All at Once (Absinthe Series 6)

W a k a s

W a k a s

Pagmamahal ang pinakamatimbang na bagay sa mundo. Hindi ito mapapantayan ng kahit anong bagay, mapa-pera man o ari-arian. Love has many rivals—longing, pain, betrayal, disappointments, those things blinded us to the true meaning of love.

May mga taong ginagamit ang pagmamahal upang makaganti. They said that love could ruin a person. Love could be a weakness and a distraction. Maaaring totoo nga. Too much love could kill, but living without love is like living without air. Every person needs love. We all need support. We can't live on our own.

I realized that it was important to accept whatever the consequences are. Maraming katumbas ang pagmamahal, hindi lang puro kaligayahan ang pwedeng makuha dahil pwede ring matumbasan iyon ng sakit at pagkabigo. There's no such thing as a fairytale. Lahat tayo ay dadaan sa pagkabigo, sakit at hirap bago matamasa ang pinakamasayang huling parte ng isang storya.

"The look good together, eh?" somebody asked beside me. My smile never faltered as I gazed away from a certain man carrying a baby.

I was met by a pair of fierce eyes. Her face features were sharp and regal. Like a face that came out of a fashion magazine. She smiled at me.

"I'm glad you're here. Colibri's excited to see you."

"How would you know that?" I asked, looking back up front.

"I can feel it. Being with Colibri all the time, I could feel our bond tightening. Even though I wasn't his mother, I could feel that I am not attached to him, heart, body and soul."

"I heard about your story." Nilingon ko siya. "Is there no other way for you to conceive a baby?"

She slowly shook her head with a faint smile on her lips. Her eyes saddened a bit. "I can't. If I risk my health, Colibri will lose me. I don't want that to happen."

There was a glint of pure love in her eyes as she stared at the baby from afar. Ibinalik ko rin ang aking tingin kay Rogan na karga-karga ang anak. Ngayon ay nasa balikat na ni Rogan si Coli. The latter was gripping his father's hair. I could tell that the baby was ecstatic about the feeling of being up high in the air.

"Thank you." Napalingon ako kay Shana nang muli siyang magsalita.

"For what?" My forehead knotted.

"For coming here and see Colibri. And also, for accepting Rogan once again. I know it has been a chaos. I already told him a lot of times before that he needs to tell you about Colibri before it's too late. He was a coward for not telling you sooner. And I am sorry about my father. You also became a collateral damage for his own satisfaction."

"You don't have to apologize for that. Everything's alright now." Ngumiti ako.

She sighed and peace surrounded her face. Humalukipkip siya at napangiti na lang habang sinusundan ng tingin sina Rogan. Tumingin din ako doon. Napangiti na rin.

Rogan looks so happy. Hindi ko maitatanggi ang ngiti sa kaniyang mukha. I've never seen him this happy. Malawak ang pagkakangiti at humahalakhak pa. This is the side of him that was new to me and only Colibri could bring that up. Colibri is Rogan's happiness and so is the latter.

Nang mapagod sa kakalaro si Rogan sa anak ay ipinakarga niya ito kay Shana. It was a sunny day in California and the weather was good. Nasa malawak na garden kami ng bahay at tanaw mula rito ang malawak na karagatan. I never knew that Shana lives in a paradise like this. Gusto ko ring magising sa ganitong tanawin kada araw.

I was facing the ocean. Sa kalapitan ay nakaupo si Shana habang kandong si Coli. Her husband wasn't here as of the moment. Ang sabi ay mamaya pa uuwi dahil may importanteng trabahong ginawa.