Dancing With Cinderella (Cordova Empire Series 3)

CHAPTER 1

Chapter One

Roshlin Zabryna Catalina Almanzerano

If you only have five minutes to live and you could sit down and talk to one person before you die, who would it be?

Ilan beses umulit sa utak ko ang tanong na 'yon. Sa bawat puno, posteng may magugulong kable at mga bahay na nadaraanan ng bus na sinasakyan ko sa hindi pamilyar na lugar ay mas lalong wala akong naisagot. The question continued to run inside my head like a broken record.

Pinagdiin ko ang aking mga labi nang maalala si Mommy. Maybe she was the one I'd pick to have a conversation with. I'll tell her how lucky I am to be her daughter. I'll thank her for everything she'd done for me. Simula nang alagaan niya ako sa kanyang sinapupunan hanggang ngayon. I'll tell her that she was the best thing that ever happened to me and I will always be grateful to her.

I heave a sigh and thought of my best friends Annajel and Denka. I could choose one of them, but then it would just be a waste of five good minutes because we'd just roast each other. For sure wala kaming gagawin kung hindi ang tawanan at laitin lang ang isa't isa kaya huwag na lang. Pwede rin sanang si Babi, but he was just a dog and he'll just bark at me so that would still be a waste.

Muli akong napabuntong-hininga nang maalala ang aking ama. I felt my heart clenched when I try to remember his face.

I was so young when my parents broke up. Nakuha ni Mommy ang custody ko at simula no'n ay wala na akong naging balita sa aking ama. He never reaches out. Basta ang alam ko lang ay minsan akong nagkaroon ng Daddy at umaasa akong buhay pa siya.

I was a curious kid, but I never asked my mom about him. Maybe because I knew how much she suffered after their break up and I also wanted to respect her so I kept my mouth shut. Hinintay kong siya mismo ang magsabi no'n pero hanggang ngayon ay wala akong nakuhang sagot.

She talked about him once though, but she just told me that we are better off without him. Habang lumalaki ay iyon na ang nakatatak sa utak ko. She said that we don't need him at nakita ko naman kung paano ako alagaan ni Mommy at punan ng pagmamahal kaya hindi na rin ako naghanap ng kalinga ng isang ama. My mother was my hero.

"Buenavista! Buenavista! Mga Buenavista diyan dito na tayo!" hiyaw ng kundoktor na nagpagising sa pagmumuni-muni ko.

Nagkukumahog akong tumayo upang bumaba na.

"Kuya may bagahe po ako." I told him as I go down the bus.

May pagmamadali siyang tumalima upang kunin ang aking maleta. Habang ginagawa niya 'yon ay nag-inat-inat ako. It was a long journey. Kahit na hindi ako masyadong nakatulog sa buong durasyon ng biyahe ay hindi naman ako inaantok. Maybe because I was scared and unsure if I will find him in this place. Baka mabigo ako and that will probably screw everything up.

"Salamat po!" kinuha ko na ang aking gamit at nagmamadaling tumabi sa waiting shed at hayaang umalis ang bus.

Luminga-linga ako sa paligid. May mga pasaherong kasabay kong bumaba pero lahat sila ay alam na ang sunod na pupuntahan kaya agad rin akong naiwan ng mag-isa roon, hindi alam kung anong sunod na gagawin at saan magsisimula.

I've never heard of this place. Ito rin ang unang beses kong makarating sa lugar na ito. I'm here to find my father... ang lalaking hindi ko alam kung kilala pa ako. I may have had his genes and he would surely feel the lukso ng dugo, but was it enough for him to accept me? Paano kung ipagtabuyan niya ako bigla?

Mabilis kong ipinilig ang aking ulo at pagkatapos at iniling-iling pa 'yon na parang sa ginagawa ay mawawala ang mga negatibong naiisip. Nang makabawi at bahagyang makaramdam ng hilo ay minabuti ko nang parahin ang parating na tricycle.