Concealed Truth

12

She was quiet the whole time. Parang inaabsorb niya lang lahat ng kwento ko. And I was happy that she did that. Hindi ko naman kasi kailangan ng may mag-iinterrupt sakin. What I need is someone whose willing to listen to me. I looked at Liam through the rear view mirror saka ako napasinghap.

“ Maybe that’s one more thing Liam and I have in common…” sabi ko

“ Ha?” Jho asked.

“ Sabi kasi ng mga kaibigan ko, Liam and I have one thing in common. Yun yung pagkabulag ni Maddie sa pagmamahal na binibigay namin for her. Ako as her bestfriend and Liam as her son. Akala ko yun lang. Meron pa pala.”

“ Ano?”

“ Ito… Yung hindi buo yung pamilya. Kaya siguro we like each other a lot. We have a lot of similarities when it comes to family issues.” sabi ko. She smiled sadly and reached out for my hand and squeezed it.

“ Everything will work out fine. You just have to believe na magiging okay din ang lahat.”

“ Sana nga.” sabi ko

We arrived at her house at dahil tulog na si Liam ay hindi na siya pumayag na bumaba pa kami.

“ Hindi mo na ko kailangan ihatid hanggang sa loob ng bahay. Liam’s asleep. Ayoko namang gisingin natin ung bata para lang ihatid niyo ko. May next time pa naman.” aniya

“ Sure ka?”

“ Yes Ivan. Sure ako.” sagot niya

“ Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun with you and Liam. Honestly akala ko magiging awkward para sa ating dalawa to but it turned out great naman. Kaya salamat.”

“ You’re welcome. Gusto ko lang naman mapasaya ka. That’s my goal”

“ Hahaha. Bolero”

“ Sabi ko naman sayo di ako nagbabasketball para maging bolero eh.” sabi ko making her laugh

“ Ewan ko sayo. Sige na. Papasok na ko. Ingat kayo ni Liam ha? Tell him that I’ll see him on Monday.”

“ Eh ako?” tanong ko.

“ Anong ikaw?”

“ Kailan ka makikipagkita ulit sakin?” I asked

“ Kailan mo ba gusto?”

“ Bukas?”

“ Hmm. Sunday is family day eh. Spend your day with Liam and your friends.” aniya

“ Ano ba yan. Eh kailan? Pwede ba kita sunduin after your work?”

“ Hm… pag-iisipan ko.” ngisi niya. Natawa na lang ako saka ginulo ang buhok niya.

“ Uwi na kayo kawawa na si Liam oh, kailangan na niya makatulog ng maayos.”

“ Alright. Thanks for today din. Next time ha?”

“ Yeah. Promise yan.” aniya at nagulat ako when she kissed me on the cheek.

“ Ingat kayo. Please text me when you get home.”

“ I will. See you!”

I drove out of their street and went back to the main road. I was feeling light and happy and… Ewan! I’ve never felt this way before. Yung pakiramdam mo nasa mga ulap ka. Yung lutang sa ewan. Kahit nga nung nakarating na kami sa condo ay para pa rin akong nasa ulap. Ni hindi ko ramdam ang bigat ni Liam sa mga braso ko as I carried him to my unit.

“ Naloko na.” sabi ko sa sarili ko as I walked out of the elevator. Nagulat ako nang pagliko ko sa hallway ay nakita ko si Maddie na nakatayo sa may pinto.