ERALD
I FELT that my mind was about to explode. Bakit ba nagsabay-sabay ngayong araw ang mga mystery? Meron ba silang group chat kung saan napagkasunduan nilang "Tara, bombahin natin ng misteryo ang kontrabidang si Erald"? The faux kidnapping of the student council president. The real abduction of our club president. And now the identity of Charlotte!
Dapat talaga'y hindi na ako sumama sa team building na 'to. If I weren't here, I wouldn't be bombarded with so much thoughts. Nakatulala lamang ako kanina sa ospital habang naghihintay, pinagtatagmi-tagmi ang mga puzzlepiece na nag-lead sa ganitong sitwasyon.
Hindi rin ako masyadong nagtagal sa ospital kanina. I had to exercise my ninja skills just so Mrs. Claveria wouldn't take notice of me. Alam kong minsa'y makapal ang mukha ko pero sa pagkakataong 'yon, pinili kong tumakas at magtago. I don't have enough courage to face.
Pagkabalik ko sa ecopark, binabagabag pa rin ako ng nangyari ngayon at ng apat na taon na ang nakalilipas. How I wish that this was just a bad joke by the K-OS Club. But it wasn't.
To clear my mind, I called the only person who could confirm to me whether my doubts were true or not. Ang kaso, kanina pa nagri-ring ang phone ng taong 'yon, ni hindi man magawang i-press ang answer button. Ano bang ginagawa niya at bakit hindi niya masagot ang tawag ko? He'd still be awake around this time so why was he not picking up?
Nasa labas ako ng Tuknangan Rooms, naglalakad paikot-ikot sa puno habang nakadikit sa tenga ang nag-iinit kong phone. Feeling ko nga, sasabog na 'to sa mukha ko. There might be some problem with the network signal, as usual, since this place was from the busy city.
With my seventh try, someone finally picked up my call.
"Hello?"
Muntik na akong magrosaryo para lamang sagutin ng taong nasa kabilang linya ang tawag ko. Thank God that I did not have to do that tedious stuff.
"Naririnig mo ba ako, pa?" pambungad kong tanong, wala mang hi, hello o good evening. "Malinaw ba ang linya natin? Malakas ba ang signal diyan?"
"Hindi pa gano'n kahina ang pandinig ko, Erald. Why are you calling this late?"
"May kailangan akong itanong sa inyo," I answered before taking a deep breath. Kanina pa ako kating-kati na itanong ito sa kanya. Kanina pa ako nababagabag. "Do you still remember the kid that I saved four years ago?"
"'Yong traffic accident kung saan nabagok ang ulo ng batang babae? Oo naman. Who would forget the foolish act that you pulled off back then?"
Aba, matalas pa pala ang memorya niya. But the last part was totally unnecessary. Mabuti't hindi na nasaktan ang ego ko dahil ilang taon na rin ang lumipas. "Siya nga. Naaalala n'yo pa ba ang pangalan niya?"
"It's been ages since that incident. I can't trust my memory but..." Ilang segundong natahimik ang papa ko, akala ko'y nakatulog na siya. "Her name sounds like Charice."
"Hindi ba Charlotte?" pagtatama ko. Muntik nang tumama ang hula niya.
"Ah, oo. Charlotte. Charlotte Claveria yata. Bakit mo naitanong?"
Napapikit na lamang ako at nagbuga ng isang malalim na buntong-hininga. Our club president's name may not be that unique, but the probability that my dad's Charlotte and the Charlotte that I've been seeing in the clubroom aren't the same is very, very slim.
Let me ask the clincher question, to erase all the doubts in my head. "Do you know that she's still alive?"
"I no longer have any contact with her or her parents, but when she left my clinic, she's still alive, but not that well. And that was four years ago. Why?"
That confirmed it. The two Charlotte's that we have been discussing are just the same. After all this time, I thought that she died! For four years, I blamed myself for a foolish act that I assumed had ended her life. Tapos ngayon, malalaman kong buhay pa pala siya?
Wala akong ibang masisisi kundi ang taong nasa kabilang linya. Why did he lie to me back then? Was my dad playing some sort of mind game with me? 'Yon ba ang paraan niya para itigil ko na ang pagpapakabayani ko noon?
My hand combed my bangs upward, revealing my forehead. "Four years ago, at your own clinic, you told me that she had a low chance of survival. You told me that she might not make it. Kaya paano nangyaring buhay pa siya ngayon? Did you lie to me?"
Don't get me wrong. Masaya akong malaman na buhay pa ang babaeng iniligtas ko noon. Ang gusto ko lang malaman ay kung bakit taliwas ang nangyari sa sinabi ng papa ko sa akin.
"Low chance of survival, yes, but I did not say that she's certainly dying. After naming magsagawa ng tests, nagdesisyon ang family niya na dalhin siya sa mas malaking ospital. With the proper equipment, that girl's life could have been saved. At base sa kuwento mo, mukhang maayos naman ang lagay niya."
"Then why did you not tell me?" As much as I could, I tried not to yell at my dad. Ayaw ko ring marinig ng ibang mapapadaan na sumisigaw ako. Baka magkaroon pa ako ng isyu at may mag-confess sa CHS Files. "Gaano ba kahirap na i-update ako noon sa status niya? Sinadya n'yo bang hindi ipaalam sa akin?"
"After I told you about her condition that night, hindi ka na nagtanong ng update sa kanya kaya wala na akong sinabi. You already went through a lot that day so I chose not to volunteer any information," depensa ni papa. "And Madeleine told me to not mention anything about the girl so you would stop your foolishness."
Surprise! Surprise! My dearly beloved sister had a hand in keeping the truth from me. Kahit kailan talaga, kontrabida ang babaeng 'yon sa buhay ko. I also couldn't recall kung totoong hindi na ako humingi ng update tungkol kay Charlotte noon, but I trust my dad's words that I did not.
"Why are you asking? Ang huling balita ko mula sa ospital na pinagdalhan sa kanya, naging successful ang operasyon pero nagkaroon ng problema sa temporal lobe niya. Have you two met recently?"
"Hindi ko lang siya nakita. Magkakilala pa kami at magkasama sa isang club," I replied, rolling my eyes. Para kaming pinaghiwalay pero muling pinagtagpo ng tadhana. Fate has a silly way of playing with people's lives. "Thank you for the confirmation. I can sleep in peace now."
May pahabol na hirit pa si papa pero binabaan ko na siya. I already got what I wanted so there was no need for me to prolong our conversation.
Unti-unti nang nagsi-sink-in sa akin ang lahat. The reason why I went down this path, the reason why I chose to abadon my ideals as a hero—that was just a lie. If it weren't for that little girl, I wouldn't have changed my perspective in life.
Kasalanan ko rin. Dahil inakala kong wala nang pag-asang mabuhay pa siya, I gave up on her and let myself believe that she died because of my own stupidity.
Hindi ko maiwasang kuwestiyonin ang mga naging desisyon ko sa buhay simula noong araw na 'yon. My whole world changed because of one little girl that I thought I failed to save.
"How do you feel right now that you have learned the truth?"
Hindi ko na kailangang lumingon sa aking kanan para malaman kung kanino ang boses na 'yon. I had enough of hearing her cleverly concealed arrogant tone at home.
"You knew it all along," I muttered, grinding my teeth. Dahan-dahan akong humarap kay Maddie na nakasandal sa isang lamp post. Her thin arms were crossed across her chest and her piercing eyes that lacked any vibrance stared at me. "Kaya ba sinabi mo noong isang araw na mapaglaro ang tadhana? Dahil alam mong magkasama kaming dalawa sa iisang club?"
"Do you really think that I saved your club from dissolution just because you had prevented a bomb scare?" She lazily walked toward me, her permed hair bouncing with every step. Her slender figure casted a shadow on me as she stood in front of the lamp post. "When I saw your names in the member list, I realized that it might be the time for you to know the truth."
"Thank you, thank you very much!" My eyes rolled to the opposite direction. Let me guess: She thought she did me a great deal of favor by allowing Charlotte and I to cross paths again. "Mas na-appreciate ko sana kung hindi na tayo naglaro ng isang charade. You could have told me, your younger brother, that the kid that I saved four years ago belongs to the same club."
But Madeleine is Madeleine. She would never tell me about it. Gusto niyang pinahihirapan ang buhay ko. Obvious naman sa ginawa niyang trick para malaman ko raw ang katotohanan.
"Sabi mo nga kanina sa hall, you are the number one codebreaker," Maddie maintained her sly smile, annoying me further. "Charlotte's the code, and it is your job to decode her. Must we thank the K-OS Club because they paved the way for the truth to be revealed?"
"Charlotte's not a code that you can use to watch me dance!" Napalakas ang boses ko dala na ng pagkairita. She may be my sister. We may have the same blood running in our veins. But I had no idea what's going on in her head. Inaagaw na niya ang titulo ng pagkakontrabida mula sa akin. She was supposed to be a side character — like an evil stepsister in fairytales — and not the main villain!
Nagkatitigan lamang kami nang wala siyang naisagot sa akin. Sumakto ang tunog ng mga kuliglig para sa dead air. We never had a conversation as intense as this one in recent years. Ni hindi nga kami madalas nagpapansinan sa school o maging sa bahay.
Because of Charlotte, everything changed.
"It's already late," she said, looking at her phone. "You had enough troubles for today. You should take a rest now. Maaga pa ang session bukas."
"No need to remind me."
Naglakad ako pabalik sa Tuknangan Rooms at iniwan ang ate ko sa may poste. Better to leave her alone there before she could totally ruin my evening.
Daig ko pa ang nasampal sa mukha sa harap ng maraming tao. Oo, hindi niya ako pinahiya, pero hindi ko maiwasang isipin kung paano niya ako pinaikot. She told my dad to not mention Charlotte again to me four years ago. She refused to tell me that our club president was also the kid that I saved four years ago.
Kailangan ko nang i-clear ang isip ko. Kung hindi, baka mahirapan akong makatulog. Fate, thanks for showering me with puzzlepieces. Much appreciated!
Pumasok na ako sa aming kuwarto sa Tuknangan Rooms. Nakapatay na ang ilaw sa hallway pero bukas pa rin ang ilaw sa mga nadaanan kong kuwarto. I could hear them laughing out loud and singing, enjoying the night in this ecopark and forgetting that something happened earlier.
The light in our room was still on. Nadatnan kong gising pa si Clyde at abalang nagbabasa ng libro habang kumakain ng chips. Nakapuwesto siya sa ibabaw ng doubledeck. No hi's or hello's.
That meant the lower bed was mine. Charlotte wouldn't be staying here so Clyde and I could claim one bed each for ourselves. Hindi naman sa nagpapasalamat ako dahil hindi siya mag-i-stay rito, pero dahil sa nangyari, hindi ko na makaka-share sa kama si apat na mata.
Revelation after revelation. Sobrang dami na ng mga nangyari ngayong araw. Parang sasabog na yata ang ulo ko dahil sa information overload. Hindi ko na namalayang nakatulala na pala ako sa ilaw.
It would take some time for my brain to process everything. And Maddie's right. I had to take a rest. I had to shut down my brain for a while.
"Erald, gising ka pa ba?" tanong ni Clyde na sinundan ng tunog na pagsara niya sa binabasang libro. Muling nagbalik ang kamalayan ko. I was surprised that he was initiating a conversation with me. Baka marami rin siyang iniisip kaya hindi siya makatulog.
"Tulog na ako. Naka-autoresponder na lang ako ngayon," sarkastiko kong sagot. Sinubukan kong ipikit ang mga mata ko para patulugin ang sarili, but my mind was still bombarded with a number of thoughts. Whenever I close my eyes, the images of what happened four years ago flashed in my mind.
Muli kong iminulat ang aking mga mata. Maybe talking to this dude would bring me to the arms of Hypnos.
"May gusto ka bang sabihin kaya natanong mo kung gising pa ako?" tanong ko. "O baka balak mo akong patayin kapag tulog na ako?"
"Don't be absurd," he replied. "I have one question. About the K-OS Club."
And there he got my undivided attention. I was too bothered by my past with Charlotte and her mother, as well as my dad and sister's conspiracy to hide the truth from me that I forgot those buffoons. Come to think of it, Clyde already knew that I hired them. Gusto kong itanong kung paano niya nalaman, tutal nabuksan na rin niya ang topic.
But I would let him fire the first shot. "Ano ang gusto mong malaman?"
"Have you met any of them in person?" tanong niya. "Did you get any hint about their identities?"
Muli kong isinara ang mga mata ko. "I met with someone who introduced himself as their leader. Hindi ko alam kung siya ang legit na utak sa likod ng club na 'yon, but he's also the one who called me earlier."
"Kasama ba natin siya rito sa leadership seminar?"
"No, he wasn't invited," sagot ko. "But one thing's for certain: Meron siyang galamay sa mga nag-attend dito. He would be needing a person or two to abduct our club president. Malay mo, nakasalamuha na natin ang tauhan niya."
At sisiguruhin kong makakatikim ang taong 'yon kapag nalaman ko kung sino siya.
"As the QED Club, I believe it is our duty to investigate this case and hold whoever conspired with the K-OS Club accountable."
There's no need to tell me that, four eyes. "The moment they abducted our club president and put me in a series of ordeals, they have already declared war against us. Nabasa na nga 'yong damit ko kanina, napagastos pa ako sa pasahe mula sa ospital pabalik dito. Hinding-hindi ko sila... uurungan."
Clyde was still saying something, but my ears couldn't hear him clearly. Unti-unting bumigat ang mga talukap ng aking mata. Sinubukan kong labanan ang antok dahil may gusto pa akong sabihin. Kung kailan ko hindi hinahanap ang tulog, doon pa niya ako bibisitahin.
May I have a good night sleep, please?
q.e.d.