Promise of my Heart

Chapter 8

“Danica, nakakuha ka na ba ng ticket for the Premiere Night?” tanong ni Direk Alfaro.

            “Hindi pa nga po, direk eh. Saan po ba nagrelease?”

            “Oh, get tickets for yourself and your family. Libre naman yun, right? Kuha ka na lang kay Gelyn, our Executive Producer.”

            “Ok, direk,” tila wala siyang ganang sumagot.

            “Are you okay, hija?” he asked on a worried tone. “Mukhang malalim ang iniisip mo ah,” she sighed. “You miss him, don’t you?” she nodded.

            “Direk, gaano kaya sila katagal doon?”

            “I don’t know. Maybe two to three weeks? Bakit?”

            “Hindi man lang kasi niya sinabi sakin na may offer pala siya sa isang advertising company sa Singapore.”

            “Danica, technically he’s not your boyfriend, right? Siguro he needed space. Or maybe meron siyang surprise for you, or what. So don’t fret. There’s a lot of things to do today. Get your tickets, okay? In two weeks, ipapalabas na sa Cinema yung story mo. So paano, mauna na ako sayo?”

            She sighed again. Isang lingo na niyang hindi nakikita si Patrick. No texts and phone calls. Hindi niya alam kung ano na ba ang nangyari sa kanilang dalawa. The last thing she remember is that they were both happy that night. She told him she loves him, and that was that. Nalaman na lang niyang may offer ito sa Singapore nang hindi niya ito makita sa studio kinabukasan. Tama nga naman ang sinabi ni direk Alfaro, she’s not his girlfriend. Wala siyang karapatang masaktan. But she loves him so much. She even almost gave herself to him. How can he be so numb not to know that?

            Pakiramdam niya nabawasan na naman ang mga taong nagmamahal sa kanya. She hated that feeling kahit noon pa. Iniwan na naman siyang mag-isa. She thought. She fixed her hair and checked herself on her compact mirror. She looks so pathetic, to the truest sense of the word. Imagine, just for her not to look miserable, nagawa niyang gamitin si Patrick against Andrew. She wanted to see if Andrew was miserable. Yet, he’s not. And again, she was left stranded. Pumara siya ng taxi pauwi. She put on her earphones again and closed her eyes. She don’t want to think about the pain anymore.

PAGDATING niya sa bahay ay dumiretso siya sa kusina para kumuha ng inumin. The telephone rang. She was expecting Patrick’s call. But it was so crazy for her to think about that. She didn’t even gave him their home number.

            “Hello?” sabi niya nang inangat niya ang telepono.

            “Hello? Pwede po kay Danica?” the man on the phone asked.

            “Si Danica to. Who’s this?” she sounded puzzled.

            “Si Andrew to.”

            “Napatawag ka?”

            “Oo eh. Di kasi tayo nakapag-usap ng maayos nung reunion. You were with your boyfriend kasi.”

            “Yah. Bakit, may sasabihin ka ba saking importante?”

            “Kadarating mo lang ba sa bahay?” he started to make a crying sound.

            “Oo, may problema ba? Umiiyak ka ba?”

            “Paano mo nalaman?”

            “I know everything about you. Magbest friend tayo diba?”

            “Ayos lang ako. Nauna na kasi si Angelie sa Canada. Maybe I just miss her,” he denied.