THIRTY-SEVEN
Ilang beses kong kinusot ang mga mata ko paggising ko. As I blinked the sleep away from my person, I tried to take in my surroundings, my groggy brain refusing to fully function. When my head decided to regain some of its rationality, napagtanto kong nasa loob na nga pala ako ng sarili kong kwarto sa Manila at nakahiga ako sa kama ko.
I stretched and sighed, kicking my heavy blanket away as I stood up. I crossed my room hanggang sa marating ko ang bintana't hinawi ko ang kurtina para dumungaw dito. What greeted me was the rising sun, slowly peeking out between the dawn clouds, backdropped against a lilac and pale pink-stained sky. I remember reading somewhere that in times of distress, you have to learn to appreciate the little things. Poetic and whimsical ideas like the sunrise, the sound of birds, and the beautiful colors of nature.
Gusto ko sanang sabihin sa kung sino mang nagsulat noon na manahimik na lang at tigilan ang pag-romanticize sa mahihirap na sitwasyon. Um, hello? Sunrises were pretty much the same every darn day. Nakakasakit lang ng ulo ang pagputak ng mga ibon at nalalanta't namamatay rin naman ang makukulay na mga bulaklak at mga dahon. No, when times were bad — and God, they truly were — it pretty much distracted you from everything else. Irrelevant and distorted, clouded by the gravity of the darkness... that's how you saw things in times of distress.
Noong gabing bago umalis sina Tita Rika at Hiro patungong Canada ay bigla akong tinawagan ni Grammy. I was in bed with Key fastened on my back, pumupungay na ang mga mata ko't nakakatulog na nang bilang mag-ring ang phone ko.
"Ellie, I got a call from your mom. Nasa airport sila ngayon ng dad mo to catch a flight to Manila," ulat niya't napahigpit ang pisil ng mga daliri ko sa phone ko. "They'll be home tomorrow night and you might want to be here when they arrive."
"O-okay, Grammy, thank you po sa heads up," I squeaked, my tiny voice tinged with panic and surprise. Iyon lang ang naisagot ko kahit ang dami ko pang gustong itanong. Natapos ang tawag at ang mga salitang Oh no lang ang natira sa utak ko at patuloy silang tumakbo-takbo't paulit-ulit na nag-loop dito na parang sirang plaka.
Kinalog ko agad ang nakatulog nang si Key para gisingin siya at pareho kaming may pagkatarantang nag-book ng flights pauwi ng Pilipinas. Akala ko'y ihahatid lang namin ang mom at kapatid niya kinaumagahan, imbes ay sasabayan na pala namin silang lumipad palabas ng Japan.
A few moments after we separated from them in the airport, a sobbing Hiro came running back back to us, leaving his mom with Chuck. He crashed into Key's knees, at halos ikatumba ni Keith Kato ang impact ng pagsalpukan nila. "Promise you'll come visit!" his baby brother wailed, sniffing while gripping Key, hard. "And bring Ellie onee-chan with you!"
Pagkabanggit ni Hiro sa pangalan ko ay dinakma niya ang kamay ko at lumakas ang pag-iyak niya. I patted the top of his little head and Key said, "Yes, I promise. Now stop crying. Big boy ka na, 'di ba?"
"How about me? Am I not invited to Toronto?" tanong ng papalapit na boses ng tumatakbong si Chuck. Magkaibang pre-departure terminals kasi ang mga flights at sasamahan niya dapat ang mag-ina to their designated one, and he only rejoined our company to retrieve Hiro.
"You can come, too," sagot ng bata at may pag-aalangan niyang binitawan si Key.
The bigger of the two brothers bent to pick up the smaller one, at pagkakarga niya sa kapatid niya'y pinunasan niya ang mga luha nito with his thumb. Nang magkatitigan sila ay nanginig nanaman ang bibig ni Hiro, his lower lip sticking out. Muling ibinalot ng bata ang mga kamay niya sa kuya niya, he held him around his neck this time, his small legs also enclosing around Key's torso, and cried again.
After another round of hugging and hesitant good-byes, we finally parted. Pero bago 'yun ay sinabihan ni Tita Rika si Key na, "Don't forget to update me when you get home, ha, Key? Nag-usap na rin kami ng dad mo. Everything will be okay," she stated, and it sounded as though she was trying to convince not only us, but also herself. Pagkatapos ay nilipat niya ang tingin niya sa'kin. "I'm glad I finally met you, Ellie," she told me with a soft smile. And then to the both of us: "Take care of each other."
