Chapter Ten

Ipinilig ni Vodka ang ulo at muling dinampot ang cellphone ni Patrick Castillo at pinatay. Kapagkuwan ay itinago niya iyon kasama ang kuwintas at ini-lock ang drawer na pinaglagyan niya.

Muli siyang sumampa sa kanyang kama at humiga ngunit hindi siya makatulog. Patuloy na binabagabag ang kanyang isipan.

Dahil hindi makatulog ay muli niyang kinuha ang kanyang cellphone at may tinawagan. Kailangan niya ng kausap at isa lang ang sa tingin niya'y magpapagaan sa kanyang dibdib.

"Que estas haciendo?" bungad niya nang sagutin ng nasa kabilang linya ang tawag. She was asking him what he was doing.

"Sigues despierta? It's almost midnight in the Philippines. Sleep now, Hermana."

"I can't sleep, Felix. I need someone to talk to." Mukhang napagtanto ng nasa kabilang linya na may pinagdadaanan siya nang marinig niya ang pagbuntung-hininga nito.

"Como estas? Te echo de menos."

Nanubig ang kanyang mga mata nang marinig ang sinabi ng nakakatandang kapatid. "I miss you too, Hermano. I'm okay, how 'bout you, you're not in Cartagena, are you?"

Lumipas ang ilang segundo ngunit hindi pa rin sumasagot ang nasa kabilang linya. Tiningnan ni Vodka ang screen ng cellphone upang kompirmahin kung 'di ba naputol ang tawag.

"You're still in Cartagena." Felix won't hesitate to answer her question unless he was hiding something. "You promised to go back to Bogotá immediately. You promised!" akusa niya.

Narinig niya ang pagbuntung-hininga ni Felix bago sumagot. "He's dead, Hermana."

Napabalikwas si Vodka sa narinig at nagunot ang noo. "Who?"

"Piero is dead. He had cancer. He spent his remaining days here in Cartagena, he said he wanted to be buried near our mother's chamber. That's the reason why I am here."

No! Vodka screamed in silence.

"Hey, are you still there?"

Hindi niya pinakinggan ang tinig ni Felix at pinatay ang tawag. Nakatulalang napatitig siya sa pader ng kanyang silid. Nang tuluyang maproseso sa kanyang isipan ang sinabi ng nakatatandang kapatid ay isinubsob niya ang mukha sa unan at humagulgol.

"P-Papá..." Mahirap paniwalaan na wala na ito. Hindi niya kailanman naisip na cancer ang papatay sa kanyang papá.

Nanikip ang dibdib ni Vodka habang patuloy na umiiyak. Sa loob ng veinticuatrong taon niyang pamumuhay sa mundo ay dalawang taon lang niya nakasama si Piero Romano—ang kanyang ama.

Isa itong Italyano na nakilala ng kaniyang Mamá sa Italya. Hindi ordinaryong tao si Piero sa bansang iyon. Her father was a boss of an Italian mafia. Human trafficking, gun smuggling, bid rigging, iilan lang iyan sa mga masasamang operasyong ginagawa ng grupo ng kanyang ama.

Vodka became aware of what kind of a person her father was when she saw him killing a person. She was twelve then.

Hindi niya namulatan ang kanyang papá. Kapapanganak pa lang sa kanya ng kanyang mamá ay umalis sila sa bansang Italya kasama ni Felix dahil sa mga kalaban ni Piero na gusto silang patayin. Sa bansang Colombia sa bayan ng Cartagena sila nanirahang tatlo, tahimik ang pamumuhay nila roon.

Palagi niyang tinatanong sa kanyang Mamá kung bakit hindi nila kasama ang kanyang Papá. She would tell her that their father was working at a far away place

Vodka was ten years old when she met Piero when he visited them from Italy. He was a tall and muscular man, with a beard around his face.

Noong una ay natakot siya rito ngunit dahil sadyang sabik siya sa isang ama ay agad silang nagkahulihan ng loob ni Piero. He had been a good father, at least for two years she felt his warmth and affection towards them. Pabalik-balik ito sa bansang Italya at umuuwi rin naman sa kanila. Naalala pa niyang palagi siyang naghihintay sa labas ng kanilang bahay tuwing alam niyang uuwi ito.

But everything changed when she saw him killed a person, just before her eyes. Simula noon ay natakot na siya sa kanyang papá, parang hindi na niya ito kilala. Ang takot niya ay napalitan ng galit nang mamatay ang kanyang mamá. She loathed Piero. Kung hindi sana ito nagpakita sa kanila ay hindi iyon mangyayari sa kanyang ina.

Sa edad na dose ay marami siyang nakita at narinig na nagpatunay sa kanya na hindi mabuting tao ang kanyang papá. Simula noong mamatay ang kanyang ina ay hindi na ito nagpakita sa kanila ni Felix.

Kahit na kinamumuhian niya ito ay ama pa rin niya ito. Minsan sa buhay niya ay nakasama niya itong matulog, kumain, kalaro niya, kausap, kayakap at iba pang mga bagay na ginagawa ng mag-ama.

VODKA was walking in the hallway in tiptoed. She doesn't want to make a sound, her mother will scold her if she'll find out that she was sneaking to the library. She opened the door slowly, she bit her lip when the door creaked.

She glanced on her left and right hallway to see if she had wakened up one of her housemates. She let a sigh in relief when she didn't see a single soul aside from her. When she finally entered the library she grinned widely.

"Yes!" she uttered in glee. The library was soundproof, she was confident to make a sound. "Now where is the sewing machine?" she uttered in a sing-song.

She knew that her mamá's old sewing machine was stored in the library. She wanted to make a dress for her dolls but mamá won't let her sew. She was afraid that she might get hurt.

Vodka had a hard time finding the machine on their big library. There were old and thick books inside, she doesn't stay a lot of times in the library because she wasn't fond of reading, unlike her older brother Felix.

She quickly hid on one of the shelves when she heard the door opened. She was tightly holding her doll on her chest when she saw her father and two unfamiliar men entered the library.

She covered her mouth to contain her gasp, her doll fell on the cold floor. The two unfamiliar men in the black suits were dragging another man whose face was covered with blood.

Her father was talking to the two men in suits in Italian. Vodka can understand Italian but she doesn't know how to speak the language.

The men in suits were her father's bodyguards, they were guarding their family in case Piero's enemies find them, and that blooded person was one of his enemies. The man followed Piero from Italy to Colombia.

Her body trembled and her tears fell uncontrollably when she saw her father pointed a gun at the man who was now lying on the floor. The man was beaten to a pulp, he had bruises and blood all over his body.

"N-No!" She covered her ears when she heard the gunfire. She lost her ability to hear for a moment. She felt dizzy and her head felt like they were about to split in two.

Her butt fell on the floor while she was still covering her ear and her eyes were close.

"Mi princesa..." Vodka can now hear inaudible voices, she knew it was Piero who was calling her.

When finally she regained her hearing back, she looked up and found her Papá hovering her. She shook her head frantically while her tears continued to fall. She crawled backward when he kept on walking towards her until he became closer and closer and her back hit the wall of the library.

"What did you see, my princess?"

Her cries grew louder and frantic when he lowered his body on her. He squatted and lift her in his arms. She kept on struggling hysterically.

"N-No! D-don't hurt me..." she cried, begging him.

"Shh... Papá won't hurt you."

"N-no! P-please, I'm scared... I-I'm scared... I'm— " Vodka felt her father's hand on her neck and her body became weak, then she lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she saw her mamá on her bed. She cried in her arms when she remembered what her father did to the man. He killed a person. Her papá who was always gentle to her killed a person!

Vodka saw Piero on the door of her room and cried even more. She was scared of him, he was not the father she knew. "G-go away..." she cried. She saw the melancholy on her father's face before closing the door.

PASULYAP-SULYAP si Vodka sa rearview mirror ng kanyang sasakyan. Pakiramdam niya ay sinusundan siya ng pulang Mitsubishi na kanina pa niya nakita simula nang umalis siya sa condominium building niya.

Binagalan niya ang pagpapatakbo ng isang kalye nalang ang layo niya sa kanyang shop. Nakahinga lang siya ng maluwag nang hindi nagmenor ang sasakyan at lumampas sa kanya. Masyado lang siguro siyang nerbiyosa, pati mga simpleng bagay ay binibigyan niya ng kahulugan.

You can't blame her, after what happened at the nightclub, she had been anxious every time.

Nang makalabas ng sasakyan pagkaparada niya ay muli na naman siyang nakaramdam ng matinding kaba. Inilibot niya ang paningin sa paligid, kapagkuwan ay napabuntung-hining ng wala siyang makitang kakaiba. May mga taong dumadaan sa bangketa at maraming sasakyan ang paroo't parito sa kalsada.

"Are you okay?"

Ngumiti si Vodka sa kanyang manager na nagtanong sa kanya nang makapasok siya sa shop. Napansin marahil nito ang pamamaga ng kanyang mga mata. Sinubukan niya iyong takpan ng make-up ngunit hindi niya mapagtagumapayan.

Umagapay ito sa paglalakad patungo sa ikalawang palapag ng gusali. Iniba niya ang usapan at itinanong dito ang tungkol sa shipment ng mga tela. Sa susunod na linggo raw ang mga iyon makakarating sa kanila.

Vodka spent her day on her work. She filled herself with work to forget her father's death and Patrick Castillo's death for a while.

She worked until eight in the evening then she decided to go to a particular place. She stopped her car in the street parallel to Tipsy Talk. Wala na ang police line sa lugar na iyon ngunit hindi pa rin iyon nagbubukas. Nakapatay ang ilaw ng signage sa itaas ng dalawang palapag na gusali.

Pagkalipas ng ilang sandaling pagmamasid sa gusali ay lumabas siya ng sasakyan at tumawid sa kabilang kalsada.

Sinubukan niyang pihitin ang seradura ng nightclub at napasinghap nang malamang hindi iyon naka-lock. Tumingin-tingin muna siya sa paligid bago iyon binuksan at pumasok.

Vodka was greeted by the darkness the moment she entered the nightclub. Her heart was beating faster than normal.

She was taking light steps when she heard a cold voice echoed the whole place.