This Lifetime

Chapter 8

The more I know about Lola Amethy the more I see myself in her.

Naguguluhan na ako.

Nagiging conscious tuloy ako sa bawat kong galaw, kasi iba yung tingin ni Mommy when I do things that Lola did.

This is not what I want, pero hindi maalis sa sistema ko.

Everytime I see her photos kinikilabutan ako para bang kinakausap n'ya ako through that.

I need a breather. So I decided to take a walk in the park nearby.

Umupo ako sa swing, I closed my eyes. After a minute or so, I heard a small sound, may umupong matanda sa kabilang swing.

I looked at her, she looked back and smiled at me.

"Ang tagal kitang hinanap hija" sambit nya. Kumunoot ang noo ko.

"Ako po? Bakit?" May utang ba ako sa kanya? Sa pagkakaalam ko ay wala naman akong inutangan.

"Mahal na mahal n'yo ang isa't-isa at dahil doon ay naging mabait ang tadhana at muli kayong pinagtagpo" baliw ata si Lola, hindi pa nga ako nagkaka-boyfriend, I turned down all my suitors.

"Ah, Lola...NBSB po ako" she chuckled.

"Hija, hindi man maalala ng isip, hinding hindi nakakalimot ang puso"

"Wala rin po akong amnesia"

"Hanapin mo, sa kaibuturan ng puso mo, nandoon ang lahat ng sagot" Tumayo na ako, she's getting weirder and weirder. Mas weird pa sa nangyayari sa amin ni Yuan.

"Binigyan ko ng babala ang iyong kabiyak, sinunod n'ya ito kaya't kayo't muling pinagtagpo"

"Lola, mauna na po ako ha, naalala ko may gagawin pa po ako, nice meeting you po" I said before turning my back on her.

"Panaginip ang naging daan n'ya patungo sa'yo" patuloy nyang pagsasalita. Akala ko makakapag relax ako pag umalis ako ng bahay, bakit naman kasi may force leave ang napasukan kung trabaho, obligado tuloy akong magbakasyon.

Ang bilis kong naglalakad pauwi.

Hingal na hingal ako ng makarating sa bahay, "What the hell happenes to you?" Napatalon ako sa sobrang gulat, kung saan saan naman sumusulpot tong si Yuan kasi!

"What? Have you seen a ghost?" Dagdag nya.

"Yeah you could say that"

"Anyway, I'm bored wanna go out?" Pag-iiba nya ng topic, God sometimes I really don't understand him at all.

"Saan naman?"

"Anywhere"

"Well we need a specific location"

"Beach would be nice"

"Really? Beach? Ngayon na?" I asked in disbelief, the beaches are all in the north and south and we're in the middlw of those destinations, that would be a long ass drive.

"Yeah, I'll drive, all you have to do is sleep" tapos kinindatan n'ya ako.

Omg what the hell. Anong nakain n'ya.

I woke up on the sand. Did he carry me here? Syempre naman diba? Alangan naman naglakad ako ng tulog.

"Sarap ng pagkakatulog mo" he spoke, "I can't bear to wake you up"

Umupo ako and hugged my knees.

"Thank you"

"For what?"

"For...for bringing color to my life" I said. He messed my life but this is the kind of mess I appreciate. He's my kind of mess.

"More like I messed you up" he chuckled.

"Yeah, but I appreciate that"

Minutes of comfortable silence, before he spoke again "Ky"

I looked at him while he stared in the sea.

"What if I actually remember everything from the past?" Kumunot ang noo ko.

"What do you mean?"

"I... I believe in reincarnation, I can feel Lolo Yael in me" hindi ako naka-imik. He's being serious and I can't even utter a single word.

He looked at me, gustuhin ko man umiwas ng tingin hindi ko magawa, there's something in his eyes that I want to see. At least my heart say so.

"You know what forget it"

"I'm sorry" that's all I can say

"Don't be"

"No seriously, I'm having a hard time digesting everything"

"I know, but the hell I care if you're Amethy or not" nagulat ako, sobrang seryoso n'ya.

"My past life loved your past life so much that they have to wait another lifetime to be with each other again! I'm gonna do whatever it takes to have you"

"I don't feel the same way," I said honestly, "Magsasayang ka lang ng oras at panahon, don't dwell in the past Yuan. Magkaibang tao kayo ni Lolo Yael. You're not him, and you will never be" kailangan nyang marinig mula sa akin ang mga bagay na ito. I don't like him like that, I like him as a friend and I love him as a cousin. Nothing more nothing less. He makes me happy yes, he's my kind of mess yes pero hanggang doon lang, no romantic feelings at all.

"I don't care" sa dami ng sinabi ko iyon lang ang sinagot nya.

"I'm serious, Yuan"

"I'm damn serious too, Kyla Amethy" para akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig, I never used my second name! I loathed it.

"Don't you ever use that name on me again!" Tumayo ako, I'm pissed! Kulang pa ba na isinunod ang pangalan ko sa taong sinasabi nilang ako? I'm starting to hate my Grandma, I don't want to, pero things are getting pretty damn messy.

Mabilis nya akong naabutan, "I know you hated that name" I halted and removed his grip.

"And now I hate you too" tumakbo ako pero ramdam ko na hinahabol nya ako.

And for the second time agad nya akong nahawakan!

I should've enrolled myself in track and field.

"I'm sorry okay? I won't do it again, just please stay with me" he pleaded. I sighed.

"Stop bothering me with anything related to our grand parents" he nodded.

"We good?"

"Yes"

"Hungry?"

"Famished"

Hinatak n'ya ako hanggang makarating kami sa isang lugawan. Puno ng tao, infairness ang ganda ng lugar. Not the typical type of lugawan.

May binati si Yuan sa may counter while I explore the place. Mukhang he's been here before.

The photos hanging on the walls are so good. And the whole place is oddly familiar.

Yuan called for me, he signaled me to the table near the counter. So I settled in there and waited to him while he order.

Napalingon ako sa gilid ko, something caught my attention.

It's like a fate I can never escape huh?

A lifetime together
Yael Madrid x Amethy Madrid