Wedding Ditcher

TWENTY THREE

As soon as my tears fell, I quickly ran upstairs. I couldn't contain it all. It was too much for me. Too unbearable.

Hindi ko maproseso ng maayos sa aking utak ang mga sinabi ni Deacon. It all made sense now. I got the answer to my second question.

Is it a dream or a memory?

Amnesia. I had amnesia when I was a kid. Those nightmares were part of my lost memory. The fear of getting drowned. The urge to learn how to swim in order to face that fear. My childhood days had something to do with it.

Hindi ko man nakuha ang buong sagot pero at least may hint na ako tungkol doon. Two down one to go. At 'yon ay ang kausapin si papa.

Pero ang tanong, handa ba ako? Am I ready for what I'm about to hear?

Painful. Truth.

Tears kept streaming down my eyes. Hindi ko pa rin matanggap ang mga sinabi ni Dea sa'kin.

Hindi.

Anak ako ni Arthur Flickerwood. I am his princess. It could be a lie, right? It just can't be.

Maaaring gawa-gawa lang iyon ni Deacon. Maybe he holds grudges against me. It could be about the company. Baka may posibilidad na ako ang maging heiress ng kompanya kaya gusto niyang agawin 'yon sa'kin. Or he could be jealous because papa loves me so much. O 'di kaya dahil nung sinira ko si Aoarex, sinama ko yung ex-fianceé niya.

There must be another damn reason!

Hindi maaaring ang rason ay hindi ako anak ni papa. Hindi talaga pwede. I belong to this family. I am a Flickerwood!

This is bullcrap!

I still feel so sticky, hindi pa ako nakapagbihis. My cheeks are wet. My hair is messy. Tumayo ako sa kakahiga at kumuha ng damit sa closet. Hinagis ko iyon sa kama at pumasok sa bathroom para mag shower ulit.

I washed my face first. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I studied every detail of my face. Am I really his daughter? Deacon is a replica of the younger Arthur. Griffin inherited both, he had mama's eyes and lips, papa's nose and the shape of face. As for me...

Sabi nila kamukha ko raw si mama. I look just like mama in her younger years. Wala akong namana kay papa, not one bit.

If I compare my image to her, my hair is questionable. I have a light brown hair, parehong itim ang buhok ni mama at papa. Am I really part of the Flickerwood family?

I turned off the faucet and stepped in to shower. Dahan- dahang dumaloy ang tubig galing sa shower. Tahimik dito sa loob, tanging tunog ng tubig na bumabagsak sa sahig ang gumugawa ng ingay. The water traveling down to my body felt comforting and at the same time made my heart beat faster.

The rhythm was familiar. The same speed my heart beats in that dream.

It's really disappointing. Bakit hindi nila sinabi sa'kin. Why didn't papa tell me and most importantly, why didn't mama never told me about it?

Parang isang malaking kasinungalingan ang buhay ko.

All my life I boasted how powerful I am because of the fact that I belong to the Flickerwood family. I bragged about it even before I was in high school. It was an honor, and now what?

Everything is a lie.

What will happen if what Deacon stated is the truth? Saan ako lulugar? Sino ang totoo kong ama? Itatakwil na ba ako sa pamilyang ito? Ano na lang ang sasabihin ng mga tao sa'kin? Kakayanin ko kayang harapin lahat ng kanilang mapanghusgang mata at bibig?