Chased by El Lewis Vesper Esquivel

Chapter 49

I tied my hair in a bun after blow drying it. Pupunta kami ngayon ni El sa hospital at magpapacheck up. I felt giddy inside and it's probably because this is the first time that he'll be with me.

He is already outside at kausap sina Joaquin at Ervine at hinintay na lamang ako.

I wore my bag and got my phone when it buzzed right away. Kaagad kong nakita ang isang unknown number na nagtext sa akin. I opened the message and my body turned cold after reading the message.

It was Dad…and he wanted to talk to me.

My insides trembled as I read it once again, pero wala pang ilang segundo ang nakalipas ng bigla naman itong tumunog. He's calling me.

I felt the hesitation inside me, but I need to know the reason. Hindi siya kailanman tumawag sa akin noong nasa Paris ako at minsanan lang rin siyang tumawag ng nandito pa ako sa Pilipinas. This must be important.

My hands trembled as I slid the answer button.

"Hello?" I cleared my throat when I felt it trembled.

"Nikah...anak." I gasped for air when I heard his familiar tone and words. 

"Nikah, this is your father. I just wanna talk to you...personally." Sa sobrang lumanay ng pananalita niya ay halos hindi na ako pamilyar. 

He sounded so different, and he never talked to me this way.

"Just please, anak. Just give me a little bit of your time, I just wanna say sorry for all the things that I have done...that we have done, gusto ka rin makita at makausap ng Mama mo."

Napasapo ako ng bibig ng maramdaman ko ang biglaang pagragasa ng mga luha ko. This is unexpected but...this is real, he is talking to me!

I wiped away all my tears and tried forming my thoughts.

"Pa...sumuko na lang kayo at umamin, please." I pleaded. Napaupo ako sa kama at napasapo ng noo.

"I will, anak, I will. Just let me talk and see you one more time, kahit panghuli na nak, I just wanna see you, please."

Oh God. I can't believe that he is uttering those words. Maybe they already have realized the things that they have done and the pains that they inflicted. I've been wishing for this moment for a very long time and to hear him this way made my insides lighter.

Parang nawala ang malaking bagay na matagal ng nagpapabigat sa akin.

“K-kailan niyo po gustong magkita?” 

I heard him sigh deeply on the other line. “But don’t tell our meeting to anyone else, lalo na kay El.”

Kaagad na kumunot ang noo ko.

“I am sure they won’t let you talk to me, so this will be between us only, naintindihan mo ba, Nikah? Malaki ang galit nila sa akin lalo na ng pamilya niya.”

El even forbids me to talk about the case so I am sure he will forbid talking to my father too.

I nodded my head. “Sige po…I badly wanted to talk to you as well, Pa.” Naiiyak ko pa ring sambit.

“I know, anak. So let’s meet each other, okay? Huwag na huwag mong sasabihin kahit kanino. It’s only between us.”

I smiled and wiped away my tears. This is the chance that I have been waiting for, for them to finally realize their mistakes and surrender. And of course, as their daughter, this has been my dream from the very start, for them to finally acknowledge me, and maybe I could let them meet my daughter too in the future. 

We ended the call and he said that he will just inform me of our meeting place. Malaking bagay ito para sa akin. I can finally give my daughter a complete family, with her grandfather and grandmother.