Wakas
Love.
This word didn't interest me at all. My life had been revolving on sex and satisfaction. Well, that was the perception of Antoine Immanuel Kingston. Love was just so unrealistic. Why do we need the word love in describing the pleasure you get from your conquest? You can have sex with anyone- you'll be pleasured by it but why did we need to label the pleasure into something irrational? I didn't want to believe on that word and beliefs of the many until that day came and my stand-point about this so called love had turned 360 degrees.
The first time I opened my eyes, I thought I was in a paradise- did not mind the whites on the walls and my eyes were all on the woman who was staring at me with palpable concern. She was so beautiful that I was stunned for a moment and stared on her face. There was no trace of flaws. She was impeccable in every aspect. When my mind clouded with pain and pure perplexity about my name, where I was and whatnot, I felt like I was abandoned in an island wherein I was no one. She named me Gabrielle. I had no problem in regards of the name she had given me. Actually, it immediately poked the sense of satisfaction within me.
When I was able to speak, I tried to communicate with the people on this place. In an infinitesimal time I had with them, I learned to speak Filipino as a medium. I stared blankly at the waves softly crawling on the shoreline. Darkness had finally on its peak and the stars started to glint like a diamonds sprayed on the entire sky. I couldn't sleep, it was already eleven in the evening and Hera wasn't yet home. Where did she exactly work? I asked myself for the nth time because I was really worried about her. It was dark and I wasn't comfortable thinking about her walking along dark roads or paths she was about to take after her work. She was so beautiful, too beautiful actually and I was sure there were lots of guys yearning for her. That was what I learned when one of the fishermen talked to me. Thankfully, I can understand Filipino language.
"Mang Hideo, wala pa si Hera?" the guy Ambo, what they called him, said.
"Wala pa, Ambo. Bakit?" the father of Hera asked.
Ambo shrugged, "May nagpapatanong lang po. Alam niyo na, habulin anak niyo. Nako, pagtalaga nagkanobyo si Hera, maraming iiyak na lalaki."
I looked at Ambo. I slightly felt a pang of irritation on my chest. When I heard the laugh of her father, I felt the wave of disappointment slowly surged within me. I knew your daughter was beautiful but can you repel those asshats from her? I didn't know why I reacted that way. But I can sense the growing protectiveness towards her on my heart. But I knew it was more than that. And I was certain, one day, I will neglect everything just to have her. At hindi nga ako nagkamali.
While she was on her school, I tried to accompany her father to fish on the ocean. It wasn't a cinch but at least I was learning to their ways of living. Ginusto ko ring matuto agad kung papaano magtagalog. So every time I was with the fishermen, I forced myself to talk to them using their language. At first, it wasn't that easy. My tongue was twisting every time I was talking. However, they were patient enough to understand my talking.
Gusto ko dito. I said to myself as I looked at her on the brink, playing her feet on the water coming from the falls. Her back was turned on me and I was so aware about the attention she was getting. Kitang kita ko ring kung paaano magtulakan ang mga lalaki sa likod niya. There were lots of men admiring her timeless beauty but here she was, oblivious about how perfect she was. I was no saint, I was, sometimes, imagining her on the different light. I suppressed my admiration towards her because I respected her decision of focusing on her studies and I was afraid that I will be included in her list of men who she turned down without a blink of an eye. She was used to her admirers and she was so blunt and ruthless towards them and because of that, it sent a shivering angst down my spine.
