Alaala: Simula

Labindalawa

LANCE POV

🎶I'm alone in my head

Looking for love in a stranger's bed

But I don't think I'll find it

'Cause only you could fill this empty space🎶

I feel so stupid and used. Biruin mong sa iba ko pa talaga malalaman ang totoo tungkol sa mga kagaguhan ng syota ko. I'm almost drowning while drinking this Armagnac while the thoughts of truth slowly sinks down my core. Niloko ako at pinaglaruan for almost 4 years. Why am I too complacent? Ano bang nagawa ko all this time at para bang pinaparusahan ako ng tadhana?! Silence drifts so bad na nabibingi ako ng tuluyan. Totoo nga ang sinasabi ng iba, of all words, saying 'I love you' is the most misused, abused and overly used. I heard footsteps and I'm not mistaken that it was Maggie. She hugged me and implied why am I so drunk. I bring out the photo Via has sent me. I found a shookt face right away.

"Who gave you these?" she trembly speak.

"Wag mo na itanong kung sino. Umamin ka na lang na niloko mo ako!" I blurted. "Ano ba ang nagawa ko sayo at niloko mo ako?!" Umiyak ako ng malakas sabay basag sa baso sa dingding.

"I'm sorry...This was...." she mumbled and cried.

"Answer me! Why did you do this to me?!" pasigaw kong tugon.

"I love you Lance..." mangiyak-ngiyak niyang sabi.

"You love me?! I am not stupid to forgive you right away. We've been living together and soon to be engaged tapos ganito?! F*** the hell out of me!" I walked away and start packing my things.

She followed me and plead.

"Let me explain, Lance! Yeah totoo that we've been like this and that for years... That man doesn't mean to me. I was so drunk na di ko na alam ang pinaggagawa ko! I am sorry..." she exclaimed.

"Di mo alam? You are kissing my brother Troy! At least you've given yourself that damn respect, Margaret!" I shouted in anger. "

Complete silence occupies the place.

🎶Baby, I guess I don't understand

How did we let this slip through our hands

We were so in love and then we...

Lost it all, and now it's over...

Now it's over...🎶

"Lance please stay....please..." pagmamakaawa nito. "Laaaanceeeeee!?!" she painfully screamed.

"I'm over and done." I shut the door and left her.

MAGGIE POV

I'm so stupid. Like some wines our love could neither mature nor travel. We cut our ties. But I'm indeed sorry for what I did. How can I be reasonable? To me our love was everything and he was my whole life. It is not very pleasant to realize that it was only an episode. I'm enraged with myself. I'm enraged that I wasn't true to him and it bleeds my heart to see him go. Napakatanga ko at di ako naging tapat sa kanya. Why are you so dumb self? Ang sakit. Para akong mamamatay ng wala sa oras with the truth that Lance left me bleak and hurt. Kasalanan ko naman. Kasalanan kong maging marupok at masadlak sa iisang taong laging laman ng puso ko. It wasn't Troy at all. It was Yohan who I was kissing on that night when he had a party due to his successful graduation. Instead of crying, I kept myself close and let my feet take me to the bathroom. Turning the shower on was my assurance of forgetting a thought of tonight. I dialled Yohan's number and screamed in constant pain.

"Angel? Stop shouting...I'm coming" Klein blurted in worry.

"Lance, I need you..." I drifted down in the water.

KLEIN POV

Her screams wakes me up from my deep sleep. Ni minsan ay hindi ko kailanman narinig si Maggie na ganito umiyak o masaktan. Dinig na dinig ang pagragasa ng tubig at ang hagulhol niya habang kinakausap ako. Ano kaya ang nangyari at kung bakit nagkakaganito siya knowing it was him and Lance after all? In my worry, binilisan ko na lamang ang pagpapatakbo ng sasakyan hanggang sa umakyat ako sa kinaroroonan niya. Bukas ang pinto at masyadong magulo sa loob. Maraming basag na bagay na tila ba galing ito sa isang giyera. Napansin ang napakapamilyar na litrato mula sa lamesa ng kusina. Natatandaan ko pa lahat ng mga nangyari nung araw na yun.

"Hi..." bati ko habang sumasayaw.

"I'm Maggie and you are..." lasing nitong tugon.

"You are so captivating baby..." I whispered. "Lasing ka ata ngayon.." teased her as we danced to the beat.

"Yohan...."

I stopped when I noticed na bumabaha ang looban mula sa bathroom. Napansin ko ang katawan ni Maggie na nakalubog at hinang-hina. I got her and rushed to the hospital leaving her home messy.

ABBY POV

Kring! Kring! Kring!

"Hello..."

"Lance..."

"She hurt me...She did." he sobbed badly.

"Nasaan ka?" pagtatanong ko. "Pupuntahan ba kita?" dagdag ko.

"Nasa ospital ako. Sa opisina ko..." he admitted.

Di ko na inatim na magpaalam sa mga kasama ko para mapuntahan lamang siya sa ospital. Hindi siya ang tipo ng taong nagtatapang-tapangan kahit sa totoo ay nasasaktan na. Nang makarating ako sa ospital, binaybay ko na lang ang hagdanan para makarating sa kinaroroonan niya. Tila ba'y para siyang bata na nakasiksik sa tabi at dinaramdam ang sakit mula sa isang gulo. At ng pagkabukas ko ng pinto at tanaw siya...My eyes rolled tears. Naaawa akong pinagmamasdan siya. Tila nga ba parang pinaglalaruan kami ng tadhana at nalaman na lamang niya ang totoo. Parang akong hinahatak sa gawi na naroroon ito at wala akong nagawa kundi ang yakapin siya. We stood there, looking at each other, saying nothing. But it was the kind of nothing that meant everything. Humagulhol na lamang siya sa sakit na nararamdaman niya.

"Tahan na...Alam ko masakit pero kailangan mong lumaban." pakiusap ko habang inaalo siyang tumahan.

"May kulang pa ba sa akin, Abby?" tanong nito habang biglang hinawakan ang pisngi ko. "Am I not enough? Am I not a man?" paulit-ulit niyang tanong.

"Hindi ko alam, Lance...Hindi ko alam..." sagot ko na nagpahinto sa kanyang pagluha.

He stared at me coldly and shed a tear. Alam kong lasing sya sa pagkakataong yun pero wag naman sanang mangyayari ang ikinatatakot ko. I froze when he suddenly grabbed my hand and put to his chest. Nagtama ang aming mga mata hanggang sa tinamaan na nga siya ng espiritu ng alak at hinalikan ako ng marahan.

🎶Kinalimutan kahit nahihirapan

Para sa sariling kapakanan

Kinalimutan kahit nahihirapan

Mga oras na hindi na mababalikan🎶

We drifted to ecstasy.