A Deferred Asset

Chapter 15

"So, ano yung nangyari kanina?" Pagsisimula ni Sir Darxon ng topic.

Parati akong lumilingon sa paligid dahil baka may empleyadong makakita sa amin at kung ano ang isipin nila na magkasama kami ni sir Darxon kumain. Takot ako sa chismis dahil natitrigger nito ang anxiety ko, kaya kanina minabuti ko talaga na lumabas ng department kapag wala ng tao para walang gagawa ng chismis.

"It's okay if you won't tell me, I just want us to talk casually just like the first time." He shrugged and ate his food.

"No sir, I'm just bothered dahil baka may makakita sa atin na empleyado tapos kung ano ang sasabihin." Tugon ko.

"Why? Wala naman tayong ginagawang mali. We're just eating." He lightly laughed.

"We don't know what are the things that are going into one's mind Sir. As human as they are, gagawa talaga sila ng kanilang halusinasyon at iisipin kung ano ang kanilang iisipin." Batid ko.

"So, that's why you're hesitating to eat with me?" He asked in a formal manner.

I looked at him and smiled thrifty. Sino ba naman kasi ang hindi kakabahan kapag kasama mong kumain ang boss mo? Like hello, just because of the elevator incident, kakain na kayong dalawa? And knowing people, they won't easily believed in you because they believe with their own judgement.

"Stop depending on other's words. Yes, we can't do anything with their type of thinking, but you know in yourself what's right. Let them think what they want to think, don't get affected because they're just clowning theirselves." He spoke and he's very right. Actually, I kept on telling myself that way everytime, but my pessimist vibe is eating me up and I've been having a hard time on fighting with it.

"Thank you sir." I nodded and smiled as I eat my food and we're silent for a moment. Ramdam ko ang pasimpleng tingin ni Sir Darxon na para bang may gusto siyang sabihin sa akin.

"I'm sorry for pushing you yesterday. It wasn't my intention na itulak ka, I was just flustered sa biglang pag-ilaw. I'm really sorry." He suddenly said.

"Okay lang po sir. Naiintindihan ko po." Tugon ko, pero naiinis pa rin ako kapag naaalala ko ang nangyari kagabi.

"Actually, I'm afraid of darkness." He sipped his drink. "When I was 7, naglalaro lang kami ng chess kasama ang lolo ko nang biglang nagbrownout. Kasama ko ang buong pamilya na nasa sala noong panahong 'yon nang bigla ko nalang maramdaman na may humawak sa kamay ko. Ang lamig tapos ang higpit ng pagkakahawak niya at wala akong makita ni isang sipit ng liwanag hanggang sa narinig ko ang sigaw ng lolo ko. Agad kong kinagat ang kamay na nakahawak sa akin at tumakbo, kasi ramdam ko na parang may mali at may masamang mangyayari kung hindi ako magtatago.

Even if I couldn't see anything, I found myself hiding in the under the staircase and closed my eyes as I prayed. I don't know how long I was hiding, until I heard the cry of my mother so I opened ny eyes. Bumalik na ang kuryente kaya lumabas na ako sa pinagtataguan ko, only to find the dead body of my grandfather."

Nagulat ako sa biglang pagkwento niya ngunit mas nagulat ako sa nilalaman ng kanyang kwento. Now, that explains why he was shaking yesterday and kept on saying there's a monster in every darkness. So, he got this traumatic experience when he is still a child.

"Bigla akong niyakap ni mama at saka ko lang naramdaman na may malaking sugat pala ako sa braso. Ganun rin sila pati narin yong mga kapatid ko, may sugat pero sa ibang bahagi ng katawan at si lolo yung napuruhan ng todo kaya siya namatay. Nakakatakot maalala yung pangyayaring iyon. It was almost a massacre kung hindi kami nanlaban and gladly we did except for lolo." I was just staring at him while he continued telling about his trauma.