Found

Prologue

Nakakita ka na ba ng pag-ibig na biglang nawala at hindi na nakita? Kung oo, para sa'yo 'tong istoryang ito. Kung hinde naman, well, makakakita ka na. Kung hindi mo naman maintindihan 'yung tanong, parehas tayo. Joke lang. Sa case ko kase, nawawala pa at sana matagpuan ko na... sa lalong madaling panahon. May pagkapraning kasi ako eh. Simula bata pa ako, tingin ko sa mga tao, masasama. Pero mula 'nung nakilala ko siya, nagbago ang lahat, parang ang bait sa akin ng mundo. I wondered kung bakit, pero kaya pala ang ang bait sa akin ng planeta, eh may kukunin pala.

Kaya heto ako ngayon, 24 hours after nawala si Vaness, nakaupo sa second floor ng Mcdo habang pinapanood ang palubog na araw, thinking na sana manatiling nakalutang si Vaness kung nasaang parte ng Pasipiko man siya ngayon.
Ewan ko ba pero parang nawala lahat ng saya sa mundo, eh 'di naman ako inatake ng Dementors. I can't stop thinking about Vaness. I missed her. Pero mas nangingibabaw ang takot at galit ko. Takot sa tawag ng Coast Guard announcing they've found her corpse, at galit sa taong dahilan ng lahat ng ito.

I wiped my tears and tried to smile. She'll be found alive, malakas 'yun eh...at maangas. I remembered her telling me, "I promise that wherever the world will throw me, I'll find my way back to you, whatever it takes." For a moment, I was convinced.

Pero bumuhos bigla ang malakas ulan at bigla akong sinaniban ng takot. "Vaness..." Dali-dali kong tinawagan ang Coast Guard pero walang sumasagot. The next moment, wala akong ibang nakita kundi ang imahe ng bangkay ni Vaness na lumulutang sa dagat. Fear pushed my tears out of my eyes. I cried, na parang namatayang ng buong pamilya. Napalingon lahat ng kumakain sa direksiyon ko but I couldn't care less. Wala na ako sa aking sarili.

Takot. Isa sa mga bagay na nakukuha mo sa pag-ibig. Until this moment, i haven't realized that the moment I found love, I also found fear. Takot na mawala siya, takot na baka dumating ang araw na hindi ko na siya makita, mayakap...mahalikan. At eto na 'yon. The news of her death can arrive at any moment.

Pero wala pang, tumatawag. Meaning, she's still there. Waiting for rescue, thinking of me. And again, she'll be found alive. Our story won't end this way. No. With that, pinilit kong bumalik sa aking sarili at tumigil sa pag-iyak, and I succeeded.
"Love is everywhere," sabi ng chocolate ads na nakapaskil sa isang tindahan sa ibaba.
"Not true," sambat ko. "Mine's in the Pacific ocean."

I continued to eat. Basang-basa ng luha ang chicken na inorder ko pero masarap pa rin naman.

"Excuse me. Are you Nick Pareños?"
I looked up. Isang babae ang nakatayo sa aking harapan, kaedad ko I think. She's wearing an all-black formal outfit na bagay naman sa kanya. She has that intimidating look na kadalasan kong nakikita sa mga attorneys. At oo, hindi siya nakangiti. And I can tell sa paraan ng kanyang pagtitig na she's evaluating me. "Uhm. Yes. Are youㅡ?"
"The secretary Mr. Pañeros appointed for you. I'm Joan Lidago." She sat down, stretching her hand.

I took it. "Ah. Akala ko judge ng PGT."

Hindi ako sure pero I think I she was holding her laughter for a moment.

"I'm sorry to hear about your girlfriend," simula niya. "At sana, mahanap na siya agad. Your dad told me that you have trouble controlling your emotions, so I'm here to assist you. I'll make the calls and whatever you want me to do, like coordinating to every search and rescue team in the country, calling a taxi when you pass-out after drinking, and buying you meals."

"I'm not a chㅡ"

"I know. At alam ko rin na mahirap ang pinagdadaanan mo ngayon. That's why your dad appointed me."

"Okay. Okay," I said impatiently. "You'll do everything regarding the search and my control problems."

"Yes," she replied, in a professional note.

"Except for answering the calls."

"Opo, sir Nick."

"At wag mo ako tawaging 'sir'."

Umorder siya ng chicken habang tinapos ko ang akin. We had little chat regarding sa updates ng coast guard, when she suddenly said.

"Your dad like that girl very much, didn't he?"
"How do you know."
"He talks a lot about you sa aming mga employees niya."

I was fluttered at the same time felt annoyed to Dad. "Yeah. She's amazing. I love her so much. That's all I can say."

"Where did you first meet her?"

"Kailangan ko pa bang sagutin 'yan?" I looked at her in disbelief.

"Yes. I need to hear your story to understand you. In that way, I can assist you better."

I was speechless. Iba rin 'tong babaeng to.

"So, where did you first meet her?"

I have no choice but to answer it. "Here," I said.