LEX
I held my daughter's hand as I tucked the paperbag of letters on my armpit when I walked into our home. I shouldn't have let myself think that way.
My pamilya na ako, bakit pa ako aamin kay Gabe na gusto ko siya?
Bakit ngayon pa, Lex?
You don't know what exactly you'll see there kapag pumunta ka doon. What if nagkatuluyan sila no'ng Onyx na yon? Who knows? Alam ko, patay na patay si Gabe do'n noong high school.
"Why, daddy? I thought you said we'll meet your friends?" angal ng anak ko. Huminga ako ng malalim at tipid na ngumiti bago siya binuhat.
"Daddy wants to say sorry to you, Maryse, kasi hindi daw pala po tuloy. Busy sila." I replied.
She smiled and kissed me. She understood.
"Okay!"
When I sat on the couch, I looked at the paperbag on the table and sighed.
It's over... before it even started.
Hindi ko na maaamin sa kaniya ang kinimkim ko noon pa.
Kumuha ako ng isang letter doon sa paper bag at tinignan iyon.
Naka-address sa kaniya. Hindi pa nabubuksan. Hindi pa naipadadala.
Ngumiti ako ng mapakla.
That's how it is worse.
May bilog ang number na nakasulat sa upper right part ng likod ng envelope.
97th Letter for her.
Nabasa ko kasi yung Journal Book niya noon sa English Subject namin. May assignment doon na ilalagay mo kung paano ka liligawan sa gusto mong paraan. I've seen her collage for it. She likes to have 100 letters from her suitor bago niya sagutin. 1 letter for a day na na-adopt daw niya from a novel by Nicholas Sparks.
So I did it. But I never send her the letters.
BINABASA MO ANG
P.S. I'm Dying
RomanceGabe Franciso, an epitome of too much 'sana'. Lex Belen, a victim of TOTGA--and the ephemeral bliss of high school romance that is forever ingrained on a piece of paper. Dying. Reunion. One is the truth, and the other one is the result--just to brin...
