Chapter 42 Sunset

Pagdating namin sa isla ay kaagad kaming sinalubong ng mag-asawang si Tammy at Euler. Nagtagal pa ang tingin sa akin ng lalaki bago nag-iwas ng tingin at ngumisi.

Pinaningkitan ko ito ng mga mata.

"Tammy, sabihin mo sa asawa mo na huwag sabihin kay Monteserio na nandito ako. Baka mamaya ay makita ko nalang 'yon bigla rito sa paligid." Bahagyang nilingon ni Tammy ang kaniyang asawa at siniko ang sikmura. Napaubo naman ito ngunit hindi nagreklamo.

"Narinig mo 'yon, Euler. Huwag kang gumawa ng kahit na ano dahil hihiwalayan talaga kita."

Bumuntong-hininga lang ang lalaki at tumango.

"Of course, baby. Don't want to put our marriage at risk." I just rolled my eyes when he dipped his head and kissed my friend in front of me.

"Papasok na kami sa cabin, Tam. Papahinga na muna kami..." I kissed her cheek. I was about to leave when she hold my wrist. Kunot noo ko itong nilingon. I saw her pouted. Mas lalo pa itong lumapit sa akin bago bumulong.

"Bakit magkasama sa iisang cabin si Raf at Miya?" nakangiwi nitong bulong sa akin. My eyes grew wide. Really? I didn't know that....

"Yes. Katabi lang ng cabin niyo ni Indie. Subukan mong makinig, huh? Baka may umungol mamaya." I laughed before slapping her shoulder jokingly.

But... really.

Hindi ko alam kung anong nangyayari, basta, may koneksyon akong nakikita sa kanilang dalawa ni hindi ko maipaliwanag. And then this happened. Bakit pumayag si Raf na sa iisang cabin lang sila? Isn't suspecting?

Psh. Napahagikhik ako nang makapasok sa loob ng cabin.

Indira was looking at me weirdly kaya kaagad akong napatikhim.

"Where's your Uncle and Tita, baby?" I asked.

She pouted and crossed her arms. Suplada itong nag-iwas ng tingin, and she even stomped her feet like she was irritated of something.

Lumapit ako rito at tinabihan siya sa sofa.

"Why do you look so grumpy, Indira? Did something happened?" I asked softly. Inalis ko ang ilang tikwas ng buhok sa kaniyang mukha at isinabit ito sa kaniyang tainga.

"I don't know with those two, Mom! They're in a hurry and just left me here kahit wala pa ikaw! And when I asked Uncle Raf why is he and Tita Miya in a hurry, he then answered that they'll make me a playmate daw! Gagawa sila playmate ko pero they're taking too long! I'm waiting here for minutes na oh!"

Napahalakhak ako sa tinuran ng aking anak. She looked at me weirdly again and I just carried her in my arms.

Mas mabuti ng sa kwarto muna kami. We'll play a music too dahil baka may marinig kaming kung anong tunog mula sa kapitbahay namin diyan.

Indira and I rested for almost two hour. She was still in her deep sleep kaya nauna akong bumangon rito. Alas kwatro pa lamang ng hapon and I'm planning to witness the beautiful sunset today.

Tiningnan ko ulit ang anak ko na nakanganga pa habang natutulog at yakap yakap ang unan na kanina ay ginamit ko. I sighed. I fixed my dress before walking out of the cabin with my phone and a jacket in my hand.

Kinatok ko ang kapitbahay ko and I was thankful that Miya opened it immediately. Mukhang kagigising lang din nito, and... she's wearing Raf's shirt for sure.

I hid my smirk.

"Mi, punta lang sana ako sa tabing-dagat. Isasama ko sana si Indie kaya lang tulog na tulog e. Pwede mo bang tingnan tingnan muna, Mi? Tapos naman na kayo ni Raf di ba?" I asked her.

Nakita ko ang pagpula ng mukha nito bago tumikhim at sinamaan ako ng tingin. Tamo 'to. Ayaw pa umamin e.

"Sinasabi mo diyan, Trin? Umalis ka na nga at babantayan ko ang anak mo."

I smiled at her sweetly.

"Masama ang loob ni Indira, Mi. Bakit daw ang tagal nitong gumawa ng playmate niya."

Nanlaki ang mga mata nito and before she could even speak at tumakbo na ako para makalayo rito.

Pagdating ko sa may tabing dagat ay kaagad kong nilapag ang dala kong jacket sa buhangin at doon umupo. Marami pa ring taong naliligo. Parang hindi nila matiis na huwag magtampisaw sa dagat. And I can't blame the tourist who goes here frequently na parang ito na ang ikalaw nilang tahanan. The place is really beautiful, calm and serene.

Mas lalo pang gumandang tingnan ang dagat nang makita ko doon ang repleksyon ng papalubog na araw.

I sighed in satisfaction.

Naramdaman kong may umupo sa tabi ko. Hindi ko na sana papansinin nang malanghap ko ang pamilyar nitong amoy.

My breathing hitched as I turned my head to the person. He was smiling sadly at me. And I badly wanted to erase the sadness that he's showing right now.

Naalala kong bigla ang sinabi ni Raf sa akin. That, we should try to listen to each other because that's where we are lacking at. Communication and trust.

But he's wrong.

It's not just about communication and trust. It's about the way we love. I love him, and he does too, but that wasn't enough for him to listen to me. It's not just that. It's also about how much we know each other, and in our case, we don't know that much. We know nothing but the basics.

"You ran away..." He drawled out sadly.

"And you followed me." I spit out bitterly.

How ironic right? Bakit ngayon pa niya ako naisipang habulin? Ngayon na nabahiran na ang tiwala ko sa kaniya. I love him, yes, pero isa 'yon sa nabahiran noong itaboy niya ako at hindi pinagkatiwalaan.

"Do you wanna hear a story? A sad one. A tragic one. I'll make this shorter. Medyo masakit kasi." I said. Maybe it's time. It's time for me to tell him what really happened.

"There's this girl. So in love and in a relationship with the man he trusted the most. She's beyond happy with him. They're happy together, not until. She got pregnant. And then in a blink of an eye, viola! She lost the baby in her womb. Believed to be aborted by the girl. The man blamed her, told her things, call her names that she didn't expect for him to spit out, and insulted her to the extent. She chase him hoping for his forgiveness. But you know what he did?" I choked out in my words. Ramdam ko ang pagtulo ng masaganang luha sa aking mga mata.

"She grieved and mourned, but the man... the man mourned in another way. He love another woman. Fell for another woman. And the girl he left, grieved and mourned for her broken heart and for the loss of her child. And you know what's more heartbreaking? It's her twin that he loves. She suffered a lot. 'Till the man mistakes her for her twin. Something happened. She got pregnant again, and got hated by her whole family more than they could ever do. She almost lost her baby again. But the baby's a fighter... Like her mother. They both didn't gave and decided to start over. A happy life and a less toxic living."

I sobbed hardly after saying all that.

Maya maya ay narinig ko na rin ang mahina niyang hikbi na hindi ko higit na inaasahan sa kaniya.

"N-nakakaiyak no?" I asked him while wiping my tears.

"Do you want to know who's that woman, Claus?" I asked sadly while looking at him. His face was red and his eyes were sad too. It mirrored the emotions that I am feeling right now.

"W-who?" he whispered, still looking at me.

I let out a smile before turning my gaze away. I stared at the beautiful sunset in front of me.

"The woman is me."