PROLOGUE

Hindi ko inasahan na dadapo sa pisngi ko ang isang napakalakas na sampal mula kay mommy. “Ngayon lang nakabalik ang ate mo matapos niyang mawala at dumanas ng hirap for almost twenty years! Tapos iyan pa ang igaganti mo? Aagawin mo pa ang kaisa-isang lalaking mahal niya?!” Sa gulat ko ay napaiyak ako. Akala ko, ako ang kakampihan niya but then again, I was wrong.

Masakit! Masakit pa sa sampal na natanggap ko. Napahawak ako sa pisngi ko habang tuluyan nang napaiyak.

“Mom! How can you be so unreasonable?! You know that William is my boyfriend! Stop being blind!”

“Can you stop shouting at mom?! Hindi namin kasalanan kung hindi mo napunan ang pangangailangan ni William! Now, he’s happier with me! Can’t you be at least happy with that?”

Hindi ko matanggap na ni hindi man lang nga siya nakakalapit sa mommy ko to even give her a hug, sampal na agad ang natamo ko. I missed them. I missed William so much. He is my childhood sweetheart and my boyfriend. Hindi ko inaasahan na manginginig ang buong sistema ko nang maabutan ko silang dalawa sa sofa na magkasama, naghahagikhikan at masaya. 

“Mom, kasalanan ko ang lahat ng ‘to. Hindi na dapat ako bumalik!” Ate Elisha said while sobbing. Ramdam ko na mas lalo lang uminit ang ulo ko dahil alam ko na nagpapaawa lang naman ito kay mommy. 

Sobrang sakit lalo na nang makita ko si William na hinagod pa ang balikat ng ate ko. “Elisha, don’t say that! I admit, the two of us was really close and I only think of her as my younger sister. That’s why I guess, she misunderstood it.

Tila sasabog ako sa narinig kong ‘yon. Nanginginig ang buo kong sistema. Hindi na iyak ang kailangan nito. Gusto kong magwala at pagsisigawan silang lahat. Napakamanhid nila! Napakainsensitive nila! They are doing this in front of me?! I would really go crazy!

“Shut up!” sigaw ko. Hindi ko na kayang makinig. Napakasakit! Harap-harapan nila akong ginagago!

“You shut up, Eloisa! How dare you talk to your sister like that?!” my Mom reprimanded. :If Elisha has suffered for twenty years, couldn’t you be more considerate?!”

Halos mapaawang ang labi ko sa pagkagitla. Bakit parang siya pa ang may kasalanan? Bakit parang siya pa ang may nagawang mali?

“Tama na ang kaguluhan na ‘to.” 

Napalingon kaming lahat. Si Daddy. I slightly smiled. Did he come to defend me?

“D-Dad,” nauutal at halos mangiyak-ngiyak kong sabi. Tila nabuhayan ako ng loob nang makita ko ang Daddy ko.

“Eloisa, stop this right now. Kailangan pa naming pag-usapan ang engagement nina Elisha at William. Stop getting in the way, will you?”

My whole body trembled as I blankly stared at his face. I’m so clueless. Hindi ko na talaga alam ang nangyayari. Am I not part of this f*cking family? Para siyang isang walang kwentang anak sa harap ng mga ito. And now, everyone is on Elisha’s side. Bakit? Just because she just came back after being gone for twenty years?!

My tears fell down my cheeks. Hindi ko na kayang pigilan. Mabilis ko iyong pinunasan ng mariin saka ko sila tinalikuran. Hindi ko sila lilingunin. Hindi.

I drove my car. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako nito dadalhin. I just drive and drive. Pero nang maalala ko si Kai ay natigilan ako para contact-in siya. I called her on the phone. 

“Where are you? Let’s drink.” Yaya ko sa kanya. 

Nagulat pa siya nang magyaya ako. Well, all these months I have been so busy with work at ngayon lang talaga nagka-oras.

“Okay, okay. I’m coming right away.”

--

At Shalton 1995 Bar. I parked my car and went inside. Bago pa man makarating si Kai ay naubos ko na kaagad ang isang bote ng wine. I drank it myself. Who else would care?

“Marami akong in-order. Drink until you we both can’t walk anymore.” Paghahamon ko sa kanya. “Isa pa, hindi naman kita paaalisin nang hindi natin ‘to nauubos.”

Eloisa threw a bottle of beer over.

Napakunot ng noo si Kai. Halata ko naman sa kanya na naninibago siya. “May problema ba, Loi? What’s the matter with you?” nagtataka niyang tanong sa ‘kin as I am expecting.

“Isa pa, ba’t hindi mo kasama si William? Himala yata at hindi ka niya pinagbawalang mag-bar ngayon?” Dugtong pa ni Kai na tila nag-uusisa. 

Pakiramdam niya ay kinakaskas ang puso niya sa tuwing naririnig niya ang pangalan ni William. He mean everything to her. 

“He doesn’t want me anymore, Kai. I came back finding out that my sister, Elisha is back and is engaged with William. Surprising right?” I said sarcastically.

Kai was stunned. “What a bloody plot. Kakabasa mo siguro ng nobela ‘yan?” may pagdududa pa nitong tanong sa ‘kin thinking I am just lying. 

Tila nagbabalik na naman sa memorya ko ang nangyari kanina lang. Sobrang bilis ng nangyari sa maiksing panahon. 

Kita ko sa mga mata ni Kai na hindi ito makapaniwala. Akala niya kasi, kami na talaga ni William ang para sa isa’t isa. Saksi rin kasi siya sa kung paano kami nagsimula noong high school. It was like a fairytale that ended on a tragic heartbreak. 

I worked abroad to study while William had been busy with his work so marriage was never really on the line to talk about. Walang nakakaalam kung kailan kami magpapakasal dahil hindi naman iyon napag-uusapan. And just today, William would finally be marrying at ang masakit, hindi sa akin kundi sa ate ko.

“Sobra na sila! Ano na bang nangyayari sa mommy’t daddy mo? They must have had a hole in their brains! Hindi ka man lang inisip!” frustrated na sagot ni Kai sa ‘kin. 

I was thinking that way too. They never considered my feelings. They are only considerate about what Ate Elisha would feel.

“Siguro, iniisip nila na madaming pinagdaanan si Ate Elisha nang mawala ito. And now that she’s back, they want to give her everything. All the best.”

Namewang si Kai. “Pero anak ka rin naman nila!”

Mapait lang akong ngumiti and sip my wine. “Haha, now that she’s back, pakiramdam nila, si Elisha lang ang meron sila. Sadly.” 

“I hate my family. I hate William for promising to marry me and be with me for the rest of his life. He even promised that nothing will change but what now? He is such a d*ck head.”

Eloisa choked up thinking about the past. She took several sips of wine while her tears slowly pouring down her cheeks like a stream. She’s already feeling a little dizzy.

“Girl, you know what. Let’s look at the brighter side. Look!” Kai said while pointing her fingers at the direction of a very familiar person sitting at a corner.

It was dimly lit over there but it was vaguely visible that the man was wearing a suit that I think is kind of not appropriate in this place. Is he going in a business meeting or something? Masyado naman yata siyang pormal. Wika ko sa isipan.

The man was leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed with a splendid temperament. Occassionally, a rotating spotlight swept over and at a glance, I saw a perfect profile face depicted similarly on comic books I often read. What a surreal visuals!

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, no matter how handsome a man is, I am not in the mood to appreciate them at this state.” I whispered.

Napangisi si Kai. “Gusto ko lang sabihin sa ‘yo, that man is William’s uncle.”

I was stunned for a moment. “What?! S-Sigurado ka ba?” Tila nawala yata ang kalasingan ko.

Minsan nang nag-mention sa kanya si William noon tungkol sa uncle nito who’s been managing his own company overseas but she has never seen it. Few days ago, rinig niya na nagbalik na rin ito sa Pilipinas at hindi nagkakalayo ang pag-uwi nila.

“I am pretty sure. The last time I attended a reception with my brother, he pointed him out to me. I heard this man is of great skills at a young age.” Tila bilib na bilib rito si Kai. I can see it in her eyes. Lalo pa na halos parehas lang ang edad namin,

“What if I marry this uncle of his?”

Halos mabilaukan si Kai sa mga sinabi ko. Kulang na lang ay lumuwa ang mga mata nito at maidura niya ang ininom niyang wine. 

“What?! You can’t be serious, Eloisa!” 

I smirked. “If I can’t be a Santiago’s daughter-in-law, then might as well I can be William’s little aunt? I want to surprise these two bitches.”