KAGAT KO ang ibabang labi na naghihintay sa labas ng penthouse ni Luke, I just ring the bell pero ilang segundo pa ang tumagal bago ito nabuksan.
"Hi." I quickly greet him.
Pero mabilis na nawala ang ngiti sa labi ko nang mapansing wala siyang damit pang-itaas! my eyes slowly widen as it travelled down to his strong abdomen.
Shuta, bakit mas gumanda ang katawan niya?!
"Enjoying the view?" I could sense that amusement in his voice.
Mabilis akong umangat ng tingin at tinikom ang bibig kong nakaparte dahil sa sobrang paghanga, baka mag-assume siya na hanggang ngayon ay baliw ako sa kanya?! ew, no way!
"Where's Arkiza?" I asked him.
Pareho kaming pumasok sa loob ng unit, ito rin ang lugar kung saan nagkita ulit kami pagkatapos ng dalawang taon. It was chaotic, inisip niya pa na may iba akong lalaki.
"She's in the room upstairs, nasa unang kuwarto." He showed me the place, hinayaan niya rin ako na mag-isa lang na tumungo sa itaas para makita ang anak ko.
Luke just walk to the kitchen, may aayusin daw siya kaya hindi niya ako masasamahan. I don't need him anyway, dalawa lang naman ang kuwarto rito at ang isang nauunang kuwarto ay kulay kalimbahin.
The moment I opened the door is that I suddenly felt like I see something good and beautiful in my eyes, my lips parted as I stared at the whole room which is full of pink and white paper plane.
The paper plane was hanging around the room, some teddy bears and dolls are perfectly arranged in the book shelf where there's also some book bed time stories inside of it.
Pink and white was the theme of this room, kahit ang sahig ay kulay baby pink! oh my gosh, I bit my lower lip as my eyes even roam around.
Sa itaas ng hindi gaano kataas na gabinete ay may mga nakaframe na litrato, some are pictures of my Arkiza in my private instagram account. Kinuha yata 'yan do'n ni Luke pagkatapos ko siya i-accept as follower ko, ilang araw lang ang nakalipas.
My baby Arkiza was cutely smiling in that photoshot, kulay orange ang background nito at nakaupo naman ang baby ko habang nakangiti na halos hindi na makita ang mga mata niya. She's only eight months before one year that time.
Ang isang litrato naman na katabi nito ay ang picture ni Arkiza na ngayon lang, it was a random picture of her who is playing with her toys. Nakaupo ito sa carpet at nakaside view, mukhang si Luke mismo ang kumuha ng litrato.
My baby is so cute.
Ngumiti ako at tinignan ang sumunod na litrato, and it almost got my air when I saw what it was. Malaki rin ang frame katulad ng dalawang pictures kanina, it was a photoshot of me and my daughter last three months ago.
Nakaupo ako sa stoll habang si Arkiza ay nakaupo rin sa kandungan ko, we're both smiling from ear to ear. Dito rin napansin ang pagkakahawig namin kapag ngumiti, mata lang talaga ang nag-iba.
Kulay orange pa rin ang background, kulay white na simpleng dress ang suot ko at pink naman ang kay Arkiza na may pink headband pa.
"Mama?" A cute little voice makes me turned around, nakaupo na ito ngayon sa kama habang kinukusot ang mga mata niya gamit ang maliliit na kamay.
My heart soften, ngumiti ako ng malapad bago siya dinaluhan para buhatin. She look shocked upon seeing me, pero hindi tumagal ay ngumiti siya at humalik sa aking pisngi.
"Dada?" She asked me while looking over the place, hanggang ngayon ay mangha pa rin siya sa sarili niyang kuwarto dito.
I suddenly think, ano kaya ang reaksiyon ni Arkiza nang una niyang makita 'to? did she jumped over the joy she felt? mabuti na lang at hindi siya inatake sa puso kung ganun.
"Punta tayo sa labas? hintay si daddy mo." Saad ko, she quickly giggled and nodded to me.
Grabi, mukhang iba ang favorite ng anak ko ngayon! baka isang araw, mas gusto niya na si Luke kaysa sa akin. Tsked, pareho lang naman sila ng mata.
Nang bumaba kami sa hagdan ay do'n ko binaba si Arkiza sa bisig ko, she cutely walked around the house like she know everything here. May sarili siyang mga paa na tumakbo patungo sa kusina kung nasaan si Luke.
"Dada!"
"Oh, you're awake now. Come here, babe." Tawag sa kanya ni Luke pagkatapos nitong ilapag sa lamesa ang niluto niya, Akirza quickly hugged him.
"Kumain na lang kayo rito, so you can rest as soon as you got home." Luke told me, wala akong nagawa nang makitang may malapad na ngiti si Arkiza na nakatingin sa akin.
Hindi pa naman talaga ako gutom, but the moment I saw the sinigang na bangus; shit! parang kumulo ang tiyan ko.
"Fine."
Parang may nanalong ngiti sa labi ni Luke nang sabihin ko iyon, he put our daughter in the chair and pulled a chair for me. Sa gitnang bahagi si Arkiza, tapos magkaharap naman kaming dalawa.
Arkiza was smiling as I put a rice in her plate, sabaw ang nilagay ko na kaagad namang sinundad ng hinimay-himay na bangus ni Luke. Kinunan niya ito ng tinik para makain ng maayos ni Arkiza.
"I'll be going in Manila next day, since I have to sign a new contract. Tapos na rin kasi ang vacant months ko kaya balik ulit sa trabaho. But I'll try my best to visit the both of you. Mabilis lang naman ang eroplano." Luke said.
Napatigil ako sa pagkain, umangat ako ng tingin sa kanya na sinusubuan si Arkiza. He was smiling while looking over her, hindi ba siya nakakapasok ng maayos simula nang bumalik siya rito? masyado na yata kaming nakakaistorbo ni Arkiza.
"You don't have to visit us daily, unahin mo ang trabaho mo. Nakakaistorbo lang kami." I said as I eat again.
Rinig ko na natigilan siya, he stared at me.
"Hindi kayo magiging istorbo sa akin ni Arkiza, you're my family." He seriously said, and I felt like I lost it.
"She's your family here, Luke. Kung may uuwian ka man, si Arkiza lang 'yun. Huwag mo akong idamay, we're done." Iyon ang huli kong sinabi bago uminom ng tubig.
I looked at my baby, patapos na rin itong sumusubo ng pagkain niya. I smiled and offered her a water, tumango naman ito at mabilis akong sinunod.
Hindi ko na nakita ang reaksiyon ni Luke sa sinabi ko, pero hindi na siya nagsalita. I just feel his stares on me like he wanted to say something, but he can't.
Umuwi kami sa normal na paraan ni Arkiza, my baby say bid a good bye to her father. Ako naman ay basta na lang tumango sa kaniya, he casually bid a good bye to me.
Mukhang wala rin siya sa mood dahil sa sinabi ko kanina. But hell, I said what I said.
"ARE YOU really sure, 'nay? you know how delude your sister is. Makakahanap pa rin siya ng palusot." I told my mother, inaasikaso nila ang ihahatol na kaso kay Nyskie at Juan Filipe.
Police officers are even here, tinitignan nila ang mga ebidensya. Si Raul at nanay ay parang hindi man lang kinakabahan habang nakaharap sa mga pulis, kahit si tito ay andito. Tanging si kuya Vens lang ang wala.
But he knows the truth now, tinawagan niya pa nga ako kagabi nang malaman niya ang totoo. He was mad at Juan Filipe and Nyskie, pero sobrang galak din dahil magkapatid kaming dalawa.
"They can't escape now, Juan Filipe is weak at nag-aagaw buhay na lang sa hospital. Si Nyskie ay hinuhuli na ngayon ng mga pulis, the evidence was strong and they can't escape now." Nanay told me, hinawakan niya ang kamay ko habang naglalakad kami sa silda.
Tumungo kaming dalawa sa private room kung saan naroon na si Nyskie, I could even heard her voice shouting inside.
"Ahhh! let me out of here! I didn't do it! si Juan Filipe! siya dapat ang hinuhuli niyo!" Nyskie keep shouting in the wall where police officers and attorney was there outside, listening.
Naabutan namin siya ni nanay na nakadikit sa wall habang sumisigaw, galit na galit ito at lalo na nang makita kaming dalawa ni nanay.
"You. . . kayong dalawa ang gumawa nito! mga hayop kayo! let me out of here, wala akong kasalanan." She was about to attact my mother, pero mas mabilis si nanay.
She slapped her half-sister with all her force, napasinghap ng malakas si Nyskie habang sapo ang kanyang pisnging namumula.
"Do you think that you can escape? dalawampu't apat na taon kong dala-dala ang panlulukong ginawa ko sa'kin. You even hurt my daughter! wala kang karapatan, napakahalimaw mo." Nanay said.
Lalapit pa sana ito pero umatras si Nyskie, tinapunan ako nito ng masamang tingin. But I glared at her back, hindi na ako natatakot. Hindi ako mahina katulad ng dati.
"You're being arrogant now, Cyrez. Purke mayaman ka na at kilala ka na sa bansa?! think of what I've done for you! dahi sa akin ay naging matapang ka. Dahil sa akin ay nakaya mo ang mag-isa." She hissed.
I couldn't help but chuckled because of that, nanikip ang puso ko. How monster this person is. . . still denying everything but she sounds like admitting it.
"Yeah, I am not strong if it's not because of you. But do children deserve to be like that? do children deserve to work to have money and to support herself without her parent? siguro, mas maaga kong namahal ang sarili ko kung trinato mo ako ng tama, Nyskie." I slowly said that.
Dumiin ang pagkakahawak ni nanay sa kamay ko, I stared at her and smiled. Narinig namin si Nyskie na tumawa kaya napatingin kami sa kanya, she look so messy and crazy.
"I assume that you all know now. . . that fucking Raul. Sana talaga tinapos ko na siya." She was glaring and hurting herself. "Yes! admit! I switched the baby, my baby didn't make it because of stress and it's because of you! hindi sana nawala ang anak namin ni Juan Filipe kung hindi ko inaalala ang ginawa ninyo ng asawa ko. Our plans is to kill him, and Juan Filipe successed. Cairos is so easy to kill." She laughed again.
Nagkatinginan kami ni mommy dahil sa narinig, I gasped because of that. Oh my gosh, she really did it! sila nga talaga ang nasa likod ng lahat ng 'to.
"But my husband is smart, gumawa pa rin siya ng paraan para ibigay sa totoong anak niya ang lahat ng mayroon siya, sa oras na mawala siya. That's why I hate you, Cyrez. Dahil kapag hinarap kita kay Valentina, malalaman niya ang lahat. Good thing that Juan Filipe and I meet again, and how dare you to broke it!" Sigaw niya sa amin.
She ran and suddenly pulled the hair of my mother, kaaga ko siyang inawat pero masyado siyang malakas. She pushed me away, maingay akong napasinghap nang bumagsak ako sa sahig.
Some of police officers came inside to stop her, sigaw ito nang sigaw. Sinisisi niya kay nanay ang lahat, it brokes me so much.
They are sisters, they shouldn't be like this.
"Hindi ko ginusto ang ginawa sa akin ni Cairos, I was worried. Ikaw ang pupuntahan ko sa bahay ninyo, pagkagising ko ay wala na! hinahalay na ako ng asawa mo. I suffered and hate myself because of that." Naiiyak na saad ni nanay.
Nyskie also broke down, umiiyak ito at panay iling. She covered her ears as she keep crying a lot of times, tumayo naman si nanay at ngumiti sa akin bago kami lumabas ng silid.
I know that the decision of court will always be in right side, inamin na rin ni Nyskie ang lahat. They will root in hell, magkakasama silang dalawa ni Juan Filipe do'n.
People will always be a people, they have secrets. Their own flaws are sometimes scary, in this world, you will always see something on it. Growing up, I only focus in the good side of this world, it was scary because as I slowly having an age, I realized that it has a dark side.
And that dark side is growing up, which is scary because it always happen without you knowing it.
ISANG ngiti ang ginawa ko nang makita si Arkiza at Luke na naghahabulan sa park, they are playing with our new dog. Tawa lang nilang dalawa ay napakasarap pakinggan.
"Papa, I'm tired." Rinig kong reklamo ni Arkiza nang hindi pa rin makuha ang bola sa kamay ng ama.
Luke chuckled and gaved it to her, hinalikan niya ang anak tsaka binuhat ito patungo sa akin. Kinuha ko mula sa basket ang pamunas nila.
Halos itirik ko rin ang mga mata nang makitang kumindat sa akin si Luke, nakasuot pa ito ng uniporme niyang piloto dahil kakasundo lang namin sa kanya sa malapit na airport.
I smiled a little as my gaze dropped off the red box.
It has a pendant inside of it which I ordered my self, I also requested to put an initials and good thing that the seller also agree.
It's a golden sun pendant, behind it has an engraved letters of someone who's special to my inner self and the present one.
A.L.B
I'm sure that it suits well to me, I couldn't wait to finally try it.
I also thought that sun doesn't fall, that it can't be tought. But looking at my home, I could always say that at the begginning, I had doubt about that too. But I realized, being here on my own prove that I'm okay than I ever was.
And in this month of february, I thought that life isn't how people survive in the storm, it always about how they dance on it.
JICEEN|JCYN