Kiran Lin
Few months later...
"Wow, you just keep on getting better and better." pambobola ni manager Thalia nang makalabas ako sa recording studio.
Four months ago, I signed my contract with Thalia's company. It was tough pero mas dumami ang sumuporta sa akin after I posted new cover videos online under the name of the company. Hindi rin masama ang pagpirma ko sa kanila dahil ginagabayan nila ako sa mga desisyon ko especially when it comes to money. They don't earn money through manipulation, rather they support and ask my opinions.
Napag-alaman ko naman na sa kompanya ni Jules nakapirma si Mike dahil nagkatagpo kami ni Nicci sa building nila nang bisitahin ko si Jules para tumanggi sa offer niya.
"Siya nga pala, I need to talk to you about something." biglang sumeryoso ang nakangiting mukha ni Thalia. Tinanong ko naman siya kung ano iyon.
"What do you think of having a mini concert?" tanong niya nang makapasok kami sa sasakyan.
Marahas naman akong napalingon sa kaniya dahil sa narinig.
Not that it's bad, I can already feel the excitement at the thought. Imagine, you perform infront of your supporters. That would be so fun and so wholesome.
Malawak akong ngumiti kay manager at sumagot." Of course! Why? Are we going to have a mini concert?" mas lumawak ang ngiti ko nang tumango siya.
May iniabot naman siyang folder na naglalaman ng litrato ng mga lugar na qualified para maging venue ng mini concert.
"These are the places that we narrowed down. Anyways, we'll talk about that during the meeting later." aniya at nagsimula nang magdrive papunta sa company.
Dumiretso kami sa meeting room nang makarating.
Pagkatapos ng meeting ay hinatid na ako ni Thalia sa bahay. I quit my job at the cafe dahil sa schedule pero kapag free time ay tumutugtog ako doon. Since marami-rami na ang nakakakilala sa akin ay nakakatulong rin iyon para mas dumami ang customers.
The meeting went well, but one thing didn't seemed to be a good idea for me and that is the location. Paniguradong hindi iyon magugustuhan ni Yivie. Nagsimula akong kabahan lalo na nang biglang pumasok sa isipan ko ang panahon na hiniwalayan niya si Mike dahil ayaw niya sa LDR.
Man, I don't want that for us.
"Dad, I'm home!" I greeted when I came in. Tumingin ako sa sala nang mapansin ang sandals na ginagamit ni Yivie.
"Yivie?" tawag ko. I almost jumped when she suddenly scooted in front of me from the kitchen.
She was holding a bowl na may heavy cream.
I chuckled when I saw a smudge of cream on her face at nagtataka niya naman akong tinignan then using my thumb, I gently wiped it off from her face.
I kissed her forehead and asked, "Nasaan si Dad?" humiwalay siya at sumagot. "Nasa kitchen. Tinuturuan niya akong gumawa ng creamy three-cheese spaghetti."
Tumango ako at magkasabay naming tinungo ang kitchen. Nakita ko si Dad na pineprepare ang spaghetti. I volunteered to help at di kalaunan ay imbes na si Dad ang tumulong, siya na ngayon ang nag-uutos kung ano ang gagawin at kaming dalawa naman ni Yivie ang sumusunod sa mga utos niya.
I monitored the noodles and helped with giving the ingridients while Yivie handled the actual making of the sauce.
Nang malapit na kaming matapos ay namaalam muna si Dad na maglilinis ng katawan.
Niyakap ko si Yivie mula sa likod at hinawakan ang kamay niyang naghahalo sa sauce. We were both stirring the sauce when I decided to say it.
"May meeting kami kanina." I paused, trying to catch her attention and I did. "They said that I'll have a mini concert." I paused again to see her reaction.
Napahinto siya sa paghahalo at tumingin sa akin.
I held my breath nang mapagtanto ko kung gaano kalapit ang distansya namin ngunit parang hindi iyon alintana ni Yivue dahil sa paraan ng pagngiti niya sa akin." Wow! Congrats! Sabi ko na nga ba eh, kaya mo. Ikaw pa." humiwalay siya sa pagkakayakap ko at akmang may kukunin sa bag niya na nasa malapit na upuan lang.
"But the distance is too far." pagputol ko sa kaligayahan niya. Saglit siyang napatigil at ihahanda ko na sana ang sarili ko sa mga tanong niya ngunit nagpatuloy lang siya sa pagkuha ng gamit niya.
Nang lumingon siya sa akin ay may bitbit siyang libro. Halos mapaubo ako dahil sa title nito, Murderabilia by Craig Robertson.
Lumapit siya sa akin at binigay iyon. Magtatanong sana ako kung bakit niya iyon binigay sa akin ngunit agad niyang tinapat ang hintuturo sa bibig ko telling me to shut up.
Tinuro niya ang sticker na nakadikit sa cover, 'Read me, then bring me back again.'
"Read that, then come back to me." aniya at nagpatuloy sa pagluluto. Pinatay niya na ang apoy at inihalo ang spaghetti.
Sakto namang lumabas si Dad.
Ilang minuto pa ay nagsimula na kaming kumain ngunit hindi parin maalis sa isipan ko ang sinabi ni Yivie.
Weeks passed by since I told Yivie about the mini concert at lalo akong kinakabahan dahil hindi niya ako pinapansin. I'm worried that she might overthink about something all by herself.
"Yivie, bukas na ang alis ko, hindi mo ba talaga ako papansinin?" ako nang inilabas ko ang maleta ko na puno ng mga damit at iyong libro na binigay ni Yivie. I frowned when she didn't even bother to look at me.
Malayo ang venue ng mini concert pero hindi labas sa bansa. Gayonpaman, malayo parin para sa amin.
And I'll stay far from her for 3 months, dahil pagkatapos ng mini concert ay on the street concert naman ang sunod and we'll have to roam around that city. I'll definitely miss her tapos hindi pa kami bati bago ako umalis.
I scratched my head due to the frustration.
Hindi umimik si Yivie at nagpatuloy lang sa panonood ng tv. Kumportable na siya sa bahay dahil siguro ay hindi niya alintana si Dad. Tinuturing niya na rin itong tatay. And she's always here when I get home.
But that is not the point.
She's not talking to me and Dad won't even help kahit na pinakiusapan ko siya last week.
I even bought chocolates and flowers and gave her a letter. But all of those, tinaggap niya lang at wala siyang sinabi.
I went outside and looked at the sky.
Dapit hapon na at ang gloomy ng paligid. Takte, ayaw ko sa ganito.
Pumunta ako sa cafe at nadatnan silang naglilinis.
"Guys I need some help." ito ang una kong sinabi nang makapasok ako. All eyes are on me so I told them everything including the plan.
At first they were hesitant but they agreed in the end.
I grabbed the guitar and Kyer texted Yivie. Pumwesto na ako sa mini stage.
I looked at the glass window at nakitang tumatakbo si Yivie papunta rito. Ano ba ang tinext ni Kyer at ganoon nalang siya tumakbo?
Ang sabi ko lang naman ay itext niya si Yivie para pumunta dito. Look at her face, she looks so worried.
All lights were dimmed except sa parte na malapit sa mini stage kaya hindi niya ako nakita sa labas.
Nagtatago silang lahat sa kitchen kaya nagtatakang nilibot ni Yivie ang paningin hanggang sa mahalata niyang may tao sa mini stage. That's when I gave the cue.
The lights on the mini stage turned on and I started strumming my guitar.
You don't know babe,
When you hold me
And kiss me slowly
It the sweetest thing.
I saw a smile plastered on her lips as she slowly walked to me.
And it don't change
If I had it my way
You would know that you are
Umupo siya sa pinakamalapit na upuan sa harap at sumabay sa pagkanta.
You're the coffee that I need in the morning
You're my sunshine in the rain when it's pouring
Won't you give yourself to me, give it all
Oh, I just wanna see
I just wanna see how beautiful you are
You know that I see it
I know you're a star
Where you go I follow, no matter how far
If life is a movie, oh you're the best part,
I sang the chorus once again and went to her while playing the last chord.
"Yivie, pansinin mo na ako, please." I looked at her eyes and I became soft when I saw tears.
I put my guitar on the stand just beside her chair and held her hand.
"You are the best thing to me Yivie, I don't want to lose you as much as I don't want to leave feeling like I'll lose you if I do. Please talk to me..." I kissed the back of her hands and wiped her tears.
Akala ko ay magtititigan nalang kami ngunit bigla niya akong niyakap. I hugged her back and held her tight.
" I'm sorry, I feel the same, that's why I'm acting like this. " aniya habang umiiyak. I was about to see her face when she grabbed me and hugged me even tighter. "Don't. I look so messy right now." aniya.
Mas maliit siya kaysa sa akin so I kissed the top of her head and whispered, "How can you be so cute and so lovely at the same time?"
Tumawa naman siya at mahinang pinalo ang likod ko. Pinabayaan ko lang siya and brushed her hair until she stopped crying.
"Bati na tayo?" tanong ko nang tumahan na siya. Humarap siya sa akin at nanlambot ang paningin ko nang makitang namumugto ang mga mata niya.
"I'm sorry I made you cry." I hugged her again for a while. "Bati na tayo. Don't worry, just finish your work, and trust me when I say that I'll wait." aniya.
What will I do to you, Yivie? You are too precious to me now that I even want to bring you along with me.
But that's impossible. She's working on another book, and I doubt she wants to go. I did ask her last week at hindi niya ako pinansin.
" Do you want to go with me?" I asked again, just in case. I was hoping she'd say yes but she shook her head. "I still need to edit my work and you know Ann, she's a strict editor." aniya at ngumiti, di kalaunan ay nagpaumanhin. It didn't bother me though, I understand her.
At least for those 3 months that I'm away, she'll be there when I come back.