To act as if nothing happened was my plan. Hindi ito naganap, hindi ako nakita ni Chris. I was expecting that he’ll ask me questions but I heard nothing from him. I was also expecting an apology, but then again. Nothing. Wala. Zero. None. Pabor ‘yun sa akin pero hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi ako mapakali. The plates are all cleaned up. He’s outside, sitting at one of the huge stones in the lake. He looks like he is not here and wandering somewhere inside his mind. He is just staring at the tranquil water. When Chris noticed my presence he came forward and looked at me from head to toe. I don’t know what’s in his mind nor why am I thinking about everything that just happened. “Let’s clean you up.” Hearing it coming from him made me stop and think for a second, it sounds like a double meaning to me. A questioning look is what I gave him, “the paints,” he said. I almost slap myself in my mind. “You know how to remove these?” He nodded. He let me sit on the table that he set-up a
I can’t keep up with Chris so I decided to go back to the camper van and wait for him to return. If we’re in a movie I could easily say that this is a horror one. A few minutes had passed and Chris hadn't returned yet. I was walking back-and-forth, I hate to admit it but I am worried! Okay first, I don’t know where the keys are for this camper van and I don’t know how to drive so I cannot use it. Second, I don’t know where we are exactly. Chris is the navigator. I cannot use my phone to search for my exact location because there is no signal. Yeah, I can walk and find a signal but it would be a hassle. Baka lalo pa akong maligaw! Third, I have a lot of questions that he must answer! My list of reasons would continue. I think I’ll go nuts if he won’t come back in an hour. Or this is a good sign for me to kill myself right here, right now? I saw an illuminating light from a distance. Out of curiosity and hope that it’s Chirs, I followed it. I was right, it was him! Chris has
Selene came out and saw us arguing. She’s wearing my clothes, drying her hair with Chris’ towel. She stopped when she saw us. Her eyes landed on Chris’ hands on mine. “Okay lang ba kayo?” She asked, without looking directly at me. Of all the people who cannot remember what happened to her, she’s too calm. She’s probably lying and hiding something under her sleeves, but who am I to judge? She may have her reasons, I just hope they are valid. And if she needs help, she should not hesitate to ask us. I don’t know what they talked about this morning, it seems like they don’t want to share it with me and I respect that. The fact that Selene does not look bothered at all is what got me thinking. If there were men who are following her, shouldn’t she be in panic right now, asking us to at least come to the police or bring her to the hospital or any place where she can remember what happened? O baka pati iyon ay nakalimutan na din niya? She can remember her name. Aside from that, she said s
Laying in bed was what I did all day. Chris and Selene checked up on me a while ago, I confirmed to them that I am doing just fine and they can continue whatever the hell they are doing outside. I cannot remember how many times Chris came to check up on me, I remember waking up three times and all those with his eyes meeting mine the first time I opened them. When I’m asking him, “what?” He’ll just shrug and ask me if I needed anything. Weird. He looks so worried. This is just dysmenorrhea. From everything that I’ve been through, this is just a small fries. Buti na lang hindi ko nakalimutan na bumili ng napkins nang mamili kami ni Chris sa Agrahbah kung hindi ay kanina pa ako nagpumilit na umalis na kami dito. I get up to see what’s happening outside. The moon is already present but there are no stars. I’m
Hindi ako pumalag sa hawak ni Chris. Nakipaglaban ako ng titig sa kaniya. Ayokong ako ang maunang sumuko dahil hindi ko siya maintindihan at hindi ko din maintindihan ang sarili ko, idagdag pa itong buwanang dalaw ko. Ewan ko na. The awkward moment stopped when Jafar played the guitar. He has no choice, Chris is already holding me and the guitar is within his hands. Knowing the pride he has, he’ll play something well that could match Chris’ guitar and singing ability. The only people who remained standing were the pairs. Lolita and Jak, Prince and Mal, and Chris and I. Jafar started singing a romantic duet with Selene. Oh, so she can sing. Not just can, but she’s good at it. Their voices harmonize with each other. Although the song is not familiar, hearing it from them introduces a great song to my ear.
Selene words kept running through my mind. “Chris, paano kung magkaroon ng sira at pumalya ang system bago mo mailigtas si Leira? Paano kung hindi na ako makaalala talaga at hindi ko magawa ang bagay na dapat kong gawin kaya ako bumalik?” I can’t help but to think about it, I am devoured and swallowed whole by those words. My mind is in a complete mess. “Chris, paano kung magkaroon ng sira at pumalya ang system bago mo mailigtas si Leira?” Those are Selene’s exact words that got me dumbfounded. The questions in my mind are slowly piling up which makes me just want to drag Chris in no time and confront his real intentions towards me. What is the system that they mentioned? Those saving? Coming back? What are they supposed to mean? Still, I remained silent and did not ask them anything. I immediately left them after hearing those words, it seemed like they did not notice my presence so I hurried back to the camper van. Hindi ako nakatulog buong gabi. Nakita ko pa nga na sa pwe
I missed the beauty of the City. Tiana just looks exactly like Ariel. From the buildings, commerce, infrastractures, and way of living. It has a lot more technological advancements than Belle. Even though the sun’s straight up, all the people are busy. If there are commercial buildings, there are also street vendors. People that are in and outside of the malls, workaholic people who do not take lunch breaks and people from the government who do not have lunch breaks but are off their offices. There are parts of the City that smell like coffee and pastries – sweet, inviting, and calming. As you go further, there will be a mixed smell of gasoline, smoke coming from different vehicles and industries, the smell of escaped air from the air conditioned open malls. We had lunch inside the mall and chose to go to a buffet restaurant that Chris suggested. He said they offer the best unlimited steaks which are his favorite. So he already went here and there? Kung saan saan na siguro napadp
Before the night ended, something mysterious, adamantly wonderful, and exhilarating happened. We danced to our hearts content. Selene and I were drunk in our own worlds, literally not minding everyone that touches us and dances with us. Sweats and bodies are colliding as we sway our hips and raise our hands but it does not stop us. We shouted and tried our best to be heard as if competing with the electronic music that the dj is playing. It's fun. But just like what people always say, the fun does not last forever. Neither do happy endings exist. Why was I thinking of a happy ending in this situation? It’s always like a kiss would resolve everything and anything. A princess kissed a prince and turned him into a very handsome gentleman, a prince kissed a sleeping princess and so she woke up and they lived happily ever after. A princess was poisoned then a true love’s kiss made her alive. They always make it like a true love’s kiss would solve all the problems in this world. An