How did they know?
That question kept on bothering me as I waited for Hannih to get back. And when she did, I quickly stood up from my seat.
"Hannih, pasensiya na pero kailangan ko munang makipagkita sa tiya ko na nandito pala sa Cebu." I quickly said as I met Hannih.
Pinilit ko ang sariling umaktong normal para hindi na siya mang-usisa.
I couldn't waste any minutes now that I know that my parents would land anytime now. Mamie also texted me that she's waiting for me at the parking lot. Good thing she's just around the area kaya mabilis niya akong napuntahan.
Naguguluhan akong hinarap ni Hannih. "Hah? May kamag-anak ka dito?"
I bit my lips for another lie. "Ngayon ko din lang nalaman eh."
Kahit mukhang hindi kumbinsido ay dahan-dahan itong tumango. "Oh siya, sige... Mag-ingat ka."
Isang beses pa akong humingi sa kaniya ng paumanhin bago ko tinakbo ang distansiya ng pinto mula sa aming pwesto.
I'm still feeling nervous and scared at the same time, but it lessened a bit with the idea that Mamie is just around the vicinity.
I quickly reached the parking area and immediately surveyed the different cars to find the Gray SUV that Mamie mentioned in her message.
Hindi man lang ako natagalan sa paghahanap sa SUV na tinutukoy niya dahil biglang bumukas ang sasakyang malapit sa akin.
"Xyrene!" Tawag sa akin ni Lola mula sa loob na kaagad kong tinakbo.
I closed the distance between us as I threw myself on her, who was sitting at the backseat of her SUV.
The guard she was with immediately closed the door when I successfully slid myself inside.
"M-Mamie..." Tawag ko sa kaniya at agad na napahagulgol.
She gently rubbed my back as she planted kisses on my head. "I'm sorry if you had to go through it again, apo."
"A-Ayaw ko na po d-dito... Ibalik niyo p-po ako sa M-Manila..." I sobbed hardly as I remembered how scared I was to see one of those evils who made my life miserable.
I don't want to see another set of devils.
"Can you still wait until tomorrow morning?"
Umangat ang basa kong mukha kay Mamie para matingnan siya.
"C-Can't I fly this e-evening?"
Mamie apologetically smiled at me as she shook her head. "As much as I want you to take my personal chopper, we can't." Malungkot ang pag-iling nito. "Your parents would know that I am helping you out."
Mama and Papa don't know that Mamie is with me all the time. Not physically but at least emotionally.
They thought Mamie has the same vision just like them, but neither do they know that Mamie is also so sick of them for being so greedy of power and wealth that they could trade their own flesh for it.
Mamie was the reason why they weren't able to touch me for years in Manila kahit pa na kung gugustuhin nila ay kayang-kaya nilang gawin iyon.
Napagkasunduan nila sa pamamagitan ni Mamie na gagalawin o papakialaman lang nila ang buhay ko sa oras na makagraduate na ako.
Doon lang nila mapapatuloy ang plano nila para sa akin.
But little did they know, Mamie and I agreed that once I graduated, she'll send me off to France where Mama and Papa couldn't follow me since France is the country they can't go to since they have pending cases there because of some illegal businesses they built there to earn more and more money.
