Veronica

Chapter 1: Sol and Luna

“Hey, Venice you know your ate won't like it if you'd stay like this” dad said while picking up some bottles of alcohol.

Dad, hid my sister’s death, because that’s what I want, as long as the culprit is a free wanderer I will never let them know my sister’s gruesome death.

I didn't know what to do or where to start, I just kept staring at the bracelet we made as teens, I can't help but to remember the memories we had together.

“What ever happens Venice, never ever remove that okay? As long as we have that, we will stay like this okay?” she smiled at me

“ATE naman! Stop it! It tickles!” I can't stop laughing, “that's what you get for lying to ate! I told you if you want to borrow something you can always ask me, the next time you do it you'll get more tickles than that? Understand?” she said while tickling me.

“Stop it na ate! I promise hindi na!” i said between the laughs, “Do you promise?” she opened her pinky, i locked our pinkies together, “I promise” we sticked our thumbs together.

“VENICE I told you that guy was nothing but a prick!” she said while patting my back. “Ate naman wag mo na ako pangaralan please?” I managed to say between the sobs, “Aww my poor little baby sister, next time hear me out okay? I get it we’re sixteen and reckless and you want to explore but try no to leave some broken pieces of your heart along the way!” that made me cry harder. “want some chocolate chip cookies?” she asked while smiling, with a ray of her smile my mood became brighter, she really is a beam of golden light. “I don’t want it if it’s not baked by you.” I pouted “then I’ll bake some for you!” she said trying to lift my mood, she’s always like this, she’d bake me cookies even though she was allergic to it. She’s selfless, she was nothing but a good sister to me.

“ATE! Bakit ka aalis kasi! Pwede ka namn mag aral ng law dito ah! We have Ateneo!” I shrieked and stomped my feet like a child, “Venice, I know we have Ateneo! That’s my first choice! But somehow I want to explore different places, environment, and meet new people!” she cupped my face, “baby sister, we can’t always rely on each other, we need to grow, and you can’t grow kasi nasanay ka na nandiyan ako palagi para sayo, pano pag nawala ako sino aasahan mo?” I can’t help but to frown, “nagsawa ka na ata sa ugali ko eh!”                

“Venice naman! In my twenty years of existence I’ve never felt na nagsawa ako sayo, ngayon pa ba na halos twenty one na!” she said “I’m doing this for you Venice, ano nalang sasabihin ng magiging boyfriend mo pag nalaman niyang twenty one ka na naiihi ka pa din sa kama?” I glared at her, “ate! That was years ago” I emphasized the word ‘years’ “next week na ako aalis oh, kinabukasan pag tapos ng birthday natin aalis na ako!” I hugged her even tighter “sulutin mo na yan.” She caressed my hair, “I’ll let you leave but in one condition.” I said trying to threaten her, as if she would be. She knows I’m wicked but she knows how to calm my demons. “Bake me cookies that could fill in that jar!”tinurobkonpa ang isang malaki na jar sa kitchen, she smiled “ ‘yon lang ba?” she's always like this baking me Chocolate Chip Cookies even though she was allergic to chocolate,she said those words as if baking cookies wasn’t even a challenge for her “uhm, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cereal?” i said breaking the hug “let’s start baking then!”

We giggled and laugh, not caring if the cookies were burnt, I just want to spend the days left before she leave full of fun, create memories she could hold on if she felt alone and those days? Those were the best days of my life, kahit sunog na cookies ang almusal ko ay ayos lang.

“Venice! Hindi ako santo para iyakan mo!” sabay hampas sa lamesa si Daddy.

I wiped my face, I was lost in my thoughts, ni hindi ko nga naramdaman na umiiyak na pala ako.

“Aba anak! Baka gusto mo namang kumilos at dalawang araw ka nang naka tengga jan!” ang ingay naman “Dad, you scold like a mother! Geez.” I drank the last shot of vodka.

“Dad, you scold like a mother.” He said trying to mimick my voice “Aba baka nakalimutan mo noong namatay ang mommy mo ay ako na ang tumayong nanay mo.” Sabay pamaywang pa niya, “anak, alam ko naman na gusto mo mag luksa, pero wag mo naman ubusin ang koleksiyon ko diyan! Yang ininom mo lang naman na vodka ay limited edition, aba anak! Russo-Baltique Vodka lang naman ang binuksan mo!” he said being hysteric again. "And that costs million dollars!" Kaya naman pala masarao ang lasa,

“Dad, how did you forget mom?” he sat down on the chair infront of me, “silly, I never forgot about your mom!” he said chuckling, trying to sweep away sadness in his voice “I mean how’d you forget that mom is dead?” a tear escaped my eyes remembering my sister’s death. “I never forget, I just accepted the fact that she’s gone” he opened the last bottle of vodka in his collection. “Dad, masakit sa lalamunan yan baka umiyak ka!” I teased, “talagang iiyak ako, The Eye of the Dragon lang naman 'tong natitira sa koleksiyon ko!” Mangiyak-ngiyak na sabi pa niya, “tapos di ka na makaka-bili ulit dahil nabili na ng magaling mong competitor!” Pang-iinis ko pa “manang mana ka sa mama mo! Ang hilig mang asar pero ang bilis mapikon!”

“Have you ever seen you sister cry?” he asked out of nowhere. That question made me think, did she ever really cried?

“No”

what I answered was true, she never did, even to our mother’s death she did not shed a single one. “She is tough, like your mother, I remember her smiling for me even if it’s her father’s death, she never let anyone see her in pain, because she thinks that I needed her more than she needed herself.” He drank a shot, “your ate made herself strong for you, so that you can have someone to hold on, she even left to let you grow, so that one day you can be strong like her. Please anak, be strong like what your ate wants you to be. So that one day someone will hold on to you like how you hold on to your ate.”

I almost cried because of his speech, dad always has soft sides, he may look tough but he is soft, softer than mamà. With his words I realized, he is right, I should not let my sister’s sacrifices go to waste, I picked up my father's keys and told my dad I would go to a quick stroll “make sure to go home with a complete body, I don’t want to be left alone in this world.” he said while pouring more alcohol to the shot glass. “By the way Venny,  my car does not have SRS bag so please wear your seatbelt.”

Nang buhayin ko ang makina ay nagpatakbo na agad ako ng mabilis, not knowing where to go. Nang makakita ako ng burol ay napag desisiyonan ko na doon nalamang mag punta, I steped at the breaks, since walking distance lang naman but the car seems not to slow down.

“fuck!” I hissed. The breaks were fucking broken! How ironic, breaks! I saw trees nearby, kaysa naman makasagasa ako ng tao sa puno nalang, nang palapit na ako sa puno ay nakalimutan ko na hindi pala ako naka seatbelt, bakit ko ba pilit na nakakalimutan kahit na may nag paalala na?

“Could this day get any fucking worse!” I shouted as if shouting could help me stop this stupid car!

pinilit ko mang hatakin ang seatbelt para maisuot ay di ko na magawa, huli na ang lahat. Naramadaman ko ang pang bunggo ng aking kotse.

Mukhang mapapaaga ang pag sunod ko, ate.

J.S. | Dreameist