Turn The Page

Chapter 53

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? I know I suck at this. I know I do. Naman kasi tong si Nicky ako pa iniwan sayo. Fine, save it for when your tita April comes," Keeper said nervously. "What?" Page asked while she wiped the tears on her face. The mention of April's name distracted her. "Anong ibig mong sabihin na 'save it for when your tita April comes'? Is she coming here sa U.S.?" She asked. "Sa pagkakaalam ko, she's already here," Keeper answered. "Ha?" Page asked confused. "Nicky said kaya sya pinauwi kanina kasi andyan na si tita April mo," Keeper informed her. "Why is she here?" Page asked, still confused. "Maybe she found out about what happened to you and your mom, kaya she came because she knew you guys need her," Keeper guessed. Page sat by the dining table. "Lagi na lang syang ganyan. She always comes to the rescue para samin ni mama. Kahit before pa kami nagkakilala ni mama ganun na sya samin. I feel bad," she said with a sigh. "Eh siguro kasi she loves and cares about you guys. That's why she's like that," Keeper replied as he sat right next to her. Page sighed again. "Pasensya ka na, Keeper. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. Ang kulit mo kasi eh, nasaktan tuloy kita," she said. Then she reached for his face and touched it. "Namasa kaagad oh," she added. Her thumb gently caressed his right cheek. "Yeah, I bruise easily," Keeper said. He liked the feeling of having Page's warm hand on his face. Then she stood up. She looked for a clean kitchen towel and got some ice from the ice dispenser. Then she gave it to Keeper. "Maybe this would help," she said to him. "Thanks," he said. Then he placed Page's makeshift ice pack on his face. "Dito ka lang, magbibihis lang ako," Page instructed. "Where are you going?" He asked. "I'm going to find an apartment na I can rent," she replied. "What? Do you see how huge this house is? Ewan ko ba dito kay Nicky ang laki laki ng bahay tapos he's living by himself. This place is big enough for the two of you. 'Wag ka na sa iba. You both would benefit from each other's company," he said to her. "Ayoko maka-istorbo," Page reasoned. "Hindi ka istorbo, believe me. He doesn't say it, but I know he gets lonely living here by himself, too. To be honest, I think he only got this house para lang pamukha sa parents nya na he can manage all on his own. But if you ask if he really needs this big of a house? No, not really. He could've stayed with us, pero no, he needed to prove something to his mom and dad," Keeper explained. "Hayaan mo na. Tsaka bakit ba? This would be good for his future family, at least may bahay na sya when that time comes or he can rent this out kung gusto nya kumuha ng isa pang bahay na sila naman pipili ng asawa nya," Page said. Keeper swallowed. Then he got quiet and Page quickly noticed. "Bakit?" She asked. "Wala naman," he answered. "You got quiet all of a sudden," she pointed out. "Wala. I just wish you'd stay here for the meantime," he said. "Keeper, you can't offer a house that's not yours," Page said. "Kelangan pa ba talaga yung owner ang mag-offer? It's kind of given already. He did tell you that his house is open for you anytime, so that means you're welcome to stay here. If it makes you feel better you can even pay him rent every month. I just think it would do you both some good if you were to have each other's company," Keeper replied. Page sighed. "We'll see if he offers the house again sakin, pagiisipan ko," she said and Keeper nodded in response.

After her conversation with Keeper, Page went back to the bedroom Nicky offered for her to sleep in. Then she fell asleep again. Meanwhile, Keeper remained seated by the dining table when his phone rang. "Mom?" He said after answering his phone. "Hey," his mom answered. The moment he heard her voice, he knew it had something to do with Nicky. "I told him not to go to work," Keeper said as he sighed and rubbed his face. "He's in the same hospital?" He asked. "Yes, I'll meet you there,"  Sandy said over the phone. "Okay, mom. Drive safely. Is dad with you?" He asked. "Yes, he's with me," she replied. "Then let him drive. I'll meet you guys over there," he said. "Okay, mag-ingat ka din anak," she said to him. "I will," he answered before the two of them ended their call.

When Keeper arrived at the hospital, Nicky was laying in bed with an oxygen tube on his nose. "The hell happened to you?" Keeper asked. "Namiss ko lang mag-oxygen, bakit ka ba?" Nicky replied. Then he noticed the bruise on Keeper's cheeks. "What happened to me? What happened to YOU?" He asked. "I'm not playing games with you, Nicky. Lagi ka na lang ganyan. At wala toh, tumama lang ako sa cabinet mo na lagi mo na lang iniiwang bukas. I should charge you for every time I hit my face on that stupid cabinet," Keeper said after he greeted his mom and dad. "Ay naiwan ko nanaman nakabukas? My bad. I tend to that, huh? But it's not my fault that you're so damn blind. Laging tumatama, lagi ka kasing naka-tungo maglakad," Nicky said amused. Keeper sighed and rolled his eyes at the same time.  "So, what happened to you?" He asked again. "He can't work anymore, anak. They advised him to stop working," Sandy said. Her chest was hurting. "Early retirement, fool. Inggit ka noh?" Nicky said then he started coughing. "The fuck is wrong with you, man?" Keeper said, annoyed that Nicky won't take his illness seriously. He had the urge to cry. "Just shut up and quit talking. Nauubo ka na nga. Allow your body to rest naman. Gulo mo kasi," he said angrily. "What? Mamimiss mo rin toh pag wala nako," Nicky said with a shrug. "Concerned ka, bro?" He added then he laughed again which sent him into another coughing fit. Keeper rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know what to do with you. Mom, pagalitan mo nga," he said to his mother. Sandy smiled a little. "Nicky, take this seriously. Please naman," she said to his nephew. Keeper swallowed. He could see the worry and sadness in his mother's eyes. They could tell she was about to cry. "Mamang, I told you to save it for the funeral diba?" He reminded her. Sandy shook her head. Then she stood up straight as she looked at the ceiling while she dried her eyes. "You're making my mom cry. I should punch the hell out of you," Keeper said half-jokingly. Nicky smiled in return. "Where's Page?" He asked. "Nasa bahay mo. I left her there. Nakatulog ulit eh," Keeper replied. "Are you two together now?" Ben, Keeper's father, asked Nicky. "Hala. Papang naman. You know what I like, and it's not girls. Eto naman parang hindi ako kilala," Nicky said with a smile. "Then what is Page doing at your house?" Sandy interrupted. "She's staying there for a while," Nicky replied. "Why? You don't live far away from the Torres' home. Why is she staying with you?" Sandy asked curiously. "I think it's best na si mamang June na lang tanongin mo mamang," Nicky suggested. There was a certain sadness in his voice. "What's going on?" She asked with a frown. "Nag-away yung dalawa, but I feel like it's not my story to tell, mamang. Si mamang June na lang tanongin mo mismo. She can explain it better to you," Nicky said then he took a deep breath. "Mom, let him rest for a while," Keeper said worriedly. "Ngingialam ka," Nicky hissed at Keeper. "You can barely breath, Nicky. Chill and shut the hell up," Keeper ordered. "You're not the boss of me," Nicky argued then he started coughing again. "O ayan, panindigan mo yan. Ginusto mo yan eh," Keeper said. "Keeper," his parents warned him, so he sighed. "Just take it easy naman, Nicky. Tigas kasi ng ulo mo eh," he finally said seriously. "Tell her to stay sa bahay. They'll be keeping me for the night. Who knows how long I'm going to be here," Nicky instructed. "Why don't you call her?" Keeper asked. "Are you kidding me? I can barely talk without coughing, and you know Page. She's like a hound. She has this gift that enables her to sniff out when something's wrong or when the person's lying. Mas maniniwala pa yun if you let her know that I'm with some guy and that we decided to go on a spontaneous trip for a few days. Kahit di na out of town, sabihin mo dito lang din sa state, na we just went on a road trip," Nicky instructed. He was out of breath. "You think maniniwala yun? She knows hindi mo sya iiwan ng basta basta lalo pa na ganun pinagdadaanan nya ngayon," Keeper pointed out. "Yes, I know, but I also know how humble she is. Ayaw nun for me to give up my social life lalo pa love life ko just to be there for her, so trust me, tatanggapin nya yung explanation na yun. She'll think it's best for me to be out there having fun kesa samahan sya. Para lalo pumayag, tell her I asked if she could watch the house for me," Nicky said. "Magtataka yun na hindi ikaw mismo ang tumawag sa kanya to tell her to watch the house for you," Keeper pointed out. "Fine. I'll call her, and  I'll do my best to sound like I'm having the best trip of my life. Okay na po?" Nicky asked. Keeper nodded in response. Nicky looked Keeper in the eyes, "Just do your best not to let her know what's going on with me. At least, not now. This is the last thing she needs to be worried about."