Stonehearts 3: Aquamarine

Twenty Nine

"Have you told your parents about this?" Ate Amy asked. Her belly's getting more huge with the days passing. Parang hindi nga 'yun ganoon kalaki nu'ng huli kami nagkita-kita sa ospital.

I nodded my head, "Yes, sila nga ang nagpapauwi sa akin sa Italy." I croaked, keeping my voice calm and firm. Alam kong alam naman niya ang dahilan ng biglaan kong pag-uwi.

She sighed before she turned to his baby daddy. "What do you think mahal? Kaya bang manduhin ng tao mo ang hacienda?"

Kuya Cube just smirked, "Oo naman mahal. Dapat lang kayanin nila, hindi nila magugustuhan kapag nagpabaya sila." I don't know if that's a threat or a promise. But I'm happy to know that the hacienda will be put into good hands.

Ate Amy rolled her eyes. "Nagmayabang ka nanaman." Kuya Cube just chuckled before lacing his arms around his pregnant soon-to-be-wife. "Ako ang batas mahal."

The lovely preggo arched one brow up in sarcastic amusement. "Oh really Chancellor? Ikaw ang batas?"

The smug look on his face was replaced with a sheepish grin, "Joke lang mahal ko. Ako ang batas pero ikaw ang taga-gawa ng batas. I love you." He blabbered.

Hndi ko napigilan ang tawa ko, sabay pa nga silang napalingon sa akin. "Sorry, ang cute niyo lang kasi." Sambit ko. Napakunot ng noo sa akin si Ate Amy, saka ko na-realize na ang pait nga naman pala ng pagkakabanggit ko ng mga salitang 'yun.

She sighed before she stood up and sat beside me. Swinging her arms on my shoulder, giving me a gentle rub. "Anong nangyari sa inyo?"

I just shrugged my shoulders, trying not to cry. "Hindi ko alam ate. Sinubukan naman namin, pero hindi ata talaga kami para sa isa't-isa." My voice trailing off.

Humugot ng malalim na hininga si Ate, "Hindi ikaw ang makakapagsabi nun Q. Look at me and Chance, we thought we weren't made for each other either but here we are now." I don't know if it's an attempt to make me feel better.

Kuya Cube chuckled, "For the record, I always thought you're the only one for me Love. I am willing to turn all things impossible possible just so I could have you, and I did."

I wish Brinx loved me the way Kuya Cube loves Ate Amy. Hindi mo mapagkakaila na tinamaan talaga siya kay Ate Amy, the way he looks at her. It was everything a girl could ever dream of.

A sound of a tiny beating drum disturbed my silent thinking. Kuya Cube smiled triumphly before he took his phone, "I'll be back mahal ko, sasagutin ko lang ito." And then out of the house he went.

"Heartbeat ng baby namin." Ate Amy mindlessly said, pertaining to the ring tone Kuya Cube has. No wonder he reacted that way.

Sumama naman si Ate Amy ng nagpaalam ako na bibisita kay Aya, syempre kasama si Kuya Cube dahil mukhang ayaw naman niyang nahihiwalay sa fiancée niya.

"Ate sabi nila babalik ka na raw ng Italy?" Aya asked as soon as I reached her bedside. She's getting paler and thinner everyday. And I wished I could something to probably lessen her pain.

Tumango ako, "Oo, kailangan ko ng umuwi. Pero babalik naman ako rito kapag natapos na ang hacienda."

Papabalikin pa ba ako nila daddy at papa dito?

She slightly frowned but wasn't able to hold the expression because of her weakening muscles. "Paano si Kuya Brinx?"

Napalingon ako kay Ate Amy, tumayo siya at sinenyasan si Kuya Cube na iwan muna kami. "Magpagaling ka muna saka ako magkukwento sa iyo." Bulong ko.

"Susubukan pero hindi kayang ipangako." She laughed but if felt short because it was immediately followed by a cough. I let her sat down before I helped her moistened her throat with a glass of warm water.

"Ate natatandaan mo pa ba noon? Lagi kaming pumupuslit ng pagkain ni Ate Garnet sa carinderia para lang may maibigay kami sa iyo." Natatawang tugon niya.

Napangiti rin ako sa ala-alang 'yun. "Tapos tutulungan kita sa mga assignments mo, bayad sa libreng pagkain na bigay niyo."

I absentmindedly stroked her platinum hair. "Madalas pa magalit si Mama dahil laging may nawawalang plato at baso. Pero syempre patay malisya lang ako, hangga't sa nahuli na tayo."

"Akala ko nga dati aalipustahin ako ni Manang Judy, instead she invited me to come by the carinderia whenever I'm hungry."

She nodded her head before we fell silent for awhile. "Ate sa tingin mo ba kung sinabi ko sa kanya ang kalagayan ko pipiliin niya pa ring manatili sa tabi ko?" She suddenly asked out of nowhere.

I creased my eyebrows at her, "Hindi mo dapat iniisip ang mga ganyang bagay sa ganitong kalagayan mo Aya." My attempt to change the topic.

But her sad smiled held its place on her face. "Napapaisip lang kasi ako Ate. Kung anong mangyayari kung sinabi ko na lang sa kanya."

It's funny to think that we chose the same time to be heartbroken, that we also chose almost the same reason for the pain. Matatawag mo man kaming tanga, but we did it because we excluded selfishness out of the choices.

We did it because we loved selfless.

Hinuli kong puntahan si Ate Gie dahil natatakot ako sa kanya. Baka kasi pumutok ang butsi niya kapag naikwento ko na sa kanya ang lahat-lahat. Pero nang natapos ko ng ilathala lahat ng nangyari, tinitigan niya lang muna ako. I was waiting for her to say something like 'I told you so' or something that starts with 'if you just listened to me'.  But none of those sprouted out of her mouth.

She just looked with ache and pain for me. It reflected so strong in her eyes. "You remember Claire Natasha Ate?" I continued.

"Who? 'Yung bestfriend ng maldita  niyang kapatid?" She seethed. I nodded my head. "Yup, she's the one. She's sick, ESRF. Bumisita ako sa kanya and she told me parts of the four estranged years. Hindi ko alam kung may namamagitan ba sa kanila ni Brinx, she never denied it but she never did clarified it either."

I don't care if my voice is starting to crack, but I just need this heavy feeling out of my chest. "Bakit hindi mo subukang pakinggan ang explanation ni Brinx nang maliwanagan ka?"

Of all the people, I never imagined to hear Ate Garnet saying these words to me. She's always been antagonistic ever since Brinx returned into my life, pero ngayon siya na ang nagtutulak sa akin pabalik sa kanya.

"I wanted to, God knows I wanted to. But I'm afraid that if I do that, I'll end up crawling back to his arms. And it's just so wrong, Tash needs him more. Wala na akong balak guluhin pa sila ulit, dalawang beses ko ng ginawa and I'm not gonna be stupid to do it again. Soon enough, he'll learn to forget about me and love Natasha. Maybe even more than how much he had loved me."

A sob escaped my mouth after I was able to concretize those words. It's hard for me to wish him well with another woman. It's hard for me to see him loving another woman.

"You can never force the heart to unlove and forget someone Marina." Ate Gie replied quietly.

I just snickered. I'm not planning of forgetting him. I will just let this pain sink in – bone marrow deep, until I get numb and use to it.