"Ma'am, naparito ka?" bago pa man ako makasagot ay dinaluhan na ako agad ni Kuya Edgar at dali dali niyang kinuha ang mga gamit na dala ko. A week has elapsed since I planned to visit pero ngayon ko lang din nagawa. Hindi ko na rin nasabihan si Ate Chel because I was surprised by myself na ngayon na ako bibisita.
"Wala kang kasama, Ma'am?" He asked, slightly surprised.
"Pinauwi ko na si Kuya Caloy, Kuya." I merely answered. Thirty minutes have already passed after I convinced him to just let me be at kaya ko naman pumasok mag-isa sa bahay na nasa harap ko ngayon. He's just too worried na iwan ako mag-isa all the while supporting my decision to visit because of my unfinished business with Xian as what they call it.
Pumayag nalang siyang umalis nung sinabi kong sinabihan ko si Ate Chel sa chat at siya ang magbubukas ng gate para sa akin, it just happened na nauna akong nakita ni Kuya Edgar kaninang palabas siya para lang raw may kukunin sana pero nang makita ako ay ako ang inunang inasikaso.
"Kararating mo lang, Ma'am?" tanong niya ulit. I didn't want to answer because it would be a lie pero nakatitig lang din siya sa'kin kaya ay tumango ako at pekeng ngumiti. It's been thirty minutes since I arrived.
"Alam ba ni Sir Ian na bibisita ka, Ma'am?" Umiling lang ako.
"Weh? surprise visit ba 'to sa kanya Ma'am?" Umiling ulit ako, walang pakialam sa ngiti niyang may ibig sabihin.
"Si Tita Isabella po ang sadya ko, Kuya." I honestly verbalized.
"Eh bakit po hindi alam ni Sir Ian, Ma'am? Eh hindi ba po eh close kayo?"
It took me a while to answer kaya naman napalingon siya sa akin.
"Maybe we're not close enough." I said even though I just wanted to shut him up but that would be disrespectful. Ang dami niya kasing tanong.
Nangunot ang noo niya but nonetheless resumed walking.
"Ganun." I heard him say, hinayaan ko nalang siya.
"Eh hindi ba po nililigawan ka niya?" I almost slipped off the grasses when I heard his unexpected next question. Akala ko tatahimik na siya. Fortunately I was quick to balance myself dahil kung hindi ay nasa damuhan na rin ako ngayon.
"Hindi po."
Torpe nga eh.
"Ay weh?" gulat na gulat niyang tanong na para bang hindi niya inaasahan na hindi naman talaga ako nililigawan ng alaga niya.
"School mates lang po kami." I wholeheartedly provided him dahil mukhang maling balita ang dumarating sa kanya.
"Ganun." sambit niya more of to himself. Hindi na ako sumagot pa dahil pagod na ko sa tanong niya palang.
Pagkatapos no'n ay naglakad na kami papasok sa loob, hindi na rin siya nagsalita. I don't know if he has any idea about what happened between Xian and I and if he has, he didn't dare to speak of it, at kung meron man talaga, maybe his queries were his way of taunting me about it, otherwise, I appreciate Xian for not telling it because I just figured out he is this nosy and I cannot imagine how many questions would he throw at me if he knew.
Once inside the house, ang mommy ni Xian ang kaagad na sumalubong sa amin, Ate Chel's not around, siguro ay hindi pa nababasa ang mensahe ko sa kanya.
Just last night when Tita Isabella asked me to grace their home my presence because she reasoned out she's been so lonely these days, saying her husband has been so busy with work, his son's been busy with school works as well, (as I presumed) and it's only Ate Chel and Kuya Edgar she's been interacting. She claimed it isn't healthy for the fetus. Kung paano niya ako nakausap, she did it through Ate Chel's phone at siya mismo ang kumausap sa akin.
BINABASA MO ANG
There, Somewhere
JugendliteraturFerica Lavish, a senior high school student who lives in a confined room of her own, who struggles to escape from the humdrum frames her mother has imprisoned her, tries to keep it, but with emotions unfelt, actions reserved, afraid to stir somethin...
