Softly, you whisper

Fifteen

Fifteen

"Nasaan ang anak ko?! Ilabas niyo ang anak ko! Alam kong nandyan siya!" The woman's angered voice echoed in my ears. I was staring at her...processing her words.

"Misis, hindi ho namin kayo kilala kaya hindi rin namin alam kung nasaan ang anak mo," Dad said calmly.

"No! You're hiding my daughter! Ikaw!" Her sharp eyes darted at me. "Nasaan si Norine? Anong ginawa mo sa kaniya?"

Like a punch in the gut, I felt the pain of her question. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nangyayari but I was certain that something happened to Nori.

"N-norine?" It was Mom who replied. "You are Nori's mom?"

"I am! Kaya ilabas niyo ang anak ko dahil iuuwi ko na siya!" She tried to walk past my parents but Dad held her shoulders. She backed away but fought it.

"Tinatago niyo ba ang anak ko? Bakit ayaw niyo akong papasukin?!"

"Nori's...not here." I said in a weakened voice. My mind is confuse now. How could it be? Magkasama kami kagabi. I was the one who brought her to their house safe. No one was home.

Nori had been herself the entire night. Nothing unusual. I would've known something was not right if she was saying things that makes some sense...but no.

"Hindi ako naniniwala. Tinatago niyo ang anak ko! Anong karapatan niyong mangialam sa buhay namin?"

I stared at Nori's mom. It was the second time that I saw her mom in person. Magkaiba sila. Nori always had this light and bright aura around her. Her mom looked gloomy and dark.

"Wala si Nori rito sa bahay namin. We can let you inside our house to look for her but I can guarantee that we didn't take her," Mom said calmly. Nilingon siya ni Dad. Mom nodded her head as if permitting Dad to let Nori's mom go.

Mom was too kind to escort her inside our house. Nori's mom was still angry as she looked from every corner. Her hands were trembling, her eyes were wandering. It was the look of a nervous and frightened mom...afraid to lose her child.

Sinubukan kong tawagan si Nori but her phone was silent. I checked on every social media and they were not deactivated. I messaged all her social media accounts but no one replied.

If Nori ran away from home, she would have deactivated all her accounts. She would have disconnected everyone else...lalong-lalo na ako.

"Maybe Nori's with her friends. May iba pa siyang mga kaibigan bukod sa anak ko," Mom said again as we followed Nori's mom on every room that she opens.   I was thinking of the possible places where Nori would go. If she just wanted to unwind...I'm sure there would be some place.

I stopped on my tracks as I thought of the pub. Maybe she was there. Isaac can let her in so easily.

"Isaac..." I greeted him after a few rings.

"Sup?"

"Is Nori with you?" I asked him directly.

"Nori? Your girlfriend? Uh, no. Bakit sa akin mo tinatanong? She's supposed to be with you."

"So...she's not in the pub?"

"No. I was on duty last night. She was with you, right? Prom ninyo kahapon."

I closed my eyes tightly. "I know. Her mother's here at my house. She was looking for Nori. She wasn't home, Isaac."

"Wait...what? Nori's...missing?"

I couldn't answer it. Nori's not missing. She's just somewhere...trying to unwind. Maybe something happened at home and she didn't want me to know.