Good evening!
Well, this is new. Greeting everyone like this. I’m not sure if I could keep up with doing this, though. anyway, I’ll try to do so. But I surely can’t promise anything about this. It’s kind of tough doing it, to be honest. Especially now that things are a little unsure for me that I can’t think of anything worthy for quite a while now.
Wait! Did that even make any sense at all? I have a feeling that it didn’t. Sorry for that.
Seriously, I am not going to ask anymore about the last time I wrote a Sunday Currently entry. ‘Cause honestly, I grew tired of doing that for now. I’ve never actually maintained a blog in my life and by now, I’m sure I’ve already lost what few “readers” I have—if I ever had any. But if there still are readers of this blog, thank you.
From my last post, I said that I would probably talk about the photo edits, the certain retired actor that’s really making me think (until now), or even the currently airing Super Sentai series that I’ve been watching. But now that I’m writing this, I don’t think I could talk any of it. Well, what can I say? This entry is like a summary of what I’ve been doing for the past week. Or maybe not.
Even so, I’d still like to post this since I can’t concentrate on what I was supposed to do tonight. So let’s get on with it, shall we?
Hi! How are you, everyone? Still living a good life, I hope.
I’m not sure if I have readers here but I still want to do this. I just want to write down my thoughts since honestly speaking, I’ve never done that in a long while. I don’t know but it seems that these past months, I’ve been having a hard time incorporating my thoughts to my writings and now, I’m stumped. If you know what I mean.
Just like now. A while back, I was contemplating on writing a blog entry in English or Filipino. See? I couldn’t also decide on what language medium to use for writing. Same goes to me writing my manuscripts. Due to some issues that I won’t be able to discuss properly here, I’ve been in hiatus in writing Filipino romance. And it’s a long while, as well. I guess I’m losing my touch in writing something that I really want to believe, but some things (or should I say circumstances) were trying to destroy it for me.
CHAPTER 11
TATLONG araw na ang nakalipas mula nang komprontahin ni Yuna si Jerricko at hanggang sa mga sandaling iyon, tila hindi pa rin tuluyang rumerehistro sa isipan niya ang mga nangyari. Hindi pa rin siya makapaniwalang itinutulak na siya ng dalaga palayo rito. Iniisip niya kung may nagawa ba siyang kasalanan o ano para maisipan nito iyon. Pero wala talagang pumapasok sa isipan niya na kahit anong rason.
Oo nga't umalis siya papuntang Batangas na hindi man lang nagpapaalam dito. Pero iyon ay dahil wala na siyang panahon para makapagpaalam sa dalaga. Minadali ba naman kasi siya ng Mama niya na magpunta roon. Kunsabagay, ikinuwento kasi niya sa ginang ang tungkol kay Yuna at sa plano niyang magtapat dito sa loob mismo ng art gallery ng kanyang ina. It was the same art gallery he mentioned before to Yuna that had Cedric Limietta's paintings hanging on them. Iyon ang mga painting na binili noon ng kanyang ina. Gusto sana niyang sorpresahin ang dalaga sa pamamagitan ng pagtatapat niya rito ng tunay niyang nararamdaman sa mismong lugar na iyon. Pero siya ang nasorpresa sa huli dahil nga sa nangyari.
Kung bakit ba naman kasi sa tinagal-tagal ng pagsasama nila ni Yuna bilang magkaibigan—kahit na siya lang ang nag-iisip na magkaibigan sila dahil iwas pa rin sa kanya nang bahagya ang dalaga—ay hindi pa niya naisipang kunin ang contact number nito, kahit sa mga kasamahan nitong tiyak na nakakaalam niyon. Para bang nag-iwan lang iyon ng misteryo sa pagitan nilang dalawa ni Yuna. Iyon ang nasa isipan niya nang mapagtantong hindi pa nga niya talaga nagagawang kontakin ito sa kahit na anong paraan maliban na lang sa mga panahong magkikita sila sa school grounds.
Matapos ang araw ng komprontasyon na iyon, pinilit niyang kausapin si Yuna pero lagi itong umiiwas sa kanya. Pinuntahan na rin niya ito sa bahay nito at pinakiusapan na rin ang Mama nito pero ayaw talaga siyang harapin nito. Para talagang inilalayo na nito ang sarili sa kanya at pinipilit isipin na hindi siya nag-e-exist dito. Sobrang sakit niyon para sa kanya pero tinitiis niya. Kailangan niyang gawin iyon. Hindi siya susuko, iyon ang palaging nasa isipan niya. Kahit na sa totoo lang, gusto nang bumigay ng puso niya dahil sa sakit.
(In no particular order) tagged by Yasha Red Weasley in my FB account
1. Alden Richards (matagal na, actually)Originally posted in my FB account last October 27, 2014
As tagged by Ayamebunny WP
-masungit sa unang tingin (kaya napagkakamalang suplada)I’m losing my touch. That’s all I’m going to say about this particular day. I don’t know what to do anymore except to mope around and think that maybe I made the wrong decision after all.
It’s not exactly easy to remain optimistic all the time when one negativity after another keeps arriving and surrounding you. I’m trying but I think I’m about to give in and remain moping around with nothing else to do. Especially when I have to deal with another rejection I received just this morning.
This is why I said that I’m losing my touch.
I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, continuing to pursue the one thing that’s making me sane right now. But despite the negativity and me moping around, I still find myself doing it. I’m still here writing.
This may not be a story that I want to write, but this is still me. This is what I want to do. I don’t think I could ever give this up even though I’ve received more rejections than approvals. No, really. I think I lost count of all the rejections I need to deal with, but here I am.
CHAPTER 10
HINDI pa rin nawawala sa isipan ni Yuna ang mga nangyari noong gabing inihatid siya ni Jerricko sa harap ng bahay niya matapos ang bakasyon nila. Ramdam pa rin niya ang kakaibang init at seguridad dala ng mahigpit na yakap sa kanya ng binata. It had been a week since then. Pero hindi pa rin sila nagkikita nito kahit nang magpunta siya sa Alexandrite University para mag-enroll for the next semester. Nalaman na lang niya kay Ria na may kailangan daw itong asikasuhin sa Batangas kasama ang ina nito. Hindi na lang niya inalam kung ano iyon dahil sa tingin naman niya ay importante ang pakay ng binata roon.
But of course, his absence only made things difficult for her. Nami-miss niya ito sa bawat araw na lumipas na hindi pa rin sila nagkikita. Pero hindi naman niya magawang iparamdam iyon sa binata dahil unang-una, wala siyang contact number nito. Noon lang niya napagtanto na kahit kailan ay hindi ito nagtangka na kunin ang number niya. At mukhang hindi rin nito kinuha iyon sa mga kasama niyang nakakaalam niyon.
Kaya heto siya ngayon, parang wala sa sarili habang nakatingin sa labas ng bintana ng clubhouse. Hindi niya magawang ipagpatuloy ang sketch sa painting na plano niyang simulan dahil hindi siya makapag-concentrate nang maayos. Laging lumilipad ang isipan niya kay Jerricko at sa mga panahong nakasama niya ito. Mag-isa lang siya sa clubhouse dahil hindi pa naman officially nagsisimula ang klase para sa susunod na semester. Kakaunti pa lang ang tao sa school at usually ay mga staff, instructor, at professor ang naroon.
"Mukhang napapadalas ang pagso-solo flight mo rito, ah. Okay ka lang ba, Yuna?"
Pero sa totoo lang, parang mas magaling lang akong magplano kaysa magpatuloy ng mga naiplano ko na. Alam mo `yon. Kung minsan, hindi ko maiwasang ma-disappoint sa sarili ko pagdating sa mga ganitong bagay. Na ang dami kong plano pero hindi ko magawang tapusin lahat kasi nga laging distracted o laging tinatamaan ng katam.
Anyway, heto na nga. Since ayoko namang ma-pending lang sa isang tabi ito at amagin (literally), ise-share ko na lang ang tungkol sa romance series na sinasabi ko. Pero gusto ko lang sabihin na ang pagkakasulat ko ng description ng series na `to ay iyon mismo ang paraan ko ng pagkakasulat n’on noon. Word by word. Kaya kayo na ang humusga ng writing style ko noon kung ikukumpara sa ngayon. Okay?
CHAPTER 9
"NAGKA-GIRLFRIEND ka na ba?" pambungad na tanong ni Yuna kay Jerricko nang maisipan ng binata na umalis muna sila sa beach house at mamasyal sa tabing-dagat nang araw na iyon. Nagpaalam naman sila kay Tita Marissa, pati na rin kina Guia at Lexus, tungkol doon at pumayad naman ang mga ito.
Gusto kasi ni Jerricko na mag-strolling habang tinatahak ang kahabaan ng tabing-dagat. At ang loko, gusto siyang isama. Mas mabuti na raw na magkuwentuhan sila na malayo sa iba pa nilang mga kasamahan. Baka maupakan pa raw nito ang mga iyon kapag nag-umpisa nang mang-asar ang mga ito. Pabor naman iyon kay Yuna. Walang nakakahalata pero kasinglala yata ng Falcon Knights kung mang-asar ang mga kasama niya sa Imperial Flowers. Hindi pa niya gustong mapagdiskitahan ng mga ito dahil doon.
Besides, she needed to do something in order to be sure of her current feelings.
Napaubo naman si Jerricko at tila gulat na tiningnan siya. "B-bakit mo naman naitanong 'yan? Pambihira, ngayon ko lang nalaman na usisera ka pala."
Okay. Mag-Tagalog naman tayo para maiba. Aba’y pulos English na ang mga pinagsususulat ko nitong mga nakaraang posts ko rito, ah. Nakaka-nosebleed lang, ha? Haha! In fairness, na-miss ko ring magsulat ng mga Filipino posts. Nitong mga nakaraang linggo kasi, nag-focus ako sa pagsusulat ng mga stories na pulos English. Alam mo na, isang paraan rin iyon para maka-connect ka sa mga international readers, lalo na `yong mga fanfiction readers.
`Yan pa. Fanfiction.
Nitong mga nakaraang linggo, ito talaga ang pinagkakaabalahan ko. Nagbalik-loob ako sa pagsusulat ng fanfictions lately. At ang subject ng mga fanfiction na pinagsususulat ko—Super Sentai. Hindi katulad ng karamihan ng co-writers ko na K-Drama ang hilig, mas gusto ko pong manood ng Super Sentai series. Kahit babae ako, ewan ko kung bakit iyon ang mas gusto kong panoorin. Kaya siguro nawawalan na ako ng romansa sa katawan dahil doon. Hehe! Sa ngayon, pinagkakaabalahan kong panoorin ang currently airing na Sentai series—ang Space Squadron Kyuranger (Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger).
CHAPTER 8
"JOINT vacation?!" halos sabay-sabay na bulalas ng mga miyembro ng Imperial Flowers at Falcon Knights nang magkaroon sila ng meeting sa open field nang araw na iyon. Siyempre pa, sina Guia at Lexus ang pasimuno niyon.
Natapos na kasi ang activities at tournaments na dahilan upang maging busy silang lahat sa isang buong semester. Kaya ang joint vacation na iyon ang magsisilbing reward nila para sa buong limang buwan na nagpakapagod sila sa mga kanya-kanyang gawain. I-s-in-uggest iyon dahil ilang araw na lang, semestral break na. A vacation for a day or two—or even a week—wouldn't hurt, as Guia and Lexus said.
Kunsabagay, pabor naman iyon sa kanilang lahat. Pahinga rin iyon para sa kanila. Kaya lang, hindi maitatangging nagulat sila dahil hindi nila akalaing magkakasama ang dalawang grupo na magbabakasyon. Ano kayang topak ang dumapo kina Guia at Lexus para maisipan ang bagay na iyon?
Pero hindi iyon ang talagang gumugulo sa isipan ni Yuna nang mga sandaling iyon. Pasimple siyang tumingin sa kinauupuan si Jerricko. Ilang araw na niya itong napapansing wala sa sarili at tila malalim ang iniisip. Kapag tatanungin niya ito kung ano ang problema, palaging wala ang isasagot nito at ngingitian siya. Ayaw man niyang aminin, nag-aalala siya para sa binata. Nasanay kasi siya na lagi itong masaya na para bang walang problema. Gustung-gusto niyang nakikita na good mood ito. Sa totoo lang, nami-miss na nga niya ang kakulitan nito sa kanya, lalo na kapag alam nitong may naaalala na naman siyang hindi maganda. Pero ngayong nakikita niya itong ganito, wala man lang siyang magawa para bumalik ang magandang mood nito.
Part 6/6 (Stinger, Hami, Lucky, Miu, & Renn)
It was a good thing that Hami managed to sleep earlier than expected—if one would actually call that early. Well, perhaps she could thank it to the fact that she finally came up with a decision with regards to her own feelings for Lucky. It had been distracting her for more than a week so it was a total relief that she came in terms with her own emotions.
Now here comes the real problem—confessing to Lucky.
Great! How come she didn't even think about that part when she decided to finally tell him the truth? Should she consider this as a disaster in the making?
Part 5/6 (Stinger & Hami)
That one night of mulling over alone seemed to have helped Stinger for a bit. But it also gave way for him to feel something he had never felt before. A kind of pain that perhaps had existed even worse than Scorpio's betrayal. Or should he really describe it like that? Could he really compare it to what happened to him and his brother?
At the moment, Stinger couldn't tell. But it was definitely painful—one that he didn't want to show that he was feeling it to anyone at all. He could only shake his head as he continued on with his own musings concerning Hami and Lucky. Whatever would be the case, he really needed all the time to prepare himself for something worst.
Part 4/6 (Stinger, Hami, & Lucky)
Days have passed but Hami could feel that her mind was still in a mess. She couldn't even calm herself down because of it and it was frustrating her even more. She couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing that the Kyulette wasn't choosing her Kyutama lately to do certain missions, though.
Lucky, on the other hand, had been going on one mission after another these past days that Hami's Kyutama wasn't chosen. For Hami, she considered it as a blessing in disguise since she won't get distracted or start feeling awkward because of Lucky's presence. However, this particular scenario didn't sit too well with another particular person.
Part 3/6 (Stinger & Hami)
Both Lucky and Hami returned to the Orion before Commander Shou Lonpou could even scold them for it. But it was noticeable to all that the two seemed to have a slightly awkward atmosphere between them.
Though Lucky and Hami could still be seen talking normally, one couldn't really deny that something was wrong. Eventually, no one dared asking any of the two about the cause of that awkward atmosphere to surround them.
Part 2/6 (Renn & Lucky)
What Hami didn't know was that all this time, someone was trying to look for her. Lucky noticed that Hami disappeared even before the rest of the team could call out their Voyagers to head back to the Orion. The others didn't take long to notice Hami's disappearance, either.
But it was Lucky who volunteered to look for her.
Though even with Raptor's help tracking down Hami's Seiza Blaster, Lucky wasn't still able to locate the ninja for some reason. Okay, given the fact that he was still unfamiliar with the area, but was that supposed to be the reason why he couldn't locate Hami?
Part 1/6 (Miu & Hami)
If there was one thing that Hami would consider amazing and weird at the same about Earth, it was for her to meet some… weird people, as well. Or at least that was how she would consider it now that she met someone named Sutou Miu. Apparently, this woman—who was an heiress, as well—just suddenly decided to use her Engine partner Jetras to go to that Earth.
Hami discovered that Miu came from Earth, as well—but of another universe, in which she, Garu, and Commander Shou just realized its existence months before while they were chasing down Maadako to retrieve the stolen Rashinban (Pyxis) Kyutama. But the real issue here was the purpose of Miu going to that parallel universe.
But it was on the next day that Hami decided to talk to Stinger. And this time, she would gather up all her courage to muster the words she needed to utter in order to convey her feelings to that stoic scorpion guy. She smiled at the thought.
Yes, Stinger was initially stoic and cold to the rest of them at first. But he was starting to soften up. She could really see that. It was just a question of whether or not Stinger would soften up when she confess to him.
Those words were like knives cutting through his heart until now. But they didn't hurt so much now unlike the first time that realization actually hit him. It was worse than the hurt he felt when his luck ran out during the time they just started looking for the three Kyutamas needed to revive the Argo and he fought Ikaagen but ended up defeated.
"She already decided. I just have to make her realize it," Lucky said to himself and sighed once more.
He didn't know how long he had been staying in that room just looking at the Voyager hatch as he was thinking of various things. When was the last time he did that? He had no idea.
Staying silent must have been the best decision he made for his feelings for Hami, if not the most painful, as well. But now that he realized a lot of things because of that, then perhaps the pain would never matter at all if he tried his best to get his mind out of it.
It was the only way he could think of to support his two friends and precious comrades...
"But if that's what it takes to see you smile more often..." Lucky decided not to continue his words out loud at the moment.
He stood up from his position and left the place, finally.
Meanwhile, Hami was still looking at Stinger still sitting on the hallway with his head lowered down. She had no idea what could he possibly be thinking at the moment. Yeah, right. When was the last time she even managed to do such a feat to a person like Stinger?
But as she continued doing so, as she kept on looking at Stinger, she also remembered the conversation that she and Lucky had days before the orange warrior returned from his undercover mission. It was an unusual discussion, if one would asked her. But it was also the one that truly enlightened her-she only realized that now.
With that, she couldn't help showing a smile as she continued watching Stinger from her position.
"Lucky's right..." Hami muttered with that smile of relief plastered on her face. "I guess I don't have to hesitate anymore, huh?"
Hami had finally come to a decision... and it was all thanks to Lucky. How could she ever thank him for that?
No matter how many times Hami coaxed Lucky to tell her more about what he said, he remained silent and soon returned to his usual hyperactive self. But that was only when she was watching or near the area where he was. Maybe it was indeed a good thing Lucky was known for his hyperactivity and his talk about good luck.
It was a way for him to hide something that was stressing him all this time. But there was no way he would tell anyone about it, even to Hami despite the fact that they were close.
That was because the issue has something to do with her, after all.
"I did experience it..." Lucky uttered almost silently as he was watching outside the glass window overlooking the hatch where the Shishi Voyager could be seen. "You just didn't know that, Hami. It's because of you..."
But all he could do for now was talk to himself about that certain experience he was talking about.
Three days later, Stinger came back with a news regarding his undercover mission and the team soon began planning their next tactics in liberating chosen districts under several Daikans' rule. It went on for about an hour or so. After that, they were all told to prepare for their next mission.
What the others didn't know was, Lucky was able to witness one certain scene concerning his two comrades-Stinger and Hami-from his position where he stopped though he was supposed to go to his room. From his opinion, it really looked like those two were going around in circles with regards to their own emotions. He could see it in their actions, even on their faces.
"What should I do now?" Lucky was able to see Hami mouthing those words, her face showing near distress and frustration-even melancholy, which he found weird.
As for Stinger, Lucky saw him sitting there with his head lowered. So he wasn't sure what his scorpion friend was thinking. But that was just for a short time. Soon after, Stinger raised his head and looked up to the ceiling and began mouthing some words that Lucky was still able to read.
"What am I suppose to do?"
Watching those two made Lucky realize something. And at that point, he also came up with a decision he never thought he'd do in his life.
Lucky's mind returned to reality after that. He soon looked outside the glass window again overviewing the Voyager hatch. He smiled sadly as he recalled the scene he saw earlier. Along with that, he also recalled his conversation with Hami days before.
How was he able to say those words to Hami that day? He knew the answer, he only chose not to say it out loud when he knew that Hami had already decided. She just didn't know it yet.
"Because I know... how hard it is to remain silent."
As the mission went on for Stinger, one particular person in the Orion was truly worried for the orange Scorpius Systerm warrior even though it wasn't really necessary. All Hami could do was to sigh heavily since Stinger left the ship to do an undercover mission alone. She was having a hard time understanding things since then, though.
But one thing was for sure, that worry she was feeling won't fade away just like that. Until Stinger comes back, she would stay restless in the ship, probably even during times when the Kyulette would choose her Kyutama to do a mission of liberating one of Earth's sector under the Jark Matter's jurisdiction.
"Is it Stinger again?"
That voice disrupted Hami's flow of thoughts and raised her head. She soon saw Lucky smiling at him as he approached her. Soon after, the question he asked registered in her mind. She did her best to force down the warmth trying to creep up her face because of that name.
Why does she always end up feeling that way every time Stinger's name would be mentioned?
"What made you think I was thinking of him?" Hami asked back with a pout and looked away.
She heard Lucky chuckle and to her surprise, ruffled her hair which only annoyed her for a bit. "Lucky! Stop doing that."
"I only did that to keep your mind away from him for a while."
"Eh?" What does Lucky meant by that?
When Hami faced Lucky, she saw him looking outside the ship where the view of Earth was truly visible. He was smiling, but for some reason, she noticed something odd about his eyes. She was still trying to pinpoint that oddity when she got startled just because the red warrior faced him with a grin.
"I don't think you don't have to worry about anything when it comes to Stinger. He's strong and capable. He can handle himself," Lucky said.
Hami sighed and faced the outside of the ship this time. "I know that, you idiot. And I'm not worrying about him, okay?"
"How long are you going to keep on denying, Hami?"
The female ninja was surprised to hear a different kind of seriousness in Lucky's voice. Why was he talking this way? She couldn't help feeling nervous because of this. "W-what do you mean?"
"Until now, you're still confused, right?"
Now Hami couldn't understand the direction of this conversation between her and Lucky. "Lucky?"
"You don't have to hesitate when it comes to deciding whether you'd stay with him or not," Lucky said, which made her speechless and mystified her at the same time.
Was this really the Lucky she knew all this time? How come he was able to say such sensible, and also outrageous things at the moment?
"How can you even say that easily? Have you experienced getting confused about something you can't even understand?" Hami could only ask since she couldn't think of anything to serve as a retort.
To Hami's surprise, despite Lucky's smile, there was an underlying seriousness in his eyes which she had never seen before. Even during those times that they had such times when they could actually talk about various serious issues.
"I did, Hami."
Meanwhile, one of the missions that Commander Shou Ronpou mentioned to the Kyurangers actually needed someone to go undercover. By far, the only one capable of doing that among the team was Stinger, which he accepted.
But not without looking at Hami as stealthily as he could, his mind still ringing with words that Kasumi mentioned to him the last time they saw each other.
In the end, he just remained silent even after he left the Orion. He was given three days to complete his undercover mission. But before he could even head to the location as soon as he landed on Earth, another familiar face stopped him to his tracks.
"How come you're here?" Stinger asked as his way of greeting to that certain warrior.
"From the looks of your outfit, it seems you're heading out somewhere. You're on a mission?" Agri inquired instead of actually answering Stinger's initial question.
Stinger chose not to say anything, though. Agri just chuckled and shook his head.
"Okay. I'm here because someone told me about your little predicament with that space ninja friend of yours."
"Kasumi..." Stinger could only utter in annoyance. Were ninjas always like that? "There's nothing to discuss about that."
"Are you sure about that, Stinger? I don't think that's the thing you should worry about right now."
Stinger frowned and faced the Gosei Angel. "What are you talking about?"
"If you keep up that tough act, you'll end up losing her in the end, you know?"
Does Agri and Kasumi have to say the same thing to him, seriously speaking? Why did they have to remind him of the same thing over and over? It was as if Kasumi's words weren't enough to taunt him, and now this! Agri was saying the same thing.
"Do you really have to remind me that? I know what I'm doing."
"Oh, really? Well, if you're sure, then perhaps I can assume that you at least talked to Hami before you head out here for your mission."
Now that froze Stinger. Where does this conversation heading to right now?
"Mind your own business." Soon after, he left Agri to that place so that he could finish his mission before the deadline.
"I guess that answers the question, then," Agri muttered with a small smile.
The one advantage that perhaps, the planet Earth had given him was meeting some people along the way even though at times, they could be a bit annoying. Just like this young woman beside him at the moment who managed to drag his worries out of himself before he could even stop himself.
That young woman was named Momochi Kasumi, whom he soon realized was one of the warriors who defended the Earth of another universe from various threats. But that wasn't the real issue here.
"I can't believe that you, Stinger, would actually mention something with regards to your love life," Kasumi commented with a smile.
"You're the one who forced it out on me using your machine," Stinger said back as he stared at the Truth-Telling Nin machine that Kasumi invented and used on him a while back.
"Well, I have to use it especially on you if that would actually help me drag things out from your mouth."
Stinger remained silent for a while before he heard the young scientist heave a sigh.
"But seriously, Stinger, can't you just stay true to yourself and your feelings for once? That would truly help you, you know" Kasumi said, nearly feeling hopeless about the situation.
"What do you know about staying true to your feelings?" Stinger retorted.
Kasumi sighed. "Don't answer my question with another question, Stinger. The point here is, you better make a move now or you'll lose her before you knew it."
If glaring could actually kill, then Kasumi would've been dead the moment Stinger did so. But the ninja was only sporting a serious face. That only means she wasn't joking. Well, it wasn't in Kasumi's nature to joke around when it comes to things like this, right?
But things wasn't exactly that easy. He couldn't force that girl to actually choose him. But what if Kasumi was right? What if he would lose her before he could even realize it? Especially knowing that another guy was after that particular girl, as well.
Okay. I managed to post this again after... how many days? Seriously, I don't want to count anymore since it's starting to become irritating. But anyway, I don't know if I have so much to say here. Some are just... not containable and can't be put into words for some reason. Dramatic much? Yeah, I know. I also just noticed that.
Anyway, what are the recent updates? I could say nothing much. But it's better if I just enumerate things down, okay?
So there you go. Until the next post!
NP: "I Love You, I Remember You" by I.O.I.CHAPTER 7
OO nga't kabilin-bilinan ni Jerricko kay Yuna na huwag siyang pupunta sa closed court nang walang kasama. Pero mukhang iiral pa yata sa mga sandaling iyon ang tigas ng ulo niya. Hindi niya alam kung bakit bigla niyang na-miss makita ang lalaking iyon habang nagpipinta siya roon sa clubhouse. Walang dudang inspired siya nang mga oras na iyon sa pagpipinta mula nang dalhin siya ni Jerricko sa burol kung saan kitang-kita nila ang Aeraven Lake. Nangako naman ito sa kanya noon na dadalhin siya nito sa lawa mismo sa susunod upang makita niya iyon nang malapitan. Ikinatuwa naman niya iyon nang husto.
Para siyang isang batang nakagawa ng kasalanan at ngayon ay nagtatago upang hindi maparusahan sa paraan ng patagong pagsilip na ginagawa niya mula sa pinto ng closed court. Pero mabuti nang ganoon ang gawin niya upang makasiguro na wala siyang makakasalubong na kung sinong mokong sa lugar na iyon.
Mahirap na. Baka mapag-trip-an na naman siya roon.
Nakahinga lang siya nang maluwag nang makitang si Jerricko lang ang naroon at nagpa-practice gamit ang isang ball pitching machine. Isa-isa nitong pinapatamaan ng hawak na raketa ang mga bolang ibinabato sa direksyon nito. She couldn't help smiling at the sight of him so focused on what he was doing. Ganoon din ba ang itsura niya kapag nagpipinta siya?
Wow! I can't believe it's the third entry already. Well, I can't seem to find my drive to write the stories that needed my attention so I ended up writing this instead. I hate it when I suffer like this, especially those times I wanted to write every story I had in mind but my body won't even cooperate at all.
Or I have a feeling that it was just my excuse to escape, I think.
Anyway, there's a bit of a weird news. Thankfully, I got to finish my first Kyuranger fanfic. And now it's posted on my Wattpad account. It's titled "Staying Silent" and it's a Lucky/Hami/Stinger fanfiction story, featuring two other Sentai characters--Kasumi from Ninninger and Agri from Goseiger. I know, it's a weird addition. I'm just glad it's over and finished. I had fun writing it, honestly speaking and now, I'm planning to write a reversed version of it. But this time, it will feature two different Sentai characters--both are from Go-onger.
For now, I'm a bit pissed with my Wattpad app along with the slow internet connection. And I think that's what added to the reason of me having the hard time finding my writing muse.
So that's it for now.
Till the next entry... whenever that is.
NP: "Only For You" by Six Part Invention
I know I should’ve posted another entry last Sunday. And what day is today? It’s Wednesday. So that means I haven’t posted anything in 3 days and I’m really sorry for that. Besides the fact that I ran out of topics to talk about, I’m also suffering from itchy throat and runny nose for days now, which is extremely irritating. Can’t I just wish for it to go away? And I mean immediately. Urgh! I hate this.
Not much has happened during those days that I didn’t write any entries here. Trust me, that’s how boring my life could be most of the time. During the last entry, I did mention that I created a second Instagram account, right? Well, it’s already filled with 69 posts at the moment. Most of it are my photo edits I did featuring my Kyuranger OTP Stinger and Hami. Ever since I saw some of the edits created by the other IG users featuring that pair, it felt like I got a sudden burst of inspiration to write other stories with those two as my visuals. And of course, I also got inspired to do my own photo edits while still experimenting on how to use Snapseed which is a photo-editing app for Android. This was first suggested to me (and the other #daretoshareIGchallenge participants) along with a visual-planning and scheduling app for Instagram called Planoly. But I only let Snapseed remain in my phone. So here I am.
I’m not sure what will I post and when will I post the next Thoughts At Night entry here. I don’t want to say any particular date that I would end up not doing. That could really be a little disappointing and upsetting.
Until next time!
NP: “Megumi No Ame (Blessed Rain)” by Alan Dawa Dolma
CHAPTER 6
"HINDI ka talaga titigil sa ginagawa mong ito, 'no?" naitanong na lang ni Yuna nang makasalubong niya sa labas ng clubhouse si Jerricko nang hapon na iyon. Pinili niyang huwag nang magpa-late ng uwi dahil gusto niyang magpahinga muna. Pakiramdam kasi niya ay masyado na siyang pagod—hindi lang pisikal kundi pati na rin sa mental na aspeto.
Siguro nga, masyado na niyang napapabayaan ang sarili nang hindi niya namamalayan. Kaya lang, ipinagtataka niya kung bakit ngayon lang niya naramdaman ang pagod na iyon samantalang wala naman siyang pakialam dati kahit alam niyang sumusobra na.
"Well, sorry. Ganito ako kakulit, eh. Dapat pala, binalaan na kita tungkol doon, 'no? Bago ko sinabing gusto kong maging kaibigan mo."
Napailing na lang siya at lumapit na sa binata. "Siguro nga. Para alam ko kung ano ba talaga ang dapat kong asahan sa mga pinaggagagawa mong 'to."
Yes, I know. Today is a Saturday so I should be writing a Saturday Night Thoughts post. But then, I said to myself: “If I have posts here during Saturdays, I think I should also write journal posts on other days, as well.” Why not, right? Just to make things fair.
I was preoccupied with so many thoughts lately that I ended up not doing the usual things. And because I got so caught up in those thoughts, I even decided to do some things that I don’t know if I should consider absurd or just… something I really want to do—I just didn’t know it.
Besides writing down this explanation, I can’t think of anymore sensible things to write here tonight. My throat hurts and I think I’m going down with a cold. God! This is what I hate about rainy days. And because of that, I haven’t written anything related to my stories and pending manuscripts. I’m so behind schedule and it’s irritating. So I got busy doing other things:
I should’ve added reading the ARC for “Bucket List of Love” by C.P. Santi, but I didn’t read any book today, sadly. So I didn’t place it. Tomorrow would be the 2nd entry, but as a Sunday Currently post. Okay?
NP: “Panunumpa (The Promise/The Oath)” by Carol Banawa (a Filipino wedding song)
AGAD namang natapos ni Elena ang natitira pa niyang trabaho at dahil wala naman siyang masyadong appointments, nakauwi naman siya nang maaga gaya ng nasabi niya kay Joel.
Habang binabagtas niya ang daan pauwi sa ancestral house ay hindi niya maiwasang mapangiti dahil sa mga nangyari na kanina lang niya natuklasan.
Unang-una na rito ang kasalang magaganap sa pagitan nina Alexis at ng kapatid niyang si Angela. Hindi na siya nagtaka na ang dalawa ang nagkatuluyan. Kunsabagay, matagal naman na niyang napapansin ang kilos ng dalawang iyon kapag magkaharap. At hindi lang siya ang nakakapansin niyon.
Pero sigurado siya na isang malaking selebrasyon ito para sa mga pamilya nila. Alam niyang dahil sa mangyayaring kasalan sa pagitan nina Alexis at Angela ay mas lalo pang magiging mahigpit ang kapit ng mga Cervantes at dela Vega sa isa't-isa.
CHAPTER 5
ISANG malalim na hininga ang pinakawalan ni Yuna nang magawa na rin niyang matapos ang routine na ilang linggo na rin niyang sinasanay. Normally, she was practicing a certain skating routine whenever she was supposed to compete. Pero nang araw na iyon, wala siyang sasalihang kahit na ano. Iba ang purpose ng routine na iyon sa kanya at maging si Sierra ay alam ang tungkol doon. It wasn't an intricate routine like what she used to formulate. But in more ways than one, that particular routine she was practicing was something special for her.
"Yuna, huwag mong masyadong pagurin ang sarili mo. Pambihira ka. Paano mo pa maipapakita iyan kung pinapagod mo naman nang husto ang sarili mo?" sabi ni Mirui na naroon sa gilid ng skating rink.
"Wow. At nagsalita ang hindi nagpapagod nang husto kapag may competition na salihan, 'no? 'Di hamak na mas malala ka pa sa akin kapag nagpa-practice ka, eh. Kulang na lang, magpakamatay ka sa pagpa-practice," nakalabing tugon niya at nag-umpisa nang mag-skate para makaalis na sa skating rink. "Mauuna na muna ako sa 'yo na umuwi. Kailangan ko pang bumili ng painting materials ko."
Hinayaan lang siya ni Mirui. Humingi pa nga ito ng tawad dahil hindi raw siya masasamahan nito. Wala namang kaso iyon sa kanya. Alam niyang abala rin ito sa pagsasanay para sa isa pang ice skating competition na nakatakda nitong salihan. Bilib din talaga siya sa kaibigan niyang ito. Kinakaya ang walang tigil na pagsasanay para lang magawa niya nang tama at maayos ang routine na binubuo nito para ipanlaban sa bawat skating competition na sinasalihan nito.
I'm not quoting the movie title here, okay? Heck, I haven't even watched that movie (Lost In Translation) so I have no idea about the story of that film. What I'm talking about here are my stories. Yes, I've started translating two of them in English (finally!).
As some of you might have read on my previous posts, you'll know that I write--a lot. I started with personal journals and a few feature articles when I was in elementary. I was in Grade 6 at the time, if I remember it right. Or maybe even in Grade 5? When I reached first year high school (I'm talking about the previous Philippine educational system, so it's equivalent to first year middle school if you'll follow the educational system in other countries), I started writing poems and short skits (scripts usually used in role-plays). It continued until I reached third year (still equivalent to 3rd year middle school). By the second semester of that school year, I started writing prose. And I mean fiction--romance fiction.
Honestly speaking, when was the last time I posted something like this? Man, I really need to remember that. I can't say that I miss writing a Sunday Currently post. But things are a little messed up for md right now, especially on how my life really had a slow progress over the months. There were changes, but they were not exactly the obvious ones.
But I'm still trying. At least, I know I'm willing to try some things that might give me the progress I need.
Okay, so this would be the third post I have for this day, July 2nd of the year 2017. There are reasons for that, though:
In any case, I've been writing poems and stories way before I discovered Wattpad and I started posting some of my stories there at around 2013-2014 (I guess). I can't remember the exact day but I remember the month. It was the month of May. And yet the feeling of suffocation at the atmosphere of the site that was supposed to give me inspiration to write more made me end up deleting that first Wattpad account I had. Looking back, I still think if I regretted deleting that account where I met a few online friends that I still got to interact with even today. And yet, the answer I came up with was--NO. I never regretted doing that.
Is this a weird post coming from me? For now, I don't want to say anything about the reason why I'm posting this for now. I just want to express my thoughts since I can't concentrate on what I'm writing.
#DoingThisForTheFirstTime
That's the truth. I've been an admirer (not a fan) of many celebrities and idols of a few different races in Asia. In particular, I've been an admirer of some Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Taiwanese, and of course, Filipino celebrities. But this will be the first time I'm going to greet one of those celebrities a "Happy Birthday" here on my blog. So I'm not surprise if I'm actually nervous about doing this right now.
"ARIES, sino 'yong tumawag sa 'yo?"
"H-ha?" pabiglang napalingon si Aries sa taong nagsalita.
Nakalimutan na niyang may bisita pala siya.
"Sino 'yon? At bakit binulyawan mo?" tanong ni Alexis sa kanya.
CHAPTER 4
WALANG salitang namagitan kina Yuna at Jerricko habang sabay na naglalakad pauwi sa bahay niya. Ilang beses nang pinakiusapan ni Yuna si Jerricko na huwag na siyang ihatid at abalahin pa ang sarili nito sa paghatid sa kanya. Pero sadyang makulit talaga ito. Hindi niya alam kung ano ang gagawin para lang paalisin na ito. Of course, she didn't want to be rude to him who dedicated his time just to escort her home.
Pambihira naman kasi si Mirui. Kailangan ba talaga nitong pakiusapan si Jerricko na bantayan siya kahit sabihin pang pumayag din si Lexus? Kung minsan talaga, hirap siyang sakyan ang iniisip ng kaibigan niyang iyon.
"Alam mo, mapapanisan ka ng laway sa pagiging tahimik mo. I'm still here. Nag-e-exist ako rito sa tabi mo, baka nagkakalimutan tayo," ani Jerricko na bumasag sa kanina pa nakakabinging katahimikan sa pagitan nila.
Kahit ayaw niya ay napangiti siya. Nag-iwas siya ng tingin at kinagat ang mga labi para lang hindi matawa.
"MA'AM Elena, may bisita po kayo na naghihintay sa labas. Si Ma'am Angela po," wika ng sekretarya niya mula sa intercom.
"Send her in, Kate."
"Sige po." Iyon lang at wala nang tumawag sa kanya.
Nagtataka siya kung bakit bigla-bigla naman yatang napasugod sa boutique niya ang kapatid. Dati-rati kasi ay hindi ito nagagawi sa boutique maliban na lang kung may kailangan talaga ito sa kanya.
So, this was a post for Day 4 of the IG challenge. The second to the last day. I had fun posting most of them, even though I know I ended up posting photos with seriously long captions (or not exactly that long). Before any of you would ask, this post's title has something to do with what I read from one of the photos posted for this IG challenge. But we'll get to that later.
Day 3 of #daretoshareIGchallenge... and I was late for posting the morning photo for the first time. I don't know why I felt like that, though. I mean, I never cared about my time in posting photos in Instagram before. Or maybe because I was just that excited to post it, huh?
So the theme for Day 3 photos are BTS. Fun BTS, as Ms. Arriane emphasized it. But seriously, I have to admit that my life is a little boring, considering the fact that I was living an almost hermit-like life. Haha! Just kidding. I'm not a complete hermit. But I really prefer to stay at home and write, think of what to write, and think of ways to have a progress on my writing projects. But we'll get into that later. Okay?
Hey, there! How are you all doing? I hope you're all doing great today. Or if not, try to do something that will make you forget those sad or bad things that had ever happened today. Try to become an inspiration to those who can't think of what to do to get out of that zone of sadness or gloominess.
At least, little by little, as an aspiring writer, I try to.
So what's with the title? It's still about the #daretoshareIGchallenge I joined to. This is the 2nd day of posting photos for that challenge. As usual, two or more photos would be posted at 9-10 am and 9-10 pm.
Honestly speaking, I don't know how to start expressing my thoughts, anything that has something to do with my father. It's been a really long time since then for me. I don't have many memories about my father, with exceptions to class recognitions and graduations that he attended and went to with me and my sisters.
I've given him (and even more to my mom) many disappointments. I guess, until now, I'm still giving him that. But if you're going to ask me, I'm not going to trade my father for anything else. I might not be (quite) devoted to him as I was to my mom. But he's still my one and only father. Sorry will never be enough to compensate for all the bad things we did and said to each other. But I love him. I hope that, even though I don't say it often, it will still reach him.
I love you, Papa! And Happy Fathers' Day, as well!Hey, guys! How are you? Are you all doing well? I really hope you all are. I know today is Fathers' Day, and I should be posting about that. But I'll post something about that later. This one is a different topic.
So yesterday was the start of posting photos in IG for the #daretoshareIGchallenge. I know that it's not going to be easy for me since I just post photos there randomly. Whenever I feel like it. But I want to try things, at least do them one step at a time. So in the next coming days, I might post photos here as well that I posted in my IG account. Maybe that would really help me recall and realize my bigger goals in life.
And trust me, there's a lot of them. Hehe!
WARNING: This is a long post. And I mean really long since umabot lang naman ito ng 2 pages nang i-type ko ito sa MS Word. Font style: Calibri, font size: 11. Haha! Grabe, in-elaborate pa talaga ang ginamit na font style at size, `no?
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Nakakairita! Sa totoo lang. Masyado na bang dumarami ang mga taong walang magawang matino sa mga buhay nila at pati ang nananahimik na buhay ng ibang tao, pinapakialaman at tinatangka pang sirain? Sa mga nakakakilala sa akin, alam nila na hindi ako masyadong nagre-react kapag ako ang pinapakialaman nila o nilalait nila. Hanggang kaya kong manahimik para lang walang gulo, gagawin ko. Ganoon ako. Pero kapag ang nanay ko o ang mga kapatid ko na ang tinira nila, aba! Ibang usapan na ‘yan, ah.
CHAPTER 3
"HIMALA yatang napapadalas ang pagpunta mo rito, Yuna," bungad sa kanya ni Lexus nang makita siya nitong papasok sa closed court nang araw na iyon.
May isang linggo na rin ang nakalipas mula nang ibalik sa kanya ni Jerricko ang charm bracelet niya. Pero hindi pa rin niya ito nagagawang pasalamatan sa ginawa nitog iyon. Hindi naman kasi niya alam kung paano gagawin iyon nang hindi naiilang o nakakaramdam ng 'di maipaliwanag na kaba sa tuwing makikita ito.
Hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit ganoon ang nangyayari sa kanya dahil lang nakikita niya si Jerricko. Wala naman itong ginagawang masama sa kanya. Gusto na talaga niyang kainisan ang sarili niya dahil hindi pa rin nawawala ang takot na matagal nang namuo sa kanyang pagkatao mula nang mapahamak siya. Pati ang ibang taong wala namang kinalaman sa nangyari sa kanya noon ay nadadamay sa takot niya.
"Gusto ko lang pong kausapin si Jerricko kung okay lang po," nag-aalangang tugon niya na nagpahinto naman kay Lexus sa pagpasok sa closed court. Kapagkuwan ay nagtatakang tumingin ito sa kanya. "B-bakit po?"
Okay. So since I started posting my Super Sentai story on both my Tumblr and Wattpad accounts, I decided to post this particular fanfiction featuring Seitenger and one of my favorite Super Sentai series, Kyoryuger that's been in my mind (and in my flashdrive) for a long time now. Now, I know I only posted two of the episodes for Seitenger. But what you're about to read here will contain some spoilers on how the series will run, despite the timeline of this particular fanfiction taking place several months after Seitenger's finale.
Here's how the fanfiction goes:
CHAPTER 2
"ANO kaya ang nangyari roon?" naitanong na lang ni Jerricko sa sarili habang pinagmamasdan ang mabilis na paglisan ng babaeng nakabangga sa kanya. Alam niyang hindi sinasadya iyon dahil parang may iniiwasan ito. O baka may kinatatakutan.
Napakunot siya ng noo sa huling naisip niya. Pero kung iisipin niya nang maayos, parang ganoon nga ang napansin niya. Kahit saglit lang niyang naramdaman, agad niyang napuna ang panlalamig ng babaeng iyon. Hindi rin nakaligtas sa kanya ang takot na nasa mga mata nito nang tingnan siya bago yumuko para humingi ng pasensiya sa nagawang pagbangga sa kanya.
That was the first time he saw Yunara Limietta—nicknamed Yuna—like that.
Siyempre, kilala na ang babaeng iyon. Sino ba naman ang hindi nakakakilala sa mga elite female members ng SGS na Imperial Flowers? The group's members were, no doubt, the examples of beauty, brains, and talents combined. Ilang beses na niyang nasaksihan ang kakayahan ng mga ito kaya hindi na nakakapagtaka na maging representative ang mga ito ng Alexandrite University. Pero alam din niya na hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay malakas ang loob ng mga ito.
CHAPTER 1
NAPAILING na lang si Yuna nang hindi sagutin ni Mirui ang tanong niya tungkol sa dahilan ng pagiging inspired nito. Agad naman kasi niyang nahalata iyon nang mapansin ang kakaibang sigla nito habang nagpa-practice sila sa malawak na skating rink ng Yukihana Ice Skating School. Matagal na siyang trainee doon at kasabayan niya si Mirui. Sa katunayan, limang taong gulang pa lang siya ay ini-enroll na siya roon ng Mama niya para may mapaglibangan naman daw siya.
Pero kung tutuusin, ang isa pang dahilan kung bakit siya nagtagal doon ay dahil gusto niyang siya ang tumupad sa naunsiyaming pangarap ng kanyang ina na maging isang figure skater. Iyon din ang pangarap sa kanya ng yumao niyang ama noong maglilimang taong gulang pa lang siya. Idagdag pa na ang personal coach niya ay ang iniidolo nitong dating sikat na figure skater na si Sierra del Fierro—na Asahiro na ang apelyido ngayon dahil napangasawa nito ang isang sikat na Japanese pianist. Ito ang ina ng kasamahan niya sa Spiritual Garden Society at isa sa labingdalawang miyembro ng Imperial Flowers na si Mirui.
Suwerte nga siyang maituturing dahil isa siya sa limang ice skaters na kasalukuyang personal na tinututukan ni Sierra sa training. Istrikta ito, oo, pero alam niyang may direksyon ang pagiging istrikta dahil sa training lang ito ganoon. Outside of the skating rink, parang pangalawang nanay na rin niya ito.
Pinanood na lang niya si Mirui na magpatuloy sa pagpa-practice ng routine nito. Nagtataka talaga siya sa kakaibang energy nito habang inuulit-ulit ang routine na ipapakita nito sa ice skating competition na nakatakda nitong salihan kasama siya. Parang hindi man lang niya ito makitaan ng pagkapagod.
Story of Yunara Limietta and Jerricko Arilla
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Trust—ito ang isang bagay na hindi na madali para kay Yuna na ibigay sa kahit kanino. Lalo na sa isang lalaki. She already lost that ability a long time ago. Kaya naman sanay na siyang laging mag-isa, walang ibang inaasahan kundi ang sarili at mga piling tao lang, at hindi na umaasa pa na pagbubuksan siya ng pintuan ng pag-ibig. Wala na siyang aasahan pang lalaking mag-aabang sa kanya sa pagbubukas ng pintong iyon.
And maybe that's why she was unaware of one guy's advances to her. That is, until that guy named Jerricko did more than rescue her from her worst nightmare. Pagkatapos niyon, kahit ayaw niya, unti-unti siyang nagkakaroon ng dahilan na umasang bibigyan siya ng pagkakataon ng pag-ibig na mapagbuksan ng pinto niyon at hayaan siyang makapasok. Hindi niya iyon napigilan hanggang sa huli.
Okay na sana ang lahat. Pero dumating ang pagkakataong nalaman niyang hindi siya kailanman magiging karapat-dapat sa inaalay nitong pag-ibig para sa kanya.
Not when she knew she would always be broken and not even the love that Jerricko was giving her would be enough to fix the damage she has...
I don't usually post this sort of entry here on my blog. I mean, I'm not really vocal--both in the real world and even in social networks--when it comes to ocassions like this. But this is my mother that I'm talking about. So that means I should make an exception every now and then, right?
It's Mothers' Day today. But I'm just writing this now (8:01 pm) because I focused on writing other things first. Sorry for that, 'Ma. You know how my mind tends to float away very far when I started writing.
HINDI sigurado si Guia kung tama ba ang naisip niyang gawin nang mga sandaling iyon. Pero may isang bagay siyang gustong gawin, gustong patunayan para sa sarili niya. Kahit alam niyang masakit, kahit alam niyang sobra-sobra siyang mahihirapan, gusto pa rin niyang subukan.
Humugot muna siya ng pagkalalim-lalim na hininga. Iyon bang klase ng paghinga ng malalim na parang hindi na niya gagawin iyon sa susunod niyang buhay. Pero kailangan niyang kunin ang lahat ng lakas na meron siya sa katawan at ilabas iyon. Kailangan niya iyon para magawa ng maayos ang dapat na gawin sa huling stage na pagsasayawan niya.
Yes. After a long time, Guia was going to find out if all her efforts--with Lexus' help to bring it all out from her--was going to pay off. At gagawin niya iyon sa stage na ilang taon nang nagsilbing multo para sa kanya.
Sa stage ng auditorium.
Originally posted in Facebook last May 6, 2016
Working Title: Brokenhearted Heroes #2 – Our Turn To Heal This Broken Heart
“Just trying to relish the feeling of being heartbroken.”
Lumalim ang pagkunot ng noo niya. May nangyari ba na hindi niya nalalaman? Her brother looked completely serious when he said that. “Okay. What the heck happened to you while I was away?”
Inilagay ni Riel ang wine glass na pinupunasan nito sa wine glass rack at saka ipinatong ang mga kamay sa counter bago siya tingnan. Sa palagay niya ay bagong hugas lang ang mga wine glass na pinagkakaabalahang punasan ng kapatid niya. Ilang sandali rin niyang hinintay na magsalita ang lalaking ito at sabihin sa kanya ang kung ano mang problema nito.
“Wala na ba akong appeal sa mga babae?”
“Ha?!” halos pasigaw na bulalas niya. Wala na siyang pakialam kung pinagtitinginan siya ng mga customer dahil sa ginawa niyang iyon. “Pambihira ka naman, Kuya. Akala ko naman kung ano na ang pinoproblema mo. Huwag mong sabihing pinairal mo na naman ang pagiging babaero mo habang wala ako rito? Makukutusan talaga kita.” Mukhang tama nga siya. May saltik na sa utak ang kapatid niyang ito.
“Nabasted kasi kaya ganyan siya ngayon,” ani isang tinig mula sa likuran niya.
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Tagged by Yasha Red Weasley, Olivette Phr, and Celeste Cardoso Msv.
KAHIT hindi pa rin magawang kalmahin ni Guia ang sarili ay pinilit pa rin niyang lakasan ang loob para makarating sa closed court. Hindi na talaga niya matatagalan ang patuloy na pag-iwas sa kanya ni Lexus sa kanya. Ayaw na niyang patuloy na bigyan ng palaiaipan ang sarili kung ano ba ang maling nagawa para gawin nito iyon sa kanya.
Tinimbrehan siya ni Mirui sa oras ng pagdating ni Lexus sa closed court. Ayaw niyang makakuha ng atensyon ng mga ka-teammate ng binata sa gagawing pagkumpronta rito. Kaya sinabihan niya si Mirui na siguraduhin nito na wala ang ibang Falcon Knights sa closed.court. At ayon sa kasamahan, mag-isa lang ito sa locker room nang mga sandaling iyon.
Ngayon nga ay naroon na siya sa pinto ng locker room. Humugot muna siya ng malalim na hininga bago kumatok ng ilang beses. Unti-unting bumibilis ang tibok ng puso niya habang hinihintay na bumukas ang pintong iyon, kung may magbubukas man. Hindi naman siya nabigo.
Bumukas ang pinto at pareho pa silang natigilan ni Lexus nang magtama ang kanilang mga mata. Bumahid din ang pagkagulat sa mukha ni Lexus pagkakita sa kanya.
Sorry kung ngayon ko lang ginawa ito. Ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng time. Idagdag mo pa ang topaking internet na talaga namang ayaw makisama, eh talagang tatamarin ako, 'no? Anyway, after a year and more (for real), may approved na akong MS ulit. Spin-off naman ito ng Mirui's Hyacinth: Smile At Me na p-in-ublish ng PHR. For 1st revision ang unang result nito at natagalan bago ko nagawang i-revise ito.
Tatlong teaser ang naipasa ko pero isa lang ang ilalagay ko rito. This is the third teaser na ipinasa ko sa kanila at iba ito doon sa naka-post sa Wattpad account ko:
IT DIDN’T happen at night. But the feeling it gave to Lexus was almost like he had been on a romantic date. Oo, ganoon ang nararamdaman niya nang makasayaw niya si Guia sa paboritong pavilion ng kanyang ina. It was a replica of Sierra Asahiro’s dance pavilion when she was a teenager. At habang lumalaki sina Lexus at Mirui ay isa iyon sa pinagtatambayan nilang magkapatid, lalo na kapag gusto nilang makapag-isip-isip nang maayos.
Pero nang araw na iyon, ginamit niya ang lugar na iyon upang magawa nilang dalawa ni Guia ang isang bagay na matagal na nitong hindi ginagawa—ang sumayaw. Totoo ang sinabi niya sa dalaga na ang talagang plano niya ay panoorin itong sumayaw nang solo sa unang pagkakataon sa lugar na iyon. Pero nagbago ang kanyang isip nang makasama’t madala na niya ito sa lugar. There and then, the idea of dancing with Guia on his mother’s most special place hit him.
At hindi niya pinagsisisihang sinunod niya ang kagustuhang makasayaw si Guia, lalo na sa lugar na iyon. All he did was to enjoy that wonderful moment he held her close to him like that. And with a beautiful smile in her face, at that. Weird mang isipin pero ninais niyang makita ang ngiti nitong iyon na para sa kanya. Hindi naman kasi niya alam kung para saan ang ngiting nakita niya kay Guia habang kasayaw ito.
Sa totoo lang, kahit masasabing may charms siya para mahulog ang loob ng mga babae sa kanya, hindi pa rin niya mapigilang ma-insecure kapag si Guia ang involved. Lagi siyang nawawalan ng kumpiyansa sa sarili kapag ang dalaga na ang kaharap niya. Isang dahilan marahil ay ang tunay niyang pagkatao na ilang taon na rin niyang inililihim sa lahat, maging sa mga kaibigan niya.
GABI na at unti-unti nang naglalabasan sa kalangitan ang mga bituin pero hindi pa rin maisipan ni Guia ang umuwi. Naroon siya sa tagong bahagi ng park na madalas nilang puntahan ni Lexus kapag gusto nilang mag-usap nang masinsinan. Kanina pa siya naroon mula nang umalis siya sa school pagkatapos ng performance ng Theater Club. Hindi na siya sumama sa after-party dahil gusto muna niyang mapag-isa at nang makapag-isip-isip dahil sa mga nangyayari sa kanya sa mga sandaling iyon.
Iniwan muna niya sa clubhouse ang basket ng bulaklak dahil ayaw niyang iuwi iyon sa bahay. Baka mamaya ay kung ano pa ang masabi ng kanyang ina. Tutuksuhin lang siya niyon at sasabihan siya na himala at nagkaroon na siya ng pagkakataong mag-entertain ng lalaki pagkatapos ng nangyari sa kanila ni Jeric.
Yes, she finally acknowledged the fact that Lexus managed to penetrate in her life in ways she didn’t expect. At sa maikling panahon na magkasama sila, may mga bagay pa siyang hindi nalalaman tungkol dito. Hindi pa sapat ang katotohanang nalaman niya tungkol sa pagiging magkapatid nito at ni Mirui. Aaminin niya, ikinagulat niya iyon. Sino ba naman kasi ang mag-aakala na ganoon pala ang namamagitan kina Mirui at Lexus?
Gusto niyang lubusang maintindihan ang sitwasyon. Pero malabo pa yatang mangyari iyon lalo na kung ganito namang nahihirapan siyang i-approach ang lalaking iyon. At kapag ito naman ang lumalapit sa kanya, hindi niya mahagilap ang sariling tinig at hindi siya makapag-isip kung ano ang dapat niyang sabihin.
INIS na napaungol si Guia nang tumunog ang cellphone niya. Sa pakiramdam niya, wala pang isang oras na nakuha niya ang tulog na kailangan ngunit mailap sa kanya. At sa pagkakaalala niya, hindi siya nag-set ng alarm para sa araw na iyon.
Tiningnan niya nang masama ang patuloy pa rin sa pagtunog na cellphone sa bedside table. Para bang tatahimik naman iyon kung gagawin nga niya iyon. Buwisit na bumuntong-hininga na lang siya para pakalmahin ang sarili. Kapagkuwan ay kinuha niya ang cellphone.
Pero ganoon na lang ang pagkunot ng noo ni Guia nang makita ang pangalan ni Lexus sa screen. Kasabay niyon ay nakita rin niya ang oras. Seven twenty-six ng umaga. Ano’ng klaseng sapi na naman ang pumasok sa lalaking ito at wagas kung mang-istorbo ng tulog ng may tulog?
Masasagot lang ang tanong niyang iyon kapag sinagot na niya ang makulit na pagtawag ng dakilang istorbo na ito. Muli siyang bumuntong-hininga at itinapat ang cellphone sa tainga.
...and all of them will be written in English. Well, I started with writing my very own and first Super Sentai story in English so it's for the best that I write the second Super Sentai in the same language, right?
Honestly, I didn't really have much of the inspiration to write a new sentai team since I haven't written anything after Record 2 (that's episode 2, by the way) of Seitenger. But because of a fantasy story idea that never wanted to leave my mind since a year ago, here I am, making it even harder for myself.
So while I was walking going to the town (I got bored in waiting for jeepneys here), I ended up imagining scenes for "Operation: Cloudbreak" having a crossover with another Super Sentai story I'm thinking. No clear plot yet about the 2nd Super Sentai story I'm planning. But the sixth ranger of that sentai team definitely has a connection to one of the recruited Cloudbreakers, Elena Chon.
All of these are still in the planning stage right inside my mind. I don't know when will I be able to post it on my story-exclusive Tumblr blog. Then there's also my plan for short stories with Korean and Japanese named characters.
*sighs* What am I doing with my mind, thinking of story plans like this?Sa mga nakabasa na ng “Heidi, The Sky Insight” sa Wattpad account ko (hopefully talaga, meron), sino sa mga characters na ipinakilala ko rito ang gusto n'yong sulatan ko na ng kuwento niya?
Ito ‘yong mga characters na nagpakita, so far:
Tanong ko lang naman. Hindi ko kasi alam kung sino ang isusunod ko, eh. Tapos na ang kuwento ni Heidi at editing na lang ang kulang bago ko ipasa. So ngayon, isip-isip naman ng susunod na isusulat.
I hope makapagbigay kayo ng comments. Please lang po. Alam ko, hindi ako maingay nitong mga nakaraang buwan. Pero susubukan kong mag-ingay ngayon. Tingnan natin kung mapapanindigan. Hehe!HINDI na talaga alam ni Guia kung ano ang pinaka-shocking sa lahat ng mga nalaman niyang impormasyon nang araw na iyon. Kung 'yong malaman niya na magkapatid pala sa ina sina Mirui at Lexus, kapatid naman ni Lexus sa ama ang teammate nitong si Theron Heinz Monterossa, 'yong all this time ay nagawa nilag itago iyon sa madla, o malaman na marunong pala sa pagpipinta ang lalaking ito na kinakatakutan sa buong Alexandrite University. Pero puwede rin ba niyang ikonsidera na nakakagulat ang malaman na siya pa lang ang nakakaalam ng lahat ng ito dahil siya lang ang outsider na pinagkatiwalaan ni Lexus ng lahat ng iyon? Hindi na niya alam. Hindi na siya sigurado sa dapat isipin.
Naroon lang siya sa sala at pinapanood sina Lexus, Theron, Tita Sierra, at Tito Arthur na nag-uusap sa bakuran nang masinsinan. Kasama niya si Mirui na nagpaliwanag sa kanya ng lahat-lahat tungkol sa komplikadong kuwento ng buhay ni Lexus.
“Ang hirap din siguro sa inyo 'yon, 'no? 'Yong itago sa lahat ang tungkol sa pagiging magkapatid ninyo ni Lexus at ang pagiging Monterossa pala niya,” komento na lang ni Guia na hindi inaalis ang tingin kay Lexus sa bakuran.
“Sanayan lang 'yan. At saka hindi basta-basta ang mga adjustment na kailangan naming gawin. Lalo na kapag lalabas kami ng bahay na 'to. Tingnan mo naman, napagkamalan pa kami ni Kuya na mag-on. Eww lang.” At si Mirui, umakto pa talaga na parang nasusuka.
KAPAG ka-weird-uhang mga pangyayari ang pag-uusapan, ang isang masasabi ni Guia na kabilang doon ay ang madalas na pagpunta ni Lexus sa building ng College of Arts. Wala sigurong weird doon kung iisipin niya na si Mirui ang pinupuntahan nito roon dahil pareho sila ng dalaga ng kursong kinuha—Fine Arts. Pero naging weird lang ang mga pangyayari nang mapansin nila—hindi lang siya—na sa third floor ito tumatambay kada hapon at talagang hinihintay ang paglabas niya sa classroom para sabay raw silang umuwi nito. Nasa second floor naman ang classroom ni Mirui kung saan naroon ang ibang mga third year student.
May isang linggo na ring ganoon ang nakikita niyang sistema ni Lexus. Hindi talaga niya alam kung ano ang iisipin sa mga pinaggagagawa nito. Nang tanungin naman niya ito kung bakit nito ginagawa iyon, pamisteryoso lang ang ngiting iginagawad nito bilang tugon. Kulang na nga lang, umbagin niya ito, eh. Pero pinigilan niya ang sarili. Kung ano man ang dahilan ni Lexus kung bakit nito ginagawa iyon, hahayaan na lang niya na ito ang magsabi sa kanya.
Kung kailan man nito gagawin iyon, hindi nga lang niya alam.
“Tahimik ka na naman,” untag ni Lexus sa kanya habang naglalakad sila paalis sa campus.
KAHIT hindi sigurado si Guia kung totoo nga ba ang sinabi ni Mirui sa kanya nang araw na iyon, pinili na lang niyang huwag munang pagtuunan iyon ng pansin. Isa pa, hindi makakatulong sa concentration niya ang alalahanin pa iyon lalo pa’t patuloy pa rin siyang nag-aalala para kay Lexus. Mahigit isang linggo na itong hindi nakakapasok sa school dahil sa trangkaso nito na siya ang may kasalanan. Kahit sabihin pa ni Mirui na kagustuhan ni Lexus ang nangyari kaya walang dahilan para sisihin niya ang sarili.
Sa loob ng mga panahong hindi pumasok ang binata, wala siyang ibang ginawa kundi ang mag-practice ng piyesang patutugtugin niya sa musical play at magbasa ng mga nobelang hindi pa niya nababasa. Nakatulong naman iyon sa kanya na ibaling sa iba ang atensyon niya. At natutuwa siya roon.
Nang araw na iyon, hindi maintindihan ni Guia kung bakit hindi siya mapakali. Iba rin ang kabang buong araw niyang nararamdaman mula nang tumapak siya sa Alexandrite University. Ayaw niyang isiping may hindi magandang mangyayari kaya naman pinilit niya ang sariling mag-isip ng mga positibong bagay.
Isinukbit na niya sa balikat ang sling bag at lumabas na sa classroom nang masigurong wala nang masyadong maraming estudyanteng nasa labas. Subalit agad siyang napahinto nang may tumigil ilang hakbang lang ang layo sa kinatatayuan niya. Nang mag-angat siya ng tingin, napaismid siya at tiningnan nang masama ang taong iyon.
Napaiyak si Erin sa huling sinabi ng babae. Naramdaman na lang niya ang pagpatong ng isang kamay sa balikat niya. Nang mag-angat siya ng tingin, nginitian lang siya ni Lady Konami.
"Alam ko na isa ka sa mga dahilan ni Akio para patuloy na lumaban at nang tuluyan na siyang magising. Nararamdaman ko na gustong-gusto na niyang bumalik sa 'yo. I'm sorry kung ngayon ko lang naisipang ipagtapat sa 'yo ang nangyari kay Akio. I want to know one thing, though. I want you to answer it honestly. Mahal mo ba si Akio, Erin?"
Hindi maikakailang nagulat siya sa tanong na iyon ni Lady Konami. Pero ano ba ang dapat niyang ikagulat? Gusto lang malaman nito ang totoong nararamdaman niya kay Akio. Sa nakikita niya, bahagi na ng pamilya ni Lady Konami at hindi lang simpleng tauhan ang turing nito sa binata. Lady Konami was just concerned.
"Wala na akong ibang lalaking mamahalin maliban sa kanya, Lady Konami. Kahit siguro ilang beses niya akong itaboy at ganoon din ako sa kanya, siya lang at wala nang iba ang hahawak sa puso ko sa habang panahon. Hindi sapat ang galit at sakit ng kaloobang nararamdaman ko noong makipaghiwalay siya sa akin para tuluyan ko siyang alisin sa puso ko," matapat na sagot niya.
Okay. Matagal-tagal na rin pala akong hindi nakakapag-post ng matino-tinong blog post dito. Sorry naman, mas busy ako sa pagsusulat ng manuscripts ko, eh. Yes, with ‘s’. Plural `yan, ah. Ngayon-ngayon lang, tiningnan ko ang FB newsfeed ko. I kept seeing posts about people and their PHR stories that most of the time had changed their lives. So I’ll post mine here instead of my FB wall/timeline. Para kapag hindi ko ito mahanap sa FB timeline ko kapag naisipan ko itong i-post doon, I could always look here.
Gaya ng naunang sinulat ko, nagsusulat ako ng manuscripts (with “s” so that means it’s plural). Noong una, wala talaga akong planong magsulat ng nobela. Masaya na ako sa pagsusulat ng short stories or even short skits para sa school noon. Nagbabasa rin ako ng mga pocketbook noon, mapa-PHR man o sa ibang publication houses. And I don’t consider them cheap at all. Isa ang mga pocketbooks sa nagpa-realize sa akin kung ano talaga ang gusto kong gawin.
IPINIKIT ni Guia ang kanyang mga mata nang maramdaman niya ang pagluluha niyon. Mukhang napagod na nang husto iyon dahil ilang oras na rin kasi siyang nagbabasa. Naroon siya sa ilalim ng malaking puno ng acacia sa open field sa campus ground dahil doon niya naisipang tumambay pagkatapos ng klase. Wala silang professor para sa huling klase niya kaya naman maaga silang pinauwi. Wala rin itong iniwan na activity sa kanila kaya naman ang mga kaklase niya, hayun at masaya.
Pero siya, wala lang. Nanatili lang neutral sa lahat. Ang mahalaga lang naman sa kanya sa mga sandaling iyon ay maayos na niya ang magiging performance para sa musical play. Hindi niya alam kung bakit mas matindi yata ang dedication niya para lang sa performance na iyon. Hindi niya puwedeng irason na ginagawa niya iyon para kay Aria. May mas malaking rason para roon. Kaya lang, hindi naman niya matukoy kung ano.
Para bang... ginagawa niya iyon para makuha ang atensyon ng isang tao. Pero sino?
Hanggang dumating siya sa puntong hindi na niya magawang i-focus ang utak sa musical piece. Kaya ang naging diversion niya sa paparating na frustration, ang magbasa ng nobela. Mabuti na lang pala at dala niya ang ilan sa mga nobelang hindi pa niya natatapos basahin. Iyon na muna ang pinagtuunan niya ng pansin. Pero ninais naman niyang maghanap ng ibang lugar para gawin ang pagbabasa. Agad namang nagsialisan ang mga estudyante sa hallway dahil nagmamadali ang mga ito na umuwi upang makapaglakwatsa sa kung saan. Hindi naman siya nahirapang maghanap ng lugar na puwede niyang pagtambayan upang makapagbasa siya ng tahimik—na walang iba kundi ang malaking puno ng acacia.
NAPABALIKWAS ng bangon si Erin at habol ang hininga. Mariin siyang napapikit at minasahe ang dibdib sa pag-asang pahuhupain niyon ang mabilis na pagtibok ng kanyang puso. Ilang beses din siyang huminga nang malalim upang pakalmahin ang sarili.
Isang masamang panaginip ang dahilan kung bakit siya nagkakaganoon nang mga sandaling iyon. Hindi maikakaila ang takot na nararamdaman niya nang maalala iyon. Bakit ganoon ang panaginip niya? Naglaho raw si Akio sa tabi niya habang binabagtas nila ang tulay na malapit sa Eirene Tower. Kahit saan siya lumingon, hindi niya ito matagpuan. Nang tunguhin naman niya ang gubat malapit sa tore, napatigil siya nang makita si Akio na umiiling habang nakatingin sa kanya nang malungkot at saka siya tinutukan ng baril na ikinagulat niya.
Mabilis ang sumunod na pangyayari at natagpuan na lang ni Erin ang sarili na nakatulala sa dalawang kamay niyang may bahid ng dugo. Dugo mula sa sugat ni Akio na wala nang buhay sa mga bisig niya. Gusto niyang magsisisigaw sa sobrang sakit at 'di pagkapaniwala pero walang tinig na lumalabas sa bibig niya. Wala siyang ibang ginawa kundi ang humagulgol habang yakap ang katawan ni Akio. Dahil doon kaya hindi na niya napansin ang isang pigura na may hawak na baril at itinutok nito iyon sa kanya. Nanlaki ang mga mata niya at nanatili lang siyang nakatingin dito kahit nang iputok na nito ang baril.
Nagising siya sa bahaging iyon ng kanyang panaginip. Mabilis pa rin ang kanyang paghinga na parang malayo ang itinakbo. Bahagya na siyang kumalma nang maisipan niyang tumingin sa tabi niya. Pero ganoon na lang ang takot na naramdaman niya nang hindi makita roon si Akio. Agad siyang umalis sa kama at tinungo ang banyo. Wala ito roon. Pati ang ilang bakanteng silid sa bahay na iyon ay pinuntahan niya pero wala sa mga iyon si Akio. Dumagsa ang 'di maipaliwanag na kaba sa dibdib niya nang mga sandaling iyon. Ang kusina at sala na lang ang hindi pa niya napupuntahan. Kung wala rin ito sa garden...
HINDI gustong mapag-isa ni Guia sa clubhouse ng Imperial Flowers pero hindi naman niya puwedeng pigilan ang mga kasamahan na umuwi nang maaga. May sari-sariling pagkakaabalahan ang mga ito nang araw na iyon at batid niya na importante ang mga iyon para sa mga ito. Palibhasa siya, ayaw pang umuwi sa bahay dahil nasa trabaho pa rin ang kanyang ina. Ito kasi ang kasalukuyang namamahala sa grocery na iniwan ng kanyang ama bago ito namatay.
Idagdag pa na wala siyang pagkakaabalahan doon kahit sabihin pang umuwi siya kaagad kasabay ng mga kasama niya. Kaya naisipan na lang niyang tumambay muna sa clubhouse. Isang malalim na buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan niya matapos patugtugin ang piyesang nakatoka sa kanya para sa musical play. Napapansin niya na ilang araw na niyang nakakahiligang gawin iyon.
To be specific, he was doing that ever since Lexus asked her when she last danced. Parang ibinuhos niya sa ilang beses na pagbuntong-hininga ang pilit na pinipigilang pag-iyak noong araw na itinanong sa kanya iyon ni Lexus.
“Grabe talaga ang babaeng iyon. Ang sabi ko, hintayin ako at sabay kaming uuwi. Mukhang plano pa akong indiyanin, ah.”
Hindi na napigilan ni Erin ang mapaiyak sa mga naririnig niya mula kay Akio. Ilang sandali pa ay nanghihinang ipinatong na lang niya ang ulo sa dibdib nito. Doon niya ipinagpatuloy ang pag-iyak. Iyon lang ang gusto niyang gawin upang ilabas ang anumang galit na hindi niya nagawang iparating noon kay Akio, lalo na nang iwan siya nito sa tore para huwag lang madamay sa gulong kinasangkutan nito.
She wanted to yell at him for being an idiot, but immediately dismissed that thought. Pushing her away might be idiotic for her to think about. But for Akio, it was the only way to protect her. Hanggang sa huli, ang kaligtasan pa rin niya ang inalala nito. Kung ginawa nito iyon dahil sa pagmamahal nito sa kanya o dahil sa tungkulin nito, hindi na niya gustong alamin pa.
Tama nga si Karel sa mga naisip nitong posibleng dahilan kung bakit tinalikuran siya ni Akio noon. Pero sino ba naman ang mag-aakala na magkasama ang trabaho at pamilya sa dahilan nito?
"I said to myself that I'd rather die alone in that mission than include you and my comrades in that battle. Pero binago nina Lady Kourin, Lady Akari at Lady Konami ang pananaw kong iyon. Hindi ko puwedeng solohin ang lahat. Ayoko sanang sabihin ang lahat ng ito sa iyo pero ayoko rin namang hayaan kang patuloy na nagtatanong tungkol sa dahilan ko para itulak ka palayo sa buhay ko nang mga panahong iyon," pagpapatuloy ni Akio at niyakap na siya ng mahigpit pagkatapos. "Kahit tapos na ang laban namin, patuloy pa rin ako at ang mga kasamahan ko sa pagsisilbi sa kanila. Pamilya ko pa rin sila sa kabila ng lahat ng mga nangyari na muntik na naming ikamatay. Ngayong nabigyan kami ng pagkakataong maisaayos ang mga pagkakamali namin noon, sinamantala ko na iyon upang makahingi ng tawad sa 'yo. At sana, magawa mo pa rin akong bigyan ng isa pang pagkakataon na maitama ang lahat."
HINDI mapigilan ni Guia ang mapangiti habang pinapanood si Mirui sa tila inspirado na pagpapatugtog nito ng violin. Isa ito sa mga kasamahan niya sa subgroup ng Spiritual Garden Society ng Alexandrite University, ang Imperial Flowers. Sa katunayan, siya mismo ang personal na nag-recruit rito noong first year pa lang ito habang siya naman ay bagong hirang na leader ng grupo.
Kinabibilangan ng labing-dalawang babae ang Imperial Flowers at tatlong taon na siyang leader niyon. At sa loob ng tatlong taon, nakita niya kung paano nahasa ang talento ni Mirui sa tulong na rin ng kanilang grupo. Gaya na rin ng naging pagtulong ng grupong iyon na mahasa ang talento niya at magawa niyang maipakita iyon sa madla.
“Iba nga naman ang nagagawa ng pag-ibig, 'no?”
Napalingon si Guia sa pinagmulan ng tinig na iyon. Sinalubong niya ng ngiti ang papalapit na si Ria, ang secondary leader ng Imperial Flowers. Naupo ito sa kanyang tabi at pinagmasdan din ang inspiradong pagpapatugtog ni Mirui.
"PUWEDENG mag-request?" tanong ni Erin kay Akio nang tingnan niya ito.
Naroon sina Erin at Akio sa sofa ng sala. Nakaupo siya sa kaliwang dulo at nakapatong ang isang kamay sa armrest niyon habang hawak ang librong pinagkakaabalahan niyang basahin. Samantalang si Akio ay nakahiga at nagbabasa rin habang nakaunan ang ulo nito sa hita niya.
Mahigit dalawang linggo na ang nakalipas mula nang araw na iyon na sinabi ni Akio na mahal pa rin siya nito. At hanggang sa mga sandaling iyon ay wala pa rin siyang nagiging tugon sa pagtatapat nito. Laking-pasalamat na lang niya at naiintindihan naman siya ng binata. Kaya lang, nagulat naman siya nang hilingin nito sa kanya na tumira muna sa bahay niya para samahan siya. Pinayagan niya ito sa kondisyon na sasabihin nito sa kanya ang totoong dahilan kung bakit gusto nitong manatili sa tabi niya.
Agad namang ibinaba ni Akio ang binabasa at tiningala siya. "Ano'ng request? Huwag mo lang akong pahihirapan ng magiging request mo sa akin, ha? Kung minsan kasi, imposible ang iba mong request sa akin."
"HINDI ko akalaing may pagka-reckless ka pala. Ngayon ko lang nalaman," usal ni Erin habang ipinapatong ang malamig at basang bimpo sa noo ni Akio. Iyon na ang pang-apat na pagpapalit niya. Mabuti na lang at bumaba na ang lagnat nito. Makakahinga na siya nang maluwag.
Aalis na sana siya sa pagkakaupo niya sa gilid ng kama na kinahihigaan ng binata nang marinig niyang nagsalita ito.
"I'm willing to do reckless things if it means having you back in my life again."
Hindi niya matukoy kung nananaginip ba ito o ano. Pero aminado siya na nakadama siya nang kakaiba nang marinig ang tinuran nito. Wala na siyang pakialam kung dala lang iyon ng pagdedeliryo nito o iyon talaga ang saloobin nito.
KUNG tutuusin, walang dahilan si Erin para mainis nang ilang araw dahil lang hindi nagpakita sa kanya si Akio. Oo, iyon ang nararamdaman niya habang nasa balkonahe ng kanyang silid sa ikawalang palapag ng bahay niya. Doon niya naisipang tumambay dahil wala siyang maisip gawin nang mga sandaling iyon.
Magaling naman na ang pilay niya at nailalakad na niya nang maayos ang kanyang paa. May dahilan na siya para lumabas ng bahay at magliwaliw nang hindi siya nakakaramdam ng pagkabagot. Pero pati iyon ay kinatatamaran niya. Kaya heto siya ngayon at wala sa sariling nakatutok ang paningin sa dumaraang mga sasakyan sa kalsada na nasa harap lang ng bahay niya.
Hindi dapat siya nakakaramdam nang ganoon dahil lang hindi nagpapakita si Akio sa kanya. Itinataboy na nga niya ito, 'di ba? Kaya ano itong ipinagmumukmok niya?
"Wala na bang ihahaba pa 'yang nguso mo, ha?" ani isang pamilyar na tinig na nagpakunot ng noo niya.