𝐄𝐗𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 4

I sent Andrius back home to fetch my clothes. Masama pa rin ang loob ko sa ginawa niya. Hindi ko magawang tingnan sa mata ang taong nagpapakulo ng dugo ko. I felt betrayed for what happened. I felt lost. Pakiramdam ko may tinatago siya sa akin.

On the other hand, They could have talked to me properly instead of dragging me out of the car. Wala akong planong takbohan sila kanina, my survival instincts just kicked in.

Kung hindi lang madadawit ang pangalan ng mga Tyrant, I would have pressed charges against their officer for manhandling me. Alam kaya ito ni Mama Esther? Hindi naman kami malapit sa isa't-isa, but she would certainly have something to say.  Paano kung siya din ang may utos?

I sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed in my new confinement. Parang sa television lang.  Tulad ng mga napapanood kong serye sa hapon. Binago man ang lyriko, parehong tugtogin pa rin. New place, same shit.

Mas maliit nga lang kaysa sa mansyon, at ang buong silid ay nagkulay dirty white. The walls, the ceiling, even the floors lahat naging dirty white sa kapal ng alikabok. Maging ang pabilog na side table malapit sa pinto ay hindi pinalagpas. The room smelled like old books stuck in shelves for years. The curtains, which has no point dahil wala namang bintana sa silid na yun ay pinamamahayan nang mga gagamba.

The sight was depressing, to say the least.

I stood up and walked towards the bathroom, the only tolerable part of this place. It was spotless clean, shiny, and the towels were folded neatly on the rack. I turned on the faucet and let the water run for a while, watching it swirl down the drain. At least dito, everything seemed in order.

They should still hire a better maintenance agency.

A few minutes later, an officer appeared at the door. Nakalimotan ko palang isara noong pumasok ako. Agad akong tumayo at pinagpagan ang sarili.

"Ma'am, your lawyer is outside. I'll take you to them," he said.

I furrowed my brows, "Sinong tumawag ng abogado?" I asked, confusion lacing my tone.

Hindi ko pa nasasabihan si Andrius na gumawa ng hakbang. Wala din akong planong pangunahan si Mama Esther.

After all, I have no idea what the fuck is really going on. Hindi rin ako naniniwala sa sinabi ni Policarpio kanina.

"Di ko po alam, Ma'am. I was sent here to escort you by Lieutenant Policarpio."

I gritted my teeth and nodded. Guess this is how things works now?

"Juris."

I lay unmoving on my bed, clutching a family photo to my chest. They don't deserve this. Ginawa nila ang lahat upang ipadama sa akin ang pagmamahal at kalinga na hindi naibigay ng mga magulang ko. They were taken too early, too young. I cried and mourned quietly, tightening my grip on the frame as if it could somehow bring them back.

"Juris, kailangan mo na kumain, Anak. Ilang araw ka nang hindi lumalabas rito sa silid mo. Kung nandito pa sila Sir, naku! mag-aalala sila sayo."

Hindi pa rin ako natitinag. They're not here anymore, are they?

My lips quivered as my heart clenched. Tears cascaded down my cheeks to my satin sheets. Hindi ko kayang tanggapin ang pagkawala ng mga magulang.

Gusto ko pang suklian ang kabutihang ibigay nila sa akin. Their kindness and love were more than I ever thought I deserved, and now they were gone, leaving a void that seemed impossible to fill.

"Juris, anak..."

Yaya tried to console me. She eventually walked around my bed to stand in front of me. "Juris..." she called softly.