Chapter 18

isang batang babae ang nadaanan nyang umiiyak
walang pag dadalawang isip, nilapitan nya ito

“bakit ka umiiyak?” tanong ng dalaga sa bata at akmang lumuhod para matapatan ito
“e kasi po, nasira na si Cookie Monster ko oh!” iyak ng bata
“ha? patingin nga”
iniabot ng bata ang laruan nya

“hindi naman sya ganun nasira, ayusin ko na lang ha?” pag-alo ng dalaga
tango lang ang sagot ng bata sa kanya

iniabot na ng dalaga ang laruan
“ayan okay na”
“thank you po”
“asan pala magulang mo? bat nag-iisa ka?”
“nasa loob po” sabay turo sa isang malaking bahay
“e bat andito ka?” tanong nya pagkatapos tignan ang bahay
“hinagis po kasi ng mga kalaro ko si Cookie Monster dito”
“ah ganun ba? .. sige na pumasok ka na, wag ka na uling lalabas ha? baka dukutin ka dito, kung hindi ako ang dumating, malamang kinuha ka na, naku.. pasok na ha?”
“opo”
“sige na” sabay pag papapasok nya sa bata

lumakad na sya pauwi ng bahay


“Dianne?! Dianne!!” tawag ng mama ng bata
“mommy!” sabay takbo sa mama nya
“san ka ba galing?! pinag aalala mo kaming lahat ng mga tito at tita mo! si daddy mo hinahanap ka na din” nag aalalang sabi ng mama ng bata
“sorry po mommy, nasira po kasi si Cookie Monster”
napatingin ang ina ng bata sa laruan

“hindi naman ah?” sabay hawak sa laruan
“inayos na po kasi nung ate sa labas”

kinabahan ang ina ng bata at napatingin sa labas
“buti na lang hindi ka kinuha” buntong hininga nito
“mabait po si ate, sya po nagpapasok sakin dito”
“hay naku, wag mo nang uulitin ang lumabas uli ha?” sabay yakap sa anak
“opo mommy”


“guys, andito na si Dianne, hay nako, tong batang to talaga pinag-alala na lang ko palagi”
“mana ata sayo Nad” sabi ng binatang tumatawa
“grabe ka naman Jake, hindi naman ako ganito nung bata noh” depensa ni Nadeshicko sa sarili
“baka mana sa daddy” singit ni Joyce na nagpatawa sa barkada

“hi baby, san ka galing?” tanong ni Mike nang lumapit sa kanya ang bata
“sa labas po tito Mike, kinuha ko po si Cookie Monster” sabay pakita sa laruan
“bakit? sino naglagay dun kay Cookie Monster?”
“yung mga kalaro ko po tita Tina, wag nyo na po sabihin kila mommy ha? baka po pagalitan sila eh” nagtinginan sila Mike at Tina sa tinuran ng bata

“Are we late?” tarantang tanong ng kararating lang na binata
“not yet, hindi pa nag-iistart ang party, ang prinsesa kasi nawala kanina” sagot ni Tristan na nagmula sa likod ng bahay
“daddy!!” tawag ng bata sabay takbo sa ama
“hay, ang princess ko, ikaw talaga.. lagi mong pinapakaba si mommy mo” sabay tingin sa dalaga
napalingon naman si Nad sa kabilang direksyon na nagpangiti kay Tristan

“pare, musta?” baling ng atensyon nito sa kaibigang kadarating lang
“okay naman, kayo?”
“okay na okay, o asan na si Matt?” hanap ni Tristan kay Ace
“nasa kotse pa ata” sabay tingin sa likod

“sorry, sorry, ang bigat kasi ng dala ko eh” sabi ni Matt na nakasilip sa likod ng dalang regalo
“wow!! para sakin po yan tito Matt?” magiliw na tanong ng bata
“yup, o iligay muna natin sa gilid ha? mamaya mo na i-open” sagot ng binata at lumakad

nahulog ang pitaka ni Matthew at nakita naman iyon ni Dianne
may nakitang litrato ang bata

“tito! tito!” tawag pansin ng bata
napatingin ang mga tinuturing nyang tito sa kanya
“ay, si tito Matt po” sagot ng batang nahihiya
“o sweetie, bakit?” tanong sa bata ng mailapag ang regalo
binuhat nya si Dianne at lumapit sa mga kaibigan

“tito, sino po sya?” tanong ni Dianne sa litrato sa wallet ni Matthew
“o, pano mo nakuha yan?” takang tanong ni Matthew
“nahulog mo po tito, tapos nakita ko po tong picture, sino po sya?”
napatingin ang lahat sa hawak ni Dianne

“baby, patingin” sabi nilang lahat
ipinakita naman ni Dianne ang hawak
“uuyyy! nakatago padin pala yan Matt?” tukso nila sa binata
hindi sumagot si Matt at ngumiti lang

“sya si tita Cheska mo, ganda nya noh?” sagot ni Matthew sa bata
“opo! ang bait pa!” dagdag ni Dianne
nagulat silang lahat sa narinig at napakunot noo

“princess, lika dito” tawag ni Tristan sa anak
bumaba si Dianne sa pagkakabuhat ni Matt at lumapit sa ama
“bakit po daddy?”
“pano mo naman nasabi na mabait si tita Cheska? e hindi mo pa sya nakikita?” takang tanong nito
“nakita ko na po sya daddy! sya nga po nag-ayos kay Cookie Monster eh”

parang kinuryente ang lahat sa narinig
walang makapag salita, lahat sila nagulat sa sinabi ng bata

“baby, totoo ba yang sinasabi mo?” basag sa katahimikan ni Nad
“opo mommy, diba po sabi ko sa inyo kanina, mabait si ate sa labas?” inosenteng sagot ng bata
“ganun ba? nak, makipag laro ka muna .. may paguusapan lang kami nila daddy, tito tsaka tita, ha?”
sumunod naman si Dianne sa utos ng ina nya

kanina pa nakaalis si Dianne, pero wala pading nagsasalita sa kanila

“pano kung sya nga yon? pano kung ..” napapatulalang tanong ni Joyce
napatingin si Jake sa kanya, nakitang naluluha na ang kaibigan kaya inakbayan nya ito
walang na namang nagsasalita, lahat sila natameme

“Dianne said, tinulungan sya ni Cheska.. what if andito nga lang sya?” tanong ni Tina
“guys, sa tingin nyo ba si Chen talaga yun?” dagdag na tanong ni Joyce

“nobody knows if it's really her, we all knew that she ..” hindi na itinuloy ni Matthew ang sasabihin
natahimik muli silang lahat

“Its been 4years 7months and a week already since ‘that’ day. after the confrontation, nobody talked to anybody, Jake and Nad broke up, so as Tristan and Cheska, then the group fell apart. we’ve been searching for Cheska for hours already, but she‘s no where to be found, hours turn into days, days into weeks, she didn‘t even graduate with us. and I didn’t even attend the graduation, what’s the point if she‘s not with us? then we receive a tragic news,  I almost killed myself upon hearing it, tita Salud however was brought to the hospital, she collapsed. I lost hope, I cried for weeks, kept myself in my room where no one can enter. I didn‘t realized that I‘ve been living a daily routine for 7months already, I wake up, take a shower, eat, lock myself in my room, go out of my room to eat, sleep, wake up, eat then sleep again, I wasted my life for 7months, until I receive a call from Nad, she gave birth to a baby girl. I‘ve forgiven them already that time. what happened, happened, I too did something, that‘s why I can not be that mad at them. I went out of my room, out of our house, a lot have change outside, it‘s like its my first time to go out to the real world.


as I approach the room of Nad in the hospital, I saw them, the people I once get along with, they are all waiting at the hallway, and all looking down, why? I don‘t know .. It was like nobody knows anyone, I saw kuya Mike and Tina, they are still together and I‘m happy for them. I saw Ace quietly sitting on the corner. then I saw Jake, my best bud, I was afraid to approach him, I felt rejected already by just looking at him. in front of Jake I saw Joyce, she‘s looking somewhere far, I can‘t pin point where it is, she‘s just looking at an empty space I guess. then I saw him, Tristan, the guy I want to kill back then, the guy who broke the heart of the girl I love, the reason why she ran off, and the reason why’s she’s not with us now. I can‘t bare to look at him at first, but I let go of the past, then I looked at him again, he looks different now, a bit down I believe. we all stood there for a couple of minutes, until the doctor went out of the room and said we can all enter now.


we all entered in one lane, I was last to enter, I saw Nad lying on the bed, she was teary eyed, then she smiled while looking at the baby she‘s holding. my heart melt at that moment, so as the others I guess. a moment of silence. Nad just gave a glance at all of us, then I heard Tina and Joyce cried, I didn‘t know what came to me, I just bit my lower lip, then I realized I was controlling my tears, I couldn‘t handle it any longer, I cried. then I hugged Joyce, Tina hugged me from the back, then came Jake who also hugged Joyce, kuya Mike of course hugged Tina, Ace couldn‘t control it any longer so he also gave in and went to the group hug, Nad was laughing and crying at the same time, we all did the same thing, the I looked at Tristan who didn‘t went to our group hug. I smiled at him, the rest follows, we all looked at him, then he smiled back, and asked ‘am I still welcome? am I forgiven?’ we all nodded, and  give a space to our group hug, Nad was teary eyes on the bed, ‘so am I forgiven too?’ she asked. we all smile, ‘time to start a new’ kuya Mike answered.


we walked towards Nad, we occupied the sides of the bed, we were all looking at the baby she‘s holding, an innocent child. I closed my eyes, I tried hard to control my tears, but one escaped, and they saw it, then they asked ‘what’s the matter Matt?’ I shook my head, ‘I just miss her’ I answered. then came a silence, one by one, they closed their eyes and let out a big sigh, ‘we all miss her, but this is for her, we should start a new for her, she started this group, and we will not fail her’ Joyce spoke for all. I just smiled, though we are moving on now, I can’t help myself but to hope that one day we will see her again. I hope that this time, it‘s really her, not just a figment of my imagination. and mostly I hope that the incident more than 4years ago was not true, that she‘s still alive.”


Writer's Comment:


sorry for the inconvenience (store? haha) pero hindi ko po muna maipopost yung following chapters..


hindi ako makakapagpost this 2 consecutive days, kasi kailangan ko nang tapusin yung mga school work ko, masyado kasi yung mga minor ko.. haha joke.. pero ayun nga.. pasensya, sadyang bibitinin ko kayo sa chapter na to.. na stuck pa ako sa pag gawa ng chapter 23, isa pang dahilan ng pag stop ko ng posting.. balak ko na ding tapusin itong FF ko.. pero waley pa akong maisip na magandang ending kaya nahihirapan ako.. kailangan ko pa ng matinding inspiration :rotflmao: (ginawang pex e nuh.. haha)


pero sa Jan 1 or 2, promise .. meron na uli :)


enjoy, and happy new year everyone! :)