A Home In Your Heart

Chapter 7.2

Dedicated this part to Janice Hammond and Khulot32. Thank you.Please keep reading.
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"HEY, wala ka bang balak na kausapin ako? Ang tigas ng pang-i-snob ng isa diyan, ah.” Sa kalagitnaan ng biyahe ay pukaw ni Tristan kay Kayna.
Sinulyapan sa rearview mirror ang mga nasa likuran, tulog na tulog sina Mommy Telly at Ralion. “Well…?”

Pero mukhang hindi yata siya nadinig kaya bigla niyang dinukwang ang nakasalpak na earphone nito.

“W-what the—“

“Right. You hear me now,” aniya na ngumiti rito. “Ini-snob mo ako.”

A looked of surprise written on her face. “Ini-snob? What do you mean? May ginawa ka bang mali para gawin ko iyon sa iyo?”

Tumango siya. “I forgot our date. For that, I’m sorry. But promise, I will make it up to you.”

“Huuaa…stop right there. Alam ko’ng nagbibiro ka lang nang sabihin mo iyon kaya wala kang dapat ihingi ng tawad. Hindi ko din iyon sineryoso.” That’s when she looked away.

“Ang ipinangako ko, gagawin ko,” may diin tuloy na nasabi niya.

Para itong nagulat na napabaling ulit ng tingin sa kanya. “Y-you…you can’t.” She stammered bago nito nahamig marahil ang sarili at inulit ulit ang sinabi nito in a more forceful voice.

“I do.”

Napaharap na tuloy ito sa kanya. “Come on. I know, I don’t have to say this but I have to. Keep your eyes only to Miss Valderama and don’t let it go from there. Masakit ang masaktan at mabigo. Lalo na kung lahat ibinigay mo—pag-ibig, pagpapahalaga, sarili at puso. And I believe, she gave it all. Her actuations spoke volumes. And being a woman myself, I understand it.”

Nakipagtitigan ito sa kanya. Kung hindi lamang siya nagda-drive, he might do the same till he could understand and figure her out. He’s been trying to keep himself away from her. She was a mysterious woman, did she? And mysterious woman can break his heart into pieces if he was not fast enough na lumayo sa mga ganoon. He already learned it the hard way. He came to know Lily as what she is. Point blank. Halatain at madaling hulaan. But this woman here, parang balon na kinakailangang puntahan ang ilalim para malaman kung ano ang tunay na mayroon doon maliban sa tubig. And something told him that he needed to try. Hindi lamang niya alam kung saan siya kumukuha ng tatag ng dibdib kung bakit sumusugod na naman siya.

“May pinaghuhugutan ka?”

Napapormal ito bigla na umayos ng upo sabay halukipkip. “Hindi ko kailangang sagutin ang tanong mo.”

Hindi siya muna umimik na sandaling sumulyap ulit dito. With just her profile, mahirap hulaan kung ano ang iniisip nito. But the way she sat there with a rigid composure tells another story.

Napabuntong-hininga siya. “I once burned, too,” tahimik na amin niya. “I love her. She was my life. Way back then, sa kanya umiinog ang buhay ko. We still both in college pero hindi naging hadlang iyon para pakasalan ko siya. Dapat nga, mgkakaanak na kami. But it turned out na hindi akin ang bata.” Doon gumalaw ang mga bagang niya nang tumigil siya sandali sa pagsasalita. Sa bawat pagkakataong naaalala niya ang parte’ng iyon ng mapait na nakalipas, hindi niya maiwasan ang muling magalit at masaktan.

While acceptance already came to him a long time ago, hindi niya iyon basta-basta nakakalimutan. Life itself can write down too much detail in one’s life story, which at times, the most painful part lingers longer than the happiest ones.

Isang tingin nga lang niya ito ngayon dito, alam niyang nakikinig na sa kanyang sinasabi. Kaya nagpatuloy siya.

“My wife bores someone’s child. Bestfriend ko pa mandin. Wala ako’ng kaalam-alam doon dahil sa buong panahon na nakilala ko si Diane, she was an ideal girlfriend and all. But she was actually in love with my bestfriend. Mas nauna silang nagkakilala bago kami. And John was only became my bestfriend during our freshman in college. It just happened that in terms of financial standing and family connections, angat na angat ako kaysa kay John. So, she clung to me like her life saver and kept her relationship with him a secret. Ang masakit pa roon, kasapakat pa niya si John sa panloloko sa akin. All because of money.

“Two months before our wedding was set, Diane flies to the US in guise of visiting her sister para personal na din itong maimbitahan sa kasal namin. Pero ang totoo, kasama niya si John. They gone to Las Vegas and secretly married there. In the meantime, natuloy din ang kasal namin. Two weeks after our wedding, John came in armed with their wedding papers and demanded na kukunin ang mag-ina niya. See? Natuklasan niyang buntis si Diane nang dalawang buwan na pala. Stupid of me, akala ko lang tumataba siya kaya umuumbok din ang tiyan.” Doon siya tumawa nang pagak. “John found his real father in the States, a millionaire rancher in Montana.
That’s where he got his balls to come forward and tell the fucking truth!”