What Comes After

I

Everyone was busy doing their own stuffs by that day. Not even her bestfriend remembered that she was supposed to come back that day. No one remembered her. How are you supposed to remember someone who happened to ruin lives from the past? How are you supposed to remember Thalia Isobel Alleva, that terrible woman who happened to ruin you?

Ni isa ay walang nagbanggit tungkol sa pagbalik niya. It was like just something between her and her family. But even her family despite her that much. They decided to live separately with her because she was no good after all.

"Hindi pa rin sila nagbabago. They hate me as if I did not change." She had no one to talk to aside form her maids and driver. They were still there after all.

After 4 years of studying hard abroad, her granny provided her an elegant white house. Her dad promised her that kind of house but then shit happened and her family disowned her non verbatim.

She tried calling her friends when she was a college student. She did party a lot. She was terrible. Kaya siguro walang may gustong makita siya after 4 years disconnected with them. She lived differently abroad. She learned her lessons but that was not enough to gain them again.

Inakyat ng mga katulong niya ang mga maletang dala nito. She switched on the television just to witness a news about her old bestfriend Janica. Janica was her nerd bestfriend at siya ang gumigising sa kanya noon sa kanyang mga katarantaduhan sa buhay. But it just happened that Janica had enough and forget about her one day.

"Ma'am, susunod nga daw po pala si Sir Miguel dito sa Pilipinas." Oh, and Miguel, siya na ang pumalit kay Janica and up until now ay natatagalan niya si Thalia na walang ibang ginawa kundi piliin ang mali.

She was not planning to come back too soon pero pinilit siya ng kanyang Lola and she could not insist since her granny believed in her through it all. Her granny told her that she could not runaway forever at mas maganda kung babalik na siya sa Pilipinas as soon as possible.

"Sabihin mo sa kanya, 'wag siyang tumuloy kung dito siya titira sa akin." She was comfortable around Miguel but there were no feelings involved. Alam niya na ang kaibigan ay kaibigan lang.

Nagpahinga ito sandali dahil sa haba na rin ng biyahe at kulang ito sa tulog. Kung sa ibang bansa ay todo aral at trabaho ito para kanya, this time ay binigay na sa kanya ng lola niya ang pagiging buhay prinsesa. She knew that she did not deserve it.

Her granny was over the phone and she was pressuring her about her career sa Pilipinas. Hindi niya pinagsisihang pinagpatuloy niya ang pagiging med student sa ibang bansa. Nasa labas palang siya ng bansa ay kinokontak na siya ng mga sikat na ospital sa bansa as neurosurgical resident. Since then, matunog na ang pangalan niya. But it was the other way around dahil kung dati ay nadadamay ang pangalan niya sa kaguluhan, ngayon ay sikat na siya kahit hindi pa siya ganap na neurosurgeon

"Choose the best hospital, Thalia. You know what to choose." Her granny wanted her to choose West Alley Hospital. Hindi sa bias ang kanyang granny dahil bukod sa kakilala nito ang pamilya nila, it was really the best hospital.

"Pag iisipan ko pa po, la. I know that I did not go to the best med school abroad for no reason." Even though her family disowned her, hindi pa naman nila naiisipang tanggalan siya ng sustento. In fact, malaki ang natatanggap niyang pera mula sa kanila.

Ayaw niyang madaliin ang lahat. She actually wanted to take a break first bago mag neuro. resident. She wanted to go far from her town where no one knows her. She was actually a different person overseas but simula kanina, the past was hunting her down.

As planned, she booked herself sa isang hotel sa El Nido, Palawan. She had gone to that place years ago. Gusto lang niyang mag chill. But how can she chill kung may naaalala siyang isang tao sa lugar na iyon.

She wiped those thoughts away at nagsimulang nagliwaliw. Mas masaya sana kung may kasama siya but Miguel was waiting for a week bago pumunta sa Pilipinas. He was busy, too, at hindi lang naman si Thalia ang tao sa buhay nito.

"Ms. Thalia Alleva, how nice to see you here!" The owner of the hotel greeted her. She was booking here everytime na nagpupunta sila dito. Kaya kilala na siya dito ng iilang mga lumang staffs.

"Nice to see you, too, again. Tumatanda ka na talaga." She teased the owner and that earned a laugh from Daniella, the owner.

"Tumatanda akong masaya, Lia. I wonder if you've found someone already." Nakatingin sa kanya na parang sinusuri ang kanyang reaksyon ni Daniella. She was waiting for Thalia's answer but Thalia did not know what to say kaya dinaan nalang niya ito sa biro.

"Change of plans, Dani. Magmamadre kasi sana ako. Bagay ba?" Daniella did not expect her answer. Thalia was real serious noon. 

"I can't believe that you've found your humor already, Thalia. Sa US mo lang pala makikita." Natawa si Thalia sa sinabi nito. What? She was scary and terrible years ago. Hindi ba pwedeng magbago siya?

Natapos ang kamustahan nila at nais pa itong ituloy ni Daniella kaya't niyaya niya si Thalia mamayang dinner.

Nagpaalam ito na magpapahinga muna ito. She was exhausted dahil nakakapagod naman talagang magbiyahe mag isa. If only Miguel was there.

She checked her list on what to do for the first day. It was indicated there to just go for the view and go party at night. Bukas na siguro nito eenjoyin ang tubig sa El Nido. She had a whole week na igugugol para tignan ang ganda ng El Nido. She was making the most of it.

Matapos magpahinga ay naligo ito at nagbihis.

She brought her camera with her and just enjoyed the beautiful view. Wala masyadong matao pero kalat sila. She could see some of them looking at her. She was smiling. She could not believe that she could still smile. Masaya na siya sa kung anong mayroon siya.

She sat on the sand and just stared at the view. It was a great feeling. It was good to be back.

"How come a beautiful lady like you is just all by herself?" A toned skin man sat beside her and just watched the view, too.

"Where have you been all my life, miss?" All those cheesy lines were old. She did not buy those. Nginitian lang niya ang lalaking nasa tabi niya.

"Sa US." Maikling sagot niya. Ramdam niya ang paglingon ng lalaki sa kanya but she was avoiding his glance. That was not cool.

"Mikael Andrews, miss US." Nilahad nito ang kamay niya kay Thalia and she accepted it. She could make new friends, by the way. She had to find new ones.

"Thalia" Kumunot ang noo ni Mikael after she said her name. What? Was he someone from the past? Kinabahan si Thalia sa reaksyon ng lalaki at agad naman niya itong binawi. He smiled at her at binawi ang tingin sa babae.

"So you've been to US? Kailan ka lang bumalik dito sa Pilipinas?" She was playing with the sand using a stick. She was drawing anything na pumapasok sa isip niya.

"Kailan lang. Wala pang isang linggo." She was wishing na hindi na ito mag ungkat pa about her from the past dahil baka mapilitan siyang umalis at tapusin ang usapan nila.

He was asking a lot about her at so far wala pa namang tungkol sa nakaraan nito. He was asking about her profession and he could not help but be amazed nang nalaman niya na future neurosurgeon ang kausap niya.

"You mean, nakahawak ka na ng utak ng tao?" She nodded with his semi-dumb question. It was a must.

"The amazing thing about holding someone's brain is that, it was all there. Hindi lang 'yon basta utak." Nakatingin sa karagatan si Mikael while thinking about the 'brain' that they were talking about. Thalia was listening as if it was really interesting. Yes, it was.

"Holding someone's brain is like holding their decisions, their memories. Alam mo 'yon, parang hinahawakan mo yung buong pagkatao nila." He was actually demonstrating it using his hand like he was really holding someone's brain.

"I can see that you are really a deep person. You put meaning into simple things." She was telling the truth. 'Yon talaga ang nakikita niya kay Mikael.

"Dude, come on. We've been looking for you." Well that was a familiar voice. She heard that voice four fucking years ago.