The Pages of Their Journal

My Lola Sees Future

[Posted on August 17, 2020]

"Madam Auring, hulaan mo naman itong anak ko!" one of our neighborhoods shouted with full of excitement printed on her eyes. A young girl beside her on the other hand was feeling unsure on what was about to happen. She looked at her mother with eyebrows united, slightly smiling because of shyness.

My Lola Auring then stood and swayed her hand to indicate that she was welcoming the two visitors. My Lola did not utter a word, as usual, but instead she smiled. I was fixing the sofa they would use when they finally entered our house.

"Maraming salamat po." The mother spoke after sitting on the sofa I fixed. I laughed a bit for I thought that her daughter was still afraid of my Lola though she was not going to do something bad.

Meddling was not in my intention so I went upstairs for them to have a good time. There, it was pretty quiet and comforting.

My Lola was known for her ability to see the future. She was frequently titled as the 'Manghuhula ng Bayan' and always referred as the lucky one. But, she never took the advantage of it after an awful event happened.

My parents died after a car crash, leaving their only daughter, me, to my Lola. In my Lola's sight, my father would die on a bomb explosion near his workplace. However, my Lola tried to stop that from happening by telling them what was on her sight. So, because of my Lola's sight, my father resigned and left his job. Unfortunately, while both of my parents were driving back home the same day my father resigned, a car crash happened, having both of my parents dead.

"I know what is on your mind." I jumped due to the voice that spoke up behind my back that startled me. I immediately gazed at my back and saw my Lola. "Ang isa sa mga pinakapinagsisihang bagay na ginawa ko noon." Her eyes were looking down but I could still hint sadness and regret with those. "Dapat hindi ko na binago ang nakatadhana. Edi sana buhay pa kahit ang nanay mo ngayon."

I walked towards her and caressed her face. My hands were shaking as my skin touched her wrinkled face. "It's okay, Lola. You did what you thought was right."

I smiled. And she smiled back.

"Thank you. Sorry." she told.

Few moments of silence had passed when she spoke. "Bonding tayo?"

My eyes widened as she spoke those words. My lips started to curve as my body enlightened itself. This was the first time we would bond!

I nodded as fast as I could that made her laugh.

-

A week had passed with us enjoying ourselves. We did a lot of things a grandmother and a granddaughter do. We even did silly stuffs such as playing basketball, playing mobile games, and drawing. I never realized my Lola was this good at those!

"Ang lalaki naman ng gayat mo! Hahaha!" My Lola laughed, pertaining to the vegetable I was slicing. 

"Ganto kasi..." she took another knife and motioned it and sliced.

"Ahh." 

-

"Wow, ang ganda naman ng iyo." My Lola exclaimed while looking at my painting. Her head was nodding as she watched me paint.

"Siyempre, ako pa ho ba?"

-

"Oh panis panalo!" I screamed after winning a mobile game.

"Eh ang mamaldita naman nitong mga pusa ko!" she told. I tilted my head to gaze on her phone slightly. "Adorable home pa."

-

The cold breeze of the night was touching our skin while the moon shone bright. I was appreciating the good ambiance of the serene place when my Lola spoke.

"Nagustuhan mo ba ang bonding natin?"

"Opo naman po!" I unknowingly clapped my hands due to the excitement I was feeling.

We both smiled and stared at the night sky, appreciating the stars twinkling.

A moment came when I asked, "Bakit ngayon lang po kayo pumayag na makipag-bonding? Hahaha." The curiosity was building inside my ignorant mind that made me ask that. After losing my parents, my Lola had became strict, stricter than ever. She never let me go to parties or even group projects that required overnights. According to her, she wanted me to be safe all the times. The regret was still on her as she tried living a dull life. I didn't know that having the ability to see the future would make her like that. She barely spoke. She always cried every night, trying to suppress the feeling.

"Dahil mawawala na ako mamaya."