IX.

On Christmas eve ay kumpleto sila except for his Kuya Dante, his oldest kuya na merong night shift. He doesn't live with them and stays at a boarding house in Makati.

Parang piyesta sa kahabaan ng kalye nila. Sa tapat ng kanilang bahay ay nandun ang tatay at Kuya Sander niya kasama ang ibang kapit bahay. Once 11:30 pm comes the sins of his Kuya Sander disappears in the eyes of her mother and Jennifer, if he places food on the table which he did.

Patung-patong na beer cases at puro mga tumbang bote ang makikitang pakalat-kalat na pinagdidiskitahan ng ilang ligaw na aso. Christmas songs can be heard competing with the roaring laughter and the occasional sounds of fireworks.

Sa loob ng bahay ay ang nanay niya kasama si Jennifer pati ang mga ka-tsisimisan nila 'pag alas singko ng hapon. Mas susyal sila dahil wine ang iniinom nila, galing daw kay Kapitana Bolet.

You can smell the different scents of perfume, almost pungent and suffocating, galing sa mga bisita. Malamang galing ang mga pabango sa mga exchange gifts at raffle. Maihahalintulad ni Tantan ang mga tawanan nila sa mga mga palakang kumakanta sa sapa, bukaka at panay kantsawan sabayan mo pa ng dumadagundong na tunog ng nirentahang videoke.

Jennifer is holding the microphone singing I will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. She's brave for singing this song kahit pa wala siya sa tono at namumula na ang mga ugat sa leeg maabot lang ang high notes. If Tantan had his way lalapit talaga siya dito at babatukan ang lalamunan. Buti at hindi nagigising si Julius na tulog sa crib just beside her mother. He's probably used to it unlike Tantan who never liked the noise. The more it grows louder, the more he feels out of place.

Apart from the noise hirap din siyang tapusin ang mga hinuhugasan dahil pabalik-balik yung mga bisita nila sa lababo. Kutsara, tinidor, baso lahat iniiwan kaya back to square one siya sa pag-huhugas.

When Jennifer sang the last note, he heard her gave a defeating sound sabay sabing ''Putang ina ang taas. Ayoko na'' Binigay niya ang mikropono kay Ate Siony yung matabang ale na may tindahan sa kanto who laughs annoyingly.

Tantan took this as a signal to stop what he's doing. He's waiting for something to happen since he still feels down from what happened earlier. This is the gloomiest Christmas ever. He wants to light it up.

And then it happened. He receives a text message. ''Chingu-yah daanan kita sa likod niyo bilis. Tara na.''. Every Christmas and New Year ever since they moved here this is the golden message he's waiting for. It's Paloma's texts that he considers as keys para makatakas sa hawla na'to. He knows the drill once he receives this.

Tantan goes to his mother at kinalabit ''Ma akyat na po ako sa taas. Inaantok na ako. Patulog po muna tas gising na lang ako ng alas kwatro para mag-hugas'' Her mother slices a piece of cake on the table in front of her at inabot kay Tantan. ''Itago mo na to sa'yo to. Galing sa Kuya Dante mo yang cake. Minsan lang tayo maka-tikim ng chocolate cake, paniguradong uubusin yan ng patay gutom mong tatay.'' Tantan gets the cake and kisses her mother on the cheek.

''Siguraduhin mo lang na hindi ka tatakas putang ina kang bata ka ha'' ''Luh, pano ako tatakas eh sa taas nga ako matutulog?'' Tantan scampers paakyat ng kwarto bitbit ang cake and rolls down a long tarpaulin with a face of a politician serving as the door.

Tantan has been escaping for three years and this is his routine. Saulo na din niya ang mga tao sa bahay. He knows that by 1 in the morning ay makaka-rami na ng alak ang nanay at tatay and they won't bother coming up stairs sa kalasingan to check on him. May rayuma din kasi ang nanay niya.

Jennifer and his Kuya Sander however will go to the house of Jennifer's family by 3 am bitbit si Julius para doon ituloy ang Christmas celebration at doon na sila matutulog.

He receives another text ''Chingu-yah nandito na me sa likod. Baba na bilis. Tara na.'' Before that naglatag muna si Tantan ng kutson at pinalamanan ng unan ang kumot para kunyari ay natutulog siya. Para sigurado lang.

Then he went out of the window bitbit yung cake na pinabaon ng nanay. Sumampa sa poste na katabi nito and reaches the roof going to their back, he walks slowly but surely na parang isang pusa sa bubong until he is faced by a gigantic wall that divides their lot from another house. From here he steps down using an unfinished cemented staircase in order to get to his destination.

Sa baba ng pader ay nandun nga si Paloma with a worried face. ''Bakit bhe?'' Tantan asks. ''Emergency bilis'' ''Anong emergency di'ba magbabahay-bahay tayo? Taon-taon nating to ginagawa ah.''

''Hindi na muna ngayon. Basta bilis tara na. Ppali-pali meaning bilis-bilis'' Hinablot ni Paloma ang kamay niya at nagtatakbo na sila paalis.