Steel Skin: Pitch Black

36:00 The Unwanted Daughter's Mother

THE UNWANTED DAUGHTER'S MOTHER

"Rica visited here a few times." kaswal na sabi ni Sister Marie habang nagtatahi ng habit ni Jourdan gamit ang karayom na hawak nito at sinulid.

Si Romano naman na nasa harap niya, nakapatong ang isang paa sa upuan at nakasandal kamay dito, saka may hawak na mangkok at kutsara, subo-subo ng pagkain.

"Bakit daw?" tuon ang pansin sa pagkaing sabi niya, just stuffing food in her mouth until it got full. She chewed casually.

Sister Marie shrugged in uncertainty. "Hinahanap ka." anito habang abala sa ginagawa.

Jourdan rolled her eyes while chewing her food. "Manggugulo na naman yon kukulitin na naman ako."

Ilang sandaling muling natahimik ang silid nang hindi na sumagot si Sister Marie. Jourdan watched Sister Marie sew her torn habit for her.

Muling yumuko si Jourdan upang sumubo saka pasimpleng nagsalita nang hindi ito binabalingan ng tingin.

"I went out to see somebody I know."

Surprisingly, Sister Marie did not react the way Jourdan expects her to be. "May kutob na akong gagawin mo 'yon."

"Even if you're cold with everybody, or heartless as what every nun here perceives you to be. I know you, ako lang ang nakakakilala sa'yo." anito. Nag-angat ito ng tingin para tingnan sa mata ang magandang pagmumukha ng babaeng ito.

"At tao ka hija, may pakiramdam ka. You will still miss people." Jourdan looked away.

"But if this is about the guy you were crazy about, hindi na kita hahayaang makaalis ulit." habol nito na ikinahinto ng babae. Her chew slowed down as soon as she heard the utterance from Sister Marie.

"Do you remember what I promised you before?" hindi nakatingin ditong sabi nito.

Sister Marie then looked at her in the eye.

"Ikaw ang dahilan kung bakit ko pinangako yon." muli itong yumuko dahil sa tinatahi nito. Hindi nakasagot si Jourdan.

Yes, she clearly remembered it.

It was five years ago. She came into the convent, lost, hungry, and blood-stained. At unang-unang sumalubong at nagpatuloy sa kanya ay si Sister Marie.

And no one knew about it.

Bruised and cold and weak, Sister Marie is the one who dressed her and fed her, hid her in the old woman's room and healed her wounds.

Sister Marie did not question her about anything, kahit na ang pagkatao niya o ang pangalan man lang niya. Ilang linggo siyang balisa at tuliro, walang kinakausap na sino, at kapag gabi naman, iyak lang ito ng iyak.

She let her heal herself and recover from her own shock of whatever it is. Sister Marie did not force her to talk, at hinayaan niya ang babaeng magpresentang magsalita; only if she is ready enough.

And time did not fail her, because Jourdan uttered her name for the first time.

Among all of them here, Sister Marie is the only one who knows about her true identity, at siya lang ang pinagkakatiwalaan nito. Dahil dito, ang matandang babae lang din ang kayang sundin at respetuhin ni Jourdan.

For the first four to five months in the convent, she became her utmost aggressive self to the point of becoming uncontrollable. She once became like a wild animal that is dying for freed. To the point Sister Marie has to literally lock her up and tie her in her room. Reckless and disastrous as you can imagine, but nobody was able to handle and calm her down for months.