The Nobles

Chapter 1

I can feel my skin burning from the ray of sun that glimmers into my body. This day is just...perfect.

It's 11 am kaya mahapdi na ang epekto ng araw sa balat ko. It was 4 am when we started swimming kaya medyo pagod na rin ako. Nasisilaw na rin ako sa liwanag ng araw, so I had to put my sunglasses on.

I sat on the soaked and of the shore wearing my one piece black bathing suit and wore a cream mesh cover up while staring and listening to the laughter of my friends.

My girls, Drey, Clarie, Lynn, and Cess are splashing water on each other as they play a game, while the guys, Claude, Lash, Zach and Cliff are having a beach ball race.

They're genuinely happy. At ako, masaya akong nakikitang masaya sila. That ultimately happy thought slowly turns into sorrow.

I know that one day, I may have to leave this life, including all of them.

My love approached me and kissed my cheek. Inabutan n'ya ako ng sandwich that he just made back in the cottage and ran his fingers into my hair.

"Kain ka muna. Hindi ka pa nag-breakfast." Rai said and smiled.

After four years of being together ni hindi man lang ako nagkaroon ng lakas ng loob na sabihin sa kanya yung totoo.

Would I end up leaving you too?

I shook my head and pushed that thought away and enjoyed our last day here in San Fabian, Pangasinan.

Hindi na muna ako nag-isip ng mga bagay na makapag-papalungkot sa'kin. Instead, I laughed, played, ate and enjoyed every moment with them like we always do.

We played silly games and solved riddles. We filled our stomachs with a lot of meat. Beef, pork, and chicken in perilla leaves and lettuce with melted cheese and barbeque sauce. We also grilled fresh fish that we bought directly from the fishermen of this town, some greens, at syempre, mawawala ba ang inihaw na hotdog sa outing? Not a chance.

We had a few alcoholic beverages but we ain't young, dumb, and broke teenagers so we drank moderately dahil alam naming ba-byahe pa kami. Hindi uminom si Rai dahil sya ang magda-drive.

It was past five when we decided to take our last shower in our hotel room one by one and pack our things. As I close my bag I received a message from my mother. Well, the biological one.

"You promised." she said.

Hindi na 'ko nag-reply and just ignored the message. As we got the wheels on the road, I called 'mama'. This time, ang nag-alaga at nagpalaki sa'kin.

"Ma...pauwi na kami. Baka umagahin na rin kami kaya 'wag mo na 'ko hintayin." I said.

"Hinihintay ba kita?" she sarcastically asked. Hindi ko pinatulan at binati ko na lang sya ng "happy mother's day". 

Rai drives the car and I'm sitting at the passenger seat of his Hiace. Actually, the car's his dad's at hiniram lang namin since it's the biggest among our families' transpo.

7 p.m na kami naka-alis kaya madilim na. Since pagod na pagod lahat, they are all passed out in the car.

"Take a rest." Rai said as he holds my hand.

I nodded and let go of his hands to get my phone and read my mother's text message once again.

I was four when the fact that I was adopted sunk in to me. Hindi naman sinikreto ng mga magulang ko sa'kin 'yon at hindi rin ako nagka-interes na magtanong kung sino ba talaga ang totoo 'kong magulang. Pero totoo siguro yung sinabi nila na "makikita mo ang isang bagay 'pag hindi mo hinanap".