That One Summer

01

There's a power outage in the house. I'm inside the house. Does that mean I'm the cause of the outage?

Let's say . . . escaping has become my summer ritual, a habit that began when I first tasted freedom at the age of eight. I can clearly remember the thrill of vanishing from home for twelve hours, the longest I'd ever spent in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people.

That is why I eagerly anticipate summer every year, but sometimes I find myself unlucky. 

Pero hindi ngayong taon.

Freedom is within my grasp kaya dapat abusohin ko na.

I examined the items I took from Gia and Greg's cabinet vault—a briefcase filled with bundles of cash, diamond earrings, a pearl necklace, a sapphire ring, gold bracelets and a brooch.

"Shit. This briefcase can't fit my bag!" I grabbed a thick stack of cash instead. Binilang ko muna ang pera bago ito ilagay sa compartment ng backpack.

"Ano pang naiwan ko? Clothes, undergarments, medicines, hygiene kit, ID, self-defense weapons, flashlight, my fave book, pencil case, digi cam, polaroid, cellphone, photo album, lego helicopter, charger, headphones, small bag, shoes, sandals . . . 'yong diary! Hindi ko dapat maiwan 'yon."

Dinukot ko ang lampara at nagmadaling nagtungo sa kwarto para kunin ang diary. Nandoon nakasulat lahat ng gagawin ko once I leave this place for good.

"All done!" I muttered to myself as I grabbed my tumbler and bento box.

Hindi ako nakaramdam ng pangamba nang makalabas ako ng bahay dahil walang CCTV na nakamasid sa akin. Walang kahirap-hirap ko ring nabuksan ang pinto at gate. Well, I've learned my lesson from numerous failed escape attempts.

A faint smile formed on my lips as I watched the house that has been my shelter for almost 18 years. "Adios!"

Now, what?

Sumulyap ako sa aking wristwatch, it's already past 4:38 AM. Wala akong ideya kung saan ako dadalhin ng aking mga paa. What matters to me now is my freedom and the chance to pursue all the possibilities that lie ahead.

Bago ako nagpatuloy sa paglalakad, napagpasyahan kong bumalik para kunin ang bike na may training wheels. I can't handle long walks lalong-lalo na at hindi ko alam kung saan ako patungo. 

The thing is, I'm not experienced at riding a bicycle, but it's never too late to learn, right?

"Wohooo! Ang saya!" I couldn't contain my excitement. Escaping home felt like being a bird finally released from its cage.

I have no clue how far I am from my hometown, but I think that's a good thing.

Natatanaw ko na ang dagat kaya mas binilasan ko pa ang pagpapatakbo ng bisikleta. I can't wait to have breakfast on the sand . . . watching the gentle waves of the sea.

Hindi mawala ang ngiti sa aking labi nang malapit na ako sa dalampasigan pero napawi ito nang makaramdam ako ng pagkahilo matapos makababa sa bisikleta. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Inilapag ko ang malaking backpack sa upuang kahoy at umupo sa tabi nito. This time, I couldn't catch my breath. It felt like the walls were closing in, and my chest was tightening with every passing second. I knew I had to calm down, but my mind was racing too fast to think clearly.

"Okay, breathe," I whispered to myself, my voice shaky and barely audible. "Just breathe, Hana. Box breathing technique. Box breathing . . ."

I closed my eyes and focused on the rhythm of my breath, trying to drown out the static noise around me. Inhale for four. I counted silently as I drew in a slow, deep breath through my nose, feeling the cool air fill my lungs. One, two, three, four.