Second Chance

THEODORE 8

"Hey! Theo! You can't walk away just like that!"

After that incident, minabuti kong umalis na nga lang. I went straight to the parking lot at eto nga si Paul, bumuntot naman sakin.

I'm just so lost di ko na alam kung anong uunahin kong maramdaman.

"Theo! That's business! YOU NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON BUSINESS!!!", pagpipigil naman sakin ni Paul na sumakay sa kotse ko.

It was a huge mistake to send Dennis away for mom's errands. Ako tuloy magda-drive ngayon at sigurado naman akong di ako titigilan nitong si Paul.

Inalis ko naman yung kamay niya sa balikat ko.

"What? Do you expect me to work with the girl who TURNED HER BACK on me???"

"Fine. So what if that's Athena? Theo, this is business! Hindi mo dapat pine-personal!"

Ano ba naman tong si Paul? Of all people who actually knew my past, siya ang pinakanasabihan ko ng mga hinanakit ko. WHY IS ACTING SO NUMB RIGHT NOW?!

"Look, Paul. Everything between HER and me, is personal. It's ALWAYS going to be personal."

Sumakay na nga ako at sinara ko na agad yung pinto. Paul tried spanking my car para pigilan siguro ako pero di ako nagpaawat. I drove straight to my unit. Wala ako sa mood ngayon para humarap ng kahit anong trabaho.

When I got home, I opened the lights. Everything was so clean, exactly the way I left them days before. Ilang araw din kasi akong hindi nakauwi dahil sa dami ng trabaho.

Then I remembered what happened earlier.

That long hair, her slim posture, that simple yet the most wonderful face I've ever seen in my entire life....

I saw her again. I saw Athena.

After seven years, I finally found her.

Yung totoo lang, hindi ako binalot ng galit ng nakita ko siya. I was stunned. Di ako makapaniwala na after all this time, I could see her. That I can lay my eyes again on the woman that I once wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Gusto ko siyang yakapin....I want to put my arms around her to see if I wasn't dreaming.

But then it dawned on me.

That long streaked hair, her slimmer yet perfectly toned posture, that glittering face filled with whatnots....

She was not the face that I used to think the most wonderful anymore....

She was Athena, but not my Athena anymore.

The changes I saw in her....yun ang naudyok saking mapuno ng sama ng loob. The feelings overwhelmed me that I kicked my sofa away. Pinagbabaliktad ko yung mga mesa sa living room, I threw every pillow at pati mga dokumento ko, pinagtatapon ko lang sa sahig.

Why did she have to come back? Bakit niya ko ginagago ng ganito?! If she was to do a project here, why with us?! Why with me???

I was perfectly fine without her! Ni minsan hindi na tumibok ulit ang puso ko gaya ng pagtibok niya ngayon. Ni minsan, hindi ako nakaramdam ng takot after she left me. Because she was my everything back then. At noong nawala siya, wala na ring natira sa akin. FEAR never conquered me again. I was invincible!

Yun ang akala ko.

"AAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!"

I broke down to tears. Hindi ko alam kung anong nararamdaman ko ngayon. Bakit ang sakit sakit? Bakit pakiramdam ko bumalik ako sa panahong iniwan niya ko noon?