LOVE-NAT, isang makulit na love story! ♥ [ 1 of 2 ]

Chapter 30-3. Ang Kwento ni Miss Elena!

Eleonor Malicsi Dimaculangan

We both sat at the back in silence. Oo. In silence. Para kaming nagpapakiramdaman. Kung alam ko lang talaga na mauuwi lang din ulit kami sa away, sana hindi ko na lang talaga siya isinama!! But then again, kahit naman anong mangyari, I have a feeling he would be mad at me in the end. I sighed, staring out the window.

Kabaliktaran pala epekto ng damit na toh ee!! KALOKA!! So, ano ibig mong sabihin Ellie?? Umaasa ka na totoo yung sinabi ni Em-Em??

And then, out of the blue biglang nilakasan ni Manong Driver yung volume ng radio niya... at biglang nag-boom sa speakers yung kanta ng Kamikazee...

♫Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa

Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to...♫

“Naku, ganyan din kami ng misis ko nun ee.” Biglang nagsalita si Manong Driver. He was looking at me through the rear mirror ng taxi niya. “Away, bati din kami nung magboyfriend-girlfriend pa lang kami.”

I could have laughed, really. “Nagkakamali ho kayo manong. Hindi ko ho boyfriend ang antipatikong lalaking yan!”

Natawa si manong. “Iha, ganyan din sinasabi ng misis ko nun. Haha. Bayaan mo, pagtapos naman ng away, sweet na ulit kayo.”

Sa sinabing yun ni manong, namula na lang ang muka ko. AAAAAH EWAN!! Paguntugin ko kea silang dalawa ni SEF? Tapos, bigla ng nagtalambuhay si Manong samen. Kinwento na niya kung papano sila nagkakilala ng misis niya. I was half listening to him as I stole a glance at Sef, pero siya nakatingin lang din sa labas ng bintana, parang walang naririnig. Para bang ayaw na ayaw niyang tumingin saken!! Before I knew it, I was staring at him again.

Ano kayang iniisip niya?

Hindi ko na napakinggan si Manong Driver dahil ibang storya na ang dumapo sa isip ko... ibang boses na ang naririnig ng isip ko... yung boses na ni Ms. Elena nung kinwentuhan niya ko nun sa Clinic.

”Miguel Josef Uy Monteverde was a very nice, young boy even though he grew up without a mother. She died after giving birth to him. His father, on the other hand, was a kind-hearted man. He was very respectable and Sef and his older brother Matt looked highly of him. Pero, syempre... being a Monteverde has its own perks kaya Sef was already stubborn even he was in Noel’s age.”

Stubborn? Hahaha. Tama si Ms. Elena. Sobrang stubborn talaga.

We went out the cab, still hindi pa rin kami naguusap. Duh, stubborn nga diba? He paid the fare and we silently went to buy our ticket. Siya pa rin ang nagbayad. We weren’t talking. Siya, hindi pa rin makatingin saken while the whole world was eyeing me so strangely. Okay, ako na ang mukang bakla sa suot ko, pero hindi naman nila kailangan tignan ako ng ganyan diba??

Tapos, siksikan pa dito sa LRT. Lalo na at ganitong oras. I was having trouble making my way through the crowd. Kahit gano ako ka-maton, hindi naman ganun kalaki ang katawan ko para makipagsabayan sa ganitong kadaming tao. Siguro kung hindi lang ako naka dress, kanina pa ko nakipag tulakan sa mga ito ee. Argh!!

“When Sef was five years old his dad, who was not in good terms with his own father, grew rather ill. Until si Sef na lang at si Matt ang natira. They became more than brothers, they were the bestest of friends and were inseparable. However, Matt was still eighteen years old by that time so both brothers were under the supervision of the Moteverde’s patriarch, their strict and fearsome grandfather. But despite the tragedy, Sef was such an amiable young boy. Though he has a hard time showing his feelings to people he cares about.”

Para na kong naging punching bag habang naglalakad kami papunta sa may hintayan nung train. Siksikan talaga and seeing I’m just a small person hindi madaling makipag tulakan diba? Lalo na at nakuha ko pang mag-dress. I winced as a huge bald man bumped against me. Aray diba?? At pwede din namang mag-sorry!!

But then, to my surprise Miguel Josef Uy Monteverde held my hand and pushed himself ahead of me. Parang may current ng electricity na biglang dumaloy sa katawan ko the moment my hand touched his. Wala ng bumabangga saken, si Sef na yung nasa harap ko ee. I was just observing him, unable to take my eyes off him.

Seeing his back form, feeling his hand with mine... I wondered how one person could deal with so much pain? Growing up without a mother? Without a father? I couldn’t imagine living a life like he did. Naalala ko buong pamilya ko. And good Lord, I just couldn’t live without any of them.

Siguro maraming naiinggit kay Sef kasi he has everything – the looks, the girls, the money. But at the end of the day, this guy everyone seemed to consider like some Greek god was just a mere human. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t the perfect prince charming high school girls always dreamed about. He was far from those Korean-novela guys everyone seemed to go crazy about. He was different. Sef was different.

Totoo nga talaga sinabi nila. Nobody’s really perfect so is Miguel Josef Uy Monteverde.

“Sef’s grandfather was an authoritarian. What he says was the law in the family. And base on that law, I made the biggest crime – I fell in love with Matthew James Monteverde!! Hindi ako mayaman, I came from a middle-class family. And their grandfather was against me. But... Matt, my dear Matt... he fought against his grandfather even though it means na itatakwil siya nito. Matt loves me just as much as he loves his younger brother. But things got a bit out of hand ng pinalayas si Matt...

‘I will leave but I will bring Sef with me.’ I was sitting beside him when Matt told this to his grandfather, who then turned red in anger.
‘The boy will stay you bastard!’ After that, Matt and I were forcefully dragged out the house.

‘KUYA!’ I could remember Sef’s cries calling for his brother. ‘KUYA! WAG MO KONG IWAN! KUYAAA!!!’ It was the night I would remember for the rest of my life for I knew what Sef had in mind, I was the one who took his brother away from him. He must have misunderstood; he must have felt abandoned, that his brother left him too. But he was wrong Ellie. He was wrong.”

Pagpasok namin sa loob ng train, doble pa din ang dami ng tao. Sef didn’t let go of my hand and we were standing in front of each other. Hindi ko na prublema kung gaano pa kadaming tao ang sumakay sa tren na yun. Sa tanan ng buhay ko, bukod sa mga dasal ko na sana walang prof o sana walang pasok... ngayon lang, as in ngayon lang ako nagdasal na sana... sana talaga... matagalan itong byahe na ito... kung pwede nga lang ee... sana, wag na kaming bumaba ng tren na ito!! Hahaha. Grabe Ellie. Can you even hear yourself?

Hear? Hear-hear ka jan? Wala akong naririnig kung hindi ang mabilis na tibok ng puso ko. I was no longer aware na ginigitgit na pala ako nung matandang lalaki sa kaliwa ko, hindi ko na nga din napapansin na halos i-glue na saken nung isa pang lalaki sa kanan ko yung katawan niya. I was completely unaware, not until Sef wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me closed against him.

And for the first time in my entire life... ipinagpapasalamat kong naging BABAE ako!!! WAHAHAHAHAHA... GAAAAWD!!! Parang wala ng bakanteng parte sa muka ko ang brown dahil sobrang namula na ee. Ngayon naman, I was the one who couldn’t look up at him. I was just staring on his bare chest.

And I have to admit, the moment his arm landed softly around me, pakiramdam ko isa kong batang babae who felt suddenly SAFE.

But in a split second, nag-resume na ulit ang DEBATE between my heart and my mind.

My heart felt this was right... but my mind knew this was all wrong.

Pero biglang nagsalita si Sef, “Sa susunod,” He whispered angrily. Hindi pa rin niya nakuhang tumingin saken.“Don’t ever wear that dress again!”

Para kong nasuntok ee. Parang biglang dumilim ang paningin ko. Oo na sige na, hindi na bagay saken ang naka-dress... lechugas kasi si Em-Em ee... humanda talaga siya saken pag-uwi ko mamaya!!

I was ready to push Sef away but then what stopped me were the next words he said, “Lalo na kung hindi ako ang kasama mo.”

I was so damned. Malapit na kong maniwala, na may powers ngang talaga ang damit na ito!!! Right that moment, pagkasabi ni Sef nun, wala akong ibang nasa isip kung hindi, “EM-EM, ANG GALING MO TALAGA!!!!” 

To be continued.