Piece by Piece

Spécial

"Mama..."

"Yes?"

"Can we go to Ate?"

"Who, baby?" She looks confused.

"Ate." Then she was just staring at me.

"O-Okay, let's go to Ate. I will bring you to her, okay?"

Nagdalawang isip pa si Yaya Balvi kung kakatok ba siya sa pintuan ng mag-asawa. Rinig na rinig kasi sa labas ang pag-aaway ng dalawa. Bilang isang ina, naisip niyang baka tama nga si Anne. Maybe these two needed a wake-up call. And so she knocked.

"Bakit po, Ya?" Tanong ni Vice habang pilit na tinatago ang busangot nitong mukha.

"S-si Joshua po."

"Anong nangyari?" Pagkarinig pa lang sa pangalan ng anak ay naalarma na ang mag-asawa.

"Eh kakatukin ko po sana para mag breakfast na kaya lang pagkita ko po wala na siya sa kwarto."

"A-ano?" Ang tahimik na si Karylle ay biglang napalapit sa asawa. They've been fighting but in times like these, alam niyang ito lang ang kaya niyang masandalan.

"Let's go, let's find him, Vice!"

"What are you doing, bakit hiwalay ka ng sasakyan?" Tanong ni Vice sa asawa.

"This way makikita natin siya agad."

"No!" Ngayon ay matalim na ang boses ni Vice.

"Nawawala na si Joshua, hindi ko na kayang pati ikaw mawala sa paningin ko. You will ride with me." He said with great conviction. All Karylle could do was follow.

"God knows what I could do pag may nangyaring masama sa anak ko Karylle." Bigla na lang iyong nasabi ni Vice.

"Ito na nga ba ang sinasabi ko eh! He was blaming his self Karylle!"

"I never blamed him Vice!"

"You never did but by ignoring him, it's like telling him that it's still all his fault!" Napasigaw na si Vice.

"I never..." hindi na natuloy ni Karylle ang gusto niyang sabihin. Natamaan siya roon. She was guilty of it, but she never meant to. Akala niya ay kayang punan ni Vice ang pansamantalang paghingi niya ng panahon para sa sarili.

"Hindi lang ikaw ang nawalan, ako rin. But I choose to value the people who are still present around me, nawalan na ako ng isa, hindi ko na kayang mawalan pa ulit." Galit na sinabi ni Vice.

Hawak ni Karylle ang phone niya, ringing Anne's number. When he saw it, Vice quickly grabbed it from her thinking how incapable Karylle is from handling such things right now.

Vice: Anne, Joshua is missing, I need all your help—

Anne: He's with me.

Vice: He's with... what?! You could have called us! We were damned worried about him!

Anne: Well, he called me, Vice. He was damned sad as well because he thinks his family is slowly falling apart pero siyempre as usual, hindi niyo yata napapansin yun na dalawa.