2 TRACK 2

AT AN APARTMENT FLAT IN MANGGA STREET, MAKATI - EIGHT YEARS LATER...

There was a click. Then, my alarm-clock radio went off to the cue of Orange and Lemons' Hanggang Kailan.

I hit the snooze button and pushed a pillow to my face.

Just five... more... minutes.

Later...

Another click. This time, SpongeCola's Jeepney was playing.

I squinted one eye to look at the time. The clock flashed 5:40.

I hit the snooze button one more time and pulled the covers up to my head.

Another click. Hopefully, the last one. Hale was just doing the outro to their hit single, The Day You Said Goodnight. Then, the voice of DJ Francis Brew followed.

[NU 107! That was The Day You Said Goodnight by Hale. Francis Brew with you. That tune was brought to you by Red Horse Extra Strong Beer: Ito ang tama. For eighteen year olds and above only. It's now 5:45 in the morning on a very very raw Wednesday and now, it's time for our "In the Raw" segment. Our special guest for today's episode is an up-and-coming...]

"Alright! I'm up. I'm up!"

At the side of my bed, I stretched my arms up in the air and yawned. My pet orange tabby cat, came strolling towards me meowing all the way.

"Hey, Combo Jumbo! Good morning, Buddy!"

He scratched the hem of my jogging pants and meowed.

"I know. I know. Breakfast. Let me just turn off this lousy music."

I reached for the knob of my radio. A cheesy Tagalog song was playing.

[Ikaw... puno ang langit ng liwanag mo.]

I laughed. "My goodness!"

[Sabay sa himig ng ulap.]

"Hold on..."

[Di ko mapigilang mapasayaw.]

"No way. No freakin' way."

My head started to hurt so bad. I thought it was going to burst. I tried to ignore the dull pain in my chest but I just unraveled at the painful melody of my song for Macy, now being sung by a strange female voice.

Combo Jumbo, jumped onto my lap. I lied back down on my bed and embraced my cat as I choked back sobs, as if I was back there in Macy's grave, nine years ago.

"It will be okay, right, Combo? It's been nine years already. I should be fine, right?"

The sound of my cat purring as I kept him closer to me reassured me that I was still a sane person.

"What would I ever do without you, Combo Jumbo?"

On Friday night, I entered an unfamiliar world of pulsing lights and club music that hammered at my chest. It was only eight in the evening but I could already hear the spirit of alcohol in the loud voices of some of these party peeps.

I sat in front of the bar counter lined to the ceiling with sparkling bottles and ordered a Stallion.

As I was handing out the money, I paused. "Make it a bucket please, good Sir." Then, I reached into my wallet and pulled out a 500 peso bill.

Taken aback, and smiling afterwards, the bartender pushed a tin pail with six bottles of Redhorse sitting on ice.

"Here you go, Sir. Enjoy," the bartender said to me.

I picked up a bottle and tilted it to his direction. "Thank you."

I then turned my attention to the stage. The band I came here for was setting up. There were three guys with very distinct haircuts and a petite girl dressed for anarchy. Even their look was a ripoff. Moments later, they started their set.

My God. What have they done to my songs?

Sweet Uncertainty, Stellar, Afraid to Fall and worst of all, Ikaw, Araw... Heavy distortion and double time tempo? Why the hell would you do that to an acoustic serenade?

I stared at the female vocalist. She seemed to be enjoying it a lot but she was straining her voice too hard. You could tell that she cared more about the punkish texture of her voice than getting proper support to hit those high notes - but wait... Why was I analyzing her singing style? This was not how it's supposed to be played.

I cringed even more as the drummer switched to banging hard quarter notes digging into the snare.

I stared once more at the female vocalist and a few seconds later, I was starting to see Macy's face.

My chest tightened and cold sweat streamed down my forehead and temples. My breathing became labored and I started to choke on my sobs in mid-drink.

Even when I had already emptied the last bottle of Red Horse and still, Macy's image was still as clear as daylight.

All of a sudden, the same familiar jackhammer headache dug into my skull. I covered my ears and then my face with my sweaty palms and cried onto them.

I then dropped my head on the bar counter.

Moments later, when the set finished, I sat back up and ordered another bucket. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the vocalist approaching.

She greeted me with a tap on my shoulder. I turned to face her and... woah! Seeing her up close felt like she's in a wrong place. Heck, she didn't even look old enough to be here. Long hair, oval face and eyes that are shaped like the top half of the moon. She's too pretty for a place like this. She doesn't look at all pleased to see me.

"Excuse me, why were you covering your ears a while ago?" she asked.

I was taken aback by the question but I downed one more bottle and answered while avoiding her gaze. "I wasn't covering my ears. I have a nasty headache."

"If you have a headache, why do you keep on drinking?"

"Why is it your business?"

"Because I found it weird that you're the only one who didn't like our music!"

I knotted my eyebrows as I stared at her. "Your music?"

"Yes. Why?" She frowned and pursed her lips.

I laughed while shaking my head and running my finger around the mouth of the empty bottle in front of me.

"What's so funny?" She raised a brow.

"You don't even know how to properly play your own songs."

She opened her mouth in shock and her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You think you could just crank up the distortion and turn any song into pop-punk? That was a melancholic song. Did you even understand the lyrics you were singing back there?"

"Now, wait a minute. Why are you telling us how to play our songs?"

"Because, that thing you called your music was written by... me."

This time, it was the girl's turn to laugh. "I think you're way too drunk, Kuya."

"Don't call me 'Kuya' and please... stop playing that song."

"If you think we'll take that from a drunk stranger, then you must be out of your mind, Lolo."

First Kuya, now, Lolo?

I cleared my throat. "Look here, miss... I really don't like confrontations like this. As much as possible, I try to avoid them. But you're not giving me much choice here. Now, if you don't stop playing that song, I will make it my mission to take back what is mine and then, you and your buddies will be ruined even before your careers take off. Do you understand me?"

The girl's lips trembled and then, tears rolled off from her innocent eyes. I almost felt bad. She started pounding at me with the bottom of her fists while shouting. "Why? Why are you doing this, mister?! We didn't do anything to you. I just want to play music for... my... sister!"

People started to look at us, probably thinking that we were a couple having a lover's quarrel. So, I placed my hands on her tiny shoulders to stop her. She was still crying. Her friends came rushing towards us.

A young man with white streaks on his layered hair came forward. "Dee. What's going on?"

He looked at me with narrowed eyes as he placed a hand on the teary-eyed girl's back. "What did you do to our friend?"

"I was just talking to her."

"You made her cry."

The two remaining band members joined them -the drummer, a lanky dude with side-parted hair like he never got out of high school and another skinny guy, their bassist, with a mop of hair almost covering his eyes.

"Okay, since the whole band is here, let me give it to you straight. All the songs you played up there..."

I pointed to the stage. Then pointed to my chest.

"They're all mine. I wrote them for my best friend who died nine years ago. Now, if you jokers even have the decency to respect the memory of a dead person, you would leave that song alone."

At this, the girl named Dee covered her mouth with both hands as if she saw a ghost. She lowered her hands and more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Na... nine years? Was your best friend... Ate Macy?"

Ate? Then, she must be...

"You're Mai-mai? Macy's little sister?"