"Kuya, tinatawag ka ni Tatay. He wants to talk to you," ang sabi ng kapatid kong si Den-Den.
Tumingin muna ako kay Ailee na parang nagpapaalam. Ayaw ko kasi sana s'yang iwanan. Baka mapatagal ang usapan namin ni Tatay, she'll be left here alone nang matagal.
She seemed to understand how I looked at her because she answered, "Sige lang. Okay lang ako dito."
"Gusto mo sama ka na lang din sa akin sa loob," I said.
"Okay na ako dito. Baka interview-hin na naman ako ng mommy at ninang mo," she joked. "Mas safe 'pag nandito lang ako. 'Pag nandun ako baka hindi matapos ang gabing ito ay maging tayo na."
"Oo nga. Sige dito ka na lang," I said with a laugh.
"Kuya, you go inside already. I'll keep Ate Ailee company," sabi ng kapatid ko. I guess it'd be better if it's my sister than my mom.
"Thanks Den! I won't be long."
I stood up at tumakbo papunta sa loob. Naabutan ko si Tatay na kausap pa rin si Ninong Romy. Nilapitan ko sila agad. Wala pang one second na nakalapit ako sa kanila ay kinausap agad nila ako about real estate properties. Sila Ninong daw ay nagbabalak bumili ng condo sa Manila for investment. I discussed with him 'yung mga projects na hawak ko. Mukha namang he was impressed with the things I told him about. Ang napagtapusan namin ay padadalhan ko s'ya ng mga prices ng mga sinabi ko sa kanyang properties.
When our conversation was finally over, I hurriedly walked back to the patio. Naabutan kong nagtatawanan si Ailee at Den-Den. They seem to be getting along really well. Hindi muna agad ako nagpakita sa kanila. Pinakinggan ko muna ang usapan nila. This eavesdropping on Ailee is starting to become a habit for me ah.
"Ate, do you have boyfriend?"
"I don't. How about you?"
I held my breath as I waited for my sister to reply. "Ate, wala pa." Me sighing with relief was an understatement.
"Mabuti naman. I'm sure 'pag nagkaroon ka ng boyfriend, hihimatayin ang Kuya Iggy mo."
"Ha... ha... ha! Ate talaga! Pero alam mo ba why I'm asking if you have a boyfriend?"
"I have a hunch pero sige, bakit nga ba?"
"Kasi I like you. First time pa lang kita nakita kanina, I have a good feeling about you already. I like you a lot. I like you for Kuya Iggy."
Narinig kong umubo si Ailee. Good gods, pati ba naman itong bunso namin! Ganun na ba nila ako kagustong magkagirlfriend?
"Bakit naman ako?" ang sabi ni Ailee after she recovered.
BINABASA MO ANG
Letters to Cleo #Wattys2016
General FictionIt's hard to find true love. And it gets harder when you fall for someone you haven't physically met. This is the story of Inigo Javier's search for Cleo - a girl he has only exchanged letters with and his quest in finding true love.
