Only Ever After

Kabanata 48

Kabanata 48

Nang dumating kami ni Liham sa mansion ay agad kaming tumungo sa kwarto, si Lola Lullaby naman ay nagdala ng tray ng pagkain kasama ang apat na mga kasambahay, pagkatapos ay lumabas sila.

"What is it that you know?" Liham said, his voice was serious.

"May kwento sa akin si Lessy, about her birth." Sagot ko sa kanya, nanatiling tahimik si Liham, he was taking in, processing, and buffing the information that I am telling him, he nodded at me, as if telling me to go on and continue.

Kinwento ko sa kanya ang lahat, how their mother all along was bearing a twin, how she kept it a secret to surprise their dad, how she gave birth only to Lessy.

"Ang komadrona." Agad na saad ni Liham, "what if she took the other child? What if my mother did not die giving birth to Lessy, but died giving birth to her twin?" Nanlaki ang mata ni Liham.

Tumango ako, "can't we confirm the story? Wala bang ultrasound o x-ray ang nanay mo?" Liham seem to think of it, bigla siyang tumayo, he took my hand, I used my free hand to take a slice of bread before letting him pull me.

"I think I know something." Saad niya, "not that I bothered, but now it seems important." Naglakad lang kami ni Liham, tumigil kami sa harap ng dalawang pinto na magkadikit, may kandado sa pagitan nila kaya hindi mo ito mabubuksan.

He started pressing the buttons of the padlock with its passcode, biglang nag-click ang padlock at bumukas, he opened the door and looked at me, as if reading my mind, nagsalita siya. "Ito ang dating kwarto ng magulang namin ni Lessy."

Pumasok na kami, maalikabok ang paligid, the smell of unused room and air that had been stuck for years entered my senses giving me the urge to vomit, halatang matagal nang walang nakakapasok dito, the room looked abandoned and old, ang dating makintab na marmol nitong sahig ay nabahiran ng alikabok, ang dingding naman ay maraming spider webs, but the wealth it once had is still there.

Naglakad lang kami, Liham entered a separate room, may kinuha siyang isang wooden box, "this is where my mom keeps her important things. Baka nandito." Saad niya, he tried to open the box but he was unable, "if I cut it, baka masira ang laman. We need to look for the key."

Tinignan ko ang keyhole. Maliit lang ito. Tumungo si Liham sa loob kung saan niya kinuha ang box, ako naman ay tumingin lang sa paligid, I stopped in front of a drawer, nagtaka ako kung ano ang laman nito kaya binuksan ko ito.

I gaped, puro mga alahas! Kumikintab pa sila! Siguro mahilig sa alahas ang magulang ni Liham, I gazed around it, na-separate ang mga alahas base sa pangalan nila, may sapphire, ruby, emerald, diamond, and the list goes on.

Ngunit isang bagay ang kumuha sa atensyon ko, isang maliit na golden necklace, ang pendant nito ay isang susi.

I grinned, kinuha ko ito at tinawag si Liham, "nahanap ko na." Saad ko sa kanya, pinakita ko naman ang necklace.

He grinned and took it, the key perfectly fitted the hole of the box, he twisted it, and the box opened automatically.

Seryoso ang mukha ni Liham na tinignan ang box, sumilip din ako ngunit ang laman lang ay isang kapirasong papel. Kinuha ni Liham ito at binasa.

LS - 031 - 00034 - 8901 - 42

Kumunot ang noo naming dalawa, ano kaya ang ibig sabihin nito? Tila malalim ang iniisip ni Liham, his eyes widened after a few seconds, "it is a password."

"Para saan?"

"Tinago ni mama sa vault ang mga mahahalagang gamit niya, the vault must be somewhere around the room." Agad namang tumayo si Liham at isa-isang binaba ang mga paintings, nagbabaka sakaling nasa likod lang nila ang vault.

Ako naman ay tumulong na rin, nang nababa na namin ang mga paintings na nakadikit ay nagbuntong-hininga kami, wala pa rin ang vault. "It must be here, somewhere."

Doon ko napansin na may bookshelf sa gilid at maraming mga libro, tumungo ako roon at isa-isa silang binaba, the metallic surface of the vault came into my view, mabilis kong tinawag si Liham.

He looked at me proudly, "smart." Puna niya, ramdam ko naman ang pamumula ng aking pisngi dahil sa kanyang papuri.

Binuhat niya ang vault, by the looks of it, the vault must be heavy, the veins in Liham's arm showed up when he carried it, his muscles tensed in his shirt, I gulped. He just look so hot. To be honest.

Biglang nilagay ni Liham ang password sa vault, after a few moments, it opened. Sumilip muli ako sa laman ng vault.

Liham took one out, it was a paper with a drawing of a stickman, seryoso ang mukha ni Liham na nakatingin dito. "This is my first drawing." He shrugged, "this is my mom and this is my dad, and that is me at the center, wala pa si Lessana noon, nasa loob pa siya sa tyan ni mom."

I smiled at him, he is truly compassionate.

Bigla kong inisip kung ano kaya ang itsura ni Liham noong bata siya. I imagined him, chubby, pale, with heart shaped face and a heart shaped lips, damn. Cute!

He chuckled, "akala ko nawala ko. Na kay mama lang pala." Muli siyang kumuha ng gamit, this time, it was a gun. Kumuha ulit siya -alahas, papeles, folders, envelopes, hanggang sa tila nakita na ni Liham ang hinahanap niya.

"Documents of Mrs. Silician's pregnancy medical examination." He read the writing on the envelop, umupo kami ni Liham sa sahig, binuksan niya ito at nilabas ang mga papeles.

He rummaged through the papers until he came across with a picture, seryoso ang mukha niyang nakatingin sa larawan.

Sa baba ng larawan ay sulat. Seventh month.

As if to confirm my story, dalawang fetus ang nasa larawan, Liham's hand balled into a fist, "Lessy has a twin."

We both gulped, nagkatinginan kami, "and her twin set her up."

"Why would her twin do that?" Takang tanong ni Liham, "what is her motive?"

"Hindi ko alam. I have a feeling, may kinalaman siguro dito ang komadrona na nagpaanak sa nanay mo." Malalim akong nag-isip, sa kwento ni Lessy, halata namang tila kaduda-duda ang komadrona.

"Whatever the reason behind Lessy's twin's undoing is, all I know is that my sister is in grave danger." Lumunok si Liham, he suddenly held my hand and pulled me towards him, giving me a warm hug, "Mi, I am happy because you cleared my mind, if it weren't for you, I would go insane doubting my sister."

I let him encircle me around him, I closed my eyes, naramdaman ko na lang na tumulo ang luha ni Liham sa aking balikat, this is the second time that he is crying in my shoulders.

Ngumiti ako at hinayaan siya, siguro kaya siya naiyak dahil napatunayan din namin sa wakas na inosente si Lessy, that all this time, we were wrong about her.

"Ano na ngayon ang plano mo, Liham?"

"Track down Lessana's twin." Sagot niya, in his shaky voice. Pinunasan niya ang mga luha niya, "damn, I am such a crybaby."

I grinned, "ayos lang iyan, ako lang naman ang nakakaalam."

"Good." Mapaglarong sagot niya, tumayo na kaming dalawa at lumabas sa kwarto, muli niyang binalik ang kandado bago kami umalis at tumungo sa aming kwarto.

Sa gitna ng pagkain namin ni Liham sa niluto nina Lola Lullaby ay alam kong pareho kaming masaya dahil nalaman namin na may kambal si Lessy, I know this doesn't guarantee Lessy's innocence at all but at least, we have a reason not to suspect her already.

All we need to do is find Lessy's twin and find out that it is her who did all this.

Alam kong magugulat si Lessy dito dahil alam kong nagtataka rin siya kung totoo nga bang may kambal siya.

Now this explains the video, kung bakit tila kaboses lang ni Lessy ang nagsasalita. Because all along, it wasn't her, but her twin.