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The Jaunt

I don’t take life too seriously. I know that I'll never get out of it alive. But seeing the sunrise every morning shows my weary heart that a new day will soon arrive. A new day will soon arrive. Suddenly, while listening to Ben&Ben (my favorite band!), my phone vibrated, signaling an incoming call. I paused the music to answer it.

“Uhmm hello po” I said. I’m not used to answering calls, I prefer chatting or texting.

“Tineeeee hahaha drop that ‘po’ okay, I miss you my cousinnn” a familiar voice chimed. It was Bellona, one of my cousins.

“Yeah, sorry. So bakit ka pala napatawag?” I asked.

“My Mom decided to have a family bonding, which means you’re coming too. Don’t yah worry, cous, it's at Bakasyunan Resort naman,” she said excitedly.

“Uhmm kailan?”

“Sa Saturday 9:00 am. Okay, I think Dad told Tito Pat about it naman. So seee yahhh” she said before ending the call.

Ha? Hatdog chos! Why is there an outing? I wasn’t informed! It’s Saturday! And it’s already Thursday! Goshhhh!. Our family usually has an outing once or twice a year, a bonding experience. It’s where I get to see some of my cousins I haven’t met before.

I need to prepare. I need to be ready, unlike last time during Dad’s birthday, where I barely knew anyone around me. I had just finished researching the guy I saw at the party. Sadly, I couldn’t find him. There were so many relatives of old man. After the party, I immediately asked Dad about the guy because I might forget his name. He told me the name, so I typed it into my phone. The mission started the next day, hahaha!

“Yanni, may outing po sa Saturday sa Bakasyunan Resort” I told my sister.

“Ah oo iha, nasabi nga ng Daddy mo kahapon. Bukas, maghanda tayo ng mga gamit mo” she said.

“Yanni, sama ka ha?” I added. Yanni didn’t join us last time.

Yanni and I prepared our bags, packed swimsuits, and of course, medicine, hahaha. I had a checkup yesterday to make sure I was okay. Dr. John said it’s okay to go as long as I don’t overexert myself.

“Dad, what time po tayo pupunta doon?” I asked.

“Siguro mga 9:00 na Tine, nasabi ko naman na sa mga Tito’s and Tita’s mo” he replied.

Saturday. I woke up early to prepare. Why am I so excited? It’s not often that I get to go out. Yanni already loaded our bags into the car. It’s just Daddy, Yanni, and me today. We didn't bring the driver, so it's a party for the three of us, hahaha.

“Tineeeeeee!” A voice boomed, and I immediately knew who it was.

“Uyyy Lona, daming energy huh” I said, laughing.

“You know naman, maraming tayong pupuntahan dito sa resort. Yieee, excited nako” she answered excitedly.

“Hi Tine” two other voices greeted me. It was Kuya Tristan and Tevon, my cousins from Tito Andrei’s side. They’re two years older than Lona and me.

“Hello po” I replied politely.

I also saw Mira and Mara who just arrived, so I said hello to them.

After that, we headed to our respective rooms to leave our bags. I changed into a black high-waisted short paired with a white sleeveless crop top. I also braided my hair to avoid any hassle with the wind. Yanni and Dad went ahead. I stayed in the room for a little while. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

“Tine, are you done?”

“Uhmn yes, hi Ate Zy. Wowww, ang gandaa mooo” I exclaimed. Ate Zyanya, one of my cousins from California, is here. She’s a model, you know. I was surprised to see her here.