Ghost
***
A day before the retreat, Evry went to our house to help me pack my things. What he didn't know was that I'm already done with it.
"Maglalayas ka ba?" he said to me when I showed him my red suitcase and traveling bag packed with my essentials and other things.
"Hindi naman. Bakit mo naman nasabi iyan?"
"You don't need that amount of stuff when we're there. Clothes, toiletries, medicine kit and extra blankets are enough." He kneeled on the carpeted floor of my room and opened my suitcase.
Napanganga siya nang sumabog ang mga laman niyon sa sahig. Sari-sari at basta ko na lang isinik-sik doon.
"What the heck? You're planning on bringing all of these?" Pinulot niya ang battery operated curler slash straightener ko. "What do you need this for?"
"It's for my hair para hindi magulo kapag nagpa picture ako, okay?"
"You don't need this, your hair is fine whatever its state." Sunod niyang hinugot ang fancy boots ko. "And what about this? You can't use this in the mountains. Masisira lang ito, bring hiking shoes instead."
"No! I need that!" I protested when he took out my tripod.
He sighed. "Don't worry, may tripod na isasama si Cons, you can borrow that."
He took more items from the suitcase hanggang sa kalahati na lang ang laman niyon. Pati ang traveling bag ay pinakialaman na rin niya at binawasan ang laman.
Matapos ang inspection niya ay inilipat na namin ang mga gamit kong natira sa isang large capacity travel bag.
Ugh! I'm still not okay with the taken out items.
"See? It's lighter and easier to carry now."
He let me hold it para tingnan kung kaya ko daw bang dalhin.
He's right, it's lighter now. Doon ko lang din na realize na ako rin pala ang magdadala nito paakyat ng bundok.
The next day, pupungas-pungas akong bumangon para mag handa. Hindi na ako naligo at naghilamos na lang since I showered last night.
3:30 o'clock ang assembly namin dahil bukod sa byahe ay magha hike pa kami. The goal was to reach the destination before the sun rises.
I wore an outdoor hiking shirt with my sports bra inside. High waisted cargo pants naman ang pang-ibaba ko and my shoes are a pair of World Balance aqua trail.
At exactly 3:15, nasa bahay na sina Evry gamit ang puting 15 passenger van. Pinagpaalam na niya ako kina mommy at buhat ang bag ko ay pumasok kami sa van. Nandoon na rin si Ate Cons na masigla akong binati. Anim pa lang kaming nandoon at susunduin pa raw ang iba.
Nasa front seat si Kuya Alpha habang ang isang teammate nila ang nagda drive.
Sa may pinaka likod ko piniling umupo dahil gusto ko munang umidlip para hindi maistorbo. Evry sat beside me and offered his shoulder so that I can resume my disrupted sleep.
Mabilis akong nakatulog nang sumandal ang ulo ko sa kanyang balikat. Hindi ko alam kung ilang oras o minuto ako nakatulog, nagising na lang ako nang marahan akong yugyugin ni Evry.
With disoriented eyes, I saw that it's still dark outside the van. Puno na rin kami sa loob and there's an unfamiliar woman that they introduced as Ismael's girlfriend. Alea ang pangalan niya at mukha namang mabait.
Lumabas na kami ng van dahil nandoon na raw kami sa Itogon. Sa lakas ng hangin doon ay nawala na lahat ng antok ko. Gusto ko sanang kumuha ng extra jacket sa bag ko pero maiinitan din ako kapag nagsimula na kaming mag hike. Yung Columbia cap ko na lang ang nilabas ko.
We geared up for the hike. They strapped their bags and Evry gave me a collapsible trail cane.
May dalawang lalaki silang kinausap. I learned that they will be our guide for this hike.
Past four na nang magsimula kaming umakyat. Naka flash light pa kami noon dahil wala naman kaming night vision 'no.
Sa una ay pa chill-chill lang ako sa paglalakad pero nang maging matarik na ang daan paakyat ay doon ako tinamaan ng pagod. My legs began to feel tired and my back was now aching. I began to perspire and breathing became rapid. Tumigil pa muna ako para uminom ng tubig dahil hindi ko na kaya.
"Tired?" Evry asked me and held my back, I wasted no time and leaned my back to that support. Mahina siyang tumawa at kinuha ang tumbler ko para ibalik sa bag ko. "Nabibigatan ka na ba?" He said, pertaining to my bag.
Kanina ko pa iyon gustong tanggalin pero tinitiis ko na lang.
"Medyo," sagot ko. Baka kasi mag volunteer siyang bitbitin iyon para sa akin gayong mas malaki at mabigat pa ang camping bag sa likod niya. Siya kasi ang may hawak ng sleeping bag, tent at iba pang gagamitin namin. "Kaya ko pa naman."
Tumango siya. "Okay, just tell me if you can't handle it anymore."
"Yup!" When I thought that it couldn't get worse, I was mistaken when the exhaustion doubled. Mahapdi na ang lalamunan ko, my sweat has dried and I feel so hot and sticky. I'm badly craving water and bath right now.
Nang tiningnan ko ang dalawang babaeng kasama namin ay mukhang ako lang yata ang naghihirap dito. They were enjoying jumping on rocks like it was just nothing to them.
For a moment, I suddenly felt that regret of ever joining this retreat. But it was too late to feel such a thing. I'm already in the middle of this mountain with no or little amount of trees. The only thing that relieved me was the cold windy air.
Nakahinga ako nang maluwag nang sabihin nilang magpahinga raw muna kami. Kahit alas singko na ay nananatili ang dilim sa paligid. I let my body collapsed on one of the rocks while panting.
Shit! This is harder than what I'm expecting. I thought hiking was fun, but this one is far from called fun.
Ipinikit ko ang mga mata, hindi dahil sa inaantok ako kun'di ay dahil sa gusto kong ipahinga ang nananakit kong mga paa at balakang.
Napamulat ako nang maramdaman ang isang malamig na dampi ng kung ano sa aking sintido.
I opened my lids to meet the eyes of the most handsome man in my eyes right now. He was hovering over me and was smiling as he stared at me.
He was sitting beside me, with his one hand propped to the rock in our middle and the other one was on my other side, encasing me between the rock and his body.
"You fine?"
Marahan akong umiling. "No, I'm tired as hell."
"Your first time?"
"Hmm," I moaned because I don't have the energy to speak.
"I should have warned you then."
"Yeah, you should have. But we're here now. I guess this serves as an experiential lesson to me now."
Marahan niyang idinampi ang panyo sa noo ko pababa sa aking leeg. He patted my sweat dry and lied beside me on the rock.
"When we reach there, ano ang una nating gagawin?"
"We will rest followed by an exercise..."
"Argh!" Hindi pa man siya tapos magsalita ay padabog akong bumangon.
Narinig ko ang pagtawa niya sa aking tabi. "Don't worry, hindi mo naman kailangang sumali. You can rest and sleep while we do that."
Well, thank goodness for that!
Makalipas ang limang minuto ay muli kaming nagpatuloy. Naging matarik na rin ang daan kaya palagi akong inaalalayan at tinitingnan ni Evry sa kanyang likuran.
When light starts to kiss the mountain, I noticed that the trees became thicker as we go on. Parang pumasok kami sa isang gubat.
"Naliligaw ba tayo?"
He chuckled softly and squeezed my hand that he was holding. "No. This place is barred from tourists. But we were allowed because we already wrote to the LGU. And we are not here to tour, we're here for athletic purposes."
"So ibig sabihin tayo-tayo lang talaga ang nandito?" I ducked my head not to be hit by the dangling branch even if I really don't have to because he's swiping away those branches that's coming our way.
"Uh-huh. Don't be scared, this area is protected and there is a barrack of soldiers not far away from here."
Twenty minutes later, light has fully spread to the surrounding area, though the sun is not up yet.
We stopped in a small clearing area. Akala ko ay magpapahinga ulit kami nang ibaba nila ang mga gamit at nagsimulang gumalaw sa paligid.
"Dito na ba tayo?" takang tanong ko kay Evry na ibinaba ang bag niya sa natumbang pine tree.
"Yup! This is where we will set-up our tent and camp." Tumingala siya na parang sinusuri ang kalangitan. "But before that, I have something to show you first."
"What is it?" He just smiled at tinulungan akong ibaba ang bag ko saka ako hinila. We went inside the forest again.
Puno ang paligid ng pine trees na nababalot ng moss at ibang fern. Huni ng ibon at tunog ng mga gumagalaw na dahon ng mga puno sa tuwing hahangin nang malakas.
Hinawi niya ang isang malaking dahon ng fern at napanganga na lang ako sa nabungaran.
Tahimik niya akong iginiya sa lugar na iyon.
"I know this place!" hindi ko napigilang sigaw sa pagka mangha! Para akong tanga na tumawa. "Wow! I can't believe that I'll be able to see this..." Hindi ko naituloy ang sasabihin dahil sa labis na galak.
Iyon ang lugar na i-pi-nost niya sa kanyang IG. The one where he's top less.
The picture didn't do any justice to the real beauty of the place.
Humakbang ako papunta sa bato at sumampa roon.
"Hey! Be careful, a cliff was behind you." Hinawakan niya ako sa bewang.
Nang lumingon ako ay gulantang na napa yakap ako sa kanya nang malula sa napakataas na bangin kung saan nakatirik ang bato. Bigla akong kinilabutan na baka bumigay iyon at mahulog kasama ako.
Natatawang niyakap niya ako at binuhat paalis doon.
"That's a death trap. That's why they placed those wires at the edge of the cliff." He pointed to the barbed wires that were hidden by the long grasses.
The view was so enthralling you can't help but get lost in it... The golden rays of the rising sun were trying to pierce through the thick sea of clouds that surrounds the mountain.
Napaka kapal ng mga ulap na hindi mo agad mapapansin ang bangin sa baba. It was a death trap indeed. Beautiful but deadly, huh?
I was reluctant to take a picture of myself because I'm kinda paranoid about the cliff. But Evry told me to conquer my fear to be able to conquer the beauty that was ahead of me. And so I did and gave him my phone before the sun got too high.
Saglit siyang natigilan nang tanggalin ko ang outdoor shirt ko, leaving me with my gray sports bra and brown cargo pants. I left my ponytail with me and the cap.
"What? Kunan mo na ako!" sigaw ko dahil mukhang natulala pa yata sa akin.
He cleared his throat at itinaas ang phone.
Naka ilang shots din kami nang bumaba na ako doon sa bato. It was scary but it's the ideal spot if you want to have the best picture.
"Gorgeous," he mumbled as we stared at my photo. "Come here, let's take a photo of us."
"Uh, okay." Hinila niya ako sa kanyang tabi habang nakatalikod kami sa view. Tinanggal ko ang cap ko para kita ang mukha ko. I leaned more to him and made a peace sign.
After checking the photos, sinuot ko na rin ulit ang shirt ko at bumalik sa clearing.
Nagse set-up na sila ng kanilang tent nang makabalik kami so we did the same. Ang unang ginawa namin ay ang tent na tutulugan namin ni Ate Cons, si Alea daw kasi ay kasama si Kuya Ismael sa tent nila.
They lit a fire in the middle where we can cook and brew our coffee. Mukhang sanay na nga sila sa ganitong gawain.
"This is my fourth time here so I'm used to this place," he said and sipped his coffee.
We ate our breakfast then nagpasama kami kung saan ang batis na sinasabi nila to wash ourselves.
Malinis ang tubig doon at sa gilid ay mayroong mga orchids.
"So, you're Rai's girlfriend?" Ate Alea asked while wearing her undies and dipping her body to the deeper part of the stream. Ganoon din si Ate Cons.
I stripped my clothes off and did the same. It feels like we're just in a pool, a small pool with fresh mountain water caressing our tired body.
"Uh, no..."
Tumaas ang kilay niya. "No? Then why are you always together?"
"Nililigawan siya ni unggoy," sagot ni Ate Cons.
Ate Alea snickered. "Grabe ka kay Rai. But really, bakit hindi mo pa siya sinasagot? He's hot you know." Kumindat pa siya pero sa totoo lang ay hindi ako natuwa sa sinabi niya. I don't like the thought of anyone fantasizing Evry in any way.
"Tss, you have a boyfriend, girl," Ate Constelaine reminded her.
Ate Alea only rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with appreciating Rai. It's not as if Ismael is not doing the same with other girls, baka nga kapag wala ako ay todo siya makatitig sa ibang babae."
"My Kasper is not like that," Ate Constelaine said while washing her hair.
"Kasper?" I asked her confusedly. Akala ko ba si Kuya Gustave ang...
She smiled. "Kasper Gustave, it's his first name. I was the only one who can call him that, he hates that name because it reminds him of Casper the Ghost from the movie."
"Kasper is cute," I commented.
She giggled. "That's what I thought too."
I was feeling refreshed when we got back to the camp, wearing a different set of clothes. Sakto naman na paalis na sina Evry, aayusin lang daw nila ang gagamitin nilang obstacle course bukas.
Gusto ko sanang sumama pero iniisip ko pa lang ang mga lalakarin namin ay tinatamad na ako, isa pa, wala rin naman akong gagawin doon.
Nagpaiwan na lang kaming mga girls kasama ang isang guide at dalawang team mate nila.
We helped in cooking para sa lunch. Ate Constelaine was pretty skillful in cooking using plain fire.
"I used to join the girl's scout when I was in elementary 'till high school," she explained when I showed how impressed I am.
On the other hand, Aye Alea was hopeless in this field, she doesn't even know hot to cook according to her. Muntik pang masagi ng apoy ang kanyang buhok. I wanted to laugh at the scene but I restrained it as I watch her on the verge of crying. Na trauma pa yata kaya umupo na lang sa gilid.
Past one na nang makabalik na sila sa camp. They looked dirty and worked out so we immediately prepared their meal.
"Who cooked this?" Evry asked while eating the chicken stew.
"Me, why?" sabat ni Ate Constelaine na nasa harap lang namin. "Masarap ba?" she asked teasing him.
"Walang lasa," matabang niyang sagot. I felt a little pang of embarrassment at his comment.
"Really?" She raised her brow and smirked. "Si Shyleen pa naman ang naglagay ng asin niyan..."
Napatigil sa pag subo si Evry para tingnan ako.
"I'll just get the salt," medyo nahihiyang sabi ko. Wala daw lasa, sa pagkakaalam ko naman ay sakto lang ang pagkaka lagay ko niyon. Napatingin ako sa ibang kumakain, baka ganoon din ang nalalasahan nila.
"Hey, you know I'm just kidding Elaine," pigil niya sa manggas ng damit ko. Napatitig ako sa kanya, inaarok kung nagsasabi ba siya ng totoo. "Ang sarap ng asin nito, walang-wala ang karne," sabi niya pa kaya tuluyan na akong napa ngiti.
"Stop messing with me, baka pakainin kita ng buong bottle ng asin," banta ko.
He smiled sheepishly. "Yes, boss."
That afternoon, we decided to go fishing in the stream. I was wearing shorts while he folded his pants upward para hindi mabasa.
We spent our time talking about random and nonsensical topics while waiting for the fish to take the bait.
Ang dami niya pang punch line na related sa course niya. Dahil hindi naman ako ganoon katalino ay laging nagla lag ang utak ko.
"My heart is just square root of 16 but uranium is present."
"Ha?" tangang tanong ko. "Hindi ko gets."
He groaned. "Ang slow mo naman."
"Bakit naman kasi ang arte ng mga punchline mo, hindi bagay sa akin. Dapat ganito; Diba taken kana but "t" is silent. Ganern!" Pinitik ko pa ang mga daliri ko sa harap niya.
Nag-iwas siya ng tingin. "Sa 'yo naman talaga ako," bulong niya na umabot sa pandinig ko. Lumapad ang aking ngiti. "Okay, how about this one. If I were an enzyme, I would be a DNA helicase... so I could unzip your genes."
It took me thirty seconds to realize that and when I did, my eyes widened and punched him on the shoulder.
"Gago, bastos ka, ah!"
Hindi siya umiwas sa mga mahihinang suntok ko. "What, you want something naughtier?"
"Bwisit ka Solomon!" Umalingawngaw ang halakhak niya sa buong kakahuyan, humahalo sa mga bungisngis ko.
We returned with a bucket half full of tilapia that will be enough for our dinner. They decided to grill it na lang the fish.
After dinner, we gathered around the campfire while toasting marshmallows in the fire. An extra blanket was draped around me because the night air was cold.
"Since you're new here, do you know about the story that's been circulating around the area?" Heron started while staring at us girls.
"Ano iyon?" Ate Alea asked.
"It's about the story of the lost woman," he said in a chilling tone. The cold air blew and goosebumps rose onto my skin. Nahigit ko ang blanket para yakapin iyon.
"What about it?" Ate Constelaine questioned.
Isa-isa muna kaming tiningnan ni Heron gamit ang mga nanunuring mga mata. It's like he's assessing us if we can take the information that he's about to divulge.
Mas lalo akong kinilabutan nang umangat ang isang sulok ng kanyang mga labi.
"Gustong niyong malaman?"
"Sinabi mo na, eh. Ituloy mo na," impatient na ani ni Ate Constelaine.
Tumawa siya. "Okay, if that's what you want." He propped his elbows on his knees before continuing. "You know, when we first got here, we heard about the story of the woman who lost her mind when her baby died in childbirth."
"Oh, I know that movie. It's Corazon, the unang aswang."
Umiling ang lalaki. "It's not, this is different. This is real and she did not turn into an aswang, instead a ghost."
"How did that happen?"
The guys were silent, as if they already heard the story.
"When she was out of her wits, she wandered into this forest. She keeps looking for her child because in her view, she believes that the baby is still alive. And then she reached this area..." bumaba ang tono niya at tumingin sa mga mata ko. Tumaas ang mga balahibo ko dahil doon. Pakiramdam ko ay nasa tabi o likod ko lang ang multo na kinukwento niya.
Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko sa kaba. I'm starting to get scared but I don't want them to notice it.
"She got lost and fell into the cliff behind those trees." The he nodded the direction kung saan kami pumunta ni Evry kaninang umaga.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at napahawak sa braso ni Evry. He turned his head to me and went to caress my hand that was tightly clutching him.
"They found her body days later."
"That's tragic, but what's scary about it?"
Seriously Ate Cons? Hindi ka pa takot doon?
"The deal is, the memory of that tragedy is still lingering in these woods." Tumingin siya sa madilim na paligid. He paused and the only thing we could hear was the cracking noise from the burning wood. "Some campers said that they can hear a woman's plea at night. Crying, sobbing in agony to bring back her child. Begging for her misery to end."
Saglit kaming natahimik.
"Nah, that's not scary at all." Ate Constelaine shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly while mine shuddered in fright.
"Totoo ba ang sinabi niya?" I whispered to Evry.
He smiled tenderly. "Why? You're scared?"
Tumango ako. "A little." I don't want to admit that it was actually more than a little. My brain went into a frenzy and an image of a weeping woman formed into my mind, followed by her fall to the cliff. I can even imagine those cries and chilling noises just like what Heron described. Nakaka panindig balahibo lang.
"Don't worry, he's just trying to scare you. It's not true, okay?"
Kahit papaano ay gumaan ang aking loob sa nalaman. Kinabahan pa naman ako doon. I'm not really good with horrors.
"Okay, how about this one. It's about the stream monster," Heron said.
Ate Cons chuckled. "Title pa lang parang gusto ko nang tumakbo sa takot. Wala na bang iba? Stream monster, really? Bed time story mo ba iyan para sa pamangkin mo?"
"For a woman who read IT and watched Asian horrors, you won't be able to scare her," Kuya Gustave proudly said and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.
"C'mon, guys, I'm trying to give you the scare of your life."
"Nah, save your breath. Saka ka na mag kwento ulit kapag may naisip ka ng mas nakakatakot na title kaysa diyan sa stream monster mo." Tumayo siya. "I'm tired and I want to sleep na. Let's go, Shy?"
Sa kanyang sinabi ay nakaramdam din ako ng pagod at pagka antok.
"Sige, tulog na tayo." Pinisil ko ang braso ni Evry at sumunod kay ate.
Hawak kamay kaming naglakad papunta sa tent namin.
Kinuha namin ang mga toiletries para mag wash up sa may batis.
"Hindi ka ba natatakot sa mga kwento ni Kuya Heron?"
"Heron is a lousy story teller. Bata lang yata ang matatakot doon," she presumed and began washing up.
Sumunod ako at minadali ang aking mga galaw para hindi niya mapag-iwanan.
We returned to our tent and tried to sleep. The guys remained in the camp fire until nine thirty P.M. By that time ay hindi pa rin ako makatulog. I don't know what's causing this insomnia.
It was eleven when Ate Constelaine went out for a pee. Pero twenty minutes na ang nakalipas ay hindi pa rin siya bumabalik. I started to imagine worst case scenario, the ghost in the forest and the stream monster kung ano man iyon.
Nagtalukbong ako ng kumot dahil nagsisimula na namang mamuo ang takot sa systema ko. Tahimik ko na lang na minumura si Heron sa isip ko.
It's his fault why I can't find my sleep. I decided na lang to play on my phone to distract myself but not so long after that, my body froze when I heard something. A faint cry from a woman rang into my ear.
Hindi makagalaw na patuloy ko iyong pinakinggan. The cry continued and it even became louder, like it's nearing to my direction.
Malakas ang hampas ng dibdib na umupo ako at balisang nakatingin sa opening ng tent. Humigpit ang hawak ko sa phone ko. Tumili ako nang biglang may gumalaw sa gilid ko at napatayo sa takot!
Mabilis na tumakbo ako palabas at tinungo ang tent ni Evry na parang hinahabol ng demonyo. Mabuti na lang at dinala ko ang phone ko kaya may ilaw ako, kung hindi ay nadulas pa ako roon.
Dali-dali kong binuksan ang tent ni Evry at pumasok doon.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked in a husky voice with a tinge of panic in it. Mukhang naistorbo ko pa yata ang tulog niya.
"There's a ghost outside," hinihingal na sabi ko at mabilis ang pagtibok ng puso.
Ngumisi siya. "Wait, what?"
"There's a ghost!" I whispered firmly.
Binuksan niya ang solar flash light kaya lumiwanag sa loob. Namumungay ang kanyang mga mata at magulo ang kanyang buhok.
"There's no ghost here, baby."
"But there is! Narinig ko siya kanina, she was crying!" desperadang diin ko.
He sighed. "Okay, I'll check." Hawak ang flashlight ay lumabas siya sa tent. Sumilip ako sa kanyang likod pero wala kaming ibang makita roon bukod sa kadiliman at sa kulay kahel na liwanag na nagmumula sa mga baga ng campfire. "See, there's no one in there."
Bumalik siya sa loob at sinara ang pinto niyon.
I pouted, wanting to cry cause he doesn't believe me. Takot na takot pa naman ako doon kasi totoong may narinig ako.
"But I really heard something," garalgal kong sabi at yumuko.
"Shh, okay. I believe you, but maybe that ghost has already left." He drew closer and pressed his lips on my temple. "Where's Elaine by the way. Iniwan mo ba siya doon?"
Umiling ako. "She went out to pee, pero hindi pa siya bumabalik. Ayaw ko munang bumalik doon, baka marinig ko ulit iyon."
"Do you want to stay here then?"
Iginala ko ang tingin sa loob ng tent. Medyo malawak naman iyon at pwede kaming dalawa.
"Okay lang ba iyon?"
"Yes, as long as you're comfortable."
"Then I'll stay here."
Kumuha siya ng extra blankets at binigay sa akin ang small pillow niya while he improvised his bag as his pillow.
He turned off the flashlight and it was pitch black once again.
"Let's sleep now, okay? Stop thinking about that ghost unless that ghost is me."
A smile was tugged into my lips despite the lingering fear.
"Okay, I'll just imagine that the ghost was you."
He chuckled. "That's better."
I closed my eyes and summoned myself to sleep. Pero nang nakukuha ko na ang tulog ko ay napamulat ako nang marinig ko ulit ang nakakakilabot na tinig na iyon.
It was the crying woman again.
Gusto kong gisingin si Evry pero ayaw kong maistorbo siya. Maingat akong tumagilid at inilapit ang aking katawan sa kanyang gilid.
Nagulat ako nang humarap siya at pumalibot sa akin ang braso niya.
I thought he was asleep.
"It's there again, Evry," I mumbled.
He didn't spoke but I know that he was awake based on his breathing and constant sigh. Mas lalo akong nag sumiksik sa kanya nang magpatuloy iyon.
"Ssh, it's okay. It's not a ghost," he said coldly as if he was so sure.
"Then what is it—" Natigilan ako at nakinig.
That was the moment when I realized that the woman was not crying, it's freaking moaning!
Naipikit ko ang mga mata nang mapagtanto ang nangyayari. Namula ang mukha ko sa ilang at hiya.
Wala naman sigurong multo na magsasabi ng, "More, babe... Ang sarap."
Shit! F*cking shit! Gusto kong takpan ang tenga ko. Bakit ko pa kasi kailangang marinig ito kasama si Evry?
"There... there..." Lumunok ako. Hindi ko iyon masabi.
"Yeah, just ignore it and go back to sleep, okay?"
Tumango ako na parang kay daling gawin niyon. I distanced myself from him and lied on my back.
It was so awkward when that sound kept coming. Whoever those are, sana naman hinaan nila.
Could it be Ate Cons and Kuya Gustave or maybe Ate Alea and Ismael. Gosh, I refused to think much more of it.
"Do you wanna listen to music instead?" he said out of nowhere.
"Huh?"
"I have my earphones here." He opened his phone that illuminated the tent. "Here, choose our music." He gave me the wire and I timidly took it.
Kahit na ten percent na lang ang phone ko ay nilagay ko iyon doon at nag play ng music. I choose the pop music so that it can distract us from the noise. Nasa kanya ang kaliwang bud habang nasa akin naman ang kanan.
"Still bothered?" he asked me.
"Not that much, the music helped."
"Let's talk then."
Nilingon ko siya sa kalagitnaan ng dilim. It was not completely dark for I can still see his silhouette.
"Ano naman ang pag-uusapan natin?"
"Anything, there's a million varieties of topics that we can talk about."
Nakagat ko ang aking labi nang may maalala. I've been thinking about this lately actually and I decided that now is the right time for it.
"Okay, let's talk about something."
I heard him move. "What will be our topic?"
Ngumiti ako. I'm just so excited to know his reaction.
"Stop courting me."
"What?" malamig niyang tanong.
"From now on, I'm not single anymore... and so are you." Lumingon ako at tinitigan ang silhouette niya. "Imagine, tayo na. Remove the first word."
The place fell into a deafening silence, then followed by my most awaited reaction.
"Fuck," he uttered then a warm lips collapsed on mine.