The Bitchesa's Downfall

Past

Pagkatapos ng pag-amin ni Daniel kanina, hindi na ito muling nagsalita. Bigla na lang itong tumayo mula sa pagkakahiga sa bermuda at agad itong umalis. Iniwan si Chandria doon sa tahimik na parte ng parkeng iyon. Nakatulala at nagugulahan.

Ngunit ngayo'y magkasama nilang tinatahak ang daan pauwi sa bahay ni Daniel. Nasundo na nila si Aliyah sa private school na pinapasukan nito at kasama na nila ito ngayon sa biyahe pauwi.

Hindi mapakali si Chandria sa loob ng kotse ni Daniel. Gusto niyang magsalita. Gusto niyang tanungin si Daniel tungkol sa mga bagay na sinasabi nito. There's a lot of questions flying on her mind now, but she can't seem to dig answers for it.

Palipat-lipat lamang ang kanyang tingin sa rearview mirrorㅡmula kay Daniel na ngayon ay seryosong nagmamaneho ng kotse at kay Aliyah na na simpleng nakasandal ang balikat sa bintana ng backseat habang nagbibilang ng billboards na nadadaanan nila. Sa bawat segundong lumilipas, lalong kumakati ang dila niya. May mga salitang gustong kumawala sa bibig niya ngunit pilit niya rin itong pinipigilan.

"Umm..." Bahagyang bumuka ang bibig ni Chandria ngunit agad din itong sumara.

Marahas siyang napabuga ng hangin habang pinupukol ng masamang tingin si Daniel. She doesn't know why, but she felt a bit mad at him right now. She was damn confused of everything he has revealed today. It was too much to accept and understand. And Daniel seemed not to get bothered with the fact that he was actually letting Chandria take it without giving deep explanations about it.

"Gosh!" She exhasperatedly sighed as she covered her face with both of her palm. "My gosh! Can this questions stop pestering me?!"

"Ate Chandria!" Awtomatikong bumaba ang kamay ni Chandria nang marinig ang nag-aalalang boses ni Aliyah. "Ate, what is your kinaiinisan ba?"

With Chandria's forehead meeting halfway, she managed to tilt her head to the side and took a glimpse on Aliyah's worried face. Then, her dark vision would come back to the man who was driving the car with silence. Chandria could think he wasn't bothered with all her murmurs and complaints. He couldn't even move her gaze off the road. And that observation was elevating Chandria's frustration.

"It's your..." she paused as she felt hesitant to tell it to the young girl. "It's Daniel." she uttered with gritted teeth. "He's been saying things about us that I didn't know."

"Did it bother you too much?"

Nanlilisik ang mga mata ni Chandria nang bumaling ang kanyang tingin sa binatang basta na lang sumabat sa usapan nila ni Aliyah. Pagkatapos ng pagbibingihan nito kanina sa reklamo niya kanina'y bigla na lang itong sasabat? Nakakainis iyon para kay Chandria. At lalo siyang nairita sa tanong ni Daniel.

Did it bother you too much?

Just what the hell was that? It was one stupid question with one obvious answer. Damn! How could he not know that his revelations had affected her whole?

"Are you numb or just plain stupid?" Biglang tumaas ang kanang kilay ni Chandria at ipinagkrus ang mga braso sa ibabaw ng dibdib.

Nagkibit-balikat lamang si Daniel bilang sagot. Nakatuon ang atensiyon nito sa daan at hindi siya nito sinulyapan ng tingin kahit saglit lang. Seriously. He was being more rude than he was before. He's making her look like a fool trying to give her scenarios which she couldn't remember. A baby, that's what she thought she has become right now. No clear knowledge. No clear history. Just pure curiosity about the things she has discovered with young senses.

"You are too unbelievable." she voiced it out with thick sarcasm on her tone.

Daniel said the two of them had already been to that beach nearby the construction siteㅡtogether. He said he would always bring her to that park on their dates. What the heck was he talking about? Was it true? How come she doesn't remember anything? Why would they date? Were they lovers, or friends, or what? And why would Daniel treat her so badly when they had that 'something' shared on the past?

Everything was too dull to imagine that it's already stressing Chandria out. What he has revealed was actually the opposition of what was happening today. They weren't close now. And no matter how he pushed herself to get near him, he would always distance himself away. There was this barrier that was separating them already. There was this unseen shield Daniel has used against her.

"Ate Chandria, if you want to talk to someone, pwede ako later." rinig niyang wika ni Aliyah mula sa likuran. "Kapag dumating tayo sa house namin ni Kuya, then we'll go to my room."

Sa huling pagkakataon, ginawaran niya ulit ng masamang tingin si Daniel bago siya lumingon sa gawi ni Aliyah. "Sige. We'll talk about someone I like who's giving me mental problems right now." Tumango siya at pumeke ng isang simpleng ngiti.

There was a split-second silence after she spoke, yet suddenly, a manly chuckle just reigned the whole space the same time the car stopped moving. Then Chandria realized it was Daniel laughing quietly on his seat. She was stopped and stoned and frozen when he glanced at him with that teasing smile painted on his face. Her heartbeat was getting wilder second by second as she felt the excitement in her blood. Oh gosh! Did he just smile at her? No freaking way! He was, for certain, an unpredictable man to handle.

That handsome grin just vanished when he opened his mouth to speak. "Why stress yourself to remember?" he asked, emphasizing the word 'remember'. "Our past should be forgotten. It was awful. And tragic."

Ang lahat ng paru-paro sa kanyang tiyan ay biglang naglaho nang marinig ang sinabi ni Daniel. Nawala ang kilig at bumalik ulit ang malubhang kuryosidad sa kanyang sistema. Isa na namang katanungan ang nabuo sa kanyang isipan.

What is really there in the past that she doesn't know?

*********
A/N

This pandemic is such a pain in the ass. 😩