Avalanche

AVALANCHE (ONE)

I TURNED my head to the window and busied myself with the amazing view of Manila traffic. Wow. So mesmerizing. Tell me why did I go home to this city of chaos again? Oh, right. Because I didn't have a choice.

"Aren't you happy we're home?"

I glanced at Mom and gave her a bland smile. Do I look happy to you? I wanna ask her that but I chose to shut my mouth. Every time I open it, Mom and Dad never like the things I say. So, no. I won't talk. The last thing I want is to piss them off again. I'm just gonna pretend here that I'm so happy to be back.

"You're gonna like our new house." Hindi ko na alam kung ilang beses na sinabi 'yon ni Mom.

"Whatever, Mom."

I shut my eyes tightly and took a deep breath. I'm trying my best here not to annoy her. Can she at least consider me and try not to annoy me too?

"Ava." Dad warned me using his deep, baritone voice.

God, I wanted to roll my eyes so bad. I wanted my brain to be disintegrated from that eyeroll.

Sumandal na lang ako sa backrest, pilit iniignora ang mga nakakainis na bagay sa paligid. The insane lines of cars on the road, all the fucking honking, the scorching heat, God.

I put on my earphones and blasted Kings Of Leon from my iPod.

I so fucking hate jet lag. Humahapdi lang ang mata ko sa kakapikit kahit alam ko namang hindi ako makakatulog. I scanned for more good songs on my playlist until I found myself not really paying attention to what I was doing. My thumb just keeps scrolling but my mind is somewhere else. This sucks.

I heaved a sigh. "Malayo pa ba tayo? Gusto ko na talagang mahiga." Frustrated na tanong ko kay Mom.

"Can you calm down, Avalanche Felicity? We just landed, and here you are already with your tantrums. Don't be such a brat."

I gaped at my Mom. Hindi ko alam kung saang part ako maiinis. Kung doon ba sa part na tinawag niya ako sa buo kong pangalan o sa part na kung pagsabihan niya ako ay para bang ang ikli lang ng byahe mula California hanggang Pilipinas.

The heck? Hindi na ba ako pwedeng magreklamo sa pagod? Kapag nagreklamo, brat agad?

"Can you stop saying my whole name when you're trying to scare me? Because it's not scaring me at all. It just annoys me."

Why the fuck did they give me such a weird name? Avalanche is a fucking tragedy, and they combined it with Felicity! A word that literally means intense happiness! I don't know how should I feel about that. Though Mom said my name symbolizes resilience despite the calamity, it's still so fucking weird to my ears.

Mom stared at me like I did something very bad to her. Hell, she even looked like she's about to cry. "Why are you like that? Ang sinasabi ko lang naman, hindi lang ikaw ang pagod. Kami rin. Huwag mo kaming pagsungitan."

Oh, my God.

"Mom, I'm not. Geez!" This time, I couldn't control my eyes from rolling. "I was just asking. Don't overreact, please."

"Just shut your mouth, Ava. Can you try to be a good girl even for today? We're all tired."

I clenched my jaw as I balled my fists. Good girl? What am I? A freaking 3-year-old? Ugh!

Gusto ko pa sanang sumagot. My mom was asking for it. Mabuti na lang huminto na ang sasakyan. And Dad declared we're finally home.

Nauna akong lumabas ng sasakyan. Binagsak ko pasara ang pinto n'on. My dad glared at me. Well, it was his freaking Range Rover. I mouthed 'sorry' to him but he just shook his head in dismay. Geez. I got carried away, alright? Ang drama queen kasi ni Mom.