Who's Ms. Adeline?

CHAPTER 1: The Calling

Sep 10, 2044

Tambak na modules ang nasa ibabaw ng table ko ngayon dahil katatapos ko lang check-an ang mga test papers ng students ko here in New York. I've been living here for almost 20 years because I moved here after I graduated Senior High School from the Philippines.

It's already late at night but I have to clean up the messy paper works on my desk para makatulog na agad dahil I have work tomorrow. Dali-dali akong tumayo to clean up my desk but my phone suddenly rings.

Napatingin ako rito habang patuloy na nag v-vibrate at nabasa ko nga ang pangalan ng tumatawag "Daddy Henry Pogi". I answered it immediately.

"Hello, Dad. Napatawag ka?" Panimula ko.

"Adeline, go to my laboratory tomorrow." and then the call stopped.

Hindi na rin naman ako nagulat na binabaan niya agad ako ng call kasi ganon talaga siya. Hindi siya sweet, but I can feel his love unlike kay Mommy.

My daddy is a scientist and a president of Time Travel Organization - A secret community of societies who believe that time has no limits and can be accessed anytime through a device called Time Machine.

I don't really like their concept as hell because who the fvck believe in that kind of thing, hindi ata scientist ang maitatawag ko sa kanila, I think "Mad Scientist" is the better term for them.

Nang natapos kong i-organize ang mga papers ng students ko ay nagsimula na akong humilata sa higaan para matulog.

NAPABALIKWAS ako nang maalala kong I have classes today and I'm already late. Agad-agad akong tumayo to find my sleepers, sinuot ko ito at tinignan ang oras sa phone ko.

8:37AM | Saturday.

"Omg!" I gasped as much air as I could nang marealize ko na it's Saturday today and I have no classes. Baka dahil sa sobrang pagod ko kagabi kaya nag rambulan na yung braincells ko.

Since I have my slippers on, I decide to go to the kitchen and make breakfast na lang. I like toasted breads together with eggs to start my day. Yung combination talaga ng taste nila yung hinahanap hanap ko tuwing umaga.

Isa sa mga advantages of living on your own ay hawak mo ang oras mo and you make your own rules. Kaya kong gumising at any time except kung may classes ako and kaya kong matulog nang late siyempre except ulit kung may pasok ako.

I started biting this toasted bread that I am holding and I am halfway through it when suddenly, my father's message just popped up on my lock screen. "Adeline anak, wag mo kalimutan that you need to go here, meet me at my laboratory."

I felt this burst of urgency sa katawan ko kasi siyempre, si Daddy na yan e. Even though I'm already 37 years old, takot pa rin ako kay Dad just like kung paano ako natatakot sa kaniya when I was just 17.

Minadali ko na talaga ang mga kilos ko at sumakay na ako sa kotse that my Dad gave me last year. Hindi ko na rin kailangan dalhin ang driver's license ko kasi automatic na ang pag-andar ng kotse and I don't have to control it. I think it is one of the notable inventions in this generation. Talagang sobrang advanced na ng technologies at nagkalat na sila to the point na kahit saan ka tumingin ay may astig na invention.

"Hey BumbleBee, drive me to my dad's company." Sabi ko kay BumbleBee at unti unti nang nagstart ang engines ng kotse at gumalaw. Wala itong manibela but instead, it has a digital map where I track kung saan talaga ako dadalhin ni Bumblebee.

"Okay bes." Reply sa'kin ng kotse ko, natatawa talaga ako every time na naririnig ko siyang tinatawag akong "bes" kahit ako rin naman ang nagsabi sa kaniyang yun ang itatawag sa'kin.