“Kaiser, I missed you, son!” Lumapit ang ina nina Kaiser at Sean at niyakap ang panganay nito. “And this is Jeanie, anlaki na niya,” cheerful naman ang ginang who still looked very beautiful for her age. Tapos ay nagawi na ang atensyon nito sa kanya.
“Princess,” sabi nito, malambing iyon ngunit nag-aalangan pati ang pagkakangiti nito.
“Stop there,” akma kasi siya nitong lalapitan.
Ano bang nangyayari? Kung nanaginip man siya, sana ay magising na siya. Ano ba ang mayro’n sa pamilya ng mga ito? Bakit nadagdagan na naman ang ugnayan nila?
No, kung magkakaroon man ng pangalawang asawa ang kanyang ama, please lang, ‘wag galing sa pamilya ng lalaking umagaw sa kanyang ina! ‘Wag galing sa pamilya ng taong nangwasak sa kanyang pamilya!
“Princess!” medyo mariin ang pagkakasabi noon ng kanyang ama.
“Siya ba tinutukoy mo, Papa?” Nagbabanta ang mga luha na tanong niya.
“Yes. She is your Tita Ela,” nilapitan siya ng kanyang ama at hinawakan sa mga kamay. “Listen to me, give her a chance. This time, it’s different -”
“No,” tuluyan nang bumagsak ang mga luha niya. “What is with you guys?” punum-puno siya ng hinanakit.
“Bakit n’yo inaagaw ang mga magulang ko sa akin?!!!” Pagkasabi no’n ay nagtatakbo siya paalis. Sinundan naman siya agad ni Sean at pinigilan sa mga braso niya. “You knew?” Hindi ito sumagot. “You knew?!” hindi pa rin ito sumagot. That was enough for her to confirm na alam nga nito, that might answer the lingering question kung ba’t parang close sila ng kanyang ama.
She felt betrayed. Again, she was losing a father! To that family!
Nakaalis siya sa pagkakahawak ni Sean. She needed to go somewhere. Somewhere to cry her heart out. Somewhere to ease her pain.
And she thought her father came back to finally be a father to her. But she was wrong. Yet the anger in her heart awakened. Wala pa rin pala siyang magulang!
Bigo na naman siya. And yes, she was old enough, but not too old enough to understand that fate did not give her the chance to feel what it was like to have a happy family again the way she did nineteen long years ago.
How selfish. How cruel.
And that left her alone, again!
***
“I don’t understand,” he may not be angry, but he needed an explanation.
“Kuya, I’m sorry. I did not tell you kasi sabi ni mama siya ang magsasabi sa ‘yo,” sagot ni Sean.
“It's okay, Sean. I just need to know how?”
“It started during the burial.”
“How? I mean pareho silang umalis agad.” Gulong-gulo siya. It’s not that ayaw niya sa tatay ni Princess. Wala siyang problema kahit sino pa ang gustuhin ng kanyang ina, matanda na ang mga ito para intindihin
niya pa.
“Yeah, but they met again in HongKong.”
And the rest were history
He’s worried about Princess. Hindi dapat, but he’s worried about her. Base sa reaksyon nito sa nalaman ay walang paliwanag itong tatanggapin.
“Small world,” ‘yon lang ang nai-comment niya.
Kelangan bang madoble ang eksena? Noon tatay nila at nanay ni Princess. Ngayon naman, nanay nila at tatay
nito. Ano bang meron sa paulit-ulit na pangyayaring ‘yon?
Like, why was their family so drawn to Princess’ family?
“Princess is angry with me,” malungkot na sabi ni Sean.
“Lilipas din ‘yon.”
“I didn't mean to keep it a secret, Kuya. It’s just that some things are better left said by those people who are involved.”
“Don’t worry. Matanda na ‘yon. Maiintindihan rin niya.” Was his brother really into Princess? At bakit naman tila ayaw niya sa ideyang iyon?
“You don’t understand.”
Yeah, maybe because he did not want to understand.
“You like my sister?” Kumikislap ang mga mata ni Jeanie, ‘di nila namalayan ang paglapit nito sa kanila.
“Hey, little girl,” kinarga ito agad ni Sean.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” akala mo ay isa itong matchmaker. “But promise me you’ll not make her cry.”
Tumango si Sean, parang nakahandang makipag-deal sa bata nilang kapatid. Was he really in love with their stepsister?
“Hey Jeanie, make sure it’s okay with your sister,” paalala niya.
“Hey you too, kuya Kaiser. ‘Di ba you don’t like her? So leave us alone!” pagtataboy nito.
Alanganing naa-amuse na naaasar siya. Naalala niya na sa kanya nito naunang ialok ang kapatid nito but he said no. Kaya nga naman wala siyang karapatang makialam ngayong may interesado na sa kapatid nito.
At bakit ba ‘yon ang inaatupag nila now that they do not know Princess’ whereabouts?
“Anybody who has spoken with her already?” tanong ni Rafael.
“Wala pa, Tito,” panabay nilang sagot ni Sean.
Paano naman na may makakakausap dito eh nakapatay ang telepono ng dalaga?
“She needs space – to think and understand,” aniya.
“Maybe you’re right. Kasalanan ko ‘to,” napaupo ang ama ni Princess. “I should have talked to her first, but I did not know how to tell her.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Raffy,” yumakap dito si Ela, ang kanilang ina. “Hindi natin siya naihanda nang maayos para rito. Maybe, it’s too soon.”
“I love my daughter so much, Ela.”
“I know,” his mother smiled reassuringly.
“I need to find her.”
“No. Just let her this time, Raffy,” anito. “Your daughter is a grown up woman now. She’ll not do anything foolish, she needs time for herself.”
His mother maybe right, pero maging siya ay ‘di mapakali. Gano’n din ang nakikita niya sa mga mata ni Sean. So maybe, just maybe, hahayaan na niya ang kapatid ang umintindi sa dalaga. After all, Sean said he
liked her.
Why was he thinking of her so much? That girl, iba ang epekto sa kanya ng nakita niyang pag-iyak nito kanina. That was far from the tough Princess he knew, parang bigla itong naging fragile, that made him wanting to protect her.
‘But then again stupid mind,’ he reminded himself. ‘You’ve got a girlfriend and she is not your interest. She’s just your step sister uhmn, wait twice?’
Dahil sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng mga magulang nila, sa pangalawang pagkakataon ay magiging step sister niya ito, at idagdag pa ang pinapakitang interes ni Sean dito na kung magkataon eh magiging sister-in-law naman niya ito. Was it fate’s way of telling him na kapatid niya ang dalaga?
***
It’s getting dark. Kanina pa siya walang direksyon. Naglalakad-lakad lang siya hanggang sa humantong siya sa park na kinaroroonan.
Hindi siya over acting. Sobrang naging mataas lang kasi ‘yong expectation niya na this time eh magkakaroon ng chance na maging ama si Rafael sa kanya. She did not see it coming, ‘yong possibility na mag-aasawa ito ulit. And that left her hopes crashing.
Alam niya, masyado na siyang matanda para ipagkait pa iyon sa kanyang ama. Ni hindi na nga niya ito kailangan para mabuhay siya. But it just hurt her na maiiwan na naman siyang mag-isa.
Nakikita na niya ang buwan sa kalangitan na unti unting nilalamon ng maitim na ulap nang magpasya siyang umuwi. Just few steps pa lang nang may makabungguan siya.
“Naku naman, Miss, tumingin ka naman sa dinadaanan mo!” said the familiar female voice.
“I’m sorry,” she said, not looking.
“Wait!” anito. “Princess?”
Napilitan siyang tingnan ito.
“Pamela,” of all people naman, bakit kailangang ito ang makakita sa kanyang weakest point? Pagtatawanan lang siya ng bruhang ito.
“What happened to you?” It did not sound like she’s gonna laugh at her though. “Have you been crying?
OMG!” Inalalayan siya nito pabalik sa bench na kinauupuan niya kanina.
“Pamela, I’m okay, don’t mind me. I just need to go home now.”
‘Please, go away…’
“I know we started on the wrong foot. But Princess, I can be a person you can talk to,” malumanay nitong sabi like was this really Pamela the mermaid?
“It’s nothing,” what? She would not tell her, baka taktika lang nito iyon para makakuha ng bala laban sa kanya.
“Look, we may not be good friends, but hello, we’ve spent time together already. Okay I admit, I do not like you that much, but see, I can’t leave you now, something’s telling me you need somebody to talk to... You know I can be an ear,” she sounded sincere naman.
Tumingin muna siya nang diretso rito.
“It’s my father,” she started.
“Yeah, I heard he’s back.”
“Yeah.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“He’s-, well, he’s gonna marry again,” napatango-tango ito, sinasabi na nga ba niya eh, hindi dapat siya magtiwala sa sirena.
But honestly, at that point, parang wala na rin naman siyang pakialam kung sincere ito or not. Tama ito, kailangan niya ng kausap. So, okay na lang kahit sirena at hindi tao ang handing makinig sa kanya.
“So, what’s making you sad?”
“You don’t understand,” napailing siya. She won’t explain why, not with this girl.
“Alam mo, I think your father deserves to be happy too,” mayamaya ay sabi ni Pamela. “Baka kasi sa mga nagdaang taon, sobrang pinagdusahan na niya ang pagiging failure niya sa relationship nila ng mama mo. Give him this, Princess. ‘Wag kang malungkot when he decides to be happy again.”
Such wonderful advice from a person she did not expect nor did she even want to give her advice.
But here she was, minsan pala may kalaliman din itong mag-isip. Parang galing sa kailaliman ng dagat.
“Thanks for that.”
“Anytime,” Pamela smiled. “So, you’ve met your future step mom?”
“Yeah, this morning.”
“And?”
Tiningnan niya muna ulit ito.
“She’s your soon to be mom-in-law”
“What?!!!” halos kasabay ng reaksyon na ‘yon ang kulog at kidlat. “I mean, how did it happen?” Kaya pala malamig na ang hangin, ‘yon pala ay malapit nang umulan.
“I don’t know,” at ‘yon nga, no later than her words left her lips nang magsimulang pumatak ang ulan.
“Maghanap tayo ng masisilungan,” but it’s already raining hard and all they could find was a nearby tree.
Wala silang choice kundi doon magpatila ng ulan. Total din naman at basang-basa na sila. Kahit na delikadong sumilong sa puno kapag gano’ng kumikidlat.
“Nakikisimpatiya ba ang panahon sa ‘yo?” halos pasigaw na sabi ni Pamela. “Summer ngayon, bakit umuulan?” may tini-text ito sa phone nito na sinusubukan nitong protektahang ‘wag mabasa. “Looks like it’s not gonna stop agad, we need help.”
Hinayaan lang niya ito. Mukhang nakalimutan na rin siguro nito na may pupuntahan ito dapat bago sila nagkita.