TRACE DIMAGIBA (Wild Men Series 1)

S3: WHERE

CHLOE

"It was really amazing that Alguien hinted that you are one of us just because of your eyes and how you look exactly like me," Doña Elisa said while looking at me. She gave a glance at Alguien and smiled at my brother. "How keen your eyes are, nieto. You are always good in your sense of sight."

I wonder if that is the way of changing the topic or if the matriarch of the Esposito didn't care a bit about the information of me marrying Trace secretly.

I smiled at Doña Elisa when she returned her gaze to me. "Have you seen my photos when I was your age, mi nieta?"

I nodded. "Yes. And you're so beautiful, Doña Elisa..." I timidly said.

"Mamita," she corrected me. "Call me 'mamita' at iyan ang tawag ng lahat ng mga apo ko sa akin. I am so happy seeing that Raymond gave me a granddaughter that looks like me. Though I asked him what happened to your mother, he couldn't say anything. Where is your mother, Chloe Jordan? I wanna meet the woman who brought you into this world."

I gulped. I don't know why I felt creepy with the question. Umiling ako.

"You don't know where your mother is?" she wonderingly asked me. Nasa mga mata niya ang pagdududa.

"She's... in Pasadena." I lied.

I truly lied even though I feel I did what is right. Napatingin ako kay Papa na nakatitig sa akin. Napatingin ako kay Alguien na walang imik-imik mula pa kanina. What I can read from Papa's eyes are emotions that are between curiosity and excitement. Hindi ko alam if dahil ba sa gusto niya rin makausap si Mama o may iba pang dahilan.

Confused, I glanced at Alguien; what I saw in his eyes was a warning. A caution. It was like a message for something I didn't know about. It was like he was worrying about me.

And I smiled at my brother. Hindi ko alam pero ngayon lang nangyari na parang gusto kong sundin ang warning na nasa mga mata ni Alguien. Warning na huwag kong sasabihin kung nasaan si Mama.

Hindi ko rin alam bakit biglang naramdaman ko na huwag sabihin sa kanila na nasa isla ng Agrianthropos si Mama. Na kahit wala pa ang warning look ni Alguien ay hindi ko talaga hahayaan malaman nila. Siguro kasi... that deep in my heart, ay nasa isip ko ang sinabi ni Trace na mas mabuting huwag mahanap ni Papa si Mama. That Trace wanted to talk to Alguien first before he let my mother face and talk to Gov and to my father.

"I wanna meet your mother soon, Chloe Jordan..." Mamita said that made me force myself to smile at her.

"Yes, Mamita. But Mama is still in comatose..." dahilan ko, "and I haven't talked to her yet... still."

"Comatose? Why?" Doña Elisa frowned.

Muli akong napalunok. I am not into lying. At para hindi nila ako kulitin na kakausapin nila si Mam, ay sinabi ko na lang na comatose pa ito. Naghahagilap pa ako nang isasagot sa tanong ni Mamita when Alguien answered for me.

"Accident." Alguien sneered. "Chloe's mother was in an accident on the day I received the DNA test results of her and your son."

I was stunned hearing that. So, ang araw ng engagement namin ni Trace, na hindi nakarating si Mama at ang father ni Harriet, ay iyon din pala ang araw na natanggap ang DNA test result na pinakita sa akin ni Alguien sa Pasadena. So they know before my wedding to Trace na Esposito ako at hindi Dimagiba.

"Are you and Alguien are okay with one another, Raymond?" tanong ni Mamita kay Papa na nasa boses na hindi ito natutuwa. "I don't like your son's tone referring to you as my son."