Kidnapped (A Romance Story for Filipino Wattpadders)

118: Lighthouse

Bryan

Tired and irritated, I settled myself down on the couch of my dressing room. Hindi ko alam na magiging ganito pala kahirap na pagkasyahin ang work schedule ko at yung paghahanap at pagbisita sa mga lighthouses sa Philippines.

I was quite sure that the 'Lighthouse' written on the back of the list means that the names written there were somehow connected to or associated with a lighthouse. According to Diether, I've searched half the lighthouses that exist in this country and I'm getting the feeling that I'm searching for the wrong clue.

Mula Ilo-ilo hanggang Romblon, nalibot ko na sa yacht that I borrowed from Ate Samantha. May nakaaway na kong pitong coast guard, nahampas ng dalawang caretaker ng lighthouse, pinagkaguluhan ng mahigit twenty na fans at siningil ng malaki ng magaling kong ate.

Well, sabi ni Diether, pano daw ako hindi hahampasin nung caretaker e pagkababa ko sa yacht, I asked him: "Excuse me, may kinalaman po ba sa illegal matters 'tong lighthouse?"

Sa sobrang galit nung lolo, he hit me with a broom. I went home with bruises on my back. Grabe, Amber... I have gone through A LOT because of you.

But what else can 'Lighthouse' mean? Pricilla and whoever that is in her plan can't have taken such drastic measures as to invent a secret code of some sort just to hide evidences of whatever they did. I mean, it's not as if mystery 'tong sino-solve ko na may codes pa na kung ano. Isa pa, hindi ako si Detective Conan.

Dang. This fruitless investigating is becoming a wild goose chase and it's ripping my guts apart in frustration.

"Sir..." Diether suddenly said. "Okay ka lang po ba?"

"I'm fine." Sagot ko. I'm not exactly 'fine' but kailangan kong maging okay. There're still mountains of things to do. I know I still have a lot of events to attend.

"Sir, sabi sa 'kin ng manager mo, i-brief daw kita sa mga events na kailangan mong puntahan for the next month. Kakasend lang niya sa 'kin nung file." Sabi niya while holding a tablet and scanning through its contents.

I simply nodded and urged him to continue.

"Kasabay ng tour and fan meetings, may mga pupuntahan po kayong places for charity events. Madadaanan po natin yung mga lugar na kasama sa mga events and 'it won't hurt the schedule to stop by there for an hour and express our greetings', sabi ni Sir Ivan. Makakabuti daw po sa reputation niyo if you visit the places na kasama sa mga charity events na yon beforehand para hindi kayo clueless sa actual event." He said nonstop while making quotation motions with his free hand sa mga actual lines galing sa sinend na messages ni Ivan.

"That guy... Talaga bang manager ko siya since my newbie days? Alam niya that I don't attend charity events for my 'reputation'." Sagot ko,making an effort to put stress on the word 'reputation'. I made a face. "I'm just naturally good-natured and I'm blessed with a heart to empathize with others. Sabihin mo yun sa kanya." I added.

Tumawa si Diether. I threw him a dirty look. "May problema ka don sa sinabi ko?" I asked.

"Wala po. Sadyang mabuting tao lang talaga kayo, Sir." He said, wiping the grin off of his face.

Then, he cleared his throat and started reading out loud the names of the places included in the events and other details.

"The House of Hope, orphanage, 13th year anniversary nila; St. Catherine's Home of Angels, orphanage din, kakatayo lang and sasama daw po kayo sa ribbon-cutting. Next week Wednesday po nakaschedule. Clarence's Home of the Aged, balak nilang mag-organize ng thank-you party para sa mga main sponsors nila and isa ka po don kaya kailangang-kailangan ang attendance niyo, Next week Friday naman po yun. A-B-C Nursery, isang orphanage exclusively para sa mga infants and children aged 5 years old and below, since directly involved po si Ma'am Samantha sa pagsponsor sa kanila, expected din po nila na dadating kayo. May sinend po silang invitation. Next week din po, Saturday." He recited.