Ang Misteryo ng Maldita by Vanessa

Chapter 27

MUGTONG-MUGTO ang mga mata ni Dan-dan kagabi pa siya iyak nang iyak. Nahuli siya nang isang araw sa usapan nila ni JT. Eksaktong tatlong buwan at isang araw nang makarating siya sa tagpuan nila.she dug up the box, and like she had hoped, her letter was no longer there. Ang natira doon ay ang sulat ni JT, at isa pang sulat nito na nang nagdaang araw lamang isinulat nito.

It was as if the gods conspired against her the day she was supposed to meet JT.

Three months ago, she left her apartment, resigned from her job, changed her number, and decided to take a long vacation. Eksakto naman na ang mga

nangungupahan sa bahay na nabili ni Harold ay umalis na. She decided to stay there. At dahil batid niyang

darating at darating ang pagkakataong nanaisin niyang tawagan si JT ay itinapon na niya ang numero nito sa

simula pa lamang.

At hindi na niya kinailangan pa ng tatlong buwan upang masiguro ang nadarama niya para dito. Mahigit dalawang buwan pa lamang ay parang mababaliw na siya kapag hindi niya nakita ang binata. Si JT mismo. Hindi si Harold. Hindi ang dulot na warmth nito. Si JT.

But she decided it was best to wait. Araw-araw ay pinagpaplanuhan ni Dan-dan ang muling pagkikita nila. She would go running into his arms with a bouquet of flowers in hand. She was going to give him flowers. Si JT naman ang liligawan niya sa lahat ng pagpapahirap niya rito.

Araw-araw ay nadadagdagan ang pananabik ni Dan-dan. Ilang ulit niyang tinangkang hagilapin ang numero nito sa directory ngunit palagi na ay pinipigil niya ang sarili. Naiisip din niyang unfair naman iyon para sa binata. Maybe he needed that time, too. Or maybe she simply wanted to prolong the wait so that they could follow the steps perfectly. It would be more romantic. It would be more dramatic. The effect would be so awesome. It would be something they would talk about for years to come.

And also, she wanted to talk to Harold's parents. Nais niyang magpaalam sa mga ito. And so she went to their house. Hindi niya nagawang pahindian ang

paanyaya ng mga magulang ni Harold na mag-stay muna roon nang tatlong araw.

Umaga ng araw ng pagkikita nila ni JT ay nagpaalam na siya sa mga ito. Alas, the airport had some technical problems. Na-cancel ang kanyang flight. Sumubok siyang kumuha ng ibang ticket but to no avail. Mangiyak-ngiyak si Dan-dan sa airport, kulang na magwala siya roon. Naghagilap siya ng directory, she found out he was not listed. Nag-try siyang tumawag sa directory assistance. Sa kamalas-malasan iba ang service provider doon sa service provider nito.

Ganoon pa man, parang tanga si Dan-dan na sumubok nang sumubok mag-dial ng mga numero, pilit inaalala ang tamang kombinasyon ng phone number ni JT o cell phone. Nakailang bili siya ng call cards. Hindi siya sinuwerte.

Hanggang sa sumuko na siya, Naisip niya, ano ba ang isang araw? Magkikita rin naman sila ni JT. She was just being silly wasting money trying to dial random numbers.

Finally, she was able to board a plane the next day. Paglabas ng airport, dumeretso siya sa Tagaytay, sakay

ng taxi. And there she cried and cried reading his second letter:

You really are a coward, Dan-dan: You turned my life upside-down. And you know what I realized just now? Life would be better without you. Don't try to call me when you feel lonely or you need company. Maybe one day we'll meet again who knows?

Hinding-hindi iyon ang inaasahan niyang mangyayari. Natakot siyang sa loob ng tatlong buwan ay maunawaan niyang hindi niya totoong mahal si JT at masaktan lamang ito, hindi niya naisip na ito ang magbabago

It was just the saddest thing. She fell in love the second time around with someone as loving as Harold but she let him go. Just when she was ready to start a new life with him, he realized his life would be better off without her.

She went away to search for the truth in herself and now, the truth about what everything dwindled down to was killing her

Maybe one day, they would meet again, he said and maybe she would wait for that one day. She could only hope it would be soon. Iyong panahong wala pa ring iba si JT. Iyong panahong baka sakaling puwede pa sila. Iyong panahong baka maaari pang maisip nito na hindi siya ganoon kabigat dalhin. God, her heart was breaking into a million pieces

She cried until she felt as if her lungs would explode and then she cried some more.