"Yup, you heard it right", Jani said, approaching his sister then kissed her on the cheek.
"Have you had lunch?"
"Yes kuya, nagluto Si Richard ng sinigang"
"Owwww..."
"Kain po kayo, kuya"
Jani raised a brow.
"You should try kuya, masarap"
"Talaga? Samahan mo ako, Richard. Malungkot kumain mag-isa"
"Ay, kakatapos lang po namin ni Dei"
"Kakain ka pa, sasabayan mo ako", Jani gave him a glaring look.
"Oo nga po, gutom uli ako, tara po"
"Good. Sis? Ok ka lang dito? Kain lang kami nitong si Richard"
"Kuyaaaa..."
"Kakain lang kami, sis. Diba Richard?"
"Uh... O... Oo.. Kakain lang kami"
Jani led him to the kitchen then took a peek at her sister who's now watching TV.
"Magkaliwanagan tayo Richard, lalaki sa lalaki. Ikaw ba, gusto mo 'yang kapatid ko?"
"Sir... Hindi ko pa po alam ang nararamdaman ko, ang alam ko lang masaya ako kasi sa wakas nakita ko na siya, wala ng pintong nakaharang sa aming dalawa"
"O ngayong nakita mo na siya, ano na ang plano mo?"
He didn't answer.
"Yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko eh, sana hindi na lang kita sinulsulan"
"Bakit po?"
"Yang kapatid ko matapang 'yan, pero iyakin din yan. Hindi na tayo bata Richard para isaisahin ko pa. Pero kung wala kang balak manatili wag mo na siyang sanayin na nandiyan ka, kung iiwan mo rin lang. Naintindihan mo?"
He nodded.
"Bibigyan kita hanggang bukas para matukoy kung ano yang nararamdaman mo ha? Sa ngayon, wag mo munang lapitan ang kapatid ko"
"Pero sir.. "
"Richard, intindihin mo ako, pinoprotektahan ko lang ang kapatid ko. She was hurt badly before. Wala ako sa posisiyon para i-detalye sa'yo lahat, pero ayoko lang na.. Ayoko lang na masaktan uli siya"
"Naiintindihan ko po"
"Salamat"
/
After that talk, he said his goodbyes to Dei and Jani saying that he has an emergency at work but the truth is he just stayed on his unit the rest of the afternoon figuring out what he really feels. He first heard her voice about a week, then he just met her face to face a while ago. Is it possible to have a special feelings for someone you just met? Love at first sight? No. Because before he saw her, she already hold a place inside his heart. It started when he heard her beautiful voice. As he was looking at the ceiling, he held his chest feeling his heart.
"Grabe, nag-iba na din tibok ng puso ko, dati DUG. DUG. DUG. DUG. Ngayon, DEI. DEI. DEI", he smiled as her face appeared on the ceiling.
Shit. Ang korni ko!, he thought grabbing a pillow then buried his face on it.
15 minutes later, he called his mom.
Nak, ano? Ok ka lang ba? Sabihin mo lang kung magluluto ako ng mechado..
Ma...
Nak, marami—
Dei...
Ha? Ano kamo? Sinong Dei?
Yung nagmamay-ari ng boses sa kabilang unit. Yung may magandang mata tsaka mapulang labi at matingkad na ngiti. Ang ganda ganda niya Ma. Yung tawa niya, ang sarap pakinggan tapos kapag binabanggit niya 'yong pangalan ko, ang sarap sa puso. Ma, 'yong kinekwento ko sa inyo? Nakita ko na at ang ganda ganda niya. Dei, Ma, Dei ang pangalan niya.
Oh Richard...
He ended the call then stared at the ceiling imagining her beautiful face.
Dei...
"Mrs.Dei Faulkerson", he muttered.
Shit! Bagay...
