Chapter 37: Center of the Web I

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LORELEI

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LORELEI

I STILL find it weird as to why Loki was interested in going to Jamie's residence. Sa pagkakakilala ko sa kanya, he'd rather spend the weekend reading mystery books or playing with his laptop than leave the apartment.

Maybe he has grown to care for the people around him, especially to those who have been with him the past few months. Hindi lang siguro halata sa lagi niyang bored na mukha, but Loki cares. I know he does.

Alas-nuwebe ng umaga nang ipatawag niya ang kanilang family chaffeur. And it did not surprise me to hear that he got the driver's name wrong for the nth time! I lost count already. Maging ako, nalito na kung Vasquez ba o Velasquez ang pangalan niya.

For our special visit to our fellow club member, Loki chose to wear a black V-neck shirt matched with dark blue pants while I wore a white longsleeved blouse tucked in my black denim pants.

We both settled on the back seat as the chaffeur started driving the car going to Marisol Subdivision. As usual, busy siya sa paglalaro ng Criminal Case habang ako nama'y nakatingin sa labas at pinagmamasdan ang mga dinadaan namin gusali at kalsada.

It took twenty minutes for us to arrive in front of a residential house. Huminto ang kotse sa tapat ng isang malaking bahay na may dalawang floor at malawak na yard.

"No. 1013 Mayflower Street," I muttered, reading the house plate number nailed on the sturdy wall. Tiningnan ko ang soft copy ng membership application form ni Jamie at nakita ang parehong number sa address field.

Loki's eyes roamed over the Santiago residence. The building looked quite old, but the repainting of the walls tried to cover up how many years it has stood and how many storms or earthquakes it has endured.

In contrast with Jamie's bubbly personality, the house reeked of gloomy atmosphere. One may even think that it was already abandoned.

Pinindot ko ang doorbell na lumikha ng ding-dong na tunog. When the door of the house opened, I expected to see Jamie in her loose shirt and shorts running to open the gate for us. Instead, we were greeted by the curious stare of an old woman, around fifties or sixties. If she was Jamie's mother, malayong-malayo ang itsura nilang dalawa. So I wager that she's a housekeeper.

"Nanu ita?" bungad ng matandang babae. Kumunot ang noo ko nang marinig ang tanong niya. I may not understand the language but judging by the intonation at the end of her statement, it was probably a question.

Clearing his throat first, Loki replied politely, "Atsu ya pu i Jamie ken? Buri miyang akit."

My eyes stared wonderingly at Loki as my mouth opened in awe. He can speak in Kapampangan?! Ilang buwan na kaming magkasama sa apartment pero ni minsan, hindi ko siya narinig na nagsalita gamit ang lenggwaheng 'yon. The worse thing is I don't understand a single word coming out of their mouths.

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