THE CEILING was the first thing that I saw when I opened my eyes. Kulay puti ang tangi kong nakikita, na parang sinusundo ako ng mga anghel. I didnât know where I was, but I could feel that my body had gotten weak and severe.
Slowly, I blinked my eyes. I had just awakened from a bad dream and I didn't know how it started, but they were still droopy. Pagod na pagod ang katawan ko, and it felt like it had been paralyzed for how many days.
My mind should have been clear by now since waking up opens a fresh start. Pero iba ang nadarama ko. Gulong-gulo at litong-lito ang utak ko sa mga pangyayari, na parang pinagbuntungan ng sobrang kalat at basura.
Sandali ay pinakiramdaman ko ang katawan ko. There's something aching at the right side of my abdomen. Parang tinu
BADTRIP. Nababadtrip ako kay Avancea. Bakit hindi na lang siya lumayas sa mamanahin kong mansyon? Bakit kailangan pa niyang makipag siksikan sa pamilya namin? Bakit napaka s****p niya simula bata pa kami? Our family would have been better, stronger, if she and her leech mother Amadena hadnât appeared in our life. Pero may magagawa ba ako sa desisyon ng Papa ko? Meron. But, bullshit, not on this matter. He wonât let me, her genius daughter, dictate his heart. Not even Kuya Dallas whoâs vocally against it but is silent when the two leeches are present. Wala rin naman kaming maaasahan kay Mama kasi iniwan niya kami kay Papa at sumama sa lalaki niya. To make matters worse, nagkaroon pa sila ng anak. But all of my motherâs desires faded when she lost everything she fought for. One, her partner who I never met. Second, her son, my step brother. And third, kami ng orihinal na pamilya niya. But serious matters aside, bwisit na bwisit na ako kay Avancea. Sinumbong niya ako tungkol sa pambubu
WHATâS THAT?â I asked Shanta the moment she entered our bedroom with a book in her hand. Nilapitan ko siya at hinawakan ang bewang niya saka hinalikan siya sa balikat. âSaan pumunta ang Baby Love ko? Hmm?â âHulaan moâŠâ biro niya saka kumapit sa bewang ko bago nangunang naglakad. I grinned, then walked with her with my right arm clinging onto her shoulder. Sinilip ko ang librong hinahawakan niya at naintriga ako. âYou donât recognize this, do you?â tanong niya. âWhere did you find that?â Shanta looked up at me. âIt doesnât matter. I found it and I fixed everything back.â Binalik niya ang tingin sa libro⊠o ang manuskritong sinulat ko⊠at naupo sa dulo ng kama. I also sat beside her with my eyes pinned on her glowing face. âI have been curious about this lately, alam mo ba âyonâŠâ kwento niya at sinimulang buklatin ang libro. âPunit-punit âto noong nahanap ko kaya nagpabili ako kay Benida ng scotch tape. She helped me put back every page.â Then, she looked at me teasingly. âAko p
I SMILED at the guests who greeted me and Shanta as we walked on the red carpeted aisle. Hindi ganoon karami ang mga bisita. Nabibilang lang sa mga daliri ang mga tao sa mesa. I recognized almost all of them. Masaya ako at dinaluhan nila kami para sa gabing ito.Shanta and the Six Packs, which included me, sat down at a very special seat near the mini stage. Pabilog ang mesa at pitong upuan ang naroon para sa isa sa amin. Naunang umupo ang mga kaibigan ko. Lachlan and Katlego sat beside each other. Ganoon din si Euart at Jirario. Clavis, however, chose to sit next to her cousin. Samantala ako, pinagitnaan nina Shanta at Jirario. I pulled my Babyâs golden chair before she took her seat. âMusta ka na?â tanong ko kay Jira nang hayaan ko si Shanta na kausapin ang pinsan niya. I smiled at my cousin when I looked at him. Itâs been a long time and we have been very busy with our own lives, so itâs nice if we catch up. âKumusta ka naman at ng inaanak ko? Damn⊠I canât believe youâre a family
ISANG BUWAN na ang nakalipas at unti-unti nang humuhupa ang kaguluhan sa Manila. Tito Kadam is already jailed in the New Bilibid Prison while his case is set for an appeal by his lawyers. While Coolidge Mental Care remained a crime scene, the patients were transferred to a safer and better facility. They will be sent back once the investigation is done and once the mental care has found its new owner. Sa ngayon, weâre trying to fix all the casualties, lalo na sa pagpapagamot ng mga pasyente. After all, Shanta and I both experienced a life inside the mental hospital. Nais naming tumulong. âSir, Maâam, nandyan na po ang mga bisita,â pagpapaalam ng kasambahay noong pumasok ito sa kwarto ko. âSusunod na kami. Thank you,â I said. And after telling me some more notice, the househelp left the room. Naiwan kami ni Shanta sa harap ng salamin habang inaayos niya ang necktie ko. Two days ago, we left Bohol for our business here in the Metro. Naisip naming ligtas nang tumira sa bahay ko⊠na
I DONâT KNOW when was the last time that I was energized to wake up. I remembered waking up with a huge weight in my head and I felt so exhausted at the start of the day, that ending it would mean fatigue for a week. But while my eyes remain closed, my mind is already awake. And I could feel Shantaâs small body still embracing me. Napangiti ako. Dahil diyan, bahagyang isinubsob ko ang aking ilong sa buhok niya. Walang pagbabago. Her hairâs scent is still the same lavender with fresh milk. I sniffed like drugs and kissed her forehead and tightened my embrace because I am never gonna lose her again. This moment couldâve happened two years ago if the incident didnât happen. We couldâve been living on one roof with our two kids that are one-year-old apart, and weâre still making the third one. But even though weâre two years late, this⊠the night that I woke up beside her is what matters most. This will keep me from waking up and start my day blissfully. Aaraw-arawin ko ito, and the d
THE NEXT DAY, Shanta and I traveled back to Panglao Island, Bohol to stay in her mansion for the meantime while things subside. Hindi sana doon. It could have been my house, but almost everyone knows about it, so definitely, the place is not safe for us. We decided to take a break after the national newscast reported across the country. It was stressful and⊠chaotic. Ilang media na rin ang sumubok na kuhanan kami ng panayam, but Shanta, although ready to speak up, is not allowed to give herself another stress. I didnât permit it because she needed rest after trespassing in Kachina's house. Makita-kita ko pang may benda siya sa noo kaya mas lalong hindi ako pumayag. She got it from her cousin who broke a vase on her head. And even though I wanted to make that woman pay, I didnât want reporters to exploit my Babyâs condition and people to make a feast out of it. Kahit na kami ang nasa tama at ang biktima, hindi ko ginawa. The right people would see it, especially the court. And I wou