CHAPTER 44
MAY 2016
RAMCEL
The stars and the moon were visible on the sky. Cool wind had been caressing Ramcel's skin since she discarded her soft leather jacket and it's been sitting beside her on the soft grass. She contented herself on munching sour cream pretzels and drinking soda as she marvelled at the beauty above her.
Her wife made sure that the grass beneath the mango trees behind the restaurant were trimmed regularly because she knew Ramcel loved laying on the grass during afternoon while reading books or contemplating her next storylines.
Kapag may oras sya, pinupuntahan nya ang asawa rito. Habang hinihintay nya ang closing ng resto, sa likod sya tumatambay. Naglagay roon ng wooden table set si Victoria para makapagsulat sya saka sila uuwi ng sabay sa Reichter Park.
Pareho silang busy ni Victoria. There were days when Ramcel couldn't go home but her wife had been patient with her. Dahil recently lang nabuksan ang restaurant ni Vi, nag-a-adjust din ito sa schedule. Ganunpaman, pinupuntahan nila ang isa't- isa kapag may pagkakataon.
She heard the backdoor opened. Hindi na nya kailangang lingunin kung sino yun dahil kilala na nya sa yabag pa lang.
"Sabi ko na nga ba nagtago ka na dito," Victoria said amused. Umupo ito sa tabi nya sabay yakap sa kanang braso nya.
"Umalis na ba sila?"
"Yes," natawang sabi ni Vi.
Sa Cutleries ginanap ang book launching ng Hiwaga Sa Dako Pa Roon Book 4. Bukod sa mga bloggers, vloggers and reporters, marami rin sa mga fans ni Ramcel ang dumalo. Nagmistulang outdoor bookstore kanina ang harap ng restaurant kung saan ilang bookshelves ang nilagay roon, na naglalaman ng Book 1 to 4 hardbound and paperback copies ng libro nya.
Ramcel was overwhlemed when all of the books were sold out. She signed each one of them. Nakipagselfie pa sya sa mga fans nya. Dumagsa ang mga tao lalo na nang dumating si Alea Santos para personal na bumili ng libro at magpa-autograph. Ramcel's whole family also came to support her.
Nagpaunlak sya ng interview. Karamihan ng tanong ay tungkol sa mga librong gawa nya at hindi naiwasang mapunta sa kanyang personal na buhay. Ginamit na nya ang pagkakataong iyon para ipakilala sa lahat si Victoria, bilang asawa nya. Maraming nasorpresa dahil buong akala ng lahat, si Alea ang karelasyon nya.
Whether she liked it or not, Ramcel was already a prominent figure. Gumawa na sya ng pangalan sa larangan ng sining kaya naman nagtrending sya sa Twitter. Kaliwa't kanan na ang paglabas ng pictures nilang mag-asawa sa social media. She was thankful that she didn't see much hate comments. #lovewins was trending.
Nakatanggap na sya ng tawag mula sa kaibigang si Liezle, ang bagong Editor-In-Chief ng Metro Art Magazine, para i-feature sya. Wala naman syang choice kundi pumayag since para lang nitong ipinaalam sa kanyang i-interviewhin sya nito.
"Ram, please make yourself available next Saturday. I'll dropped by your house for your interview. Pakisabi kay Victoria I want Clam chowder. See you both!" Those were Liezle's exact words the moment she answered her call. Ni hindi sya nakapagsalita. Ni hindi rin ito nag-goodbye. Basta na lang syang binabaan.
Nagprovide ng food and drinks ang Big Three, ang Publishing company nya na pag-aari nina Kristine at Pris, para sa lahat ng dumalo. Pagkatapos ng interview nya, everyone got to enjoy the finger foods prepared.
Nakihalubilo sya saglit sa mga fans at maging sa mga kaibigan nya. Hindi na nakapagstay ng matagal si Olivia dahil maaga ang flight nito bukas papuntang London. Her friend was busier than ever. When she asked about Heinrich, Olivia's smile vanished. She didn't elaborate but she said something about the guy being an asshole.
Nasorpresa sya nang dumating din si Dominique Encina to congratulate her. Akala ng lahat si KC Concepcion ang dumating. May kalungkutan pa rin sa mga mata nito pero alam nyang nagpapakatapang ito para harapin ang araw-araw. Naniniwala si Ramcel na isang araw mahahanap rin nito ang kaligayahan katulad nya. She made Dominique smile by giving her a limited edition hardbound copies of her books.
"Can you sign it?" Sabi pa nito.
"Limited edition na nga yan eh, kailangan may pirma pa?" Inirapan nya ang nangingiting si Dominique pero ginawa naman nya ang hiling nito.
"Paano nyo ako natunton?" Ramcel said in mock suspicion when the couple she met in Sagada- Jin and Faith, arrived. "Stalker ka noh?" Pinandilatan nya si Faith, na mukhang gusto syang sipain.
"Kapal mo. Ikaw na nga ang pinuntahan eh," inis na sabi nito.
Naghigh five lang sila nang natatawang si Jin.
"Pirmahan mo to," sabi ni Faith.
"Bakit, marunong ka bang magbasa?" Biro nya rito na ikinasimangot nito. "Kumain muna kayo dun. Mamaya ko na pipirmahan yan."
Magkakasabay na dumating sina Helena, Samantha at Lauren, na kaholding hands si Harrison, ang pilotong kuya ni Helena. Sobrang busy na ata nya at hindi nya na alam ang latest news sa kaibigan. Ilang buwan na palang nagdi-date ang mga ito at last month lang naging official.
Ngiting-ngiting inabutan sya ni Harrison ng tatlong pack ng Yakult. Hindi malaman ni Ramcel kung maiinis ba o mato-touch sa ginawa nito pero nagpasalamat na rin sya sa lalaki.
"Nagsex na kayo?" Curious na tanong ni Samantha nang iwan sila ni Harrison para kumuha ng drinks.
"Please, don't answer that." Pinandilatan ni Helena si Lauren, na sasagot sana. "It's gross."
Napailing na lang si Ramcel. Her friends were crazy but she loved them. They were there for her when she was in the dark. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, hindi sya iniwan ng mga ito. Kaya kahit madalas na gusto nyang saktan ang mga ito sa kalokohan, mahal pa rin nya ang mga kaibigan.
Nagstay din saglit sina Jenny at Joshua. Sumama ang pakiramdam ng kaibigan kaya umalis na after an hour. Nasa 1st trimester ito ng pagbubuntis kaya medyo maselan. Huwag lang sanang paghanapin ng seedless guava si Joshua pag naglihi ang kaibigan at baka ibalik si Jenny sa nanay nito.
After few hours of mingling with the crowd, Ramel started to get weary. Hindi sya masanay- sanay sa mga social gathering. It's exhausting for her. She preferred solitude. She favored diving into her own world, socializing with her diverse characters or riding magical winged creature that would take her to the sky.
"Come back to me, Baby," Ramcel heard Victoria's soft voice. Her eyes focused and saw her wedding ring glinted against the moonlight. Ramcel realized she was unconciously tracing the vivid moon with her fingers.
When she looked at her wife, Victoria's eyes were dancing with amusement. "You're so beautiful," Ramcel whispered and Victoria pulled her closer then kissed her lips. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They sat there, leaning on the tree quietly, holding hands and gazing at the magnificent sky.
"I thought that the sun, the moon and the stars were unreachable," maya- maya ay sabi ni Ramcel saka tumingin kay Victoria, na tumitig sa mga mata nya. "But whenever I look at you...touch you...or kiss you, I realize that the universe is right beside me."
Unti-unting lumuwang ang ngiti ni Victoria saka sya nito kinurot sa tagiliran. "Ang cheesy mo," umirap nitong sabi pero alam ni Ramcel na kinilig ang asawa. "Tigilan mo nga yang pambobola mo."
Ramcel brought Victoria's hand to her lips and kissed it. "I'm not letting you go. Hindi ko na hahayaang mawala ka ulit sa akin."
"Why are you so good to me, Ram? Ilang beses kitang sinaktan but you never stopped loving me." Victoria was suddenly teary-eyed.
Wala ring sagot si Ramcel. All these years her heart only loved one person. Kahit anong pilit nyang tumingin sa iba at kumbinsihan ang sariling iba na lang ang ibigin nya, her heart remained stubborn. She couldn't get herself to file a divorce because deep down, that's not what she wanted.
Tanga daw sya sabi ng mga kaibigan. Pero sino ba ang hindi nagpakatanga sa pag-ibig? Sya na nga siguro ang ultimate tanga of the century but she didn't care. Tama si Jenny, she came alive again when Victoria came back to her life. She was dead inside before that. She felt empty despite her success. Something... someone was missing in her life. Everything felt insignificant without Victoria.
"Then that answers my question," Ramcel said smiling while Victoria stared at her with questioning eyes. "Maybe we really are meant to be. You are meant for me. Hindi nawala ang pag-ibig sa puso ko dahil alam nyang babalik ka. Dahil alam nyang ikaw lang ang nagmamay-ari sa kanya." Marahan nyang pinunasan ang luhang naglandas sa mukha ni Victoria. "My heart is not capable of falling in love with anyone but you."
Mabilis syang hinagkan ni Victoria na agad nyang tinugon. Hinding- hindi nya pagsasawaan ang mga labi nito. Hinding- hindi magsasawang mahalin ng puso nya ang babaing ito. She loved her then and she'd love her more as day passes by.
When she was young, she never liked reading Romance. For her, it was predictable. Her own love story was far from predictable. But she would give up everything for their love story to become predictable, cliché, as long as they'd end up together in the end.
They swore to move forward together after they burned the confidential file. Marami pa silang pagdadaanang pagsubok ni Victoria pero alam ni Ramcel na makakayanan na nila ang lahat dahil pareho na silang lalaban. Panatag na ang kalooban nya dahil alam ng isip at puso nyang mananatili na sila sa piling ng isa't- isa. "Till death do us part," Ramcel thought as they continued to share kisses.
She heard Victoria's seductive moan when Ramcel gently sucked her tongue and slipped her hands beneath her blouse then started caressing her back. "Ram...Baby, baka makita tayo rito...Someone...Monica might see us..." Sinusubukan nitong pigilan sya nang halikan nya ang leeg nito at marahan rin itong kinakagat- kagat.
"She won't," she whispered. Natatakpan sila ng puno kaya walang makakakita unless lumapit sa kanila. "I haven't eaten my dessert yet..." She took off Victoria's blouse and revealed her red sultry underwear. Even in the dark, she could see desire in Victoria's eyes. "...your Chocolate Sansrival was delicious and everyone wants it...everybody loves your heart shaped ensaymada..." She removed the only piece of cloth that's covering Victoria's proud breasts. "...so I didn't get to taste them. You owe me big time."
Victoria couldn't suppressed her moan when Ramcel took her right breast in her mouth and sucked it. Her tongue played with her nipple while caressing the other one with her hand.
"Baby...wait."
Tumigil sya. "Do you really want me to stop?"
Victoria didn't answer. Nakatitig lang ito sa kanya at kita nya sa mga mata nitong ayaw nyang tumigil sya sa ginagawa. Namumungay rin ang mga mata nito. Nabuksan na rin nito ang butones ng button down nya. "But there might be wild animals roaming," Victoria said breathlessly.
"Vi, we both know that the only wild animal here is me," biro nya. Victoria laughed. "Isa pa, this is my chance to fulfill my fantasy."
"What fantasy?"
"To make love under the moon and the stars," sagot nya sabay siil ng halik sa mga labi nito. Dahan- dahan nyang hiniga si Victoria sa leather jacket nya. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now and until my heart stop beating," Victoria responded then pulled Ramcel into a kiss.
There under the moon and the stars, Ramcel and Victoria made love passionately. Each kiss, every touch they shared were promises they'd hold on to each other and never let go.
The End
Maraming maraming salamat muli sa inyong lahat. Hindi ko alam kung kailan ako makakabalik ulit. After two or five months perhaps? Basta pagbalik ko at nagpublish ako ng unang chapter, ibig sabihin may naisip na naman akong kalokohan.
Advance happy holiday!
My other completed stories:
*Summer of Taking Chances
*Unwritten
*Watermelon Dreams
*Friendship Ends in Love