"Aries! You naughty dog! What have you done?!" Yumuko na si Aries at napa-whimper sa pagtaas ng boses ko.
After showing me his "paawa" dog eyes, itinaas niya ang ulo niya na parang may pinapakita siya sakin. Dito ko na napansin yung kumikinang na bato na bitbit niya gamit ang bibig. "And what the heck is that?"
The golden retriever excitedly whimpered. Pinakita niya ang batong kanyang bitbit.
I gasped at how ridiculously thick, heavy, and sturdy it is. It's a shiny green emerald that kind of looks like a crown jewel.
Paano kaya ito nabitbit ni Aries? At saan kaya ito nanggaling?
"Ano hong problema natin dito, ma'am?" A middle-aged man was walking towards us as I internally questioned my dog's actions.
"Ah, wala lang po, manong. Nilalakad ko lang po yung aso, tapos bigla pong nawala yung isa, eh nung nakita ko siya..." I trailed off weakly. Hindi ko alam kung papaano ko ie-explain ang ginawang kalokohan ng pasaway kong aso.
Ininspeksyunan ni manong ang malalim na lupang nahukay at pati ang kriminal na may gawa nito. Finally, nasagot din ang tanong kung saan nanggaling ang batong bitbit kanina ni Aries.
"Aba, mukhang nasiyahan yung isa mong asong bumungkal dito ah."
"Pasensya na po, manong. Kasalanan ko po, hindi ko siya nabantayang mabuti kanina. Tulungan ko na lang po kayong maghukay at maglinis."
"Naku, wag na. Ayos nga eh, para may magawa naman ako dito. Masaya akong wala sila masyadong dinadalang mga bangkay dito at hindi ko kailangang maghukay ng maghukay. Pero nakakatamad din minsan pag matumal ang trabaho."
Pinanuod ko si manong na ibalik ang mga nakakalat na lupa sa pinaghukayan ni Aries. There was a brief moment wherein I felt envious of how easily he handled this peculiar situation. If I were him... I'd probably lose my cool first before taking action.
"Hmmm." Napahawak ng baba si manong habang nagiisip.
"Err, bakit po?"
"Wala, nakakamangha lang kung papaano nahukay ng aso mo ang ganito kalalim. Naabot pa niya yung casket ng nakalibing dito."
"Hindi ko nga alam kung maiinis ako o magiging proud." I gave Aries a stern, cold glare.
"Di kaya may gusto siyang nakawin sa loob ng casket?" Tumawa si manong. "Joke lang, miss."
"Ahh... hahaha..." I let out a nervous chuckle. Hinigpitan ko ang hawak sa batong hinablot ko sa bibig ni Aries kanina.
An hour later, hawak ko pa'rin ang kulay berdeng bato na ito.
"What have we done?" I sighed. We finally made it home without encountering any other scary confrontations or unexpected events.
"Nakakaloka ka, Aries! Kelan ka pa natutong gumawa ng gano'ng klaseng kalokohan, ha?"
Lahat ng mga zodiac dogs ko, nakapaligid sa amin ngayon. Now this is a first. I can see that they're getting restless or jittery. Sa tuwing may napapagalitan ako, ang madalas na napapaligiran nila ay si Pisces or si Scorpio or both. I guess they never would've expected to see Aries being reprimanded for misbehaving this time.
Once again, Aries whimpered like he wants to say "sorry" in doggy language. This was his first attempt to make me cuddle him like he didn't just besmirch a dead man's grave.
"No, hindi mo ako mauuto sa paganyan-ganyan mo."
When I showed no signs of giving in, dumapa siya at tinago ang kanyang ilong habang nakatingin sa taas ang kanyang mata. Eto ang second attempt ni Aries para patawarin ko siya.
"Nope. It ain't gonna work, pal. No, it ain't."
He rolled over; showing his tummy like it's begging to be petted. Nilabas pa niya ang dila niya at ngumiti.
"That's it. No doggy treats for you tonight!"
I managed to give Aries a cold shoulder until dinnertime. No human could resist his pleading eyes for too long.
—
Right before bedtime, napag-desisyunan kong bisitahin ulit ang IG and twitter page ni Vice. I was hoping to see new updates or perhaps a new song cover from him, if I do get lucky. His latest tweets were about him saying goodnight to his fans in a very poetic way, sigh. His third tweet has a link that will redirect you to his YouTube channel. A new vlog update? Hell yes!
He started his vlog with a wave and a charming, bright smile. He was holding his favorite rosewood acoustic guitar as he greeted us, his loyal fans. Nakasandal ang ulo niya sa leeg ng kanyang guitar at nakataas ang tuhod nya habang nakapatong ang isang kamay niya doon.
"...by the way, guys. A lot of you were really, really curious about the song that I posted the other day. I've been giddy since yesterday because it seems that lots of you really, really liked it. Wow. I've read so many positive reactions and comments from you. Unbelievable. I really appreciate your support. I love y'all. Don't you guys worry; I will answer all of your questions starting with the most asked one, where did I get my inspiration for the lyrics of the song...?"
Naramdaman kong tumibok ng malakas ang puso ko.
Oh my god.
Oh. My. God.
Is this it? Finally. Finally, maririnig ko na ulit ang pagbigkas niya ng pangalan ko. Lord knows how much I missed the way he says my name, Karylle. Tila hinuhuni niya ang pangalan ko sa awiting pang-harana.
"But before that, I would like to introduce you to someone."
All those years na pinigilan ko ang sarili ko na i-pm or i-dm siya. Hoping that someday he will remember me in some other way. Not this way, Karylle. Darating din ang araw na siya ang mauunang mangungumusta sa'yo, the way an old friend says hello to you.
"This someone is the one who should hold accountable for killing me... and bringing me to life every single night." He smiled wickedly. "You guys ready? Her name is..."
May hinila siyang babae sa tabi niya at pinakita niya sa camera. Slender, brunette, and breathtakingly beautiful. And certainly not me.
"Bella. Say hi to Bella, guys. My girlfriend."
Silence. Ear-deafening silence. Para bang umabot ng milyong segundo ang pag-pause ni Vice sa pagsasalita.
"Yep. She's the reason why that song exists today. She's the whole reason why I wrote the song that most of you have come to love. She's my beautiful Bella."
Close the browser. Shut it down. Isara mo na 'yang laptop, Karylle.
"My beautiful Bella. Redundant 'no? Okay lang 'yan. Hindi rin naman ako magsasawa na sabihin kung gaano ka kaganda, every day."
I closed the browser. I shut it down. Isinira ko yung laptop.
Grabe, he 'wrote' the song for her daw. I tried hard not to think. Hindi manlang niya ako binigyan ng credit.
Humiga ako ng kama, face down and trembling.
Grabe, hindi manlang niya binigay sa'kin yun.
I tried really hard not to think. I tried not to give in.
Grabe... paano niya nagawa sa'kin 'to?
I closed my eyes, trying to eternally blink all my tears away.
—
Nagising ako ng 2:01 PM.
Naramdaman ko ang paghapdi ng mga mata ko, pagkadilat na pagkadilat ko palang. Naramdaman ko rin ang pagkatuyo ng lalamunan ko.
I groggily sat up. Still feeling like my heart just sank to the bottom of the ocean. Still feeling like the most foolish person on earth.
Tubig. Kelangan ko ng tubig. Wait, sino pa ba ang nangangailangan ng tubig bukod sa'kin?
I looked at the clock and shrieked, "My babies!"
Tumakbo ako pababa ng hagdanan. Ine-expect ko na yung mga iyak at tahol nila pagkababa ko pero ibang eksena ang sumalubong sa'kin.
Wagging tails and happy faces. They look well-fed and contented. They don't look worried or hungry at all. This is odd.
Pinagmasdan ko ang masasaya nilang mga mukha, binati ko sila isa-isa at...
"Huh? Where's Aries?"
Nawawala si Aries. Nakakapagtakang wala siya dito ngayon. This feels like déjà vu.
Naglakad-lakad ako sa bahay para hanapin siya hanggang sa nakarinig ako ng mga ingay galing sa kusina.
"Aries—"
Napahinto ako sa pagpasok sa kusina. Instead of seeing a dog, I saw a man standing there.
"Oh, hi." The man said. "Finally you're awake." He looks strangely familiar.
I could've shouted, "Sino ka?!" or "Paano ka nakapasok dito?!" or "TRESSPASSER! HELP!"
Pero ang nasabi ko lang ay ang mahinang, "Vice?"
"Not Vice. Aries!" Napangiti ang lalaki.
"H-huh?"
"My name is not Vice..." Lumapit siya sakin. Saka ko lang napansin na naka-apron lang siya at walang saplot sa ilalim. He loomed over me, looking so dangerously handsome and tall.
"It's Aries!"
...
END OF CHAPTER TWO