Time After Time

Untitled Part 97

THE RICKY FELLOW BROUGHT PAPERS TO OLIVIA. EXHUMATION PERMIT, MOST PROBABLY. MICKY HAD HER SEATED IN ONE of the tombs but she stood the moment she saw the short guy approach. She snatched the papers, read them and stormed out of there.

Humabol na lang si Micky. He dared not speak. He knew that would be pointless. Hindi niya alam ang buong kwento sa likod ng mga nangyayari. Pangalawa, Olivia wasn't just pissed. She was hurt, also looking terrified, perhaps from the shock. She clearly did not see this thing coming.

They reached his car. Tahimik na sumakay si Olivia. Nagsalita lang ito pag-upo ni Micky sa driver's seat, "Tawid tayo pabalik, tapos ideretso mo lang. Kanan sa unang malaking kanto." Sabi nito.

"Uh, why are they exhuming her?" Tanong ni Micky.

"Apparently, Marife's new lawyer found reasons to believe that she didn't kill Trini. That Marife was framed-up. Something about the autopsy report. The coroner who examined Trini's body that time is long dead. Ricky, fuck him, did a fine job digging into the man's records. Learned he died of liver cancer because the man's a drunk."

"Questionable ang findings."

"Hindi lang raw kay Trini. Sa mga nauna pa at sa mga sumunod. Ricky found a coroner who agrees with him and he got a permit to exhume Trini's body."

"Pero ano pa ang makikita nila? Buto na lang 'yon."

"Forencis experts can find trauma to the bones sustained from injuries like a stab wound."

"Kung hindi si Fe ang killer, sino raw? May suspect ba sila?"

Hindi na sumagot si Olivia. Micky saw the wide corner and turned right.

"Sa huling kanto." Sabi ni Olivia.

"Saan tayo pupunta?" Nasa residential area na sila. The houses on both sides were a mixture of old and new, rich and poor. A totally dilapidated old house was next to a big, new house with manicured lawn. In this country, the divide..the gap between the rich and the poor wasn't really subtle. It was an 'inyourface' kind of obvious.

Nakikita niya iyon araw-araw. It was depressing. His father had long ago sold all their family's business holdings and moved back to his home country. Si Micky na lang ang nagtatyaga sa Pilipinas, that was how his sister put it.

But he couldn't leave. Not until....

He had always felt that he needed to find something. Na hindi makukumpleto ang buhay niya, na hindi siya matatahimik hanggang hindi niya nakikita iyon.

He had no idea what it was he was looking for.

He thought that once he met Corey's family, that would be it. Hindi pala. It was just one of those false alarms.

But now, meeting Olivia...being with her....maybe...just maybe.

"Left and then right sa unang kanto." Sabi na naman nito. Micky easily did the turns like somehow he was expecting them. Pero hindi na iyon bago sa kanya. The moment he stepped into this town many years ago, he was bombarded with feelings of déjà vu. But it wasn't just this town. He could be anywhere and the littlest thing like the smell of home cooking would trigger those 'iveseenthis' moments.

"Yang lumang gate na 'yan." Turo ni Olivia.

Sa tabi niyon huminto si Micky. Mataas ang gate na hindi na niya masabi ang original na pintura, kumupas na at kinalawang. Tinapalan na lang ng yero ang butas na bahagi.