So it turned out that the only flight I could get that wasnt full was 4hrs from now. I hate to fly. Id driven to as many out of town appointments para sa trabaho ko,unfortunately, these times, mas convenient ang eroplano kaya no choice. Pero sadyang parang naninibago pa rin ang katawan ko and it doesnt help that im claustrophobic.
Hindi ko gusto ang ideyang sasakay ng eroplano being flown by someone i didnt know. I am just not the trusting sort.
Neither are the airlines. Carrying a concealed weapon on a plane is such a hassle. Good thing Id taken a two-hour FAW course on carrying concealed weapon on plane. I brought a certificate to prove I had taken the course. Bawal ang baril kapag walang certificate. I also brought with me a document-a letter stating that I was on official business that required me to carry a gun.
I did not look out the window. I kept my eyes on the Fashion Magazine and pretended that I wasnt bothered with anything. So I cant tell you what Alburque looks like from above, tinahak ko na ang maliit na daanan palabas ng eroplano. Kahit nasa tunnel mararamdaman mo pa rin ang init. It was summer in Alburque
I scanned the crowd for Valir. I accidentally looked past him not realizing it was really him. He looks different. He is wearing a cowboy hat. His shirt was white paired with blue washed off jeans and sneakers. Can you believe it the man was wearing sneakers?. He looked comfortable.
It didnt look like Valir till I met his eyes. You can dress him up in a pink dress and tutu but as long as you could glimpse his eyes, you would still run away screaming.
He smiled. He looked sincerely happy to see me.
"Pharsa" he said
"Valir" I replied
The smile turned to a grin
" Parang hindi ka yata masaya na makita ako"
" Ang makita kang masaya na makita ako Valir ay nagpapakaba sa akin"
nawala ang mapaglarong ekspresyon sa mukha nya.
He looked at me with those merciless eyes and gave one small nod. A gesture that he was relieved to see me come. Maybe he wouldve even said it, but suddenly a woman joined us. Took her place by his side.
Nakangiti sya, yung braso nya nakapulupot sa bewang ni Valir. She looked like she is around her 30's. Her hair short and brown. She is smaller than Valir but taller than me.
"Im Natalia.You must be Pharsa"
inabot nya ang kamay nya for a handshake, which i took.
"Maraming sinabi si Blake tungkol sayo" she said
Tiningnan ko si Valir, nakangiti sya. Mukha syang mabait. Ang galing umakting ng isang to.
"Oh really, did he?" I said throwing a glance at Valir
"Oh, yes"
sabi ni Natalia while holding unto my arm. What the hell was Valir-Blake doing with this woman?
Nagsalita si Valir but I could hear a faint Western-Cowboy like accent. Valir had no accent. His voice was one the hardest to place, as if his voice was never touched by places and people he saw.
"Pharsa Hemmingway, Id like you to meet Natalia Orpuz,my fiancée"
nalaglag ang panga ko sa sinabi ni Valir. Tumawa lang si Natalia sa naging reaksyon ko, her laugh was warm and welcoming.
" Sabi ko sayo babe eh"
sabi ni Valir while hugging Natalia from behind and planting a kiss on her cheeks.
Sinara ko na ang bibig ko and tried to recover from the shock.
"Wow... that's... good.I mean.. Congratulations"
Hindi ko kayang magbigay ng ngiti, kahit peke
"Sabi ni Blake hindi ka daw maniniwala that he'd agreed to finally tie the knot"
she said that while laughing, again.
"Pero my God,friend, your reaction was really something"
she said with a smile and amusement to her voice
Hindi ako kasing galing ni Valir sa pagpapanggap. Ilang taon nga akong nagsanay to keep a blank face let alone outright lying by facial and body language. I looked at Valir, my eyes telling him that he had some explaining to do.
With his face slightly turned away from Natalia's sight, he gave me his secretive smile, which pissed me off. He is enjoying this. Damn him
"Blake why dont you take her bag"
Natalia said. Napalingon naman si Valir sa isang carry-on bag na nasa kaliwang kamay ko. Binigyan nya ako ng isang ngiti ni Blake pero linya ni Valir ang kanyang sinambit
" Pharsa likes carrying her own weight"
Tiningnan naman ako ni Natalia, naghihintay ng pagsang-ayon ko.
"Tama si Blake" sabi ko habang diniinan ang pagbigkas sa pangalan nya "I like to carry my own"
