Chasing Love (Sequel to Hopeless Love)

CHAPTER 34

“Paul, I need to show you something,” I said, interrupting his thoughts.

Tiningnan niya ako at saka nag-hintay na muli akong mag-salita. I didn’t. Sa halip ay dinukot ko mula sa wallet ko ang picture nila ni Nelle. Bago iyon ipakita sa kanya ay muli ko muna iyong tinitigan.

I handed it to him. “H-how—“

I cut him off. “Do you remember the reunion in Ashford? When the electricity went down and we were stucked inside a room… Nahulog mo iyan.”

He was nodding, his attention focused on the picture.

“Siya ang anak ni Tita Sandra, right?”

Tumango siyang muli bilang sagot ngunit hindi pa rin niya inaangat ang mukha niya upang tingnan ako.

“What does she have to do with me? Who is she in my life, Paul?”

This time, tumingin na siya sa akin pero hindi nag-tagal ay binaling niyang muli ang atensiyon niya doon sa larawan. He flipped it and started reading the note on its back. I saw him half-smiled.

He must have loved her, I thought.

“You two met the first time in a mall,” panimula niya. “She was in her wheelchair and accidently bumped a child. You helped her. She said you were the kindest person she had ever met.”

I smiled. But something inside me was absolutely not right. My head started to ache. Isang matinding sakit na ngayon ko lang naramdaman.

“Are you okay?”

Hindi ko nagawang sumagot dahil parang bigla na lang umikot ang mundo ko. I didn’t know what happened next. All I know was I screamed so loud… so loud that the people around me started running to my rescue.

“Ano’ng nangyayari?” Pangamba ang namutawi sa boses na iyon ni Paul.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak. The pain in my head seemed to consume all the energy in me.

“Is she alright?” A woman asked, her voice was more like accusing Paul for something he was not aware of.

“I’m going to bring you to the hospital,” he told me, disregarding the question the woman had asked him, his voice tensed but steady.

I wasn’t able to respond. I felt his arms on my back and the next thing I know, I was already laying on his arms, him ignoring my weight.

Then everything went black.

~*~

I wasn’t asleep nor awake even. But I knew I was dreaming.

I was in a place where people go every first of November. I was in a cemetery. What was I doing here?

Ramdam ko ang lakas ng ihip ng hangin sa aking palingid ngunit ni-hindi man lamang gumagalaw ang mga dahon ng mga puno sa paligid. Walang kahit ano’ng senyales na may malakas na hangin ngang dumaraan.

Nag-lakad ako nang hindi alam kung saan ako tutungo hanggang sa may marinig akong mahinang pag-tawa sa likod ko. Mabilis ko iyong hinarap ngunit wala ni-isang tao akong nakita roon. Muli ay nagpa-tuloy ako sa paglalakad. Ang kanina’y mahinang tawa ay lumakas pa. Nagpa-tuloy ako sa paglalakad hanggang sa marating ko ang isang malaking puno ng acacia.

Sa likod ng punong iyon ko nakita kung kanino ang tinig na kanina pa tumatawa. Tumigil siya sa pag-tawa ng makita niya ako.

Her face registered in my head. “Nelle,” bigkas ko.

Nginitian niya ako at saka siya lumapit sa akin.

Mala-anghel ang mukha niya at tila walang bakas na naramdaman niyang maging malungkot ni minsan sa buhay niya. She was so beautiful like she was heaven-sent, like she was an angel trying to play around on the ground.