All I could hear inside the van was the singing of the passengers―the music team. I was seated beside the window, my favorite seat. I could see from here the good view of the place. Today was the day of what they called Winter Camp.
"You, You are God, You are Lord
You are all I'm living for
You are King of everything
I want my life to praise You..."
They were all singing the song, except Storm and me. We were just smiling at them.
"Fara."
I looked at who called me. It was Michelle in the front seat, holding and raising her phone that was set to the camera.
"Tingin lahat sa camera!" Kuya Joss told us.
I smiled as she clicked the camera.
"Wacky!"
I made a silly face. We laughed as we made faces at the camera.
I never felt this way before. I was so happy and felt no different with them. They accepted me as a new member of their family.
Now I understand why Storm couldn't leave this religion or his spiritual family even if his grandfather would hate him forever. He just couldn't leave this family who brought him to his God.
The sky was already dark when we arrived at the venue. We transferred our things inside the tent as soon as we dropped everything off from the car. My body was already shaking from the cold. The grass was wet and the air was moist and foggy. Thankfully, there were dim lights attached to the trees surrounding us, so it wasn't that dark at all.
"Boys are separated to girls," one of the organizers of the camp announced.
Christy's partner was Glen while Michelle's partner was Karen. I was left alone. I had no partner.
"Fara!" Napalingon ako sa babaeng kumakaway sa akin mula sa malayo.
My eyes widened when she came near me. I looked at her from head to toe in an inconspicuous way. She wore a blue jacket, black jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. Well, everyone was wearing a jacket. But, I knew this girl!
"Molly!" I exclaimed.
She happily came closer to me with parted lips in disbelief. "Oh my gosh! What are you doing here? Hindi ko lubos akalain na makikita kita rito," hindi makapaniwalang sabi niya.
"I'm with my husband," I replied with a smile on my lips.
"Husband? You're married na?" she said with eyes widened. "W-wait, Christian ka na ba?"
"Uh, o-only my husband."
"Oh." She repeatedly nodded her head. "May ka-partner ka na?" she asked.
"Wala pa," I replied.
"Nice! Tayo na lang ang mag-partner!" she happily said.
We decided to find a tent for us. Some of the tents were already occupied, kaya napunta kami sa may bandang dulo at malayo kina Storm. Hindi ko mabilang kung ilan ang mga tent na naroon dahil halos mapuno niyon ang lugar.
"Ano nga palang pangalan ng husband mo? Baka kasi kilala ko. You're so blessed to have a Christian husband," Molly told me.
"His name is Storm, Storm Dylan Hunt," I said.
"Ano?!" gulat na sabi niya. "Storm Dylan? Ikaw ang asawa ni Kuya Storm?!"
"Yeah, why?" I asked. My brows furrowed in wonder. Ang OA kasi ng reaksyon niya.
"Ang sakit sa puso, a!" sabi niya sabay hawak sa puso niya na tila nasaktan. Pagkatapos, humagalpak siya ng tawa.
Napailing na lang ako sa kaniya. Parang noong unang pagkikita lamang namin sa bar depressed siya, pero ngayon sobrang masiyahin naman siya.
"Alam mo bang crush ko si Kuya Storm? I even prayed to God, 'Lord, sana si Kuya Storm na lang ang mapangasawa ko...'" k'wento niya sa akin habang nag-aayos kami ng mga gamit namin.
I was just laughing at her stories. She also told me that she came from the other church, but she met Storm when he preached in youth camps like this.
"How are you now?" I asked her when we sat down inside the tent.
"Here I am... I came back to God," she said and took a deep breath, "Sobrang pinagsisisihan ko ang sinabi ko sa 'yo noon tungkol sa hindi kabutihan ng Diyos. God is so good, Fara." She smiled at me. "God reminded me that I should trust him. 'Yon na nga, nagbalik-loob ako. Hindi man naayos ang pamilya namin, He gave me a peace of mind that I never had when I was away from His presence," she testified.
I didn't react. I couldn't understand how she got peace of mind by coming back to her God.
"How about you? How's life?" tanong naman niya sa akin dahil sa hindi ko pagkibo.
I smiled bitterly and answered, "O-okay lang."
"Alam mo, Fara... God is real. Maniwala ka. 2000 years ago, He died for sinners like us," she told me. Napatitig naman ako sa kaniya. I could see sincerity in her eyes.
I just smiled at her.
Somebody called us for dinner. Saglit muna akong humiwalay kay Molly at sumama kina Storm habang siya naman ay sumama sa mga ka-churchmate niya.
We gathered at a place where there were aligned long benches around the table. Women were serving us food in a styrofoam bowl.
"What is this?" I asked Storm as I stared at the food. It looked like a soup but it had a chopped chicken.
"Lugaw 'yan. Hindi ka pa ba nakakakain niyan?" he asked.
I shook my head.
Kinuha niya 'yon at inabot sa akin. "Masarap 'yan," aniya, "Remember this: bawal ang maarte rito." Napatitig naman ako sa kaniya.
"Why?" I asked in confusion.
"It's a training ground."
***
Storm was not joking when he said that this camp was a training ground. Cell phones were not allowed. We were just allowed to use our cell phones if there was an emergency call. Only cameras were allowed. They even woke us up in the very early morning - at three o'clock in the morning! We did Storm's routine every morning. We sang a song and read the Bible.
We were grouped into ten and each one had a leader. Our team's name was Abraham. Nahiwalay ako kina Storm dahil ni isa wala akong kakilala sa mga kagrupo ko. Medyo nahihiya rin ako kaya hindi ako masyadong kumikibo. Pero masaya naman silang kasama.
"Ano'ng gusto mong ipagpasalamat kay Lord ngayong taon na 'to?" Kuya Neico, our leader, asked us. "Sige, maguumpisa tayo sa kanan ko."
"I want to thank God for helping me survive from leukemia..." Kimmy said.
Each one had to testify about what God did in our lives. To be honest, it freaked me out.
"Ang gusto kong ipagpasalamat kay Lord sa taong ito ay ang hindi niya pagbitaw sa akin sa gitna ng mga pagsubok ko sa buhay..." Now, it was Molly.
I prepared myself. Siguradong ako na ang susunod sa kaniya dahil magkatabi kami.
"Next," Kuya Neico said and then looked at me. "Fara, right?" he asked.
I nodded; they also nodded.
"So, ano'ng ipinagpapasalamat mo kay Lord sa taong ito?" Kuya Neico asked me.
"I thank G-God because H-he... He let me know Him this year." I answered with hesitation.
"Oh, you're a new Christian?" he asked.
"Y-yeah." I lied. I was not even sure with myself if I really accept the fact that God is real.
"Praise God!" He smiled at me.
***
We composed a jingle for our group. It was the event's requirement - who had the most awesome jingle would win. I had no idea when I stopped laughing because of my group's silly antics.
"Abraham! Abraham nandito na kami! Hindi magpapatalo at hindi pahuhuli! Hindi malalaki at hindi malalakas pero 'pag nagtulungan, kami ang number one!" We sang our jingle using the Wonder Pets theme song. We were now facing all the participants of the event. We heard nothing but laughters.
Afterwards, we had different outdoor games, and I enjoyed them all, lalo na ang paunahan gamit ang sako, kung saan ay kailangan mong lumundag para makasulong. Hindi ko alam kung pang-ilan na ang panalo namin. Ang kalaban namin ay ang Team Moses, which was Storm's group.
Ang huling laro namin ay ang hilaan ng lubid. Alam naming matatalo kami dito dahil apat lang ang lalaki sa amin, samantalang anim ang sa kanila.
"Go go go!"
Lumaban pa rin kami, kahit na alam namin na wala kaming laban sa kanila. Halos manakit ang kamay ko sa paghila ng lubid, hanggang natalo kami at nanalo ang Team Moses. They screamed and jumped in joy.
Napatingin ako sa palad ko; namula iyon ng sobra. I was panting in exhaustion. I took my handkerchief from the pocket of my jogging pants and wiped off my sweaty face despite the cold weather.
"Okay ka lang?" Kuya Neico asked me.
I smiled at him and replied, "Opo, Kuya. Napagod lang."
"Here." Inabot niya sa akin ang isang bote ng mineral water. Binuksan niya na 'yon bago ibigay sa akin.
"Thank you," I said and drank half of it. "They won," I told him.
"Okay lang 'yan. It's just a game. The important thing is we enjoyed it," he said.
"Yeah," I muttered.
"Tara, magpahinga na muna tayo," aya niya.
Tinungo namin ang kani-kaniya naming tent. Pagkapasok ko pa lang doon, humilata na ako sa sobrang pagod. Pero naisip ko rin na magpalit muna kaya nagpalit muna ako ng damit bago tinuloy ang pagpapahinga ko.
Naramdaman ko ang pagbigat at pagsama ng pakiramdam ko. Lalo rin tumindi ang ginaw na nararamdaman ko kaya nagdoble ako ng jacket at nagtalakbong ng kumot.
"Fara..."
I felt somebody was shaking me.
"Fara, magdinner na tayo..."
I was sure it was Molly.
My eyelids were heavy when I opened my eyes. She seemed to notice it so she touched my forehead. Her eyes widened. "Okay ka lang ba, Fara?" she asked with worry.
I didn't reply because I felt weak. Parang nag-iiba na rin ang paningin ko dahil sa pagdedeliryo.
Alam kong umalis si Molly sa tent para sabihin sa mga kasama namin ang nangyayari sa akin. Mayamaya lang dumating na nga si Kuya Neico.
I felt his palm on my forehead. "May lagnat siya. Ako na lang muna ang magbabantay kay Fara. Maghapunan ka na doon," he told Molly.
"Okay, Kuya." Umalis din naman si Molly.
"Fara, kaya mo bang kumain? Kailangan magkalaman ang tiyan mo para makainom ka ng gamot."
"K-kaya n-naman, K-kuya," I said with a shaky voice because I really felt cold.
He helped me to sit up and so that he could feed me. Hindi ko alam kung anong pagkain 'yon pero may sabaw 'yon. I was thankful that Kuya Neico took care of me and he did not leave me.
"Hindi ka pala pwedeng isabak sa mga ganito," iling-iling na sabi niya.
Narinig ko ang pagbukas ng zipper ng tent at ang taong nagbukas nito ay walang iba kundi si Storm. "Fara, what happened to you?" he asked while peeking from the outside. He later looked at Neico.
"Evangelist Storm," Kuya Neico greeted.
"Brother Neico," ani Storm at pumasok na nang tuluyan. "How is she?" he asked Kuya Neico.
"She's fine," Kuya Neico replied.
"Thank you for taking care of her," Storm said and patted his shoulder.
"I am her leader," Kuya Neico said and smiled at him.
I laid down again and covered myself with my blanket.
"Ako na ang bahala sa kaniya," Storm said.
"No, ako na. She is my responsibility," pagtanggi ni Kuya Neico.
"Bro, Fara is my wife," natatawang sabi ni Storm.
"What?" Kuya Neico blurted out in surprise. Then, he looked at me. I just weakly smiled at him.
"She's my wife. You don't need to worry about her. I'll take care of her," Storm said.
Kuya Neico heaved a sigh. "Siya pala... Ilang araw kasi akong walang update sa 'yo, Evangelist Storm. I even missed your wedding day dahil sa sobrang busy ko," ani Kuya Neico. "But all right, I'll go ahead." He patted Storm's shoulder. "Pagaling ka, Fara," he told me before leaving the tent.
Storm stayed here with me until Molly came back to the tent. He decided to sleep here. Mabuti na lang at kasya ang tatlo sa tent. Molly and Storm were already sleeping. Napapagitnaan nila ako ni Storm who was on my right side. I couldn't sleep because I felt so cold, sumabay pa ang sakit ng ulo ko at katawan ko.
"I-it's s-so c-cold," I muttered in a shaky voice.
Gumalaw si Storm, tila nagising. "Are you okay?" he asked with a raucous voice.
"I-I can't sleep. I'm c-cold." I said.
I didn't expect it when he drew closer to me and hugged me. I could smell his natural manly scent.
"This will help," he whispered to my ear.
He was right; it helped a lot. I could feel the warmth of his embrace.
For the second time, I felt my heartbeat race.
I fell asleep afterward.
I was woken up when I heard someone called outside the tent. They were calling for our devotion time.
I turned my gaze on Storm. He was still hugging me and his face was so close to me. I could clearly see how long his eyelashes were. He was indeed handsome.
I gently tapped his cheek. Unti-unti rin namang bumukas ang mga mata niya at napatitig sa akin. Tila magnet ang mga tingin niya dahil hindi ko maalis ang tingin ko sa kaniya. I couldn't help but stare back at him.
"Good morning!"
Narinig namin ang boses ni Molly sa tabi ko, kaya mabilis na napaiwas kami ni Storm ng tingin sa isa't isa. Tinanggal din ni Storm ang kamay niyang nakayakap sa akin.
For the third time, I felt my heartbeat race.