Almost About Us

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Am I seeing things or is this actually him?

Pigil ang hiningang nakatitig lang ako sa portrait, trying to convince myself it's just another person who looks like him, but something deep inside is screaming that it's definitely him. Sobrang liit na talaga ng mundo kung totoong siya nga itong nasa harap ko.

Seriously. Magmula nang magkaroon ako ng balita about him through El, parang lahat na lang ng nangyayari sa buhay ko, palagi siyang nadadawit. Sa halos anim na taon na hindi ko siya nakita, ngayon pa talaga? Don't play destiny on me now!

Nawala lang ang mga mata ko sa portrait nang tawagin ako. Pagkaabot ng tubig sa akin ng matanda ay sinabi niyang ililibot niya ako sa buong bahay. Mahalaga raw na malaman ko ang pasikot-sikot ng bahay ngayong magtatrabaho ako rito. I couldn't agree more, wala sa plano kong maligaw rito sa loob.

Hindi ko na rin binalak itanong kung sino 'yong nasa portrait. I'm not sure I'm prepared for his response.

"Ano po palang pangalan ninyo? Kanina ko pa po kasi kayo kausap." Napapakamot sa kilay na tanong ko.

Mahina naman siyang tumawa. "Nakalimutan ko nga palang magpakilala. I'm sorry, hija, tumatanda na." Natawa rin ako. "Ako si Ruen. Tay Ruen na lang. 'Yon ang karaniwang tawag sa'kin dito."

I smiled at him and nodded.

Tay Ruen started showing me around the main floor, starting with the spacious living room, where walls are painted in a soft, neutral color, and where my feet sank into the plush, light-colored rug.

There's also a large, flat-screen TV mounted on a white wall unit with a mirrored backsplash, two white coffee tables with gold accents, and a large white couch with throw pillows on it. May built-in shelves pa for books and other decorative items.

Next comes the dining room, featuring a grand, rectangular table with a sleek black marble top and gold accents. The table is surrounded by a set of ten chairs, all upholstered in a soft, neutral fabric. Hindi ko na masyadong nalibot ang tingin ko dahil lumabas din agad si Tay Ruen.

Napakapunta na kami sa kusina at iba pang rooms sa main floor pero nakapagtatakang wala akong nakikitang ibang tao maliban sa'min. Napakatahimik. The only sounds breaking the silence were our footsteps and Tay Ruen's voice, which seemed to reverberate through the silent house.

Wala rin akong nakikitang bata o kahit picture ng bata na naka-display kasama ng ibang mga picture na nakikita ko. Nasa tamang bahay ba talaga ako?

We climbed all the way to the second floor, and it was still just us – no one else in sight! Hindi ko na napigilang magtanong sa sobrang pagtataka pero tinawanan lang ako ni Tay Ruen at sinabing may ibang tao naman sa bahay. May kaniya-kaniya lang ginagawa kaya hindi ko nakikita.

I just believed it and shrugged it off, after all, malaki nga naman ang bahay. Baka hindi lang kami nagkakasalubong.

I was already feeling a bit dizzy after all that walking around the house, so I was so relieved when we finally went back to the main floor. I saw rooms that were unlike anything I'd seen in our own house or my friends'. But what really amazed me was that they had an elevator! Shala!

Aba, kung dito lang ako nakatira hindi ako tatamaring mag-akyat-baba rito! Air-conditioned pa buong bahay. Their bill is for sure mind-boggling!

"Nagpahanda na nga pala ako ng makakain. May kailangan lang akong gawin kaya maiwan muna kita rito. Merilee can show you around the backyard garden habang naghihintay kay Zenna."