After My Death Tomorrow (Published Under PSICOM Publishing Inc.)

Episode 2

It was already seven o'clock in the morning but I am still on my way to school. Late na ako. Pero hindi iyon ang pinoproblema ko ngayon.

Ang tanging nasa utak ko lang ay iyong kasunod na mga salita noong letter para sa akin ng future self ko raw.

Ito ang dapat mong gawin ngayong araw.

July 30, 2019

Ito ang unang araw na nakausap ko nang matino si Marco. Believe it or not, today was the starting line of our seems to be shocking and unexpected friendship. It started with a dare. A dare that started everything. That dare was the bridge that connected us without us preparing for it.

Dahil wala na kaming klase sa buong maghapon, nagkayayaan kaming mag-gala muna ng kaibigan ko at ng kay Marco. Pumayag kaming lahat maliban kay Marco pero pinilit namin siya. That was the biggest mistake of our lives.

Ngayon, ang gusto kong gawin mo ay ang 'wag siyang piliting sumama sa inyo. 'Wag mo siyang hahayaang magpalipas ng hapon kasama kayo. 'Wag ngayon. 'Wag na 'wag ngayong araw.

How can I believe this?!

Marco is the last person I want to talk with. If not the last, prolly never!

Pinagloloko ba ako nito?

Patuloy na naguguluhan sa mga nangyayari, nag-vibrate ang cell phone ko. It was, again, came from Spero Futurae. My heart automatically jump against my ribs when I noticed that the notification contains voice message.

I absentmindely clicked the play button.

Kung naririnig mo 'to ngayon, salamat. Salamat sa patuloy na pakikinig sa kadramahan kong ito.

Tumawa siya, and it was still painful to my ears.

So . . . let's get started.

He breathes hard. Loud and clear.

The first reason is . . .

There's a long pause before he say what he's about to say. It's like he is pulling back to his plans. Just like a warrior who is not ready to kill on a war.

My father.

His father?!

Tito Azrael?!

Teka nga, bakit naman?!

Tito Azrael was nothing but a great father to him. Kung minsan pa nga ay naiinggit ako kay Marco dahil magmula noong Elementary pa lang kami ay hindi na niya talaga hinayaang mag-isa si Marco sa mga school activities that require our parents to participate.

But thinking about that, Marco's Mom died after he was born. Siguro, wala lang talagang choice si Tito Azrael kaya siya laging sumasama?

Pero!

Bakit naman iyong mga magulang ko? Kumpleto sila pero ni isa yata sa mga school activities na kailangan sila noon sa school namin ay wala silang in-attend-an!

With that, I am still on Tito Azrael's side.

Bangag ba 'tong si Marco?

I remember the day I told you-- it was prolly on 8th Grade-- I was inlove with someone else. That time, I was scared that you might be against that idea. I was afraid of what you will tell me. Because I know, at that young age, being inlove with someone else is treacherous. I know that it will lead to something I know I will regret someday.

But what you did is otherwise.

You instead taught me how to court a girl. The proper way of catching a girl's heart. To my surprise, it worked! God, it fucking worked!

Oh, it's Veronica. His first girlfriend na niloko lang naman siya in the end.

That was the day I was so thankful of having you that I even ended up cooking for you. Siyempre, dahil hindi ako marunong magluto, hotdog lang ang nakayanan ko. Hehe.

Papa, I know that you had been nothing but a father with unconditional love for me. You supported me to whatever path I want to walk through. Hindi mo ako pinigilan sa mga gusto ko. Ni saktan nga kapag makulit ako noong bata pa lang ako ay hindi mo ginawa sa akin.

Taimtim akong nakikinig, hindi na pinapansin pa kung makalagpas pa ako sa aking school. Wala na talaga akong pakialam.

Pa, isa kang huwarang ama. Most of my classmates are envying me for having a cool father like you. And God knows how much I am proud of having you as my father.

Again, there's a long pause.

A long . . . deep breath.

Silence began to succumb my ears.

Pero Pa, bakit? Bakit mo 'yon nagawa?

I blink.

Huh?

Ano raw?

What you did affected me so much that it has changed my life forever. What you did was the beginning of the domino effect that is about to ruin my life without me expecting for it.

Isang malakas na paghinga na naman ang kanyang pinakawalan. Isang malakas na buntong hiningang may nilalamang kalungkutan.

Masakit lang kasi talagang tanggapin.

Sakit lunukin ng ginawa mo, Pa.

Nabubulunan pa rin ako sa sakit hanggang ngayon.

Matapos iyon ay narinig ko ang masakit na paghikbi ni Marco. It was a minute of just sobbing and sniffing before the voice message ended.

And I was left there clueless of what happened.

I was sitting here on this jeepney with nothing but a storm on my mind.

Ano ba ang mangyayari sa pagitan nina Marco at Tito Azrael? Nag-away ba sila that time?

"Hija, sa Main Campus ka nag-aaral, 'di ba?" Biglang sambit ni Manong Driver kaya natigil ako sa pag-iisip. Ang boses niya ay napakakapal. Halata ang pagka-Caviteño sa kanya dahil pagalit ang kanyang tono.

Dito ako nakaupo sa kanyang tabi. Napatingin ako sa kanya. Kurap nang kurap habang tumatango. My mouth was agape.

"Aba, eh ano pang hinihintay mo diyan? Ang pumuti pa ang uwak?"

"Po?" Natitigalgalan kong sambit. Hindi ko siya maintindihan. Anong trip nito? Magpakatalinghaga?

"Nandito na tayo sa tapat ng school mo, wala ka bang balak na bumaba? Naka-shabu ka ba, hija?"

Otomatiko akong napatingin sa gate ng aming school. That moment, para ba akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. Para ba akong nagising sa mahimbing kong pagkakatulog.

Napakamot ako sa aking ulo habang parang tangang natatawa. Aba, eh malay ko ba! Hindi pwedeng marami lang akong iniisip?! Naka-shabu agad?!

Dali-dali na akong bumaba sa jeepney ng judgemental na driver na iyon. Ngumiti ako sa kanya ng sarkastiko bago siya nakakunot noong pinakaripas ng takbo ang kanyang jeepney na ilang kilometro na lang yata ng pagpapatakbo ay magkakanda-lasog lasog na.

"Ma-flat-an ka sana, Lolo!" I yelled with controlled sound of my voice. Matapos ay tumingin ako sa aking relo. Ganoon na lang ang pagkakagulat ko nang malamang thirty minutes na pala akong late! Napakaripas na lang ako ng takbo papasok sa gate ng school namin.