#HHFM Chapter 19:
Call
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"Cali, sino'ng kausap mo?"
I raised my eyebrow and stifled a chuckle. Cali's face quickly turned red, burning up to her ears.
I peeked at Ryo who was sitting beside me. Napatunganga siya sa laptop screen ko na parang may nakitang katakot-takot na kung ano.
Cali threw something to her left; it was probably a pillow. Her eyes were wide with warning. It was too late, though. The camera caught Nate beside her, hair damp and only with a towel wrapped around his waist. Umalog nang bahagya ang camera niya, iniiwas siguro sa direksiyon ni Nate.
I couldn't help but chuckle. She was trying her best to hide their relationship from us, but I'm her best friend, so she was bound to fail. I tapped Ryo's knee. Para kasing nagyelo na siya sa puwesto niya. He looked at the screen with horror. Hindi ko alam kung dahil ba sa ngayon niya lang na-witness sina Cali at Nate habang alam na niyang may something doon sa dalawa, o dahil ba nakita niya si Nate na nakatapis lang.
"Who was that?" I asked when Cali finally settled back on her seat. She looked like she was going to cry any minute because of embarrassment. Alam ko namang si Nate iyon, nakita ko at narinig pa ang boses. Gusto ko lang na marinig kay Cali at mapaamin ko.
"Ewan," she answered, averting her gaze. Her frown was replaced with a scowl when Ryo suddenly burst out laughing.
My hand on his knee stayed. Bahagya ko iyong pinisil para senyasan siyang huwag masyadong asarin si Cali dahil baka mag-away sila. He didn't seem to notice my signals though. Para siyang mauubusan ng hangin katatawa.
"Ano'ng nakatatawa?" Cali asked. Ryo kept on laughing. Ipinatong niya muna ang baso ng juice sa mesa.
We were outside, resting. Raiko was with Tita. She insisted for some alone time with her grandson and we let her. Ryo and I could use a few hours of rest.
"Ikaw. Pinatulan mo si Nathaniel? Akala ko ba ayaw mo ro'n?"
Cali shook her head repeatedly. I smiled.
Come to think of it, I don't think she had a serious relationship when we were in college. May mga crush siya, may nakakasamang mga lalaki, pero iyong ipinakilala niya sa aking boyfriend talaga, parang wala. Or maybe she was just hiding things from me. From the outside, she seemed to be the less uptight, the outgoing, and the friendly one between the two of us. Ni hindi ko man lang napansin na marunong din siyang maging mahiyain sa mga bagay-bagay.
"Anong pinatulan?!" Lumikot ulit nang bahagya ang camera niya. She settled on the corner of a bed—of someone else's bed. "At sino'ng sinasabi mo?"
Talagang itinatanggi pa niya kahit huling-huli na namin. Maybe she was planning to tell me, pero lately, lagi ko na ring kadikit si Ryo kaya hindi siya makahanap ng tiyempo. Natatakot sigurong maasar ni Ryo nang sobra.
"Where are you staying?" I butted in. Cali's mouth hung open, but no words came out. Lalo akong napangiti roon. I've been to her aunt's house, so I know what it looked like. I'm most certain that the room she was staying at belongs to someone else. Even the shirt she was wearing was new to my eyes. It looked too big on her.
"Sa bahay lang," sagot niya. I shook my head.
"That's not your bed," I added. Nanulis ang nguso niya. I chuckled.
"Sa bahay nga lang, nagpalit kaming kobre-kama," pagpupumilit niya. I nodded, though I wanted to argue that the bed frame was different, too. Bumili rin ba sila ng bagong frame?
Hinayaan ko na lang dahil baka nahihiya pa talagang magsabi lalo na't kaharap si Ryo. Mas may chance pa yatang sabihin ni Nate sa akin kapag tinanong ko siya kaysa kusang umamin sa akin si Cali.
"Boyfriend mo 'yon e. Kung lait-laitin mo 'yon no'ng college 'pag tayo ang magkausap, wagas. Tapos ngayon. . . ."
I clicked my tongue and pressed his knee. Cali frowned. She then looked at me as if asking for my help.
"Hindi naman kasi talaga," bubulong-bulong na tanggi niya.
"Ows? Mamatay?" Ryo laughed. "Mawalan ka man ng trabaho?"
As much as I wanted to stop him from making fun of Cali, I couldn't help but laugh with him. Natigil lang ang tawa ko nang maramdamang gumapang ang kamay niya sa kamay kong nakapatong sa may tuhod niya. I stole a glance at him and he was still looking at my laptop's screen, grinning at Cali . . . o baka kaya nakangisi siya e dahil nasimplehan niya ng hawak ang kamay ko.
Cali continued to defend herself with her repetitive and obvious lies. Her eyes kept on shifting to the left, like there was someone there, watching her. Maybe it was Nate trying his hardest not to laugh. The quality of the video was quite bad, but it was clear that Cali was totally blushing.
Kausap ko pa rin si Cali at inilihis ko na lang sa work ang usapan, pati sa binyag ni Raiko. I asked if she could come. If I need to ask Tita to have someone drive her there, I would do so. Gusto ko na nga ring tanungin si Nate, dahil alam ko namang sabay silang pupunta sa amin, pero hindi ko ginawa dahil nagkukunwari nga akong naniniwalang walang ibang kasama si Cali sa kuwarto.
My smile faded when I felt Ryo's hand slipping away. Maingat niyang inalis ang kamay niya pero naramdaman ko agad. I glanced at him. He stood up and walked away wordlessly.
Nadako ang tingin ko sa labas at may sasakyan doon. It's probably Tito. Hindi ko sigurado at hindi ko kilala ang sasakyan, pero sa rami ba naman kasi ng nasa garahe, hindi na ako nag-abala pang sauluhin ang mga iyon.
"Sa'n nagpunta 'yon?" Cali asked.
My gaze went back to the screen. "Dumating na si Tito e, sinalubong yata."
Though from here, I could make out a figure of Ryo knocking on the window of the driver's seat. It was hard to see clearly because of the gate and the bushes. I have a feeling na baka hindi si Tito ang nasa labas.
"Sige na, tatawag ako ulit mamaya. 'Liligo lang ako," Cali said, as if she were in a hurry. Mahina lang pero narinig ko si Nate na tinawag siya. Hindi na lang ako nag-comment. I smiled and ended the call.
I closed my laptop and left it on the table. Nanliit ang mga mata ko at sinubukang makita si Ryo sa labas nang mas malinaw.
I was quick on my feet when I heard him curse loudly. Even one of their househelps who was busy in the garden went with me to check.
"Ryo!" Naabutan ko siyang nakadungaw sa bintana. It was as if he could fit himself in the small space, he would. He looked mad. He didn't even seem to hear me.
Napalingon ako sa kasambahay nilang may hawak pang towel. Though I haven't said anything, she nodded at me and went back inside. She's probably going to call Tita.
I took a step closer to the car. I could hear Ryo whispering a few threats and curses to whoever was sitting on the driver's seat.
I couldn't remember the last time I saw him this mad. Both his arms were trying to reach for something inside the car, and it took me a moment to realize that he was holding someone by the neckline of their shirt.
Another car pulled over in front of their gate. Bumusina ito nang ilang beses.
Tito rushed outside from the passenger seat. His strides were heavy as he tried to pull Ryo out. Nanatili ako sa isang gilid dahil sa kaba't takot. Ryo looked too angry. It was one of those few moments where he looked too consumed in rage that I couldn't even get myself to walk near him.
"Who's that?" Tita seemed bothered, but she remained calm. She was not holding Raiko. She probably left him inside with one of the househelps.
Ilang saglit lang ay may tumalsik mula sa bintana ng sasakyan. Ryo pulled a strap, then a camera came flying outside and dropped to the ground. My shoulders jumped at the sound of it. Their driver picked it up, showing it to Tita. Nakita ko agad ang mga basag na parte n'on dahil sa pagkakalaglag.
"Bring it inside," Tita said. The driver walked past me to do what he was told.
I fidgeted with my fingers, scared. Ryo was not exactly the goody two shoes, pero bihira siyang mapaaway. The last time I saw him this mad was when a thief barged into the apartment. Nasaktuhan na kaming dalawa lang ni Ryo ang naroon noong gabing iyon. He caught the thief in the room while I was sleeping, but he got his arm slit by the thief with a knife. Ryo received an earful from his mother afterwards.
Tito was finally able to pull Ryo away from the driver's window. Upon seeing his mother, Ryo calmed down. Saka lang ako nagkaroon ng lakas ng loob na lapitan siya. He was red with anger, his neck and forehead drenched in sweat.
He pulled himself out of Tito's hold, a little too harshly. Sinamaan siya ng tingin ng ama dahil doon.
"Umayos ka, ha. Tatay mo 'ko," Tito warned. Ryo's lips twisted. He took a glance at his mother, who was talking in a surprisingly composed manner to whoever was inside the car, before carefully tugging my arm with him inside.
"Ano 'yon? Sino 'yon?" I asked. I stopped walking, forcing him to stop, too. He groaned as if he didn't want to talk about it. I clicked my tongue and stared at him hard. His eyes eventually softened as his whole body started to relax.
"Sa taas tayo," aniya. His hold on my arm went down to my hand, and that shut me up. He picked up my laptop with his free hand.
Umakyat kami sa kuwarto nina Tita. Raiko was on the bed with one of their househelps watching over him. I got my laptop out of his hold, so he could carry Raiko to our room.
Our clothes were neatly folded on the table. Nagsisimula na kaming mag-empake para sa pag-alis papunta sa amin.
I'm not sure how long we will be staying there. Baka umabot nang ilang buwan dahil sigurado akong hindi papayag si Ryo na umalis hangga't hindi sila magkasundo ni Tatay. Unless may anghel na sumapi sa tatay ko, imposibleng isang linggo lang, okay na sila ni Ryo. It would take at least a month.
Hindi ko muna siya kinausap. He was on our bed, carrying Raiko close to his chest. It was a little past Raiko's bath time already kaya hinanda ko muna ang mga kailangan para doon habang hinihintay na lumamig ang ulo niya.
"Sino 'yung nasa labas kanina?" tanong ko pagkatapos.
Ryo sighed heavily. He stood up, carrying Raiko with him as I checked the water's temperature. "'Di ko alam. Nagpi-picture."
He carefully placed Raiko on the blanket I laid out. I've been bathing Raiko ever since. Lagi lang siyang nanonood, o taga-abot ng mga bagay na kailangan ko. He never told me that he wanted to try to do it himself, but of course, I know that he's been wanting to do that.
Usually, Raiko would burst out crying once he's laid at the blanket. I could not fight the urge to smile at Ryo's attempt to distract him, speaking random syllables in a sing-song manner while softly poking Raiko's thighs, arms, and cheeks. Mukha namang effective.
He looked at me, as if asking for permission. Tumango ako at ngumiti kahit hindi naman na niya kailangang magpaalam. His eyes lit up in eagerness. I reached for the cotton balls while he continued singing random syllables.
"Ang bait naman ng baby namin," he said while taking off Raiko's onesie. Raiko's hands reached in front of him, his little hands balled into fists, touching Ryo's cheeks.
Mukhang nag-cool down na nang tuluyan ang ulo ni Ryo pagkatapos magpaligo. Halos wala akong ginawa kundi panoorin silang dalawa. I got worried when Raiko looked like he was about to cry and squirm. Ryo was quick to do some baby talk while slipping Raiko's fingers through the arm hole of the onesie, and it seemed to have calmed Raiko immediately. Napasimangot ako nang bahagya. Bakit kapag sa kaniya, hindi umiiyak ang bata? Do I need to sing, too? But I can't sing.
"Yehey, done na!" He sounded proud of himself. Nilingon niya ako. I nodded and smiled at him, as if I were telling him that he did well.
I cleaned the table up while the two of them went back to the bed. Sure akong maya-maya, iiyak na si Raiko dahil nagugutom. I have predicted some sort of pattern already. I wanted to take a bath first kaya binilisan ko ang pag-iimis ng gamit.
"Ryo," tawag ko sa kaniya pagkatapos niyang ilapag si Raiko sa crib. He stretched his arms. Napagod din.
"Hm?"
I was about to ask him again about the guy earlier pero may kumatok sa pinto ng kuwarto namin. Siya na ang nagbukas ng pinto.
Umisod agad ako sa tabi nang makitang si Tita iyon. Her eyes looked around the pile of clothes I was packing for our trip. It's in two days, pero ayaw kong magmadali at sa mismong araw pa ng pag-alis namin mag-empake kaya inasikaso ko na mula pa kahapon.
Mabilis pero pasimple kong inayos ang mga gamit na feeling ko, masakit sa mata ni Tita. Kaninang kaming dalawa lang ni Ryo ang narito, mukha namang okay lang ang kuwarto. But now that she's here, I feel like I need to tidy up the room even more. She was never mean to me, but I could not help but still feel a little intimidated whenever she's around.
She walked towards the crib, ignoring Ryo who asked what she was doing here. Her cold expression melted upon seeing Raiko. She bent down a little to touch the thin tuft of Raiko's dark hair. Raiko made a sound.
"I told you to stop talking to her. I warned you." Kung anong inilambot ng tingin niya sa apo, siya namang itinalim ng tingin niya sa anak. I didn't know where to look, o kung lalabas ba ako dahil mukhang pagagalitan ni Tita si Ryo. Lagi namang pinagagalitan ni Tita iyan kahit nakikinig ako, pero hindi na talaga ako nasanay. I felt like I was invading their privacy or something like that.
Ryo clicked his tongue. Nahuli ko siyang tumingin sa akin. They were talking about Talie, I know. I also know that he didn't want me to hear any of it. Too bad for him though, because I wanted to hear it. I'm sure Tita won't mind me staying in the room.
"Hindi ko na nga kinakausap 'yon, 'My. Siya lang ang kumakausap sa 'kin, magkaiba 'yon," he argued.
Ang mga natiklop ko nang pambahay ko, iniladlad ko para maitiklop ko ulit. I needed something to keep me busy. I'm here to listen, pero ayaw ko namang lantarang ipakita na nakikinig ako.
"You considered dating her." There was an edge on her voice. Saglit akong napatigil sa pagtutupi. "What were you thinking?"
Tumikhim si Ryo. Simple sana akong sisilip sa kaniya pero ganoon din pala ang gagawin niya kaya nagkasalubong ang mga mata namin. Napakamot siya sa likod ng ulo.
"Hindi ko naman itinuloy, 'My. Saka ano ka ba . . . brokenhearted nga po ako." Mahina niya pang sinabi ang huling parte. I swallowed back my chuckles.
Tita sighed heavily. "Sinaktan mo ba 'yon?"
"Muntik lang," sagot ni Ryo, na parang nagsisisi pa na hindi siya nakapanakit.
"Don't be dumb next time. That would have been an assault."
Ryo hissed. Dahil wala na akong gagawin, hinugot ko ang maleta mula sa ilalim ng kama. I was not supposed to put my clothes there until I was done checking that everything was set, pero kailangan ko ng props para magmukhang busy.
"Talie paid him," Tita said which made me pause. Maging si Ryo ay kumunot ang noo. "Pero 'wag mo nang intindihin. Just focus on trying to stay alive when you get to Frankie's."
Parang gusto ko na lang magpalamon sa sahig. I didn't know that they were aware of how much my father disapproved of Ryo.
"I paid him five times the amount Talie gave him, promised him a stable job, even a new car and a new camera. Bakit mo ba kasi sinira 'yung kaniya?"
"Puro pictures namin ni Frankie 'yung nakita ko, 'My. Kung ano-ano pa ang sinabi niya tungkol kay Frankie. Nakagagalit."
Inangat ko ang tingin sa kaniya. Nasa sahig lang ang tingin niya at mukhang nasira na naman ang mood. I looked away before he could even feel my stares.
Tita sighed. "Kahit pa, Ryo. You don't just engage in a fight with someone from the media. Ang sakit niyan sa ulo 'pag nagkataon."
I thought he would still argue, but he didn't. Tita has a point. Wala na akong narinig kay Ryo kundi malalim na buntonghininga.
I heard Tita's footsteps. Mahina niyang pinagsabihan si Ryo pagkatapos, like she didn't want me to hear, pero narinig ko pa rin naman. I don't think it was anything too private . . . just a bunch of I told you sos. Na binalaan na raw niya si Ryo na gagamitin siya ni Talie for publicity. That Talie was a walking headache since the beginning. Ang pinakapaborito ko yata, ang tinawag niya si Talie na sinungaling, mapagpanggap, at feeling e kayang dumikit sa kaniya nang basta-basta.
I wonder what would have happened if Ryo and Talie ended up together. Ryo loves his mother too much. If Tita wouldn't change her mind about Talie, malaking gulo iyon.
Tumigil lang ako sa ginagawa nang umalis na si Tita. Ang mga damit na inilagay ko na sa loob ng maleta e tinanggal ko ulit. Ibinalik ko rin sa ilalim ng kama ang maleta bago lumapit kay Ryo. He looked like a kid sulking over his mother's words.
Nagawi ang tingin niya sa akin. He pouted before averting his gaze. I chuckled and tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek, like what I always do before. His arm snaked behind me, lowering his face, prompting me to kiss him again there so I did.
Nawala na ang simangot niya roon. He sighed exasperatedly before pressing me closer to him.
Hindi ko na pinansin ang ginawa ni Talie, and how my mind is now coming up with a hunch that she was responsible for the photos I found in Ryo's room. Obviously, she craves for the spotlight. I was not sure if it was because of her attention-seeking nature, or if she was just desperate to keep herself relevant in the industry. Maybe even her photos with Ryo, which eventually led to our break up, were part of her childish schemes. It doesn't matter to me now, anyway. What matters to me was that she was finally, and completely, out of the picture.
I pinched Ryo's arm out of reflex when he buried his nose on my neck. Alam niyang makikiliti ako sa buhok niya at sinasadya niyang matusok ang balat ko n'on. He chuckled with me before standing back up.
"'Ligo ka na, Frankie. 'Asim mo na e," natatawa niyang sabi. I frowned and his grin widened. Lumayo ako nang kaunti bago amuyin ang sarili. Hindi nawala ang ngisi niya sa akin. Tiningnan ko siya nang masama dahil hindi naman ako amoy maasim!
"'Ligo ka na habang 'di pa pumapalahaw 'yung isa."
Paano kaya ako maliligo kung parang ayaw niya naman akong pakawalan?
There was a glint in his eyes, as if he was thinking of something funny. "O ako na ba ang magpapaligo sa 'yo?"
I stepped back after hearing that, forcing him to let go of his hold on me. Lalo lang lumakas ang tawa niya nang talikuran ko siya para kumuha ng bagong tuwalya. Nakailang irap ako habang naririnig ko siyang nang-aasar na tumatawa.
I turned to look at him after getting my towel. He was still grinning widely, pero nasa gilid na siya ng crib at nakatingin kay Raiko. His gaze went to me and he had to bite his lower lip to prevent his smirk from growing.
I rolled my eyes and marched to the bathroom like a kid throwing a fit. Uuwi na kami pero hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin niya nililinaw kung kami na ba ulit o ano. I know by heart that we sort of got back together already, but I needed his words as an assurance. Saka, ayaw kong mauna, ano? Baka mamaya, sabihin ko kay Tatay na kami na ulit, tapos siyempre, masyado siyang matutuwa at mahihiya ako. Kaya gusto ko, siya ang mauna.
Mabilis lang akong naligo, dahil for sure, matataranta si Ryo kapag biglang umiyak si Raiko at naliligo pa ako. I forgot to bring clothes with me so I wrapped myself with a towel before going out. My brow arched when I saw him setting up my laptop on the table.
Napunta sa akin ang tingin niya. I thought he would shy away and look back down at my screen but the opposite happened. Shamelessly, his eyes raked my body from head to toe. Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa tuwalya kahit na alam ko namang hindi iyon mahuhubad sa katawan ko. Ako pa ang nahiya at agad na tumalikod para maiwasan ang tingin niya! He chuckled at that.
"T-in-ext ka ni Cali. Sorry, nabasa ko. Tatawag daw siya," he said. I nodded. I didn't mind. Wala naman siyang mababasang kung ano sa phone ko. Plus, I'm sure Cali wouldn't tell me about Nate through text, so wala akong kailangang itago kay Ryo.
I quickly searched through my remaining clothes in the drawer. Pabalik pa lang ako sa banyo nang marinig kong tumunog ang laptop ko. I looked at Ryo, who was about to pick Raiko up from his crib. Tinanguan ko siya, letting him answer the call dahil hindi pa ako nakabibihis.
I picked up my lotion on the way to the bathroom. Tinawag ako ni Ryo pero hindi ko siya nilingon dahil kailangan ko nang magbihis.
"Just answer it," I told him before heading inside the bathroom.
Nang lumabas ako, naabutan ko si Ryo na nakatulala lang sa screen ko. Nagsalubong ang kilay ko roon.
Sinabihan ko na siyang huwag masyadong asarin si Cali e. Hindi siguro nakinig. Cali was scary when she's mad. Kapag nag-away pati sila, maiipit ako.
"Ano? Nag-away kayo?" I asked while drying my hair with a towel. Ryo looked at me, scared, lips almost trembling. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay.
Before I could even go in front of my laptop to apologize to Cali on his behalf, a loud voice came out cracked from my laptop's speakers, "Ceskang!"
Bumalik agad ang tingin ni Ryo sa screen. Realizing that it wasn't Cali he was talking with, my fingertips grew cold. Scared, I sat beside Ryo.
Nanuyo rin yata ang lalamunan ko nang makita ko si Tatay, may hawak na lagaring pakiramdam ko'y kung kaya niyang ibaon sa leeg ni Ryo ngayon, ginawa na niya. Parang puputok na ang mga ugat niya sa noo habang mariing nakatingin sa mag-ama ko.
Mukhang mapapaaga ang uwi namin.