Saved (TUV)

Chapter 19: Knowing Your Pain

She didn't know how long they've stayed in that position. They've never really said anything to each other. He was just there silently weeping and she was just there giving him solace.

She stood up and offered him her hands. He looked at her palm for a while and reached for it. She guide him to the bed and laid him down gently. Cameron laid beside him, facing him. She caress his cheeks and she felt his hands on top of hers. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Thank you." Two simple words but it made her heart happy. Hindi man iyon ang mga katagang gustong-gusto niyang marinig, nagdala parin iyon ng saya sa kanyang puso.

"My dad...." Nakita niya ang bumalatay na sakit sa mukha nito nang mabanggit nito ang ama.

"Don't." Pigil niya sa anumang sanang sasabihin nito. It's not that she doesn't want to know about his father, it's just that it's too painful for her to look at him this way. The pained expression on his face made her unsure if she wanted to hear this side of story. "If talking about it hurts you, then don't. Some things are just left to be unsaid and some memories are just left to be buried forever."

"My dad...always beat my mom." He continued as if he didn't hear her. She wanted to cry for him, she wanted to cry for his pain. "Oh, Quinn."

"W-hen I saw you with those bruises, I was so scared. The last time I felt scared was when my mom died
And I've never been that scared, not until that day." He's touching her hands while remembering that awful day. She took his hand and gripped it tightly, silently saying that she'll always be here. Naiintindihan na niya ngayon kung saan galing ang takot nito nang makita nito ang mga pasa niya sa katawan.

" I was ten years old when I saw my dad... hit my mom with a belt... I heard someone was crying in their bedroom so I went there and the door was slightly open, and I saw my mom kneeling while dad... while dad hit her back with a belt." It took a lot of will power for Cameron not to cry. Sa murang edad ay nakita na nang asawa niya kung paano pagmalupitan ng ama nito ang ina nito. She wanted to cry for that boy's pain. Hindi niya lubos maisip kung ano ang tumatakbo sa murang kaisipan ng batang nakasaksi sa pagmamalupit ng ama nito.

"I am so ashamed and angry with myself. Wala man lang akong nagawa para pigilan si Dad. Everyday, mom would have different bruises. Sometimes on the cheeks, sometimes on her arms and sometimes on her legs. But she always, she always told us it was an accident. I don't know why she kept on protecting my dad. There was even a time when my uncle Clifford, my dad's half brother came to visit. My dad saw him talking with my mom so when uncle Clifford left, dad dragged mom to their room and started hitting her again." There was a look of contempt on Quinn's face when he mentioned his uncle's name. At hindi iyon nakaligtas sa paningin niya. 

"I even heard dad shouting obscenity, like how dare her cheat on him with his own brother at his own house. I didn't believe it, of course. Mom would never that. Mom never left the house not unless dad will bring her to parties." She saw how his knuckles turned white so she reached for it and gently touched it. Naramdaman niyang unti unti namang lumuwang ang pagkakuyom ng kamao nito.

"The beating stopped when I turned 13. That's when my dad suffered from stroke." Mapaklang tumawa si Quinn. " Kung hindi pa siya nastroke ay hindi pa mahihinto ang pagmamalupit niya kay mommy." Huminto si Quinn sa pagsasalita saka pinagsalikop ang mga kamay nila. Akala niya ay magkwkwento pa ito pero hindi na ito muling nagsalita pa. She wanted to know what happened to his mom kaya lakas loob siyang nagtanong rito.

"What happened to your mom?" There was a long silence before he speak. Akala niya ay hindi na nito sasagutin ang tanong.

"She left."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Base sa tono ng boses nito ay ayaw na nitong pag usapan ang ina kaya naman ay hindi na siya uli nagtanong tungkol sa ina nito. Sumiksik siya dito at niyakap ito ng mahigpit. Gumanti naman ng yakap si Quinn sa kanya habang hinahaplos ang mahaba niyang buhok. Her lips curved in a smile when she felt him kissed her hair.