Love of my life

Beginning

Love of my life

Synesthesia Series: 01

A novel by:

xxakanexx

Aeneas Altarde

Reunion

"You're late. You're always late, Aeneas."

"You're just early."

I mumbled those words as I take off the pair of shades I was wearing. I sat in a couch, in front of Atlanta Rio. Her eyes were at me. Para bang tinutunaw niya ako sa pamamagitan ng pagtitig sa akin. Alam ko ring pilit niyang pinipigil ang pagtaas ng kanyang kilay. Lapat na lapat ang mga labi ni Atlanta – halos mag-isang guhit na nga iyon.

"Are you high, Aeneas?" Atlanta asked.

"What the fuck?"

"Or hang over? I called you the other day and I specifically told you to come on time for this meeting. I called again last night to remind you, but I didn't get any respond. It's been almost ten years and yet, you're still the same man. Reminder, Aeneas, you're the bassist of the band, not the front man."

I looked around the room, looking for someone. Oh, there's Vito Creon, silently laughing at my agony. I haven't seen him in two years and he had the guts to laugh at me while being scolded by Atlanta. There's Pascal Mendez, playing with the magic 8 – ball on his side, grinning too, Jason was seated beside him, busy with his phone... Kulang pa kami. My eyes went back at Atlanta who was still looking pissed. I smiled at her.

"Say, Lan, where the fuck is Deigo?"

"Oohh..." I could hear Vito.

"And it's a tie." Jason commented.

"Lanta got burned." Pascal tapped my shoulders. I grinned at Atlanta again. Before I could talk, the door open and the missing member of Synesthesia entered.

"Sorry, traffic."

"That's not even a valid excuse, anymore, Diego." I commented.

"Oh yeah?" He stood beside me. "I am sure that you were late, man. What's your reason?"

"Hang over."

"See, I am right." Atlanta hissed. "Ten years, Aeneas, ten fucking years and you didn't change a bit."

Natatawang naupo si Diego sa tabi ko. He was shaking his head.

"Many things have changed for the past ten years, Atlanta."

Nginisihan ko si Diego. "That includes your marriage, fucker."

"Shut it." Napalingon ako kay Atlanta. Nakatayo na siya ngayon pero nakalagay ang dalawang kamay niya sa mesa niya habang titig na titig sa amin. "We're starting."

"But, Lanta, Biboy isn't here yet."

"I am here in behalf of Biboy." Seryosong wika niya.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Si Diego ay tahimik lang din na nakatingin, lahat naman sila, ako lang yata talaga ang may lakas ng loob para buwagin ang katahimikang iyon.

"Biboy is dying."

Lalong lumaki ang katahimikang sumasakop sa pagitan naming lahat. Atlanta paused. She crossed her arms and took in a deep breath. It was as if she was looking for the right words to say, or at least, it looked like that. Maybe she was trying not to cry. But it seemed so wrong for me.

I haven't seen Biboy for a very long time but the last time I checked his social media accounts, he looked healthy, paanong sinasabi ni Atlanta ngayon na mamamatay na si Biboy?

Vito voiced out what I was thinking.

"Is this a joke? Is this a way of bringing us together, because Lanta, this isn't gonna work. We all have different priorities now."

"That's right." Jason seconded.

"I really don't mind just listening to Atlanta." Pascal commente.

"Thank you, Pascal. You're fun." Atlanta sighed again. "This isn't a joke. Biboy is dying. I saw her sister a month ago at the hospital. He's under chemo therapy. Napilitan siyang makipag-usap sa akin kasi hindi ko tinigilan ang kapatid niya. Three days ago, I received a call from her and she told me that, Biboy requested for the medications to stop kasi hindi na niya kaya. He's dying, boys."

Lalo akong natahimik. Robert, or we fondly call him Biboy, is the sixth member of our band.

We had a band and we called it Synesthesia. We were kind of big a decade ago, but we disbanded because of personal issues, at sa naging takbo na rin ng industriya noong mga panahong iyon. We had tfour major concerts, Asian tour and that one last farewell concert that ended everything.

Biboy is that kind of friend who's very much attached to each and everyone of us. Matapos ang gabing iyon, ilang beses sinubukan ni Biboy na muling pagsamasamahin ang banda, pero hindi natupad because we simply hated each other after that farewell concert, that we couldn't even be in the same room.

"Wow..." Pascal stood up. "Are you alright, Lanta? Why didn't you call us before, you know you can always call me, right?"

Diego snorted. "Please, stop hitting with Atlanta, Pascal, it's never gonna happen."

"What is it to you, Diego? Annulled na kayo."

"Can we please just fucking stop for a moment and focus on Biboy?!" Napasigaw na ako.

"Oh, now you care about Biboy?" Inis na wika ni Vito sa akin. Napalingon ako sa kanya.

"What the fuck, Vito?"

"Totoo naman. Aeneas, sa lahat sa atin, ikaw ang unang nawalan ng interes sa ginagawa natin." Si Jason naman ang dumale sa akin. Nagkibit – balikat si Pascal.

"Yep, you and your huge ego, Aeneas. Akala ko, hiwalay ang personal sa musika, pero iyong personal mo ang nakasira sa musika natin noon."

"Anong pinagsasabi ninyo? It was Diego's fault!"

"It's not my fault!"

"But it's your fault your marriage got torn apart." I snorted back at him.

"Ikaw at si Deigo ang pinakamalaki ang yabang dito. Kayo rin ang dahilan kung bakit napilitan tayo sa desisyon na maghiwa-hiwalay na lang kasi kung hindi rin naman tayo magkakasama noon, what's Synesthesia?"

"Putang ina ninyo!" Natigil kami nang magsalita si Atlanta. "For once, Aeneas, Diego, Creon, Pascal and Jason, can we just please, please, focus on the fact that Robert is dying and that we all love him, and we want to be with him until his last day? Can we? Can we do that?!"

"Sorry..." Sabay – sabay naming wika.

"What can we do?" Pascal asked.

"If there's one thing that Biboy wants, it's everyone in a venue, playing their instruments, singing their hearts out. Can you do that?"

"Like a concert?"

"A reunion concert." Atlanta took something out of her drawer. "I have planned everything. I've called people and I am making sure that this happens. All the money that we can collect will go to Biboy's fund. No one will take any cent from it all. We're doing it for a friend, he's practically one of your brothers, sana naman... sana naman, sa pagkakataong ito, magkasundo-sundo na kayo."