Effect
Bukas pa ang dating ni Kuya Theo. We are all excited. He's been studying in Ohio for almost six months now. Ngayong last week ng taon lang siya nakakuha ng break.
We'll spend New Year in Subic. Si Kuya Van at Tyler ang nagplano noon. I'm not quite sure if they just really wanted a short vacation or if they'll try to do something crazy again. Like surfing or any extreme water sports. I swear one day, idi-disown na sila ni Lola. Those two are the worst together. Hindi ko nga alam kung paano nila napapayag si Lola.
"Gi, can you reach Austin and ask if the game will push through?" Spencer asked. Nakaupo kami sa couch habang nanonood sa laro ni Aspen at Tyler. I don't know what game it is pero iyon daw 'yong binili nila sa Shanghai dati. Aspen even bragged that it's limited edition so a noob like me isn't allowed to play.
Grateful"Why are you crying?" I worriedly asked.Agatha immediately wiped her tears away."I miss you so much!""I miss you so much, too. But please, tell me first why you're crying?" pag-uulit ko. Kinakabahan ako sa kanya, e."I feel so guilty for ignoring you this past week. I'm sorry..." she said. Hindi pa rin siya tumitigil sa pag-iyak. Nahahawa na rin tuloy ako...Hinayaan ko lang muna siya na magsalita."It was so stupid of me. Crush ko lang naman si Sandro pero ang OA ng reaksiyon ko. Nalaman ko kasi na sa'yo pala siya interesado... I just felt really sad and hurt. Feeling ko kasi kaya lang siya nakipag usap sa'kin kasi kaibigan kita..
My GirlAustin tried hard to console me. Kahit pa okay naman talaga ang pakiramdam ko. Tumigil kami sa park malapit sa subdivision namin at doon nagpalipas ng oras. Ayaw niya kasing umuwi ako nang hindi niya nalalaman kung ano'ng nangyari sa'kin. He just kept on asking me what's wrong and that made me tear up even more. Kapag kasi tinatanong ako kung okay lang ba ako, mas lalo lang akong naiiyak.In the end, I got to convince him that I'm just really grateful and I'm not hurt physically or in any way. Ang tagal bago siya naniwala.Kinabukasan ay maaga kaming bumiyahe papuntang Subic. Medyo inaantok pa ako kasi ang tagal kong nakatulog kagabi. Tumawag kasi si Agatha tapos kung anu-ano na naman ang pinag-usapan namin na di ko na namalayan ang oras.Nasa hiwalay kaming sasakyan nin
Plot twistI stepped back immediately because we were so close to each other."Yeah," I managed to say.We always, always meet in an unexpected setting."Sinong kasama mo?" tanong niya."Family," tipid kong sagot.He nodded. "You want to join me for a drink?" muli niyang tanong at tinuro pa ang table 'di kalayuan. Mayroong isang lalaki roon na sa tingin ko'y kapatid o kapamilya niya.Seriously, when will he stop inviting me for drinks or coffee?Umiling ako. Trying not to be rude in the process of declining. I was about to excuse myself to go to Esther when he said something.
Plot twistWe stopped for lunch in a nearby resto then spent the whole afternoon visiting the Spanish Gate, a heritage site here in Subic, and Zoobic Safari. We enjoyed most in the Safari. Mas maganda pala pumunta roon kapag gabi pero hindi na kami pwede magtagal. Ang saya magpapicture kasama ng mga crocodiles pati na roon sa isang tiger. Ang friendly kasi nila ang sarap gawing pet. Pero bawal naman yata 'yon.The safari was our last stop for the day. Pinapauwi na kasi kami ni Lola. I think she's paranoid again that we'll do something crazy or extreme. Grabe talaga ang na-instill na doubt nina Kuya Van at Tyler kay Lola...The ride back to the beach house took almost an hour. Nakatulog na nga ako sa biyahe kahit pa nararamdaman ko na panay ang vibrate ng cellphone ko sa bulsa ng suot kong maong skirt. Gabi na nang makauwi k
InvitationThe first day of the year went well. Nag-stay kami sa Subic hanggang umaga at tumulak pauwi pagdating ng hapon. The ride back home was peaceful. Kami ni Aspen ay parehong nakatulog habang si Kuya Theo ang nagmaneho. Kuya Van can't drive because he was hung over. Ang dami kasi niyang nainom kagabi.Austin Javier Uvero: You got home safe?Message agad ni Austin ang nabasa ko nang makauwi sa bahay at mahiga sa kama. I'm so tired.Georgina Meredith Sy: Yes.Austin Javier Uvero: Good. Inigo and I will pick you up later at around twelve thirty. We need to be at the airport early on. I already talked to your Mom and Dad about it. Rest for now.Nakapag paalam
UnconsciouslyFirst week without Austin went by slowly. Dahil six hours behind ang Serbia, hindi rin talaga kami nakakapag usap masyado. It's either I'm already asleep when he calls or he wakes up really early to talk to me. But during their afternoon break, nakakapag-usap kami through chat. It saddens me that there's still a week ahead before they get back.Grabe, ang attached ko na sa kanya...My cousins, Tito and Tita already went back to Davao. Si Lola ay ganoon din, nakabalik na sa Shanghai. Yesterday, we also drove Kuya Theo to the airport because he'll go back to Ohio. Mom and Dad are both back to work. The whole house has been quiet ever since. Mabuti na lang may Turbo kaya kahit papaano, hindi naman sobrang lungkot.I just did the usual things that I do on a daily basis
UnconsciouslyWhen Saturday came, I'm all nerves. Alas sais ang simula ng exhibit at may after party hanggang alas onse. Maaga akong pumunta kasi alam kong traffic na naman. I asked one of our drivers to accompany me. Hindi rin kasi ako sinamahan ni Kuya Van for an obvious reason. He hates traffic. Well, halos lahat naman yata.It's a formal event. Mom offered to style me. She made me wear a multi-lavender tweed cocktail dress. I paired it with light pink ankle-strap heels. Simple lang ang sinabi ko sa kanya kasi ayoko namang makaagaw ng pansin. Maliit na hikaw at simpleng kuwintas lang din ang suot ko.Pagkarating ko sa venue ay agad akong inalalayan ng isang staff at tinulungan akong dalhin ang paintings ko sa naka-assign na space para sa akin. Ang daming naka-display na paintings... I am so amazed. Manghang-mangha ako sa
JealousI was caught off guard. Hindi ako nakagalaw sa kinatatayuan ko nang marinig ang sinabi niya."Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Sandro said.Napakurap-kurap ako at napaisip kung ano ba ang gagawin o sasabihin ko. I mean, what was I supposed to say anyway? Thank you for liking me? Sorry but you need to stop it because I'm not interested? I don't know... So I just settled with silence."Will you still offer a ride?" tanong niya.I am this close to taking back the offer. Pero alam ko na hindi ako patutulugin ng konsensiya ko kapag may nangyari pang masama sa kanya. And so I nodded. Inalis ko na ang dalawa kong paintings at binitbit. Ganoon din ang ginawa niya. He even offered to take mine but I declined.