Paris woke up silently groaning. Bumalik na siya sa Canada matapos ang fanmeeting niya sa Amsterdam. Namiss daw kasi siya ng mga magulang kaya doon muna siya ulit tutuloy. Tsaka hindi na rin muna siya tumanggap ng mags-sponsor ng travel expenses niya for his blog.
"Hi,anak. Kain na." Nakita niya ang ina atsaka ang ama na nakadulog na sa hapag na para bang siya na lamang ang hinihintay.
"Morning,mom,dad," mataman niyang bati sa mga magulang. Bumati rin naman ang dalawa atsaka salu-salong kumain.
They enjoyed their breakfast like the way they used to,before. Medyo magaan na rin sa pakiramdam ng mga magulang niya na kahit papaano ay nagiging maayos na ang kalagayan ni Paris. They opened topics about their son's work,his sister and such. Paris was more than ready to share his unbelievable experiences during his travels.
Masayang nakikinig ang mga ito sa kaniya. Paris never talked about anything about his works. Ang alam lang ng mga magulang nito ay isa itong sikat na blogger. They tried to read or view his blogs but for no apparent reason,hindi nila makita ang mga blog nito.
They were so worried about him nang mamatay si Carmi. Minahal na rin kasi nila na parang totoong anak si Carmi,kaya nang mawala ito,para rin silang namatayan ng isa pang anak. They would check on him,time to time. His parents know that Paris is the most affected during Carmi's death,or maybe,even after. Kaya naman,ganoon na lamang ang saya ng mga ito nang makitang medyo maayos na ang kalagayan niya.
Hindi na ito katulad ng dati na binabangungot. That was Paris' lowest point. After Carmi's death,he mourned every single second that he has. Every night they would wake up due to Paris' screams. Hindi nila ito mapigilan. Hindi nila maalo. Kaya nagdesisyon silang umalis ng bansa,even though it means they would leave his sister behind.
But Paris didn't forget that nightmare. He never did.
Paris was popped out of his bubble when his phone rang. He immediately picked up his phone and answered it. The caller was Calvin,one of his best buddy that he met during an event in New York. Napag-alaman rin niyang may mga mutual friends sila sa Pilipinas kaya mas naging mas malapit ang loob nila. Hindi rin kasi ito mahirap pakisamahan.
"Hey,bro!" He answered.
[Hey,man. I just want to ask you,do you know a lady named Carmi?]
Paris was immediately stoned in his feet. For some reason,his heart become erratic and rapidly beating. His cold sweat,silently dripping down on his forehead. He's undeniably shaking.
'No. Not again,' he told himself. During in his early stage of mourning,he also experienced panic attacks,like this one. Every time na maaalala niya si Carmi,every time na may babanggit sa pangalan ni Carmi,every time na may magsasabi ng kung ano tungkol kay Carmi. He was a mess when Carmi died. But he was worst,after Carmi's death.
"Y-yeah. Why'd you ask?" He stuttered upon answering.
[She just told me that you're her boyfriend. Sabi ko it doesn't make any sense since you've been single this whole time,right?]
"She..She's my ex-girlfriend." He whispered those words but just enough to make him hear what he said.
[Ah,that's why. Baka hindi pa makamove on sa'yo. Noong nakita ko kasi siya,parang ang lungkot niya. Nako,kung ako sa'yo man,win her back. She looks so beautiful,mabait din. But,don't get me wrong,I love my wife—]
YOU ARE READING
Letters From Paris
General Fiction"I got a letter." "From whom?" "From Paris." "Who's Paris?" "I don't know."
