my sweet escape. park jihoon

09

•••

CHAPTER.09
ELEANOR

"Ma'm, gising na," ramdam ko ang mahinang pag galaw sa akin ni ate Mariel.

"Ma'm, may tutor pa po kayo ngayon." paalala niya.

I immediately sat up on my bed, feeling a massive headache, probably from drinking a lot, last night. I couldn't remember anything, not even a bit. I don't even know kung gaano kadami yung nainom ko, but I think I had too much to not remember a single thing that had happened, yesterday. Ang tanga ko, may pasok pa naman ako ngayon and simula na pala yung tutor ko, ngayon. 'Di ako informed. Shet.

"Kamusta ka naman, ma'm? Masakit pa din ba ulo mo?" tanong sa akin ni ate Mariel.

How does she know my head was aching? Did I tell her I was drinking alcohol? Pag nalaman niya siguro baka sabihin niya kay mommy, lalo akong malalagot niyan. They think of me as an innocent, neat, intelligent girl but they didn't know the other things I have done. Drinking alcohol was just one of them and I don't think it's that bad pero of course, para kay mommy, mali na ang uminom ng alak. My classmates are going to bars na nga, e. At saka we're like a bunch of 18 year olds na but I'm still stuck at home na parang 10 years old.

"Ma'm nalinis ko na po yung natapong alak diyan, baka kasi mangamoy, malaman pa ni Ma'm." Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya, all this time, she knew?

"A-alam mo?" I stammered.

"Matagal na, ma'm." bahagya siyang natawa. "Hindi ko nga po alam kung pa'no kayo nakakatakas, parati naman akong nakabantay diyan, tuwing gabi."

Grabe. All this time, ate Mariel knew na nakakatakas ako tuwing gabi? Ako nga hindi ko matandaan! Tumatakas ako pero yung nangyari kagabi hindi ko matandaan, talaga. Siguro may naalala ako pero hindi lahat at ang pakiramdam ko lang doon ay panaginip lang. I thought the alcohol was just messing with my head.

"Ate, you knew na tumatakas ako?" I asked her, sounding confused.

Tumango siya, "Opo, ma'm. Pero, huwag po kayong mag alala, hindi po ito makakarating kay Ma'm Elaine, baka din po ako kasi yung mapagalitan." She chuckled, nervously.

I sighed, "Thank you, ate. But, if ever happens again, please stop me. I don't know what I have been doing."

She smiled and assured me, "Mapagkakatiwalaan niyo po ako."

Ate Mariel is just a few years older than me, she started working here when she was 17 and I was 13 years old. Siguro naman naiintindihan niya yung nararamdaman ko kaya hinahayaan niya lang ako. Kahit mas matanda siya sa akin, malaki pa din ang respeto niya sa akin bilang anak ng amo niya and I adore her for that.