Chapter 14
Inip na inip na ako habang tinitingnan ang mga butil ng ulan. Walang tigil iyon sa pagbuhos. It's like the sky is crying so hard right now. It's so dark, windy and even scary.
I don't know how long we've been staying here. Siguro, lumipas na ang isa't-kalahating araw simula nang mapunta kami rito. We're still stuck here inside the cave and we can't do anything about it. We just can't go back to Puricia Grittonia right now. It's too unsafe for us. Masyadong matataas ang mga alon. Baka sa susunod, hindi na lang dito kami mapunta. Isa pa, nasira na rin ang bangkang sinakyan namin papunta rito.
Sa matagal na pag-stay namin dito, talagang hindi tumitigil ang ulan. Yves is the one who always gets us our foods from the trees nearby. Because of that, he got a fever. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin. Nasa gitna lang namin ang ginawa niyang apoy noong nakaraan.
We've waited for many hours inside the cave. At sa pag-stay namin ay nilalagnat pa rin si Yves.
“'Wag kang mag-alala sa akin,” sabi ni Yves maya-maya.
My brow immediately raised. “As if I'm worried about you.”
“Hindi ba? Kanina ka pa tumitingin sa akin pati sa ulan. 'Wag mo akong alalahanin, Alindra..”
“I-I'm not worried because I care about you! Nag-aalala lang ako baka hindi na tayo makaalis dito dahil nilalagnat ka!” I said and rolled my eyes. Sumandal na lang ako sa malamig na sulok ng kweba.
I'm getting bored here! Kung kina Yves ay natitiis ko pa, dito hindi na! Knowing that I'm so helpless right now and the fact that I don't have any phone, gadgets or internet to at least ease my boredom — it's frustrating the hell out of me!
Ang tanging ginagawa ko lang ay tumitig sa mga nahuhulog na dahon! Mga butil ng ulan at paggalaw ng mga alon!
Freak it!
Tiningan ko si Yves sa gilid ko. Good thing that his eyes are close now. Somehow I'm a bit worried about his situation right now. I can't do anything but to look and pity him. Bigla namang pumasok sa isip ko lahat ng mga ginawa niya para sa akin. I suddenly became guilty for the reason that he even did dangerous things for me but here I am now — just staring at him and being useless.
Pero kung may gagawin naman ako para sa kaniya, iba ang iisipin niya!
I sighed and looked at him again. He immediately fell asleep after he ate some fruits. Iyon lang ang makakain namin sa ngayon. I suddenly missed the taste of fresh meat.
Napagdesisyonan kong maglakad-lakad muna nang finally, tumila na ang ulan pagkatapos ng maraming oras. I don't want to leave Yves here while he's asleep but I have no choice. Kung hindi naman ako kikilos at mananatili lang dito, walang mangyayari.
I should do something to help him! Hanggang ngayon may lagnat pa rin ang lalaking iyon!
While I'm walking around, I didn't even see any of the residents here. It's like walking on a ghost town because of the deafening silence.  All I can hear is the sound of the waves.
Nanlaki naman ang mata ko nang makakita ng maraming shells sa may dalampasigan. There are also a lot of tiny crabs that almost buried underneath the sand. Siguro ay naapektuhan ang mga iyon sa nangyaring bagyo na hindi ko alam kung wala na talaga.
I'm about to catch the shells one by one when I saw a speedboat almost near the shore. Sakay no'n ang isang lalaki na halos same age ni Yves. Nang maalala ko ang lalaking iyon ay kaagad akong lumapit sa speedboat.
“Hey! Excuse me!” I called him out. Hinihingal akong tumigil sa harapan ng nakatigil na speedboat. “Na-stuck ako rito kasama ng.. kaibigan ko because of the heavy rain. Can you help us?”
Freak! Nahirapan pa akong sabihing kaibigan ko si Yves!
Tumango naman ang lalaki. “Sure. Nasaan ba ang kasama mo?”
“Wait. I'm just gonna go there. Saglit lang..”
I walked fastly to go to the cave as soon as possible. I'm thinking about Yves' condition. Baka tumirik na ang mga mata no'n sa sobrang init niya! Wala naman akong ibang magawa dahil ayaw niya ring may gawin ako!
That guy! Argh!
“Yves!” malakas kong tawag sa kaniya nang malapit na ako sa kweba.
Lumabas naman bigla si Yves and to my surprise, he was with Rachel!
“Rachel? What are you doing here?” Nanlalaki ang mata kong nakatingin sa kanila.
Nakita ko rin ang gulat sa mukha niya nang makita ako. She looks a bit different now with her long yellow dress.
“Alindra?! Oh my God!” Halos mabali ang likod ko nang bigla niya akong niyakap. “Ikaw? What are you doing here? Hindi ka namin ma-contact that's why I came to visit kahit katatapos lang ng bagyo!”
I sighed and shrugged. “I broke my phone that's why I can't message you. We're stuck here inside the cave.. it's a long story, Rachel.”
Nang mapansin ko ulit si Yves sa likuran ng kaibigan ko, kaagad ko siyang hinila.
“I'm sorry, we need to go now. May speedboat sa shore, hinihintay kami. Kailangan na naming bumalik sa Puricia Grittonia..”
Kumunot naman ang noo ni Rachel. “Wait, wait. Amin ‘yon ni Kuya! Let's go!”
What? So, it means the guy that I talked a while ago is Rachel's older brother? Wow! What a coincidence!
Wala na akong nagawa nang hilahin ako ni Rachel. Yves followed us, too. It's obvious that he doesn't feel well right now. He looks so pale and weak.
Nauuna kaming dalawa ni Rachel sa paglalakad. May binubulong-bulong siya sa akin.
“Paano ka napunta rito with that guy? Boyfriend mo ba? Don't tell me, magtatanan kayo?” Malaki ang mata ni Rachel habang nakatingin sa akin.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh come on. Ngayon na nga lang ulit tayo nagkita, in-a-accuse mo pa ako. Sabi ko mahabang kuwento. At hindi ko boyfriend si Yves. Hindi naman siya gwapo..”
“What? Anong hindi gwapo eh tingnan mo nga---”
She cut her words when I widened my eyes while looking at her. Her voice was so loud! Maririnig iyon ni Yves!
“Shut up! Ikaw bakit ka nasa loob ng kweba nang makita ko kayo?”
“You jealous?” nakangising sabi niya. Sinamaan ko naman ng tingin. “It's a long story, too pero tumigil muna kami saglit ni Kuya rito and then naglakad-lakad ako hanggang sa mapansin ko siya. And he's hot, too so I helped him. Literal ha! Mainit talaga siya!”
“Yeah, I know. Kaya nga nagmamadali akong balikan ‘yang lalaking ‘yan after kong makahingi ng tulong sa guy who happened to be your brother!”
Rachel chuckled with what I said. Tumigil na lang kami sa pag-uusap nang makarating kami sa dalampasigan. Naghihintay roon ang kuya ni Rachel. I noticed that he's bulky.. but not that hot for me.
“Kuya Rylan! She's my bestfriend, si Alindra! ‘Yong kinukuwento ko sa ‘yo! Sasabay raw siya sa atin sa Puricia Grittonia!” Rachel sounds so excited.
“Yeah. I talked to her kanina. Sakay na kayo..”
Naunang umakyat si Rachel na tinulungan ng kuya niya. Tinulungan din ako nang paakyat na ako sa kanilang speedboat. He even smiled a bit when we had an eye contact. Huling nakaakyat si Yves na narinig kong nagpasalamat.
I don't know why I suddenly felt awkwardness when he sat down beside me. I can't even appreciate how luxurious their speedboat is because of what I feel right now. I took a deep breath as I sat down properly. Kahit hindi siya ganoon kalapit ay nararamdaman ko pa rin ang init niya. I want to ask him if he's fine but I'm too shy to do that and I don't know why!
Siguro dahil may ibang kasama..
“Rachel, I thought nasa Puricia Grittonia siya? 'Di ba? We're talking about it last time,” biglang sabi ni Kuya ni Rachel na nag-s-start ng engine ng speedboat.
“Ah yes, Kuya. Pero umalis yata sa kanila at na-stranded lang dito dahil sa bagyo. Long story,” Rachel answered and chuckled again as if she's saying something funny. “She's with her.. boyfriend...”
“Rachel!”
They all laughed after that scenario. At ang walang hiyang si Yves, tumawa rin! I thought he's sick? Argh! I felt like my face heated up for a moment because of that!
Umusog na lang ako palayo sa mga katabi ko lalo na kay Yves. I'm suddenly conscious of my smell and my appearance right now. I didn't take a bath for days! Habang si Yves, parang wala lang!
Siguro dahil sanay na siya na hindi talaga naliligo..
I chuckled a bit upon thinking that thought. Si Yves lang ang nakapansin no'n kaya napatingin siya sa akin. Napatikhim ako at umiwas ng tingin.
Stop staring!
I just sighed and composed myself to calm down. Tahimik na kami buong biyahe habang maingay naman ang speedboat.
The sky screams darkness but I hope there will be no rain anymore. The wind is still blowing so hard just like last time. Nagulat naman ako nang maramdamang hinahawi ni Yves ang buhok ko. Napatingin naman ako sa kaniya.
“Ang lakas ng hangin. Napupunta sa akin ang buhok mo,” sabi niya nang may kaunting ngiti sa labi na parang nakakatuwa ang sinasabi niya.
I don't know but Rachel and I both looked at each other after that. She shook her head and smirked. Ramdam kong hawak pa rin ni Yves ang buhok ko.
Should I stop him from doing so?
Napaiwas na lang ako ng tingin at tinuon na lang ang pansin sa harapan. Why do I feel so nervous right now? Maybe this is just because we're almost near to Puricia Grittonia and we will be back again. I will see Mom again kaya nga siguro ako kinakabahan.
According to Rachel, we will have our lunch first before we go to the hospital to check on Yves' condition. Yves didn't agree at first pero kalaunan ay pumayag din dahil sa pamimilit ni Rachel.
“Mas mabuti na ring ma-check ka. I remember that you had a blood on your forehead when I saw you inside the cave. Ilang araw na rin ang lagnat mo. Kapag may nangyaring masama sa ‘yo, mag-aalala lang si Lola. It's not good for her. Alam mo ‘yan,” I told him while looking at the waves.
Nakita ko sa gilid ng mata kong tumango siya. “Sige. Magpapa-check up ako..”
I sighed when we finally arrived. Sa pagbaba ay ganoon pa rin. Inalalayan ako ng kuya ni Rachel hanggang sa makatapak ako sa dalampasigan.
I smiled. “Maraming salamat..”
He just nodded and smiled at me so I turned my back at him to face his sister. Naabutan kong nag-uusap sila ni Yves pero hindi ko na pinakinggan.
“Let's go, Rach.”
Kumain muna kami sa isang restaurant malapit sa dalampasigan. Good thing that this is far from our resort and mansion. I think I'm not yet ready to see my Mom again although I know that Yves and I had an agreement last time.
I just ordered crabs and rice with fresh fruits. Hindi ko na tiningnan pa kung ano ang kay Yves. Nasa harapan siya ni Rachel na katabi ko naman. Ang kuya niya, nasa kabilang table dahil hindi na kasya.
“Ako na magbalat..”
Nagulat naman ako nang tulungan ako ni Yves sa ginagawa. I'm trying to remove the shell from the crab. It's so hard that I had to use utensils.
Nagkatinginan ulit kami ni Rachel dahil doon. I rolled my eyes.
“N-No. Ako na,” I said and forced a smile to assure him that I can do it by myself.
Seriously? Why does it feel so awkward right now?
I feel like something has changed. I just can't figure it out..
Natapos na si Yves sa ginagawa niya nang hindi niya pa rin ako pinapakinggan. I suddenly felt that Rachel is hitting me with her elbow. Kunot ang noo kong tumingin sa kaniya.
“I think you finally found your the one," she whispered that made my eyes grew bigger.
“Shut up..”
Tumingin naman ako kay Yves. Hindi naman niya siguro narinig.
She chuckled. “What? Nakalimutan mo na ba ‘yong deal? Na maghahanap---”
“I think we should go to the hospital now.” Umirap ako bago bumaling kay Yves. “Let's go. Baka kung ano pang mangyari sa ‘yo...”
Halos lumuwa na ang mga mata ko katitingin kay Rachel dahil sa mga reaksyon niya. Hindi ko na lang pinansin.
“You changed huh? Well, at least a bit..”
Napalingon ako kay Rachel nang bigla siyang magsalita. We're now heading to the nearest hospital. Tahimik si Yvss na nasa likuran ko.
I rolled my eyes sideward. “What? Wala namang nagbago.”
“Hindi, mayro'n talaga eh,” pagpipilit pa niya. “Hindi ko lang ma-point out.” She stopped walking for a moment when her phone beeped. “Kuya texted. Mauna na raw tayo. Mag-ch-check in na siya sa hotel..”
Tumango na lang ako para patayin ang usapan. I don't know why I suddenly don't want to talk to her even to anyone right now. Yes, I admit it. I missed Rachel but maybe, she's right.
There is something.. that changed.
I stopped from thinking when we're finally inside the hospital's lobby. I looked at Yves. He really needs to be checked up. I don't have any cash or card with me. Siguro ay hihiram muna ako kay Rachel para sa bill.
Why am I even doing this? It's just a fever! Iyon lang iyon! Hindi dapat patingnan pa sa doktor! But at the back of my mind says that I should care for him and just do this to help him.
May utang na loob din ako sa kaniya.
Kinakausap ni Rachel ang isang nurse nang bigla kong makita si Regina na nakaupo malapit sa isang room doon. Hindi ko na sana papansinin pa pero nakita kong umiiyak siya.
“Yves,” I called him out before I look at Regina again. ”Nandito si Regina..”
Nakita kong kumunot ang noo niya sa akin bago tingnan kung saan ako nakatingin. I saw how he immediately walked towards Regina when he noticed that she's crying.
I feel like there's something happening inside me that I'm not even certain about.
Chaos. Maybe I felt chaos deep inside me.. inside my heart.
“Wait, where is he? Pwede na siyang i-check ni Doctora,” rinig kong sabi ni Rachel sa likod ko. “Alindra, nasaan ba — oh, girlfriend niya?”
Natauhan ako nang magsalita ulit si Rachel. “Wait. I'm.. just gonna go to the restroom..”
I didn't wait for her reply anymore. I quickly went inside the restroom to calm myself. I don't know what the hell is happening right now!
Kung ano-ano ang gumugulo sa isip ko!
I breathe in and out as I looked at myself in the mirror. I'm not wearing any makeup right now. I look so problematic and depressed! God!
I forcefully washed my face with the running water. Natigilan naman ako sa mga iniisip nang marinig ko ang pangalan ni Dad.
“Mukhang desperado na talaga si Alesso Rivera na mahanap ang anak niya. Ang laki ng reward sa makakakita!”
My eyes widened when I heard that. Seriously? May ibibigay na reward si Dad sa kung sino mang makakita sa akin?
“Anak niya eh. Saka gano'n naman ang mayayaman!”
“Eh 'di ba anak naman niya ‘yon sa labas?”
Hindi ko na ginusto pang pakinggan ang mga sinasabi nila sa hallway. I covered my face with my hair as I walked away. I immediately pulled Rachel's arm when I saw her. She was standing near Yves and Regina.
Hinila ko siya sa labas ng hospital — iyong walang makakarinig sa amin.
“Hey, bakit? May emergency ro'n---”
“Dad is looking for me! At kung sino mang makakita sa akin, bibigyan niya ng reward!” I told her, cutting her off.
I'm panicking! Palingon-lingon ako sa paligid at baka may makakilala sa akin! No! They shouldn't see me here!
I told Rachel everything first even I don't really want to. But I have no choice but to tell her the truth so she can help me!
“I-I can't believe it. Hindi ko aakalaing magagawang magloko ni Tita Minerva!”
“Just don't tell anyone about this, please..”
Tumango naman siya. “Of course. Pero bago ‘yan, may emergency! 'Yong Lola raw ni — what's his name again? Argh! Basta inatake raw sa puso!”
Nanlaki naman kaagad ang mata ko. “What?!”
I immediately ran inside the hospital to look for Yves. Naramdaman kong nasa likuran ko si Rachel nang maabutan kong kinakausap ng doktor sina Yves at Regina. Regina is still crying. I can hear their discussions from where I am standing.
“Kumusta na ho ang Lola ko, Doc?” Yves asked.
“She's now stable. Well, somehow. We still need to undergo some tests para malaman kung maooperahan ba siya kaagad or hindi..”
Hindi ako mismo ang sinabihan no'n pero parang nanghina ang mga tuhod ko sa narinig. If she needs to undergo surgery, it will surely cost Yves a lot of money and he can not afford it now. He lost his job because of the incident that happened last time! Because of me!
Tiningnan ko si Yves na naupo na lang nang makaalis ang doktor. Regina couldn't stop from being so emotional. Hindi pa nila kami napapansin.
I'm thinking about Yves. I know that he's so worried right now that his grandma's life is at stake. And being a responsible grandson, I know that he's thinking about the money that they will need. Alam kong gagawa at gagawa siya ng paraan.
I sighed and walked away from them.
“Alindra! Wait! Saan ka pupunta?”
Natigilan ako saka lumingon kay Rachel nang tawagin niya ako. “I just need to do something..”
I didn't hesitate anymore as I walked away from them. I know the right thing to do now. I'm not going to be selfish again.
No. Not now. Not anymore.
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