BORROWED TIME

67

"Yan na ba lahat ng gamit mo, Jho?"

Ngumiti ako kay tita Det.

"Opo, tita."

Kuya Loel and tito Elmer put all my baggages in their car's trunk.

"Mugto mata mo ah... Pinaiyak ka ba ni Bea?" bulong sa akin ni kuya Loel na sinagot ko lang gamit ang isang mahinang hagikgik.

Umiling na lang ako. "Kuya Loel talaga." is all that I said to him.

"It's done. Ready na Jho."

Napatingin kami kay tito Elmer na kasasara lang ng trunk.

"Hay, Jhoana, iha, mamimiss ka namin." tita Det hugged me tight and I hugged her back.

"Mamimiss ko rin po kayo tita."

"Mom, ano ba. Mamaya niyo na sabihin yan kay Jho. Hindi pa tayo nakakarating sa airport ohh." kuya Loel jokingly said and that earned him a slap from tita Det.

"Ikaw naman Loel, lagi ka talagang panira ng moment. Tawagin mo na si Bea, we're gonna go to the airport. Baka ma-late si Jho."

Kuya Loel went inside their house and after a few minutes, he was walking back to where we are, and a shadow following him.

It was Bea.

"Yes, mom? Tawag niyo po ako?"

She innocently asked as our eyes met. Though she tried to hide her swollen and reddish eyes through eyeglasses, it was well evident to me.

Duhhhh. Pareho kaming umiyak kagabi.

"Isabel bakit hindi ka pa nakabihis? Tara na, ihahatid na natin si Jho." tito Elmer asked.

She just smiled at all of us.

Oh. How I'm going to miss that smile, Bea.

"I won't come, dad. Hindi na po ako sasama sa inyo sa paghatid kay Jho sa airport." she smiled at her parents and they creased their forehead.

"What? Aren't you saying goodbye to Jho? After all, she's the one who helped you recover. One year, Bea. Can you just go with us and tell her your last goodbye?"-tito Elmer.

But Bea just smiled again.

"Nope. I already said my thank you message and my last goodbye to her last night." she confidently said.

Kuya Loel gave his parents the look, probably telling them that we had a dinner in the park last night.

"Owww. Sabi ko nga. So paano? Kami na lang ang sasama kay Jho. Take care here anak ha?" tita Det told Bea and kissed her cheek.

"Yes mom, take care. Bye. Jho." she looked at me emotionlessly then she smiled later.

"Bye, Bea." I said as I entered the car.

As soon as the engine started, I never looked back from the de Leon residence.

I am afraid that I might stop this car and go back there.

After an hour or less, we finally arrived in the airport. And I still have one and a half hour before my flight.

"Jho, we're really, really thankful to you. If it weren't because of you, Bea wouldn't be who she is right now. Sobrang laki ng pasasalamat ko sayo, at sa Saint Anthony for giving us their best Orthopedic doctor. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin ako makapaniwalang nakakapaglakad na ulit ang anak ko. At dahil sayo yun. Kaya salamat Jho. Mag-ingat ka sa byahe, okay? Mamimiss ka namin iha. We wish you all the best."

Tito Elmer hugged me and I hugged them back. "Thank you, tito. For making me feel a family to you. Sobrang dami ko pong natutunan sa inyo at marami po akong memories na babaunin pag-uwi ko. Sobrang salamat po. Mamimiss ko rin po kayo."