CREAM OF THE CROP

Chapter 51

Hindi ako ginambala ni Corbyn sa buong maghapon. Si Veneza ay nagtatanong kung ayos lang daw ba kami kasi kada susubukan ni Corbyn na lumapit ay pinaniningkitan ko siya ng mata at sa huli ay bubuntong hininga siya na tanda ng pagsuko at tatalikod na parang pinagkaitan.

"Are the both of you really okay?" tanong ni Veneza sa ika limang pagkakataon.

I answered with a sigh and she put her arms in the air to surrender.

Kaming dalawa lang ang naiwan sa room na ibinigay sa amin. I bet if not because of Veneza who is a Melendez, hindi kami ganito itrato rito. Paano ba naman kasi, daig pa namin ang bisita. I tssed mentally.

Nasa cafeteria ang iba naming kasama. Tinuloy ko ang pagb-browse sa papers na nasa lamesa. Kita ko sa peripheral view na tinititigan niya ako na parang pinag-aaralan.

"Ni minsan hindi ko naisip na mapapasunod si Corbyn sa simpleng paggalaw ng mga mata ng kahit nino." Her words caught my whole attention. Tinigil ko ang pagb-browse at humarap sa kanya.

Napangisi siya noong nagtagumpay siyang hulihin ang atensiyon ko. "I've heard of his girl before. I wasn't aware it was you."

"To be honest, I hated you for not being beside him when he was fighting for his life-"

"What?" Naguguluhan kong tanong.

She sighed. "Nasaan yung babaeng dahilan kung bakit lumambot yung matigas niyang ulo? Kung wala ka siguro, patay na yun. Kasi ang tanging kahinaan niya noon ay si Tita Coreen. Maski hindi na mababago ang sitwasyon kapag ipatanggal niya yung isang lung lobe, gagawin parin niya. He hates that he can't do anything about his mother's condition. Alam mo naman siguro yung sitwasyon kasi nandoon ka noon, I heard. But when you came in America, it was easier to convince him not to. Ikaw yung rason kung bakit nag-alangan siya sa plano niya. So when he heard of his mom's death, he was confused. He was blaming himself." Sa dinami-dami ng sinabi niya, wala ni isa akong naintindihan. Pakiramdam ko sinadya niyang ibitin para si Corbyn ang magpaliwanag.

She sighed and looked at me with determination in her eyes. Hindi ko alam kung para saan yun. "As I have guessed hindi niya pa nasabi sa'yo." Huminga siya ng malalim. "Corbyn met an accident on the day Tita Coreen passed away. He was in coma for four months."

Kung hindi lang ako nakaupo ay marahil nahulog na ako sa sahig. Para akong hinugutan ng hininga sa unang sinabi niya. But I think my world stopped spinning after her second statement. Ramdam ko ang panunubig ng mata ko. Just thinking about almost losing him forever almost killed me. Imagining him lying unconscious, without assurance that he will wake up and his life only supported by machines triggered my tears to fall. Napahikbi ako. My body was shaking.

Kung gaano kagaan ang nararamdaman ko kapag kasama ko siya, ganon rin ang ibinigat ng damdamin ko dahil sa kanya. He is my cold and hot. My pain and my happiness.

"When he woke up, he was so eager to fly back to the Philippines but something he saw made him stop. He saw a picture of you with a certain Villena." Napasinghap ako. The ball. It happened four months after we flew back from America. I remember the posts. Iyon ba?

"Corbyn has his walls. Pero sa pagkakataong iyon, the walls crumbled right before our eyes. Because of you. He was hurt. It was so new to us that we thought we were looking at another person, not Corbyn."

I remember his eyes when he heard us talking over lunch sa resto kung saan una kaming nagkita pagkatapos ng ilang taon. It was pain, regret, anger, sadness mashed into one. Hindi ko kayang makita iyon sa mga mata niya habang nakatingin sa akin. Pakiramdam ko pinapatay ako.

Kaya ba hindi siya bumalik? Kung hindi niya ba yun nakita, babalikan niya ako?

"Bumalik siya sa Pilipinas to take you back. But he came home looking like he just lost his life. He was suddenly the beast that he was again. His patience shortened. Lagi siyang napapaaway. Walang makakontrol sa kanya. Because he chose to be tamed only by one person." She paused as if remembering a scene.