Shipwrecked Hearts

Navigare 78

"You keep saying tricycle, what the hell is this?" Kumunot ang noo ni Maximo.

"It's a three-wheeled car, a source of livelihood for most men. Fishing is the main, of course, but there are also other forms of economy here." Ngumiti ako, "anyways, I've been at Poblacion Resort Park twice. The waves are pretty awesome for surfing especially every summer, but since it is December, the sea is probably calm. Base sa lokasyon natin, mga limang kilometro pa ang layo."

"Since you're familiar with the place, do lead us." Maximo gestured.

I gave him a grin, "well, well, of course, that would be a pleasure, captain." I curtsied and chuckled. Tumungo ako sa arkilahan ng mga tricycle na hindi namamasada. I asked fifty rides for the rest of the crew.

Kaming dalawa lang ni Maximo ang sumakay sa unang sakayan habang ang iba naman ay tatlo o apat na. Sinabi ko ang pupuntahan namin at agad na umandar ang makina ng sasakyan. Bigla akong niyakap ni Maximo saktong tumunog ang malakas nitong makinarya. Tatanungin ko sana kung bakit niya ginawa iyon nang itago niya ang aking mukha sa kan'yang dibdib.

"There's an explosion! Starfish, cover your ears. It seems like the enemy has followed us! This must be a trap! For God's sake, who knows that we're coming?!"

"Calm down." I freed myself from his tight hug, "there's no enemy nor explosion, Maximo. It's the motorcycle attached on this sidecar." Mahinahong pagpapaliwanag ko. Ewan ko kung matatawa ba ako o ano sa kan'yang naging reaks'yon. Basing on his responses, I believe it is his first encounter with such vehicle. Kung sa bagay, wala kasing ganito sa Anarchist Harbor, tanging mga karwahe lamang ang nandoon. "The engine was lit."

Maximo's mouth formed an O shape, umiling na lang ako. "Neng, may mali ba?"

Napansin kong tumitig lang sa amin ang driver mula sa upuan nito dahil sa ingay. Ngumiti ako sa kan'yang at humingi ng pasensya, pagkatapos ay sinabi ko na kung saan kami pupuntang lahat. Agad namang tumakbo ang sasakyan papunta sa resort.

Sa gitna ng biyahe ay nakita ko ang pader kung saan nakapaskil ang mga nawawalang tao... at the middle, in big posters, I saw my face, on top was the 'missing' sign, then below, I caught a glimpse of my information—Akira Kara, daughter of Mikhael Kara.

I bit my lips. So, dad has publicized my disappearance, huh? This will badly tarnish his reputation. Nadaanan namin iyon. It seems like Maximo didn't notice the pasted poster. He was just looking outside, on the world outside... his eyes followed the cars, mostly.

It took us almost fifteen minutes to reach the resort. Bumaba kaming dalawa. That's when I realized we don't have money. Ngunit napansin ko naman agad si Excel na isa-isang binabayaran ang mga drivers. Thank God, she was here! This lady is handy! She handed the payment to each driver, satisfaction was visible to their faces—I looked at the money and saw she was paying a thousand each. She also said the infamous line 'Keep the change'.

Nang matapos na siyang magbayad ay umalis na ang lahat. Ngunit napansin ko ang nagmaneho sa tricycle na sinakyan namin ni Maximo ay tila sumilip sa rearview mirror ng sasakyan nito, tila binaling ang tingin sa akin ng ilang segundo bago tinuon ang atens'yon sa kalsada. What's with him throwing weird gazes at me?

"Wala namang naka-recognize sa iyo, Kira?" Tanong ni Excel. Umiling naman ako. "You're not disguised. Baka may taong makita ka at mamukhaan. Taga rito ka pa naman. Nagkalat din ang poster mo sa mga nadaanan natin. As if you're a pirate with a bounty on the head." She took her shades off her face, "here." She held. I reluctantly accepted it and wore the sunglass. I mouthed a thank you. Now, come to realize it. Hindi pala ako nagbalatkayo talaga. Damn. Why did I miss something so important?

Paano kung may nakakita ng mukha ko kanina at napagtantong ako ang nawawalang anak ni Mikhael Kara? Malaki ang impluwensiya ni papa sa bayan, bukod sa presidente siya ng Sky Marine Corp, isa rin siyang maimpluwens'yang politiko, and once again, he expects me to follow in his footsteps and legacy as a politician. What a power hungry man, I know.