The Fatal Love Of Zamarrah

Chapter 6

As I turn the pages of the album, mas lalo kong nakikita ang resemblance naming dalawa. For sure, hindi lang ako ang nakapansin no'n cause both the boys are staring at me.

"Why do I... look like her?" I asked Ken kahit alam kong hindi rin nya alam ang isasagot nya.

"Hindi ko rin alam, Zam. But that woman in the photos, was my mom, who passed away when I was a kid," he answered.

"Did you love her?" I asked him to know if we really have the same experiences.

"Yes, I love her. I shouldn't have. Kung di ko sana sya minahal edi sana buhay pa siya ngayon," Ken answered with his fist constantly tightening.

"If you're not ready to talk about it, we can leave it..."

"No, it's okay. Kaya nga kita pinapunta rito, diba?"

He then sighed so deep as if he was avoiding being emotional.

"I discovered this curse nung seven years old ako. It was my seventh birthday. Through my speech, I told my friends how I love them. After that, in just a week, they all died in different circumstances.

Thankfully my mama wasn't home, I never had the chance to see her ever since I opened my eyes as an infant.

She doesn't want to see me because she said she hates me. Ako raw ang nakakapag-paalala sa kanya kung gaano karuwag ang aking papa.

But although never ko syang nakita sa personal, at di ko naramdaman ang presensya nya, minahal ko sya. And because of that, she was taken away by an incurable disease.

Sumunod sa kanya na nawala ay ang ilan sa mga servants namin noon na minahal ko nang sobra. Nalaman ko ang tungkol sa sumpa sa pagkatao ko mula mismo sa tiyahin ko. Inamin nya habang humahalakhak ang sumpang binitawan nya sa mga magulang ko.

Pagkatapos no'n, umalis rin sya. At naiwan akong mag-isa hanggang sa bumalik si Mang June. Siguro dahil na rin sa nadala na ko kaya di ko na nagawang mahalin pati si Mang June. And I'm so thankful for that, at least I won't have to cause him death.

Masakit mawalan ng mahal sa buhay, pero mas masakit kung alam mong nawalan sila ng buhay dahil minahal mo sila," he narrated his story.

"We're grieving with you, Ken," said Justin who seemed to be carried away by Ken's story, too.

Wow ha, parang di nagkainitan kanina ah. Sa bagay, anyone who would listen to Ken's story will definitely be swayed at makikisimpatya sa kanya. Pareho talaga kami ng naging karanasan, and it makes me even more interested.

"Have you tried looking for your father?" I asked him.

Umiling lang si Ken habang halatang pinipigilang maging emosyonal.

"Ah, Ken, Zam, kailangan nyo 'tong makita," Justin said as he hands us a small photo.

It was a man's photo.

This is new since puro picture lang ng isang babae with her parents ang nakita namin all throughout the album. But now, here's this man.

"San mo nakuha to, Justin?" tanong ko.

"Dito sa album, nangalkal lang ako tapos nakita ko yan, nakasingit sa cover nung album," he answered.

"Aba, may silbi rin pala talaga pagiging pakialamero mo ah," I teased him.

"A thank you would be nice, alam nyo ba yon?"

"Thank you, Jah. All those 20 years of my existence, I never knew this photo's existence," Ken said as he stares at the man's photo.