Chapter 49
"Elmo's here. We have to go."
The moment she said that, my whole body froze. I know that he goes to the mall. Maybe he has a meeting here or something. Pero bakit ngayon pa? Bakit kung kailan malapit-lapit ko na siyang makalimutan tsaka pa siya nagparamdam? Bakit?
"Halika na." sabi ni Maqui saka na ako muling hinatak. Pagdating sa parking lot ay nakita agad namin si Patrick na nakahazzard sa may kotse ko. He looks tensed at palinga-linga pa siya sa paligid. "Ano?" tanong ni Maqui nang makalapit kami.
"Sumabay ka na saken Julie. I think he saw your car." sabi niya.
"Huh? P-paano niya nakita?" tanong ko.
"He's in the same floor as you are. His car's just 10 cars away from yours and since mas malapit ka sa elevator, mas malaki ang possibility na nakita niya to. Also, I think he saw me..."
"Ang shunga mo lang bakla. I told you to get out of there unnoticed." iritang sabi ni Maqui.
"It wasn't my fault! I was sitting by the door when he entered Starbuck's. Makakapagtago pa ba ko?!" sagot naman ni Patrick.
"Let's just go. Maq, ikaw na magdrive sa kotse." sabi ko sabay abot ng susi kay Maqui. Tumango siya saka na pinatunog ang kotse ko at ako naman ay sumakay na sa kotse ni Patrick.
Tahimik na pinaandar ni Patrick ang sasakyan habang nakasunod sa amin si Maqui.
"Pat?" tawag ko.
"Hm?"
"Why are we running away from him?" pagtataka ko.
He looked at me for awhile before he looked back at the road.
"We're just protecting you, Jules. Ayaw naming makita ka niya lalo pa't alam niyang wala na ang anak niyo." sagot niya. Napayuko ako saka nagsimulang paglaruan ang laylayan ng damit ko. "Alam kong OA na kami pero ayaw lang namin na saktan ka niya kapag nalaman niyang tinago natin ang totoo na buhay ang baby sa tyan mo."
"I don't think he can hurt me anymore. Sobra na niya kong nasaktan and I think physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional pain he caused me." sabi ko.
"Sorry..." was all he said saka na hinawakan ang kamay ko. "Natatakot lang kami ni Maq sa pwedeng mangyari."
"It's okay, Pat. It's okay." sagot ko.
Tahimik na uli kami ni Patrick habang tinatahak namin ang daan papunta sa kung saang mall nila balak. I just kept on staring outside the window thinking about what could possibly happen if ever Elmo and I crossed paths in Trinoma. The mall is not very big para hindi kami magkita. Si Patrick nga nakita niya eh. Ako pa kaya? Naisip ko tuloy, ano kayang itsura niya? Gwapo pa rin siguro. Baka nga mas gwapo pa kaysa noon. Baka nakamove on na rin siya. Guys tend to move on faster than girls. Because girls love to hold on to memories. They love to reminisce. They love to give their own self false hopes. Parang ako. I still hold on to the memories Elmo and I had. Kasi kalahati ng buhay ko siya ang kasama ko. And you can't erase something that's been there for a very long time.
"Pat?" untag ko saka lumingon sa kanya.
"Yeah?" he said sabay tingin sa akin.
"Anong itsura niya?" hindi ko mapigilang itanong. Matagal bago nakasagot si Patrick. He just kept his eyes on the road as I wait for him to speak. Siguro nga tama ako. Maybe he did moved on.
"He lost weight, I think. He has a beard already and his hair is longer. He doesn't look like the confident Elmo like he was before. He looked lost." aniya. Tumingin siya sa akin and I saw pity in his eyes. "Naaawa ako sa kanya but I still hate him for hurting you. Wala ka namang ginawa sa kanya aside from loving him and giving him everything pero niloko ka pa rin niya."
