Strings of Memory

Chapter 17

"Wynther!" puno ng pag-aalala niyang tawag sa akin.

"Zeira, tawagin mo si Youssef! Please!" dinig kong sinabi niya.

Hindi ko magawang lumingon sa kanya o mapangiti man lang dahil baka mas lalong magalit itong customer. I shouldn't anger him more. He's not in his right mind right now.

Nang makita niyang hindi ako natakot sa ginawa niya ay inambaan niya ako ng suntok, na muling nagpasigaw sa deskmate ko. Naramdaman ko ang pagyakap niya mula sa likod at pilit akong hinihila palayo sa lalaking may hawak sa akin.

My heart pounded at the sudden warmth I felt, and I didn't even realize I had smiled-something that only seemed to enrage the guy more. This time, he really wanted to punch me. But instead of avoiding it, I just watched as his fist moved toward me.

It never landed.

Youssef caught the man's fist mid-air, his grip tightening around it.

The customer winced, and I flinched as well, almost feeling the pain just by watching.

"I'll have to ask you to leave, sirs." May diin ang bawat salitang binitiwan ni Youssef. Unlike when they got angry at me, this time, they got scared. Halos mag-unahan pa silang lumabas dahil sa takot.

Youssef turned to me, gently tilting my face from side to side, checking for any injuries.

"Are you okay?" nag-aalalang tanong niya. "Hindi ka naman niya nasuntok, 'no?"

Tumango ako. Nakita ko ang pagbuga niya ng malalim na hininga.

"Thank God."

Pagkatapos ng insidenteng iyon, naging maayos na ang takbo ng araw namin. Wala nang gulo na naganap-at ipinagpasalamat naming lahat iyon.

Pagdating ng dinner, napagdesisyunan nina Youssef na mag-barbecue. Nagtulong-tulong kami sa paghahanda at pagluluto. After maluto lahat, sabay-sabay kaming kumain at nagsimula ang kwentuhan na pinangunahan, siyempre, ng dalawang rabid fans ng The Reverie.

"Nasaan na po ang ibang members ng banda niyo?" tanong ng deskmate ko.

"Tanya's been hopping from one place to another. Hindi ko alam kung nasaan siya exactly ngayon, but she's been touring around the world. Probably enjoying the freedom she finally got after all those years," sagot ni Harrison.

Biglang kumislap ang mga mata ng deskmate ko nang marinig ang pangalan ni Tanya.

"Is it true po ba that she and Nico had feelings for each other before?" she asked excitedly.

What? Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at agad akong nasamid sa tanong niya. What is she talking about? My father and Tanya? That's impossible.

Napatingin sa akin sina Youssef at Harrison bago sila nagkatinginan. Nag-usap sila gamit ang mga mata bago sabay na tumawa.

"How did you come up with that question, young lady?" Harrison asked, amused.

"Ever since I became your fan, I have been reading Reddit posts about your band po. And that also includes those kinds of things, kaya curious po talaga ako kung totoo iyon," sagot niya-na muling ikinatawa ng dalawa.