A Close Second

Sixty Seventh

COURTNEY BEATRICE 

"This feels surreal."

The five of us sat there sa may garden ng bahay ng mga Napoleon. It felt so familiar to me. It was like being transported back to highschool, kung saan magkakasama lang kami sa garden ng school.

How many times was this in my dreams.

Now it was reality.

Jacob had miraculously woken up from his coma a few minutes after they took off the life support that we all knew was keeping him alive. He told us apparently it was the only thing that was keeping him from waking up and getting better.

Only six people in the families knew that he was actually better, and that was Thea's cousin Kuya Gab, Ate Nic, his parents and Thea's parents.

We were all left in the dark, which was a little maddening but this were the Alcantaras and Napoleons we were talking about. Nothing they do was just because.

Jacob was subject to almost a year of therapy, learning to talk and walk. He went back to learning the basics of movement, making my heart break knowing he had to go through it alone.

My best friend was a strong person through and through.

Mag gagabi na, and the Alcantara cousins and the rest of our friends were already en-route here for a welcome back party. Mostly for Jake, but he says it was for Andrew, Greg and I too.

"Tingin mo talaga mamamatay ako ng hindi ko napapagalitan itong hayop na ito?" Sabi ni Jake habang tinitignan si Andrew na nakaupo sa tabi ko. "Ikaw, gago. Nagtino ka ba naman nung wala ako?"

Andrew smirks at him. "Matino na ako dati pa."

He didn't show it much, pero alam kong masaya siyang makita ang kinakapatid na buhay. Alam ko kung gaano siya nawasak noong nalaman na wala na ito.

"At ikaw, ang huling alam ko magaartista ka na sa Korea." Sabi ni Jake kay Greg. "Natuloy ka ba at nadeport?"

"Di ako pinayagan ni Mommy."

"So nag model ka nalang sa US?"

"Hindi ako yun." Greg looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "Bakit hindi ang bestfriend mo ang tanungin mo."

Jacob looks at me na napanganga. "So ikaw nga talaga yung naririnig kong sikat."

I blushed. "Hindi ba ikaw na rin ang nagsabi sa akin noon na pang model talaga dapat ako?"

"Ahhh, what I meant is ikaw yung nag tetrend—"

Sumabat si Greg. "Wag mo nang palakihin ang ulo ni Madam, Kaps." Untag nito saka sinamaan ako ng tingin.

I chuckled, leaning back in my seat. "That's me, I guess." I say. "Hot straight from the press."

"Wow. I'd never thought it'd be you." Jake says, pensive.

"Well, I don't even believe it myself." Iling na sabi ko.

Ang dami na ngang nangyari mula nang huli siyang gising. No doubt that he'd be surprised.

I was surprised myself.

There was a pregnant pause around the five of us. The gravity of change around all of us being slapped to our faces. It was surreal because if you think about it, it wasn't even two years since we graduated at sa kaunting panahon na yun, ang daming nagbago.

"To think that I was betting Greg to be in the headlines first."

Greg looks at him. "What?"

"Well, I was actually expecting: Son of the oil magnate, Greggory Lorenzo jailed for indecency." Tawa ni Jake, earning a chuckle from the rest of us. "That, I won't be surprised."