Strange

Chapter 27. Strange

NAMI'S father insisted to stay in the province when she started convincing him to go to Manila with her. Kumakain na sila ng pananghalian nang buksan niya ang usapin tungkol doon. Napabaling siya kay Romano dahil nag-alala siyang baka nadismaya ito sa kabila ng pag-uusap nila kanina, pero kabaliktaran ang nakaguhit sa mukha nito. He slightly nodded saying that he understood her.

"Sinabi ko na sa iyo noon, anak, ayoko nang tumira sa Maynila," ang kaniyang ama.

Pero hindi naman iyon ang pakay niya, kaya nilinaw niya. "I only want you to be with Glaze, not to live with me. I know how you miss her..." panimula niya.

Natahimik ang dalawa.

"Honestly, Romano isn't my boyfriend. He's Glaze's. I only told you he's mine since I don't want to taint her name to you. Sorry 'bout that." Lumingon din siya kay Romano humingi ng paumanhin.

"Ayokong pag-usapan ang nangyari," malamig na tugon ng kaniyang ama.

"Pero hindi natin matatakasan, 'Tay. Oo, mali ang ginawa ni Glaze, pero pamilya pa rin natin siya. Kailangan niya ng masasandalan ngayon."

"Hindi lang ako makapaniwalang nagawa niya iyon. Ginamit niya pa ang pangalan mo."

Saglit siyang tumahimik.

"Unang beses na aksidenteng pagkikita namin, alam ko nang hindi siya ikaw. At ilang beses akong sumubok na kitain siya, pero pinapaalis niya ako sa tuwing sinasadya ko siya sa mga Jacobs. Binaba ko na ang sarili ko kahit sumumpa akong hinding-hindi na tutuntong sa lupain na iyon."

"'Tay—"

"Nagbago na ang kakambal mo. Dahil lang sa pera ay nasilaw siya."

Umiling siya. "Alam kong galit ka sa ngayon, pero gaya nga ng sinabi ko ay kailangan niya tayo ngayon. At isa pa, hindi totoo ang usap-usapang dahil sa pera kaya niya iyon nagawa..."

She glanced at Romano, who's keeping his silence, and back to her father, who was now curiously frowning.

"Gusto niyang maibalik sa 'yo ang hacienda." She didn't know what to add right after. Her dad's eyes were immediately pooled with tears and cried regretfully; angrily towards himself.

He kept on blaming himself that she had to get up and hug him. On her peripheral vision, she noticed Romano got up amd went out to give them some privacy.

She then focused on her father who was still blaming himself, and eventually hushed him.

Napapayag niyang sumama ang ama sa Maynila, at emosyonal silang tatlo nang bisitahin nila si Glaze. It ached her heart when the two kept apologizing to each other when in fact, both of them were just victims of greediness of the other people.

PAGKARATING nina Romano ng Maynila ay sa RM Center sila dumiretso. But Glaze didn't want any visitors at first. Kahit pa nga ba ang kakambal ay ayaw nitong makita. It was when her father was mentioned, she agreed to let them come in. Pero mas pinili niyang umalis na pagkahatid sa mag-ama kaysa magtagal doon.

Surprisingly, it wasn't because of Glaze. Not because he didn't want to see her yet because of what she did to him. It's because he wanted to give them privacy.

He thought when he saw her after a few days, he would be mad for being betrayed; his mind would be filled with disgust, too. But the moment he saw her again, he realized he was just fine. Mas naaawa siya sa kalagayan nito na kung bakit iyon nangyari rito. At... nakokonsensiya siya.

Dahil mayroon pa siyang napagtanto na maging siya ay hindi makapaniwala: Una, na-miss niya nang husto si Nami. Ikalawa, hindi lang basta kaibigan ang turing niya gaya ng inakala niya noon. Ikatlo, noon pa ma'y pinilit niyang diktahan ang sarili na patay na patay siya kay Glaze, kahit na ang totoo ay napukaw na ni Nami ang interes niya mula pa noong una silang magkita. Ipinagkakamali lang niya palagi na kesyo kakambal kasi ni Glaze kaya magkamukha ang dalawa at nakikita niya si Glaze kay Nami, when in reality, it was the other way around.

He was just in denial before, but now he came to realize it, those moments were he's seeing Nami whenever he's with Glaze flashed in his mind. Naroong nagdi-date sila ng dalawa ay naiisip niya kung gusto rin kaya ni Nami ang kinakain nila, o kaya nama'y saang lugar kaya gustong makipag-date ng huli. Naisip nga rin niya ang paboritong bulaklak ni Nami—sunflowers—nang bigyan niya ng bouquet si Glaze nang maka-graduate noon.

Also sometimes, when they were kissing...

He cussed aloud. Nakonsensiya siya bigla. Isa iyon sa mga dahilan kung bakit ayaw niya munang makita si Glaze. Hindi niya alam kung paano ito pakikiharapan lalo na ngayong napagtanto niya ang mga bagay na iyon.

"Holy shit! Why did not I realize all of these before?"

"Sinong kausap mo?"

Napalingon siya sa nagsalita. Nasa parking na kasi siya at napaupo na lang sa hood ng sasakyan habang nakatulala sa malayo.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sinusundo ka para ihatid sa mental?" si Vincent iyon.

"'Lol!"

"Seriously, I came to check on your girlfriend. Making sure she didn't have any brain injuries."

Somehow, that word felt strange to him. He wanted to utter 'She's not my girlfriend anymore', but he refrained himself from talking. Instead, he nodded and said he's going to go already.

Pagkatapos niyon ay bumalik na sila sa kani-kanilang gawain. Nami had a press conference clearing her name, and made a statement that the Jabobs threatened her helpless twin. Dahil sa issue ay mas umingay ang pangalan ni Nami sa industriya. Kabi-kabilaang offer ang natanggap nito.

Just half a year after, she's now already soaring in her chosen career.

He, on the other hand, resigned from his position as one of the professional choreographers at Montreal Agency, and he flew abroad to take over their winery business in Italy. Nandoon na rin ang ate niya't buong pamilya nito noon pa man kaya may katuwang siya sa negosyo. Ang naiwan sa Pinas ay ang kanilang mama at nakababatang kapatid na graduating na ng kolehiyo.

Nagpatuloy pa rin siya sa pagiging agent, pero hindi tulad noon na puro mga misyon lang sa Pilipinas ang inaatupag niya, ngayo'y puro sa labas na ng bansa lalo pa't nasa Italy naman siya. Kadalasan ay nasa France siya. Pero kung kinakailangan, nagpupunta siya ng America.

Working outside the Philippines made him learnt that Phoenix was supported by someone who's higher than their boss. Someone who owned a private intelligence agency in the USA, and that someone was the one who trained Stone when he lived there for a few years. But that's another story to tell.