The Warrior 1: Primo

Chapter 24

Present.

THE BREEZE OF THE SEA AIR HITTING MY FACE IS COLD. The weather is really nice, tamang tama lang, hindi masyadong mainit. Kalmado rin ang dagat. Hindi ko alam kung anong pumasok sa isip ko upang biglang mag alsa balutan patungo sa Mindanao, but somehow the weather is agreeing that this is not a bad idea, after all.

My father was against the idea. Hindi nito gusto na sa kabila ng death threats at mga aksidenteng kinasangkutan ko ay umalis pa rin ako para magbakasyon malayo sa kanila. He said I needed a bodyguard but I protested. I'm old enough to have a security following me around like I'm sort of a billionaire. We're not, kaya ganoon na lang din ang pagtataka ko at ni daddy kung bakit sunod sunod ang mga delikadong pangyayari sa akin.

It was too sketchy to be a coincidence.

But I wanted to run away for awhile.

The mental and emotional brawl in my mind is far from the fear I have for my safety.

Isa pa, if I die then that's it. Wala naman makakapigil kung oras mo na talaga.

My father would've been adamant to refuse but my step mother, Melissa, convinced him. Jaguar is there to protect me anyway, according to her. Except the fact that they don't know Jaguar wasn't here with me.

So many things have changed after the incident with Primo.

My mom died two years later.

I felt a small pang of guilt from her memory. I'm convinced that a big part of her health deteriorated because of how she saw me barely hanging on to life when Primo left. She somehow blamed herself for rushing things, silently. I didn't notice her health was deteriorating. I was busy fixing my broken heart to the point that I forgot I also have a family.

I turned to look at the sky and smiled bitterly, I almost kicked my self for reminiscing. I didn't want another relapse of what happened, I am okay now.

That was 5 years ago.

Exactly five years ago today.

Kinabukasan ng araw na 'yon ay umalis ang buong pamilya niya para mag migrate sa ibang bansa.

It wasn't in Texas, according to Seige.

I told my friends not to update me of anything related to Primo.

That was the last time I heard something about him.

No letter, no excuses, no reasons, no nothing.

Just a piece of a note saying I'm sorry.

The news was loud but I remained deaf with everything. Ni hindi nga ako nahiya sa mga tao na hindi ako sinipot ng groom ko dahil hindi ako lumalabas ng kwarto.

My heart broke into tiny little pieces that day na hindi ko alam kung kahit pupulutin ko'y maibabalik ko pa sa dati. It was completely shattered, pudpod na pudpod na parang dinikdik na paminta.

Nagkaroon din ng lamat ang pagkakaibigan namin. Months later they all went to train sa ibang bansa and we grew more distant. Manaka nakang tumatawag sila para mangumusta pero iniiwasang makabanggit ng ano mang balita tungkol kay Primo.