Shipwrecked Hearts

Navigare 23

I was bored to hell. Wala akong ginawa kundi sumilip sa saradong bintana, wala naman akong ibang matanaw kung hindi ang karagatan. It was still raining. Tila may bagyo. Kaya naman bumagal muna ang takbo ng Treasure Trove dahil medyo matataas na ang alon. Ramdam na ramdam mo ang paggalaw ng malaking barko. Kaunting pagkakamali ay maaari kang matumba.

Sa gitna ng aking pagtanaw sa karagatan ay bumukas ang pinto, lumingon ako para tignan kung sino ang sanhi at nakita si Pearl. May sinabi siya sa bantay at saka pumasok, matapos iyon ay sinara nito ang pinto.

"Kira."

I ignored her and looked back at the ocean. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko titignan si Pearl. She's a traitor. She betrayed me. I treated her like a good friend and she decides to stab me on my back.

"Kira. I know you can hear me."

I looked back at her again and scowled. "What do you want?"

"You must be curious why I am with Marco, right?"

"Nah, I'm not. Hindi na ako magtataka kung ang mga ahas ay magkakampi." I faked a chuckle, nakita ko naman ang pagngiwi ni Pearl dahil sa aking sinambit. Well, what's wrong with telling snakes of the same scale hiss together?

"Look, you probably never heard of my surname." Pearl played with her fingers and she looked at me as if feeling a sense of guilt. Well, she should. "My name is Pearl Polo, Marco is my husband. We weren't wedded, but we had sex and that sealed our union. Sex is our version of marriage. Pirates can have sex all they want but they must take responsibility of it by offering their name to the woman they make love with. As from what I heard of marriage, sex is sacred like all else."

"So, we're gonna have a sex talk?" I laughed bitterly.

"Look, Kira, Marco is a great man. He won't kill you if you join us with this voyage."

"I decline the offer. Please get out. You are contaminating the air that I breathe." Pagtataray ko sa kan'yang. Lalabas na sana siya nang nakita ko ang hawak niya. "Wait." And she stopped on her tracks. "Is that a cigarette box I see?"

"Yes."

I offered my hand, telling her to give it to me. Binato naman niya ang box sa akin na agad kong sinalo, my eyes twinkled as I opened it, hindi ko na pinanood pa ang paglisan ni Pearl. Sa loob ng kahon ay may lighter na rin. This is what I needed of all.

I smiled and took out one cig and lit it up.

I breathed in and let the smoke get to my lungs. I watched how the fog-like thing disperse into thin air. Somehow, the nicotine gave me liberation from all the damn things I'm dealing with right now. It calmed my senses.

Binulsa ko ang kahon ng sigarilyo at inubos na ang sinindihan. Hinayaan ko na lang na magkalat ako ng upos sa kumikinang na marmol. When I was finished, all my worries came flashing in my eyes again.

And at this moment of vulnerability, I silently prayed...

Maximo, please come and save me.