any of its maternal equivalents. Not that she has been one for a lot of years. Too tired to mind the dismissive gesture, I fixed myself in the bathroom. In my jetlagged state, I still managed to get clean before collapsing on my bed.

°°°

The sound of birds awaken me. Checking the time on my phone, I see that it's already six in the evening. Limang oras din akong nakatulog, sapat na para makabawi ng lakas.

Standing too suddenly, the sensation of headache came as an unwelcome surprise. Trudging towards the bathroom to find any headache meds, I'm disappointed to find none. Fuck.
Later, I guess. Resorting to the alternative, I found my cigars from my discarded pants earlier.

Blowing the smoke from the newly lit cigarette, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I see my features and I can't help to compare them to my mom's. She has long locks of black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. She has the morena beauty as they call it. Well, it comes with the territory since she was a model in her younger years, not that getting old is visible on her face now.

We couldn't be more opposite in appearance. Having blonde hair, blue eyes, and a freckled face, I look more like my dad. If you intentionally look for it, you'll notice that Minerva and I have the same shape of face and nose but that's where our similarities end.

Remembering my dad, the pain resurfaces again. My situation starts to sink in now. Yeah, there will be no more of a free-spirited lifestyle. My version of peace has ended. Time to face the goddamn stage.

The role: Foreign daughter of a distant family friend who needs to finish her degree in this remote place. Not too demanding, I'm just gonna wing it. It will probably not be too messy. Right?

@ bloodyjackpot
🍷:planning to put a playlist in the end of this book, whatchu think?