Unwritten (Summer Of Taking Chances Sequel)

PROLOGUE

2015

Dominique inhaled deeply taking in the fresh air after getting off the coaster along with her fellow tourists. It was 8am in the morning and they just arrived in La Trinidad, Benguet for strawberry picking. Nagtour sila sa buong Baguio kahapon and after visiting strawberry farm today, they'd be on their way to Sagada.

She could see rows and rows of strawberries, lettuces and other vegetables from where she was standing. Maaga pa kaya wala pang masyadong turista ng mga oras na iyon. Solo ng grupo nila ang farm. Her cousin Mary, was excited on their way here. Mamimitas daw ito ng strawberries. Nauna na nga ito sa kanya. Pagkahinto pa lang ng coaster, tumayo na ito at nauna nang bumaba.

"Hindi sya masyadong excited," narinig nyang komento ng small but terrible na kaibigan nyang si Kristine at sya ring manager ng travel and tours na nag-organize nitong Baguio-Sagada trip nila. They met a year ago when Dominique hired her to organize their company's team building and tours. Kristine was very professional and at the same time friendly.

Pareho nilang pinagmasdan ang mabilis na naglalakad nyang pinsan. "Baka pitasin nya lahat ng strawberry. Wala ng matitira sa ibang mga turista," nakangiting sabi ni Dominique.

"I have to go stop her then," Kristine said laughing. "Sure ka, ayaw mong mamitas din?"

Dominique nodded. Magkakasya na lang syang magsight-seeing at kuhanan ng pictures ang pinsan nya.

"Sunod ka dun ha," sabi sa kanya ni Kristine bago sya nito iwanan.

Napansin ni Dominique na natanggal sa pagkakatali ang shoelace ng sneakers sya. She bended to tie it back. In doing so, her eyes caught the line of scar across her right wrist. She attempted suicide few months ago when she learned that her ex-fiance married her best friend.

Long-time boyfriend nya si Marcus. They were engaged. She was looking forward to starting her own family. Be a good wife and a mother to her future children. But he cheated on her. Niloko sya nito at ipinagpalit sya kay Lindsey, ang best friend nya.

Isang taon na ang nakalipas nang magbreak sila ni Marcus. She was really hurt but she focused her attention to work instead. It was therapeutic. She thought she had moved on until Marcus married her best friend few months ago. Bumalik ulit ang sakit. Her self-esteem was down. She didn't know what she was thinking then. She woke up on a hospital bed. She slit her wrist after drowning herself with vodka.

Her parents were convincing her to see a psychologist but she refused. She had trouble sharing her feelings to her family, why would she discuss it with a stranger? Dominique felt so stupid for attempting suicide. Ganun ba sya kahina para gawin yun? After getting out of the hospital, she realized she made a terrible mistake. Hindi worth it si Marcus para tapusin ang sarili nyang buhay.

Dominique was still hurting but she knew she had to really move on. She needed to be in control of her life. She took a leave of absence from work and went on tour with Mary. Once she got back from her short vacation, she would go on retail therapy. She wanted a new beginning.

She was grateful to have Mary and Kristine by her side. Unlike her parents, who were treating her like a delicate china doll, her new found friend and her cousin treated her like a normal human being. Hindi sya kinukulit ng mga ito para magsalita tungkol sa mga nangyari. Hindi sya binabantayan ng mga ito na para bang may gagawin syang hindi maganda. They didn't give her any pitying or sympathetic looks. They never delivered any crap speeches like "you'll find the right guy for you" or acted like they understood what she was going through. They made her laugh instead.

Minsan pupuntahan sya ng mga ito sa office after work to eat dinner and have coffee somewhere. Iniwasan nya ang mga dating kaibigan dahil hindi nya mapigilang maalala si Lindsey pag kasama ang mga ito. She had always been close with her cousin Mary but she didn't expect to be friends with Kristine, who was always warm and welcoming. She found herself enjoying Kristine's company.

When Kristine invited her and Mary to join the Sagada tour, Dominique said yes. Gusto muna nyang makakita ng bagong view before going back to reality. She wanted to go on soul searching.

Dominique decided to join her cousin and help picked large and delicious looking strawberries. After taking a lot of pictures, they got on the coaster and went on their way to Sagada.

Hapon na nang makarating sila sa Sagada. Sa isang transient 5 bedroom log cabin sila tumuloy. Kristine cooked dinner for them. The three of them stayed on the same room and slept early.

The next day, they watched the sunrise in Kiltepan Viewpoint. It was beautiful. It felt like Dominique could reach out and touch the clouds. They went on spelunking and hiking. She enjoyed swimming in the waterfalls. Dominique took a lot of pictures. She wanted to capture every inch of the beautiful scenery bestowed by nature.

They stayed in Sagada for a week. Dominique bonded with Kristine and Mary. Lalo syang naging close sa mga ito kahit medyo nag-aalangan pa rin syang makipaglapit kahit kanino. Natatakot pa rin syang baka masaktan sya o kaya lokohin sya.

They spent the last day walking around and food tripping. Kinagabihan, nagyayang uminom sina Kristine at Mary sa isang lumang bar malapit sa transient nila. It was cold and they enjoyed drinking beers. Dominique was reluctant at first but since she's with Mary and Kristine, she trusted them not to let her do something stupid.

After drinking four bottles of beer, Dominique felt dizzy but started losing her inhibitions too. She wasn't sure if it was because she already had a lot of drink or because someone from another table was singing a sad love song, that Dominique started crying.

Kristine and Mary patiently listened to her slurred talk about Marcus and Lindsey cheating on her while tears were falling down her face. They ordered more beers. Dominique drank more and she also talked more. She told them how deeply she was hurt and didn't think she'd ever love anyone again. Dominique cursed Marcus, Lindsey and all of the cheaters in the world. But she swore to have a new beginning.

"I think, I'm gonna be sick," Dominique said after finishing her nth beer. She could see two Marys sitting across from her. "I need to go to the restroom." She tried to stand but felt like her head was spinning.

"Careful, Dom." She heard Kristine say. Naramdaman nyang tinulungan sya nitong tumayo at maglakad papunta sa banyo ng bar. Dominique didn't notice how dirty and smelly the restroom was. While Kristine held her hair, she grossly heaved everything out of her guts. She sat on the cold, filthy floor after that, feeling weak.

"Kaya pa ba, cousin?" Natatawang biro sa kanya ni Mary na sumunod sa banyo.

"Shut up," natawa na ring sabi ni Dominique saka dahan-dahang tumayo. Nahihilo pa rin sya kaya inalalayan sya ng dalawang maglakad palabas ng bar. They were singing boisterously while walking outside in the dark.

"To new beginnings!" Sabay-sabay pa nilang sigaw saka sila tumawa.

They were all sleepy and exhausted. They didn't bother to change their clothes or shower. After managing to take off her shoes, Dominique went straight to her bed. Before succumbing to sleep she saw the bright moon and twinkling stars from her window promising her that everything would be alright.

Dominique closed her eyes. "I'm here," she heard a voice from a distance. Dominique smelled a Green tea Summer scent. Who is this person? She wondered and forced her eyes open. Dominique was unable to see the face of whoever owned that scent. But was able to see a warm brown eyes staring into hers. Those eyes gave her hope. That she could still feel happiness one day.

Dominique fell asleep with a smile on her lips.