Keeping Quiet Mga Nobela at Kwento

I don’t know why the world felt so quiet that day. No traffic. No honking. No buzzing notifications from Kalix’s phone. Even our playlist in the car—only acoustic songs played, like Spotify had chosen its own mood. Kalix was next to me, phone in hand, texting Daniel. May inaayos silang deal sa isa sa mga kumpanya niya. Ako ‘yung nagmamaneho — rare ‘to, kasi lagi siyang overprotective pag nasa labas kami.

sambit nito over the device. Nagkaroon ng static sound at kasunod niyon ay isang halakhak, "busy ako, sabihin mo ayoko ng bisita pagkatapos niyan ay patayin mo na sila!" Nagagalak na utos ng nasa kabilang linya.

Maingat ang bawat kilos nito, ayaw magkaroon ng tunog ang bawat hakbang ng mga paa nito. Malakas ang naging pintig ng puso ni Gigi habang hinihintay si Silas na makalapit sa kan’ya. Ang alam niya ay nasa labas lang iyong tatlong lalaki na nagbabantay sa kan’ya. Tama lang na huwag talaga itong guwama ng kahit anong ingay dahil mabubulilyaso ang mga plano nito. Silas crouch down in front of her, his finger was still on his lips, telling her to not make any noise.

“Because you humiliated me,” sagot ni Mirae, mahinahon ngunit puno ng talim. “You let them talk like that. You let her talk like that. And you said nothing.” “I was trying to keep peace,” anito. “Peace?” mapait na tawa ni Mirae. “That wasn’t peace, Quen. That was you choosing silence over respect.” Tahimik si Quen. Tila nilunok nito ang bawat salitang lumalabas sa bibig niya.

Pagkatapos ay bumalik ako sa pagkakahiga sa tabi nya at sabay kaming natulog. As the quiet night passed, the only sounds in this room were the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the loud beating of our hearts, along with the unspoken promises we silently made to each other.

Ang sama ng tingin niya dito. “Bakit hinayaan mo silang mapag-isa sa loob ng kwarto?” Galit na sita niya rito, napakamot lang ito sa ulo, bago pa ito makapagsalita ay sinipa na niya ang pinto. Nang hindi niya iyon mabuksan ay pinaputukan niya ang door knob. Syempre ay gumamit siya ng silencer, saka muling sinipa ang pinto.

And in that silence, I waited. The champagne was cold, the crystal flute elegant in my hand, but the celebratory mood felt hollow, a thin veneer over the churning anxiety within me. I sat alone in my opulent apartment, the city lights a blurred spectacle outside my window. The silence was deafening, a heavy blanket smothering the usual vibrant hum of the city. It was a silence pregnant with anticipation, a silence that screamed louder than any celebration.

Parang may coordinated push. Basa lang si Elena. Walang galaw ang mukha niya. Walang pikit. Walang reaksyon. Tinanong siya ng app: Do you want to limit notifications? Hindi niya pinindot. Pinagmasdan niya ang screen na parang estudyante siyang kumukuha ng exam na alam niyang kaya niya. Nag-reply siya. “Don’t engage. Observe. Silence is the blade.”

At doon, sa simpleng linya na iyon, may isang bagay na tuluyang nag-shift—isang tiwalang hindi na kailangan ipaliwanag. “Why are they quiet?” Ang tanong ni Ellen ay hindi galit— ito ay iritasyon. Sa conference call kasama ang legal team niya, walang sumasagot agad. “They’re not reacting publicly,” sabi ng isang abogado. “That’s not necessarily bad.” “Wrong,” putol ni Ellen. “That’s worse.” Tahimik ang linya. “Silence means preparation,” dagdag niya.“And preparation means they found something.”

Katabi niya si Gab. “Mommy,” mahina niyang sabi, “why are they quiet?” Bahagya siyang napangiti. “Because sometimes,” sagot niya, steady ang boses, “truth is louder than noise.” Sa screen, Marianne was losing control of the room. And this time, hindi si Ruth ang gumawa ng eksena. Kundi ang batas.