ToGETher

1 - REASONS

1 - REASONS

“Alis na ‘ko Geric.”

‘DI ko talaga masikmura na ganyan na niya ako tawagin ngayon. Hindi ‘ko na lang siya pinansin. Kunwari wala akong narinig. Baka kung ano pa ang masabi ko.

“Geric, sabi ko aalis na ‘ko. ‘Yung baon ko.” Nagulat ako nang hawakan niya ako bigla sa balikat kaya hindi sinasadyang natabig ko ang kamay niya.

She gave me a startled, questioning look. Maski ako nagulat sa inasal ko.

“Nicka…”

“Sabi ko na nga ba.” She bit her lip. I know she’s trying her best to suppress her dismay, as much as I am trying my best to have a handle on this confusion.

“I’m sorry. What I mean is…”

“Tama na… KUYA.” She emphasized. Naiinis siya.

 ‘Kuya’ daw. Bakit mas masakit yata ‘yung pakinggan kaysa sa ‘Geric’? Ano ba talaga?

“No, you misunderstood. Ang ibig kong sabihin, Nicka… Nicka is a very dynamic girl. So, I hope you don’t maintain that vulnerable attitude. Others might think that it’s odd.”

“Ah…” She looked convinced. Tingin ko may justice naman sa sinabi ko. “Pasensya ka na. Akala ko kasi... Tama ka. Choice ko ‘to. I should try my best. Don’t worry.” And for that she gave me her sweetest smile.

The smile that undoubtedly resembles that of my wife Amy.

She gave me a peck on my left cheek bago siya umalis. My head aches. Lalo lang akong naguguluhan habang lumilipas ang mga araw.

For roughly two months wala na akong ibang ginawa kundi mag-isip, umintindi, at kausapin ang sarili ko kung bakit sa’kin nangyayari ang lahat nang ‘to.

Yes. Because two months ago, it was supposedly a happy family trip to Bicol with me, my wife Amy and my sister Nicka.

But an unforeseen tragedy changed it all.

At least 31 persons were injured when a bus brake-faded at Bitukang Manok shortly before Thursday midnight.

Everybody was screaming as the bus uncontrollably rolled down the zigzag road. I was pulled behind during the upheaval. I have no idea what happened next, as well as what happened to my wife and my sister.

Nagkamalay ako na nasa hospital na. Hindi ako makagalaw. Ang sakit ng buong katawan ko. I saw my wife motionlessly lying on the bed next to me. Her body’s drenched in blood, and I wanted to reach for her. Gusto kong malaman kung ayos lang din ba siya kagaya ko. But my body refused to.

‘Di ko alam kung ilang araw ang lumipas bago ako nagkamalay ulit. Pero dapat pala sana ‘di na lang ako nagising.

I mustn’t have known that my wife was proclaimed dead-on-arrival that day.

I mustn’t have known that my sister’s in coma since then, with a low percentage rate of surviving.

According to the doctor, my wife sustained the most injuries among us since she used herself to cover Nicka during the accident. Nilibing siya 4 days later. Hindi ko napigilan ang sarili kong umiyak. Ang sakit. Kahit sa huling saglit hindi ko man lang nakita ang asawa ko.

Sa sobrang sama ng loob ko sa sarili ko, parang gusto ko na rin mamatay. Ako ‘tong dapat prumotekta sa kanila. Bakit wala akong nagawa? I relied on anti-depressants and sleeping pills. Hindi na rin ako umaasa sa milagrong magkakamalay pa si Nicka. But then, I don’t want to disregard my wife’s heroic act. One more week. After that we’ll be pulling out Nicka’s life support. Ayoko na rin siyang mahirapan.

At ako? That’s fine time for me to end up this f*cked-up life as well.

But to our luck, a day before the decided date, nagkamalay si Nicka. You never knew how happy I was. My sister is the only family I have left.  After our parents died, hindi ko na rin alam ang gagawin ko sa sarili ko. Buti na lang and’un si Nicka. I’ve had a reason to live. I lived on with a sense of responsibility to her. I smiled at the thought that she already saved me from the attempt of killing myself twice now.

“Geric… Hindi ako makahinga…”

‘Yan ang unang mga salitang sinabi niya sa’kin nang mga oras na ‘yun. Kumalas agad ako sa pagkakayakap. I need to ring the doctor.

“’Wag mo munang tawagin ang doktor. Okay lang ako.”

“Are you sure? But they still need to check you up, Nicka. You just woke up from a coma.”

“Huh? Anong Nicka? Hindi ako si Nicka. Si Amy ‘to.”

“What?”

Inobserbahan ko siya. She’d been really weird. It scared me. Ayoko mang gawin sa kanya ‘to but, I secretly asked the doctors to, again, perform brain tests on her. They also conducted physiological and psychological tests.

To my shock, the results were all NORMAL.

She was discharged a week after. At first, I tolerated her acts. The trauma is still there, I suppose. Pero dumating sa point na hindi ko na talaga matiis ang mga inaasal niya.

“Nicka, I seriously have had enough.”

Natigilan siya at tumingin sa akin. “Wha-What did you say?”

“’Di mo ba narinig? Tama na Nicka. Pull yourself up and stop acting like you’re your Ate Amy. You are just confusing the hell out of me.”

Nagbago ang timpla ng mukha niya at nabitawan ang hawak na kutsara. “So, all this time… Hindi ka pala naniniwala sa mga sinasabi ko?”

“No, because you’re evidently not her.” Diretsahan kong sabi. I saw her tears quickly streamed down on her face.

“Geric naman…”

“Utang na loob. Itigil mo na ‘to, please.” Tumayo na ‘ko sa hapag-kainan. Nakakawalang ganang kumain. Ipapahinga ko na lang siguro ang utak ko para makapag-isip ako ng maayos tungkol sa mga susunod kong gagawin.

Pero bigla kong naramdaman ang yakap niya mula sa likuran ko. Iyak siya nang iyak.

“Tanggapin na lang nating wala na ang Ate Amy mo…”

“NO! Ako talaga ‘to Geric! Paniwalaan mo naman ako!”

Ayaw niya talagang paawat. Tinanggal ko ang pagkakayakap ng kamay niya sa beywang ko at hinarap siya. “Isa pa Nicka! Masasaktan ka na! Sige nga, pa’no mo nasabing ikaw? Nas’an ang pruweba mo? HA?!”

“So, gusto mong patunayan ko sa’yong ako nga si Amy? Okay I’ll prove it to you, and you’ll see that I am not lying.”

And that’s the reason why things turned the way it is now, because of that undeniable proof.

Unbelievable, but it left me convinced.

***

Ano nga kaya ang proof na ‘yan? You’ll find out on the next chapter. This story might just be a 5-chaptered story. Or basta ‘di lalagpas sa 10 chapters.

Salamat sa pagbabasa.

mariafebee