CHAPTER 82:BEFORE THE FLIGHT

Diane’s P. O. V.

“Siya nga pala, Liam… sino ‘yong best man mo? At saka, gaano tayo katagal sa Balesin nito?” tanong ko habang kumakain pa rin ng cake. Excited na ako dahil bukod sa Quego del Mar at Batangas ay wala na akong ibang napuntahang lugar sa tanang buhay ko.

Masaya ko siyang sinusubuan at kinikilig pa ako kapag sadya niyang kinakagat at sinisipsip ‘yong daliri ko. Parang gusto ko tuloy na huwag nang magpahinga ngayong gabi at unahin na lang ang honeymoon.

“He’s Samuel—my childhood buddy although he was two years ahead of me. Ngayon lang ulit kami magkikita after fifteen years, pero hindi naman nawala ang communication naming dalawa. He’s currently residing in Balesin, dahil gusto niyang mag-manage ng beachfront hotel and resort kaysa maging businessman.”

“One week tayo roon kasama ng buong pamilya mo, Diane. After that, we will fly to U. S. at hinanda ko na rin naman ang pagbalik nina Mama rito sa Quego del Mar,” sabi niya habang pinupunasan ko ‘yong gilid ng mga labi niya.

Tumango-tango lang ako. Masaya ako at mayroon din naman pala siyang naging tunay na kaibigan kahit papaano. Naalala ko kasi bigla ‘yong kinuwento niya sa aking mga tropa niya noon na nagtraydor sa kanya at naglagay pa ng droga sa alak niya—dahilan para magawa niya ang isang bagay na hanggang ngayon ay labis niyang pinagsisisihan.

Mamayamaya pa, pagkatapos kong maubos ‘yong cake at maja blanca, ay nakaramdam na ako ng pagkauhaw pero malas lang na wala akong dalang kahit bottled water man lang. I already rummaged the plastic bag that my mother gave me, but found nothing.

“Liam, may tubig ka ba riyan?” tanong ko. Pakiramdam ko ay nanunuyo na ang lalamunan ko at uhaw na uhaw na talaga ako. Epekto rin marahil ng chocolate chip frap na kanina nga ay ininom ko.

“Wala eh. Teka, may malapit namang convenience store dito. Bibili na lang tayo,” nakangiting sabi niya. Palagi talagang nakaka-good vibes ang dimple niya.

Medyo malayo pa kami sa convenience store na sinabi niya when he decided to park the car, pero parang nakakailang tapak na yata siya roon sa brake pedal ay ayaw pa ring huminto nito. Ni hindi nga bumagal ang takbo ng kotse at dire-diretso pa rin kami sa sixty kilometers per hour na bilis nito.

Liam tried his best to stop the car but to no avail. He used all his force to continuously step into the brake pedal, pero wala pa rin. He even used the hand brake, pero ayaw pa rin talagang huminto ng kotse.

Nakaramdam na ako ng takot nang kinakitaan ko na rin ng pangamba sa mukha niya si Liam. Lalo na nang lumagpas na kami roon sa convenience store ay hindi pa rin niya mapatigil ang sasakyan. Natatakot namang lumunok na lang ako dahil parang may bumara sa aking lalamunan, kasabay ang tila nakabibinging pagtambol ng dibdib ko sa sobrang kaba.

“L-Liam, a-anong nangyayari?” nanginginig at kinakabahang tanong ko sa kanya. Halos mamaos ang boses ko sa sobrang kaba.

I already had an idea on what was happening, pero tinanong ko pa rin. Sigurado akong walang preno ang sinasakyan namin at kung magpapatuloy pa ito ay tiyak kong maaaksidente kami.

“The brake pedal is n-not working, Diane. Higpitan mo ‘yong seatbelt mo and please, just trust me. I got this, okay? We’ve got this.” Bakas ko sa boses niya na kinakabahan na rin siya pero ayaw lang niya iyong ipahalata ‘yon sa akin.

I just nodded at him. I checked my seatbelt and made sure that it was fastened securely. I was panicking inside, but I chose to silently pray to God and trust Liam wholeheartedly.

Lord, huwag Ninyo po sanang hayaang may masamang mangyari at Kayo na po sana ang bahala sa amin. I prayed in my mind.

What happened next was Liam pulled the parking brake gradually as I heard a sudden tug on the brake which locked the wheels. It somehow slowed down the car in a straight line but the resultant skid made the vehicle even more uncontrollable, that there was a high possibility that it could still skid off the road.

He held my clammy hand tightly as he said, “I want you to close your eyes, Diane. Please…”

“Liam, n-natatakot ako.” Fear paralyzed me that I almost couldn’t hear my voice.

Naiiyak na ako. I was hesitant at first but I had to fully trust him. Kahit na gusto kong manatiling nakadilat para makita ko ang mga kasalukuyang nangyayari ay kailangan ko siyang sundin. I trusted him more than anyone. Alam kong walang mangyayaring masama sa aming dalawa. Ikakasal pa kami bukas.

“Don’t be, hindi kita hahayaang mapahamak…” he told me with assurance. Liam was still trying to control the car.

I closed my eyes and just shortly after that, I felt a sudden bang from the impact caused by the car being crashed to a certain wall-like structure. Sa sobrang lakas nang pagkakabangga nito ay alam kong bumaliktad kami pareho kahit nakapikit ang mga mata ko… pero tila namanhid bigla ang buo kong pagkatao at parang hindi ko na maramdaman pa ang katawan ko.

I opened my eyes as I barely saw how Liam’s damaged car flipped over as it hit a curb. The airbag suddenly opened as I hit my head somewhere I wasn’t sure of. I could see bloody wounds all over his face as he tried to reach me while asking, “D-Diane, are you okay?”

I wanted to reach out to him and touch his face as gentle as I could, but I wasn’t even successful to move my hand… even one of my fingers. I could feel something inside my head that reacted to a shear force caused by the car accident. I knew instantly that I got a head injury. I just couldn’t figure exactly what it was.

I gave up and just swiftly smiled at him before everything went black.