God Must Die

chapter 11

'Oh my God, give me a break,' she told herself as she arrived home, feeling the exhaustion that she should be very likely to feel after a long day.

Rinig niya ang malakas na tugtog mula sa loob na paniguradong si Jo na naman ang maygawa. Hilot-hilot ang kanyang sintido'y pumasok siya ng bahay nang nakabusangot ang mukha, umuulit sa isipan ang mga kaganapan sa araw na iyon.

It didn't feel like a vacation at all. She came back to the Philippines for at least a little unwinding because she thought that she deserved that. Not something to think of. Hindi niya alam kung bakit kailangan pa niyang masangkot sa hidwaan ng dalawang panig.

"Bakit nakabusangot 'yang mukha mo, babae?" Rinig niyang tanong ni Jo gamit ang sadya nitong malalim na boses. Sinamaan niya ng tingin ang kapatid bago napasalampak sa sofa tsaka napapikit. Narinig niya ang paggalaw ng kapatid palapit sa kanya. "What happened?" he asked in a softer voice.

Kyle shook her head in response. Jo wouldn't understand no matter how hard she tried to make him understand, at least not in some way that would actually help her make a choice. It needed a proficient juxtaposition in order for her to decide on which project to choose, but thinking about it, she could also turn both the projects down as well.

Maybe it would be better for her to stay away from the two projects so she wouldn't have to deal with choosing. Maybe it would give her a peace of mind.

Ngunit may isang parte rin sa sarili niyang gustong mapabilang sa isa sa pinakamalaking proyekto sa kasaysayan. The dreamer inside Kyle was telling her that it would be the closest that she could get to her dream. If she couldn't be one of the astronauts who would be maneuvering the Hautzig spacecraft, maybe she could be one of the people behind the mission that would surely leave marks in the skies.

Hindi na niya alam.

"Kyle," tawag ni Jo sa kanya. Hindi siya kumibo at nanatili lang nakapikit ang mga mata.

Sinundot-sundot nito ang braso niya. "Huy, Kyle," muli nitong tawag.

Kyle wrinkled her nose, but didn't say anything. She knew that her brother would just pester her further if she'd give him the attention that he wanted. Gusto niyang magpahinga kahit saglit man lang pero tinatamad naman siyang pumunta sa kanyang kwarto.

She didn't know what he wanted this time.

"Kyle, yuhoo." Muli nitong sinundot-sundot ang kanyang braso. She pouted a little bit, annoyed, before tilting her body to the other side, away from her brother.

"Kyle-"

"Alam mo, Jo, putangina ka," sabi niya rito, nakakunot na ang noo habang nakatingin sa kapatid. "Isang Kyle mo pa, hambalos ko 'tong sofa sa 'yo."

Natawa lamang ito bago mas lumapit pa sa kanya. "Hehe, okay ka lang?" tanong nito.

Mas lalong napakunot ang noo ni Kyle sa narinig bago tumango-tango. Huminga siya nang malalim pagkatapos. "I'm fine. Just tired. Now, let me rest for a while."

She closed her eyes once more before making herself even more comfortable on the couch. Out of surprise, Jo didn't bother her further, but she could still feel his presence near her.

At that moment, she wanted to talk to Jo about the unexpected things that were happening in her life. Maybe in an attempt to make things lighter for her. They never really talked that much about the things that they considered too personal. Sa dalawang kapatid niya, ang kuya Archi niya ang mas napagsasabihan niya ng mga bagay na bumabagabag sa kanya. Although that also changed when she started working abroad, and after her brother married.

Hindi na rin niya masiyadong nakauusap ang mga magulang niya tungkol sa mga bagay na iyon.

Kyle thought that time that since Jo was the youngest among them, he might not understand the depth of her troubles, so she didn't really bother that much. Although she could still say that there was an inexplicable connection between the both of them even when Jo stole her journals, teased her, and annoyed her most of the time.