Ikaw pa rin ang Pipiliin

Nine

     "Ano gusto mo kainin, mahal? Ako na mag-oorder para makapagpahinga ka," tugon ni Dominic sakin pagkapasok namin sa Jollibee. "Kanina pa kasi tayo naglalakad sa buong mall and I'm sure sumasakit na paa mo."

  Tumango lang ako sa sinabi niya. Sinabihan ko na siya sa gusto kong kainin at pumasok na sa loob ng Jollibee para maghanap ng mauupuan. It's been 4 days since nagusap kami dun sa Starbucks, kung saan pinatawad ko na siya at binigyan ng isa pang pagkakataon. And ever since that moment, he's been so sweet to me. Just like how he was when we first dated.

  Naupo na ako sa nahanap kong bakanteng lamesa. I chose the seat right beside the glass window, para naman makita kong lumubog 'yung araw. It was already quarter to 6 kaya dahan dahan ng nagtatago ang araw.

       "Here's your two piece chicken meal, one order of palabok and one box of peach mango pie," Dominic said as he arrived at our table, carrying the tray with our orders.

  Tinulungan ko siyang ibaba 'yung mga orders namin mula sa tray. Binigay naman niya agad 'yun sa waiter na nasa likod niya at kinuha yung ikalawang tray ng orders namin at nilagay na niya rin sa lamesa. Umupo na siya sa tapat ko at hinawakan dalawang kamay ko habang nakangiting nakatitig sakin.

     "What's wrong? May dumi ba sa mukha ko?" I asked.

     "No, mahal. Gusto lang kita titigan," he responded.

     "Gutom lang 'yan. Kain na tayo," paanyaya ko sa kanya.

     "Osige na mahal. Kumain na tayo para makapaglakad lakad pa tayo," he said excitedly. "Baka mahanap pa natin 'yung hinahanap mong neck pillow. Try kaya natin sa Miniso?"

     "Okay sige. Titingin na rin ako ng ireregalo ko kay Khiara," I said.

     "Oo nga pala noh? Birthday na niya bukas," he recalled. "Bibili na rin ako mahal. Baka magalit sakin yun if wala akong ibibigay. Remember last year?"

     "Oo, alalang alala ko pa. Binato 'yung heels niya sa'yo," malamig kong kwento. "Buti na lang at mabilis reflexes mo kaya nakailag ka. Kung hindi, baka saan na tumusok yung heel nun."

  Tumawa lang si Dominic as he recalled the events of Khiara's birthday the past year. Nagkwentuhan lang kami habang kumakain, but I was still so cold towards him. It may have felt good to just be with him as we talked about the things that made me happy but it didn't make me forget about the pain he inflicted on me, even just for a moment.

  Nauna akong matapos kumain kesa sa kanya dahil sa hindi ko naubos 'yung pinabili kong palabok. Napangiti na lang ako as I stare at him eat it like a kid who's excited to go and play sa playground ng Jollibee. As I took a breath, our happy memories flashed in a blink and what came next faded the smile on my face.

  Negative thoughts started to cloud my mind no matter how hard I tried not to. The what if situations came into mind as I recalled what happened to them that day. Yes, it's almost a week since it happened and yes, I have forgiven him for what he did but no, that doesn't mean I have forgotten everything.

  Pinatong ko yung dalawang siko ko sa lamesa at humawak sa noo ko. I closed my eyes and tried to normalize my breathing but it just got a lot harder to breathe. I felt like I was running out of air as pictures of Dominic and Eunice kept flashing in my head.

     "Mahal? What's wrong?" Dominic asked.

  Hindi ako nakasagot dahil sa sobra na akong nahihirapang huminga. I heard him call a waiter and asked for a paper bag for me to breathe into. Pagkarating ng waiter ay agad tumabi sakin si Dom. He gently placed the paper bag on my mouth and aided me into breathing normally. He rubbed my back as my breath was slowly becoming even. He kissed my temple and pulled me near him.