Chapter 3

The next following weeks become more torture for me. I get bored day by day and get sick of helping other people. I badly want to find a human that is willing to sacrifice their body. I wanted to do something for someone to sacrifice their body but I know I will only increase my sin.

"Hindi ka ba talaga sasama sa akin bukas?" Kaito ask me again for the nth time. "Come on, Spain na kaya 'yon! Ayaw mo bang bisitahin ang bansa kung saan ka nanggaling?"

"Will you please stop convincing me to come with you? Are you stupid? You want me to go there? You know what I've been through in that country." I told him. Can't he just leave now? So I can no longer see his face.

"Alam ko, pero malay mo kapag nakabalik ka ron---" I glared at him so he stopped talking for a while before talking again. "I will go straight to Japan afterward. I will be there for a few months before going back here...for good," he was hesitant when he said that. He seemed to be worried about what my reaction would be.

"You're resigning?" I asked without looking at him, my eyes remained in front. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him nod slowly. "Why? Did she tell you to leave me, too?"

"Magreresign ako pero hindi kita iiwan," he answered cautiously.

"That's not even the answer to my question," I whispered.

"My mother is sick. Gusto ni Mama na dito nalang ako sa Pilipinas habang nagpapagaling siya. Wala ring ibang mag-aalaga sa kaniya kung hindi ako lang."

"If you resign, how will you pay for the hospital bills?" I asked him.

"I have some savings. I can use that to start a small business."

I stared at him for a moment before I faked a laugh. "Liar. Just tell me that you are also one of those I will lose. You don't have to make excuses for me," I told him. "It's okay. Don't go to Japan anymore. Hand me your resignation once you're done in Spain," I said and stood up. "I'm going somewhere. Lock the door when you leave."

I sigh as I get out of the house. If I stay inside and talk to him he will see how I feel. Losing someone close to me is not new anymore but it still hurts. It hurts to the point that I can't say how much it hurts. All I need to do is to act like it's just nothing to me but it does.

I walked straight until I stopped in front of a pole. I remained standing there until I saw a man running. I slightly kicked his right leg, the reason why he lost his balance. I sighed before I pulled him up and got the bag he was holding.

"Snatching is a bad thing," I said while acting like I was disappointed in him.

"Sino ka ba?!" he asked. He was about to go closer to me but I preceded him.

"You," I said seriously. "Look me straight in the eyes. Go to the police station and return the bag you snatched" I told him. I reached out his hand to hand over the bag before I tapped him on the shoulder. He blinked twice before walking away.

I rolled my eyes as I tried to find the alcohol in my pocket. I gasped when I remembered that I ran out of alcohol and forgot to refill it. I went straight to the nearest 7/11.

"Good evening, Ma'am," the boy greeted me. I just gave him the alcohol and didn't even bother to greet him back. After paying, I bought a coffee before sitting outside the convenience store. I wanted to go somewhere else but I was too lazy.

I was enjoying my coffee when I suddenly heard a man's voice. 'I wish to give my body. I wish to die.' I was suddenly aroused by what I heard. The first thing that came to my mind was that he could be the person I was waiting for.

In just a blink of an eye I was already inside the elevator going to the rooftop. When it opened, I quickly found the guy. I saw a man sitting at the edge of the rooftop. I quietly walked closer to him before leaning against the railings and stared at his back.

I slowly looked at the thing next to him and almost laughed when I saw some beer. A drunk wish, huh?

"You won't die if you just sit there and don't jump. Do you want me to push you?" I asked while laughing. 

He didn't seem surprised when I spoke. He just continued drinking the beer. I waited for him to finish it and was about to walk closer to him when he suddenly turned his head to me.

I was taken aback when I finally saw his face. What a fucking confidence. I saw how his eyes widened when he saw me but I still managed to hide my emotion. 

I proceeded to approach him and sat down next to him. I can still feel his gaze but I pretended like it was nothing to me. I placed my hands in my jacket before inhaling the cold air.

"Why are you here?" he curiously asks me. I look at him and smile before looking away again.

"You called me here," I answered him.

"Huh?"

I laughed a little, "I wish to give my body. I wish to die. I heard you saying that."

"Oh," he murmured, "I thought I won't see you again. You left without saying anything last week."

I immediately looked back at him when I heard him say. "Can you remember me?" I asked, unable to contain my shock.

"What? You think I'm too old to forget you?" he laughingly said.

"I mean, I made you forget me and what happened that day," I whisper. "So what you're saying is, you even saw what I did at your Restaurant?" I asked him.

"What you did?" he curiously asked. There was a hope in me that I did make him forget some part of it but it also disappeared as soon as he spoke. "Right, you saved the baby. The mother wants to talk to you but I told her that you already left."

I was silent for a moment. My head hurts at the thought of what all this means. He can see everything in me and my spell can't work on him. But I can still hear his wish so what is he? What can be his role in my life? I sighed before shaking my head to stop thinking.

"Why did you wish to die?" I asked him, changing the topic.

"Nothing," he quickly answered. A moment of silence happened before he spoke again. "Did you, perhaps, tried to wish na sana ikaw nalang at hindi ang mga taong mahal mo sa buhay?"

I couldn't answer immediately. Memories of me with my family suddenly popped up into my mind. I smiled a little before sighing. Those memories still haunt me every night. It was one of the happiest but most painful I have ever experienced.

"I wish to die for them. I wish to sacrifice my body for them. It was my birthday today and my family got into an accident," he faked a laugh a little, "nakakatawa lang kasi ang saya ko kanina tapos makakatanggap ako ng tawag galing sa hospital. Dead on arrival. No one survived."

That is when I finally looked at him. "Don't give me that look, don't pity me. Gusto ko lang sabihin kasi pakiramdam ko kailangan ko 'tong ilabas," he said to me before drinking his beer. "I just wanted to celebrate my birthday with them and see them after almost a year," he added.

"Do you want me to fulfill your request?" I asked him seriously. He looked up at me before laughing.

"Are you saying that to comfort me?" he asked me, still laughing.

"No, I'm saying this to grant your wish. I'll bring back your family. I'll let them live. But in exchange for that, you have to give me your body and die." I said while looking straight at him. He stopped drinking and stared at me. After a few seconds, my forehead furrowed when he suddenly burst out laughing. "Stop laughing or else I'll push you," I warned him.

"Why? To prove to me that you can rea---" before he could finish what he was saying I pushed him without a warning before jumping too. I effortlessly grabbed him by his collar and quickly returned to the rooftop.

"That was… so close," he said while still catching his breath. I just shook my head before going back to where we were earlier. He immediately followed and sat down next to me, still trying to catch his breath.

"What now? I need your answer so I know if I'm just wasting time with you or not," I told him. "What? Did you get scared?" I asked, trying to tease him.  

"No," he said while taking a deep breath. "I know you won't let me die. I was just really surprised because you pushed me."

"What do you mean?"

"I know there is something strange about you since we first met. And it's not my first time seeing you at the Restaurant," I raised a brow at him which shows I don't get what he's saying, "I already saw you a few years ago. It just happens that I always see you once every year, helping someone. To be honest, I was shocked when I saw at the restaurant, with all those scars and bruise---"

"Can you please stop mentioning that when you're with me? I feel uncomfortable" I cut him off.

"So what are you? Like someone in a fantasy novel? A goblin? Someone, who has power?" he asked.

I averted my eyes from him before answering, "Let's just say I'm a person who can't move forward. Like something stuck somewhere because it is no longer needed."

"That's deep. Did you commit sin from your past life? Wait, are you alive or dead?"

I was completely taken aback by his question. "I'm not sure," I told him. "I'm not sure if I'm alive or dead. I'm simply stuck. I merely exist. I'm trapped in a time zone that can never be reversed. So, tell me now. I'll let them live in exchange for your body. Do you want to live or do you want your family to live again?"

He laughed a bit. "What's the difference? Nothing will change the fact that we will never meet again." I remained silent again because of his answer. "How long have you been punished? How old are you?"

"I'm older than you think," I told him. "Don't ask me questions like that if you won't believe in my answer."

"I'll believe you."

"Approximately 1,200?" I told him. "I'm 1,200 years old." 

His mouth turned into an 'o' for a second before clearing his throat and looking away.

"Does your punishment mean you can't die? You are getting older but your appearance doesn't change?"

"Not knowing my punishment is my punishment," I answered. "And don't try to joke at me. You can see my scars. I'm sure the first thing that comes to your mind is ‘I look ugly.’"

"No," he said while shaking his head. "You look perfect with the scars and bruises on your face," he said seriously. I was stunned by what he said but recovered quickly. "I've been wanting to ask you this since last week," I looked at him again. "Are you a foreigner? Don't get me wrong, pero hindi pa kita naririnig magsalita ng Tagalog pero mukhang naiintindihan mo naman ako."

"I'm half Spanish and half Canadian," I answered. "I can understand Tagalog and I know how to speak in Tagalog as well. I'm just not comfortable and I don't have the courage to use your language," I explained.

"You don't need the courage to speak Tagalog," he suddenly said. "So if you're Spanish and Canadian, why are you here in the Philippines? Why aren't you in Spain or Canada?"

"I just can't. And I... like it here," he nodded at my answer so I asked him.

"You're immortal," he suddenly said out of nowhere.

"Immortal, my foot," I laughed a little. "So what? Do you accept the deal or not?" I asked him again for the third time. When I noticed that he had no intention of answering, I stood up. "I guess I'm just wasting my time on you then," I said and started to walk away. I was at the door when he suddenly spoke again.

"If I agree to the deal does it mean that we will meet every day?" I turned to him because of his question. He was already standing while looking at me. "If that's the case, then it's a deal."