DEREK ARKE: In Dark, I Saw Light [Arke & Serenity]

Kabanata 7

    Nang dahil sa nangyari ay determinado akong iwasan si Arke, gagawin ang lahat para hindi magtagpo ‘yong landas namin kahit pa nasa iisang bahay lamang kami. O baka hindi na lamang ako lumabas ng kuwarto. ‘Di kaya ay umalis na lang ako rito at mag-book ng hotel na tutuluyan ko.

    I took a deep sigh for I knew that was impossible thing to do because I was best friends with his sister. Wala akong magagawa at kailangan kong tanggapin na magiging panghabambuhay na ‘yong ugnayan naming dalawa dahil kay Millie.

    Bakit ba kasi ang lakas-lakas ng dating niya noong high school kami? If only he was not handsome and smart, e, ‘di sana ay hindi naging kami. Hindi ako magkakagusto sa kaniya. Ang kaso ay ‘yong tulad niya ‘yong mga tipo ko sa lalaki kaya naman tatlong linggo lang na panliligaw niya ay nakuha na agad niya ‘yong matamis kong oo. O baka talaga namang may karupukan akong taglay noong una pa lang. Pero sino ba ang tatanggi sa mga Arespacochaga? Silang magkakapatid, mga bata pa lamang ay sikat na talaga, tinitilian ng mga kababaihan. Perhaps them being the biggest Filipino artist today was truly destined from the start, because even back then, they already had that undeniable charm. Mahal na mahal sila ng mga tao. Sina Kuya Warren at Hayes, kinababaliwan sa school dahil magaling maglaro ng basketball. Si Dean naman ay hinahangaan din sa kabila ng pagiging tahimik, snob, at misteryoso niya. Or maybe that was what the female population loved about him. However, D’Angelo was simply adorable. As soon as he took a seat at the piano to play a special performance during school programs, it was game over. The girls were completely smitten by him. At si Arke, siya ‘yong kahulugan ng kasabihan na nasa kaniya na ang lahat. Again, he was looks and brains combined.

    It surely would be easy to walk away from my feelings for him, to cut ties and forget about him, but it was not that simple because there were people that bound the two of us. If it had been anyone else, maybe it would not hurt as much, it would not be difficult to move on. But our case was different. The Arespacochagas were not just people in my life, but instead, they were my family. Dahil si Ate Serendipity lang naman ‘yong pamilya ko talaga, kahit papaano ay nagkaroon pa ako ng dagdag na pamilya dahil sa kanila. They had taken me in, loved me, and treated me like one of their own. I might not be connected to them by blood, but that did not matter. What we had was deeper than that, bound by years of shared memories be it happy or sad. Noong lumalaban sa sakit na lung cancer at namatay ‘yong Mama nila, I was there for them, especially for Arke and Millie. Paborito rin ako ng nama nila na binabantayan ko kapag may libreng oras ako, kung saan parati niyang banggit na sana ay buhay pa raw siya kapag ikinasal na kaming dalawa ni Arke. I was practically a family to them, halos tumira na nga rin ako sa kanila. Madalas na makitulog ako sa kanila lalo na kapag magulo sa mansyon ng mga Almendras. Also, when their father abandoned them, I had been Millie’s constant shoulder to lean on and a handkerchief to dry her tears. Meanwhile, I had been Arke’s rock, and so as them to me when I lose Ate Serendipity. Dahil walang ibang kamag-anak, sila ‘yong kasa-kasama kong nagluksa. So, how could I walk away from something so deep, something that felt as unshakable as blood itself? How could I just forget about him, when every part of my life was tied to him?