Sinubukan kong pigilan ang pagtulo ng luha ko habang nakikinig sa paliwanag ni Ma'am Esquivel. I tried so hard to remain calm—kahit man lang sa panlabas. Kahit na durog na durog na ako sa loob. Pero hindi ko pa rin napigilan ang mga luhang pumatak nang subukan kong tanungin kung saang ospital dinala si Luna.
Hinatid kami ni Ma'am Esquivel doon, and the moment I saw Luna's parents—when they confirmed that she really was gone—I completely broke down. We all cried in the hospital. And even when we got home, when Ma'am Esquivel dropped us off at our places, I still cried.
Umiyak lang ako nang umiyak hanggang sa mapagod ako. Hanggang sa magdesisyon si Elliot na ayain kaming pumunta sa burol at pag-usapan ang plano namin para sa banda.
"He told me that there's a school offering me a scholarship," sabi ni Elliot, and for the first time in a while, I managed to smile a little.
It was good news. Pero napansin ko ang lalong pagkabalisa ni Zeira. And I knew why. She was scared of what Elliot's decision would be. We had already lost one member. If Elliot left too, there was a huge chance na hindi na namin ito maipagpatuloy.
But for the past months that I've known Elliot, I was sure of one thing—he wouldn't accept that offer. Kita ko sa mga mata niya. He was as determined as we were.
Pero bago pa namin mapag-usapan iyon, bigla na lang tumayo si Wynther at naglakad paalis.
"Wynther!" tawag ni Elliot, agad ding tumayo para sundan siya, pero hinila ko siya para maupo ulit.
Napahilamos siya sa mukha sa sobrang inis.
"He acts like he doesn't care at all," sabi niya, but none of us responded.
That's not true, Elliot. We both know it. Alam kong nasasaktan din si Wynther—maybe even more than I think. He acts like he doesn't care, but that's only because he doesn't know how to express himself. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
Napalunok ako nang makaramdam ng kirot sa puso ko.
Umuwi kaming walang napag-usapan. We never reached a decision on what to do with the band, not after Wynther left like that. And I could see how nervous and scared Zeira was. Kahit na sobrang tahimik niya buong araw, I knew what she was thinking. She was afraid of what the final decision would be.
And I understood her.
Because I felt the same way.
I was scared. I didn't want us to disband.
After that day, Wynther never showed up. He never replied to our messages. Kahit noong libing ni Luna—hindi siya nagpunta.
"Tangina naman! Bakit ba hindi ma-contact 'yong si Wynther?!" galit na galit na sigaw ni Elliot habang panay ang pindot sa cellphone niya.
He kept cussing while sending multiple messages. He even sent voice messages and tried calling him over and over again, pero wala pa rin.
Natapos ang libing ni Luna na hindi lumilitaw si Wynther.
That day at the funeral was the last time we saw him. After that, he started skipping school, and we were all worried about him. Kaya naman pagkatapos ng klase namin, napagdesisyunan naming puntahan siya sa kanila.
Pero kahit ganoon, hindi pa rin niya kami hinarap.
"I'm so sorry. He can't meet you right now," his mom said, and kitang-kita ko ang lungkot sa mga mata niya.
This must have been hard for her too.
Tumango ako. "Maraming salamat po," sagot ko bago bahagyang yumuko bilang respeto.
YOU ARE READING
Strings of Memory
Teen Fiction"Hating the one thing you love is a pain worse than losing it." - Wynther Fynne Clemenceau Wynther never had a dream-until he heard his father play the bass. In that moment, music became his purpose, his passion, his future. He dreamed of standing o...
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