Huling Segundo

Chapter 3 - The Impostor

CHAPTER 3 - The Impostor

"So, Ken. Okay na ba ang pakiramdam mo?" he said as he turned the black Ford Everest to the right.

The delicious aroma of the burgers that Esther brought, circulated inside the car. Ken, sitting behind the driver's seat, was busy munching.

"Opo, Tito Luis. Salamat po."

"Magpasalamat tayo sa Diyos at dehydration lang ang inabot mo." said Luis while he slowly came to a stop.

"Oo nga po. Pero mas nagaalala po ako dahil hindi kami nakapag quiz ni Teejay sa math." Ken looked at Teejay who's sat in the front passenger seat. "Tol?" it felt awkward for Ken to call his boyfriend with their former endearment.

"Yes, tol?" Teejay was looking at his phone. He seemed frustrated.

"Nasearch mo na ba?"

Luis turned the car left.

"Hindi tol eh, ikot lang ng ikot loading icon. Kanina pa 'to sa hospital."

"Okay lang, tol. Nasa bahay kasi phone ko, paguwi ko na siguro."

"S'ya nga pala," Luis looked at Ken through the rear-view mirror. "Sabi sakin ni Teejay, naumpog daw ang ulo mo sa pinto ng aparador kaya ka sinugod sa hospital. Pero bakit severe dehydration ang findings? At wala kang bandage sa ulo?"

"Hindi ko po alam, Tito." he realized Luiz's point but he didn't know how to answer. He kept thinking about it. For him, what happened last night was real but because he saw his dad in the scene, he thought otherwise.

Ken threw the wrapper of the burger he just finished in its bag.

"Ewan ko din wala naman akong alam sa medicine. Basta ang alam ko lang, pag nauntog may bukol." Luiz, Teejays dad, chuckled.

"Pasensya ka na kay Tatay, pangarap daw n'ya dati maging detective eh kaya ang daming tanong."

As the guys were laughing inside the car, the sound of glass breaking caught their attention. They were sure something hit the windows.

Ken was actively looking at all the windows for any holes.

"Anak ng tokwa?" Luiz uttered as he put pressure on the breaks. The car stopped and he immediately took off his belt and moved his body towards Teejay. "Teejay! Natamaan ka ba?"

Ken opened his side of the door and ran around the car, to his boyfriend. He opened the door.

"Teejay.." Ken said as he dusted some of the glass from Teejay's knees.

"Okay lang ako. May tumama ata sa balikat ko."

It was apparent that the sound they heard came from the windshield. Broken pieces of glass were all over the floorboard. Teejay dusted off some from his pants and shirt.

As he moved his back away from the seat, a rock that seemed to be covered by a yellow paper, came rolling down. It was from the gap under the headrest. They knew that it was the thing that hit the windshield.

"May bumato satin, Tay." as he was holding the rock.

Ken took the paper-covered rock and unwrapped the paper.

Luiz stepped out of the vehicle and ran towards the sidewalk. He grabbed a metal rod from the trash bin nearby and held it like a baseball bat over his shoulder.

"Sinong bumato?" he roared towards the mango grove. There was no one there. He could only hear the wasps buzzing in the thicket of leaves right above him.

Ken threw the rock by his feet while he held the paper that was wrapping it.

"May sulat.." he said as he scanned the paper. "na naman.."