Chasing My Heart

The Promise

CHAPTER ONE
Pagudpud Ilocos Norte, 2010
Oh God...
Napapikit si Bryce sa kirot na unti-unting lumukob sa kanyang dibdib.Pakiramdam niya nang mga sandaling iyon ay nagkapira-piraso ang kanyang puso sa sakit na sumisigid sa kanyang buong pagkatao.
Tila kakapusin sa hininga ang dalaga.
'Ganoon na ba ako katagal na hindi nagawi dito?' Piping tanong niya sa sarili habang namamasyal ang mga mata sa paligid,pilit na naghahanap ng mga pamilyar na bagay na maaaring makapagpatunay na hindi siya namamali ng lugar na pinuntahan.
Wala siyang makita.Nada.
The feeling of being a complete stranger, of being an outcast to that place, began to asphyxiate her like liquid venom slowly creeping though her every veins.
She choked, as her air passages cried for the heavy breathing.
'Wala naman akong pinasok na time machine, pero bakit parang nasa future na yata ako?' aliw ni Bryce sa sarili upang kahit papaano ay gumaan ang nadaramang pamimigat ng dibdib.
Still, the private joke had no effect. Why, she can still feel the searing pain...
Bryce took a deep breath, let the air fill her lungs longer.
The things she's seeing now aren't just hallucinations...They were real, as real as the reality itself. The people, the staffs, and the cottages were no longer the same as they were before. Even the facilities, the function areas dramatically changed into something as modern as those you could see in some famous beaches like Boracay or El Nido.
No more trace of the old resort she used to love...
You both used to love...
Again, that invisible knife deeply cut her in the inside. Her eyes watered...
Feeling the tears, Bryce fought hard not to let the liquid pain fell.Nagdurugo na ang kalooban niya,ayaw na niyang dagdagan iyon at gawing talunan ang kanyang sarili.
She may not have anticipated her coming back to this place to be so wounding but she'll deal with her own pain... later.
For now,she must have to put on her mask.Though she's as sure as the word itself na hindi siya kilala ng mga bagong staffs ng resort,mabuti na iyong walang makakakita sa sugat na iniinda niya.
Mabigat ang loob na muling gumala ang mga mata ni Bryce.
She hates herself for feeling this way, for feeling so affected after all these years.
Like you came back here to get yourself hurt... again.
Napailing ang dalaga.
'No...' kulang sa kumbiksyon na bulong niya.
Mas gusto niyang isipin na kaya siya nakakaramdam ng kirot sa nakitang pagbabagong-bihis ng resort ay dahil hindi niya iyon kailanman nailarawan sa isip.Na hindi niya iyon inasahan...na nagulat siya.
Well, partly that was true...
Kumbaga kasi sa animal, tila na-extinct na lahi ng dinosaur ang Sanctuary Beach Resort.Kung titingnan sa labas ay wala na talagang makitang palatandaan na totoong nag-exist ito sa lugar na iyon.
What now?
Bryce took a deep breath.Nandito na siya,karuwagan nang matatawag kung ngayon pa siya aatras.
'Naninibago lang ako sa mga pagbabagong namamalas ng aking paningin' she whispered inwardly.
Kaya?Sino'ng niloloko mo,Bryce? pasundot na tanong ng militanteng boses sa kaloob-looban ng dalaga, dahilan upang matigilan siya.
Stop it! parang timang na kaagad niyang saway sa sarili.Natatakot na i-entertain ang provocation na iyon ng sariling isip.
She was just amazed. Surprised to see that in such a very short period of time, the resort had made a remarkable change.
That was all about into it.
Yeah...that was all about into it.Come on Bryce...don't be a kid.
She didn't argue.Baka kung ano pang kasinungalingan ang masabi o maidahilan niya sa sarili.Bahala nang magpatayan ang anghel at demonyo sa kaloob-looban niya.
Another sighed and off she go down the car.
'Tumabi-tabi ka muna, puso' babala ng dalaga sa sarili bago walang pagmamadaling binitbit ang may kabigatan din niyang bagahe.
One last look to her reflection unto the car's side mirror and she know she'll be fine.Gracefully,she flipped her soft brown hair and sauntered to the beautifully land escaped pathway.
Midway, she was approached by a man maybe about her age. She could tell he is among the resort's attendants base on the name plate she's seeing.
"Welcome to Bryce's Paradise, ma'am" he greeted her with a warm and welcoming smile. He even offered her a hand. Kinuha nito mula sa kanya ang dalang carry-all bag.
Bryce was about to return back the warm smile, actually it's already been there half painted into her thin and pinkish lips and god knows why it was left there frozen!
Bryce's Paradise?!
Her eyes flew wide open to him.Tama ba ang pagkakarinig niya?
The attendant was still innocently smiling at her,tila walang napapansin sa digmaang nangyayari sa kaloob-looban niya. And God,she believed him.Kapangalan nga niya ang bagong pangalan ng dating resort...Kapangalan niya...
Oh God...
She was flabbergasted, even afraid to step forward for fear her stance wasn't stable.
'It's just a name,Bryce.Come on,why do you have to let it affect you this much? It's not as if ikaw lang ang may ganyang pangalan!Over-acting ka na!' inis na pangaral ng dalaga sa sarili nang sa wakas ay matauhan.
Ano ba kasi'ng nangyayari sa kanya?
Nakakahiya,paano kung mapansin ng lalaking ito ang tila digmaan ng Iraq at Iran sa kanyang kaloob-looban? Baka isipin pa nitong sinasapian siya!
By the thought of it,Bryce walked forward, signaling the attendant to guide her.Tila naman naintindihan nito iyon,umagapay ito sa kanya habang nagbibigay ng basic information tungkol sa lugar.
She just listened... or pretended to be listening.
"I will marry you here,honeyko...on a sunset wedding. I will buy this place...and will name it after you..." the man slid the infinity white gold ring to her ring finger.
"It's beautiful..." she said, marveling on how the ring beautifully fitted her there.
Seeing how happy she was, the man smiled at her and took her hand, brought to his lips and planted soft kisses on it...
"Which do you prefer to occupy ma'am, the Imperial suit or the princess' cottage?" ang tanong na iyon ng attendant ang humila kay Bryce sa kasalukuyan.
Napakurap ang dalaga.The flickering of old memories in her mind were gone...
Nang magbuka siya ng mga labi ay hindi kasagutan sa tanong ng tauhan ang namutawi sa mga labi niya.
"Three years ago,I was here.I was so familiar with this place.Napakalaki na ng ipinagbago ng resort na ito.Maging ang pangalan ay napalitan na din..." tila wala sa sariling nasabi ng dalaga habang inililibot ang paningin sa paligid,hanggang sa kayang abutin ng kanyang mga mata.
"Yes ma'am. Ipinagbili po kasi ito ng dating may-ari mahigit dalawang taon na dahil nangibang-bansa sila. Mabuti nga po at magaling na arkitekto at negosyante si sir RM,siya ang nakabili nito.Siya ang nagdisenyo sa lahat ng mga nabagong parte ng resort na ito.Lahat ng nakikita ninyo ngayon,ma'am, ay gawa ng kanyang mapagpalang mga kamay..." magiliw at tila palagay kaagad ang loob na pagbibigay impormasyon ng lalaki sa kanya habang iginigiya siya nito sa isang man-made lagoon.
Man-made lagoon sa pinakagitnang bahagi ng resort?
Bryce shook her head again.
It's just another coincidence...ignore.
Nang marating nila ang open cottage na malapit sa lagoon ay doon nabistahan ni Bryce kung gaano kalaki ang iginanda ng lugar.Halatang pinagbuhusan talaga iyon ng pera at talento. Every corner of the resort spells art and beauty.Gayunpaman, iisa lang ang talagang nakakuha ng kanyang buong atensyon.
Ang lagoon.
Napaka-artistic ng pagkakagawa niyon. She could even make a good guess the lagoon was one of the resort's top attraction to costumers. Why, the clear blue water was a sight to behold...enticing beach goers to go take a dip on it.
Napapagitnaan din iyon ng mga native-inspired cottages. It's perfect. Even more perfect to see the tail of it being converted into a wide kiddie swimming pool.
I've seen this before...
Naguguluhang napatitig sa malayo si Bryce.
'Bryce Paradise, the lagoon, the kiddie pool, the cottages...are they just one of those they say 'coincidence'?' tila isang eksena sa pelikula na nagpabalik-balik ang tanong na iyon sa isip ng dalaga.
"There is no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason...sometimes they happened because they were carefully planned..." tila narinig niyang bulong ng hangin. She remembered those words...Sinabi ni River ang mga salitang iyon noon sa kanya.
Tila sasakit ang ulo na bahagyang hinilot ng dalaga ang kanyang batok.Hindi na siya magtataka kung tuluyan siyang atakehin ng migraine niya.Sa dami ng nagsusulputang katanungan sa kanyang isip ay tila hindi iyon kayang i-prosesong lahat ng kanyang utak.
Everything she's seeing now...she have seen them in her dream before.A dream she had shared with the man she thought would stay in her life for-ever.
Feeling the pain slowly coming back from the depths,Bryce stopped herself from reminiscing.She gathered her thoughts and faced the attendant.
"And where's this princess' cottage?" drawing back her stares,she asked him.
"You can call me Reiven,ma'am"sabi nito na itinuro ang name plate sa dibdib. "Nasa Alta Montana po ang princess' cottage,ma'am.May kalayuan pero meron naman po tayong naka-standby na service.Kung gusto naman po ninyo ng shortcut na daanan papuntang dalampasigan ay maaari lang po ninyong lakarin mula roon dahil po may hagdanang bato mula sa itaas pababa..." dugtong pa nito.
Bahagyang tumango ang dalaga dito.Naintriga kaagad sa sinasabi ng lalaki.Alam niyang hindi sakop ng Sanctuary Beach Resort noon ang Alta Montana.Ibig sabihin ay binili iyon ng RM na ito.
"Sasamahan ko po kayo ma'am.Saglit lang po at kukunin ko ang susi" ibinaba ni Reiven sa bamboo bench ang kanyang bagahe.Bago umalis ay binalingan pa muna siya nito at itinanong kung ilang araw siyang titigil doon.
Obligingly,she told him she'll be staying there for three days.Tumango lang ito.
Nang tuluyang mapag-isa ay napapabuntong-hiningang muling inilibot ng dalaga ang paningin sa paligid.
"Bryce's Paradise"...she whispered.
If all these things her eyes were seeing now had their transformation,then....
Marahas na napabuga ng hangin si Bryce. Realization hit her in the head.
What had she been thinking? Paano niya nakalimutan ang pinakamahalagang dahilan ng ipinunta niya sa resort na ito?
Damned lagoon!
Still cursing herself for being a bit sidetracked, she looked around.Sa laki ng ipinagbago ng resort ay mahirap nang baka maling daan ang matahak niya sa lugar na balak puntahan.
When she saw the old palm tree near the common shower room, she sighed in relief.
'Thanks God,hindi ka nila pinakialaman' bulong sa sarili ng dalaga habang lumalapit sa puno.
That was her land mark.
Without thinking, she immediately took off her expensive boots and followed the way out to the shore. And as she come nearer, passing by the coconut trees to the white fine sand the resort was offering, fear began to engulf her. Her heartbeats began to falter and her strength began to wither.
Like a slow motion in a movie, her fast steps slowed down as her line of vision settled to nothing...She could not find what she wanted to see... nothing's there...only scattered coconut trees giving shed to the beach goers.
Tila tatakasan ng lakas na napaupo sa buhanginan si Bryce.
It's gone...
Her heart was broken once again.
And she thought she's ready...? Akala niya ay naiwan na sa loob ng sasakyan ang anumang masakit na emosyong maaari niyang maramdaman.
She was wrong.
Raw pain, disappointment, frustration, they all came to her like a comet smashing her heart out to pieces.
Her eyes stung and became heavy with the stubborn tears wanting to break free.When she could no longer hold them,she blinked. Sa ginawa ng dalaga, parang ulan na kaagad nag-unahan sa pagbagsak ang kanyang mga luha.
Sa hindi mabilang na pagkakataon,naramdaman na naman niya ang kirot na iyon na pumapatay sa bawat himaymay ng kanyang pagkatao.
Talunan,napayupyop ang dalaga sa kanyang sariling mga tuhod habang sige sa pag-agos ang kanyang mga luha.
The nipa hut was no longer there...
Not even a fragment of it can be seen around to where it had been standing before. And just like the uprooted nipa hut, her heartbeats died for few unnerving moments.
"Kapag nawala na ang kubong ito,ibig sabihin,hindi na natin mahal ang isa't-isa. Ibig sabihin, hindi tayo ang para sa isa't-isa" pabirong sabi ni Bryce kay River.As usual ay nasa paborito nilang kubo sila,pinapanood ang paglubog ng araw.
Mula sa pagkakasandal sa dibdib ng binata ay tiningala niya ito.
"Kung ganoon, gagawin ko ang lahat upang huwag masira at mawala ang kubong ito.Hinding-hindi ka mawawala sa akin,honeyko" masuyong hinaplos ng mga daliri ni River ang pisngi ng dalaga.
Bryce's heart swelled with love hearing those words...
"I love you..." she whispered. Hinuli niya ang kamay ng binata at hinagkan iyon.
"I love you more,honeyko. I will never get tired of telling and showing you how much..." bulong nito habang buong pagmamahal na tumitig sa mga mata niya.Bryce met his soft brown eyes...marveling at how beautiful those eyes were. When River slowly crossed the breath distance between their faces, Bryce closed her eyes and waited. Hot, moist lips descended on hers, claimed her lips in a mixture of passion and hunger kisses and she welcomed him.Lips to lips,tongue to tongue,she kissed him back with equal intensity.And as she burns on his palm,she realized she would never have the capacity of loving any other man than him...only him.
"Are you okay?" asked that voice.
Oh,please...Bryce begged inwardly. Nasasaktan na nga siya at lahat,bakit ngayon pa gustong sumabay ng super active na imahinasyon niya?
"You need help? Hey..." mula sa pagkakayupyop ay nakita ng dalaga ang dalawang pares ng leather shoes na tumigil sa kanyang harapan.
"If I need help,I would have screamed..." she hissed without moving,a bit annoyed for the intrusion.
Naiinis sa sarili at sa kung sino mang Poncio Pilato at pakialamerong lalaking ito na nais gumambala sa kanya, lalong hinigpitan ni Bryce ang pagkakasalikop ng mga kamay sa kanyang tuhod.
Damn ears! Of all the things she wanted to hear now, why does she have to think like she just heard an old familiar voice?
Why does that voice have to sound so familiar, so much like...?
Erase! tili ng utak niya.
"I have been watching you...cried. Why are you crying,Bryce?" soothing as the voice may have seemed,hindi iyon nakasapat upang mapigilan ng dalaga ang paninigas ng kanyang katawan.
Bryce?!
Iyong biglang pag-angat ng kanyang ulo mula sa pagkakayupyop ay tumama iyon sa isang matigas na bagay.
"Ouch!Honey, Balak mo bang basagin ang ilong ko?"