"I'm really sorry, Chan," Gabby sighed over the phone, halata sa tinig niya ang panghihinayang. "I wish I were there to pick you up myself, but Oxygen and I are still out of town."
I shifted my luggage beside me, trying to get comfortable in the busy Cebu airport. Medyo maraming dumadaan dahil may kasabay rin na eroplano ang lumapag, nasundan pa ng dalawa matapos ang ilang minuto.
"It's okay, really," I reassured her, my voice steady despite the exhaustion creeping into my bones. "I just needed to get away for a while, you know? A little break from... everything."
Gabby's soft chuckle came through the phone. "I get it. Take as much time as you need. Stay at the hotel as long as you want—just relax. Recharge. I'm just sorry the timing was so off."
I smiled, even though she couldn't see it. "Don't apologize. I need this time alone anyway. Besides, matapos ang naging usapan namin ni Mommy... Kailangan ko talagang mapag-isa, Gabby."
It had been two months since I broke up with Archie. Pero noong isang araw lang ako nagkaroon ng lakas ng loob na sabihin kanila Mommy at Daddy ang pasya ko na huwag nang ituloy ang kasal. Dad was okay with whatever, si Mommy ang hindi. Marami na siyang nasabi at alam kong marami pa siyang sasabihin kaya nilayasan ko na sila. Hindi ko sinabi sa mga ito ang totoong dahilan. I wouldn't want to out Archie, siya ang dapat gumawa noon. Kung may balak nga siyang gawin. Hindi ko rin alam kung anong idinahilan niya sa kaniyang mga magulang. And frankly, I didn't care at all. All I knew was that I needed to breathe dahil pakiramdam ko ay sakal na sakal na ako kahit pa wala namang nakahawak sa aking leeg.
Gabby sighed again, this time with a deeper sense of empathy. "How did they take it? I mean, I can guess, but I want to hear it from you."
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "Dad was okay with it. He was more worried about how I was feeling. But Mom? She was freaking out, of course. She kept going on about how we'd already announced the engagement and how it would 'look.'" I made air quotes with my free hand, even though no one was around to see my gesture.
Gabby groaned on the other end of the line. "Oh God, classic Mom. Always worried about what other people think."
Sanay naman na kami na ganoon siya, pero minsan ay nakakapagod pa rin pakibagayan.
"Exactly. And that's why I had to get out of there." I sighed, glancing around the busy airport, my eyes scanning the entrance for any sign of the driver Gabby had arranged. "I just couldn't take her hovering over me like that, Gabby. You understand, right?"
Ang mga pinagdadaanan ko kay Mommy ay pinagdaanan rin ni Gabby. Mas grabe pa nga ang sa kaniya dahil sa aming dalawa ay mas na siya ang tumupad ng mga pangarap ni Mommy. With her modeling career and all that.
"Of course," nakakaunawang sabi niya sa kabilang linya. "You've been through enough. I'm glad you decided to come to Cebu. It's the perfect place to hide for a while. I just wish I could be there with you."
"I'll survive," I said with a light chuckle. "Besides, you and Oxygen deserve that vacation."
Pagod rin kasi madalas ang dalawang 'yan lalo na't tatlo agad ang mga anak nila. Puro lalaki pa.
"Well, we sent someone from the hotel to pick you up," Gabby added. "It should be a van with the hotel's logo on it. He'll take you straight there. Just relax and breathe, okay?"
"Got it. I'm just waiting now."
"Good. Stay safe, okay? And call me if you need anything."
"I will," lumingon akong muli sa paligid, naghahanap ng van na sinasabi ni Gabby. "Thanks, Gabby. Say hi to Oxygen for me."
