December 24, 2015
Eastwood

Whoever said it was the season to be merry is probably delusional.

Nico Yukishito never liked festive seasons, or festivities in general. Hindi niya nakikita ang punto ng mga palamuti at pailaw sa mga lansangan ng Eastwood, bukod siguro sa pagpapakitang-tao nila na may budget ang lungsod para rito. Was he being bitter about it? Most probably.

O baka wala lang siyang sa mood dahil a.) hindi na naman siya tinatantanan ng kanyang Uncle X na mag-noche buena sa kanila, at b.) wala pa siyang kape buong araw.

"Come on, Nico! Para ka namang matanda niyan. Enjoy your teenage years and let loose a little! Para ka namang the Grinch." Uncle X was scolding him earlier when he dropped by his apartment with a basket of fruits.

Naging dahilan ito para kumunot ang noo ni Nico sa sinabi ng kanyang tiyuhin. He momentarily raised his gaze from the newspaper he was reading and inquired, "Who's the Grinch?"

Uncle X literally facepalmed before he laughed and shook his head in disbelief. Ano bang nakakatawa?

"Ikaw lang yata ang batang kilala ko na kilala sina Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, at Hercule Poirot, pero walang ideya kay the Grinch... you know, that Dr. Seuss character?"

Nico averted his eyes back to the article he was reading that morning.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Hayst! You're impossible."

"And you're annoying, uncle."

And that's basically how his entire morning was spent. Hanggang ngayon, sinusubukan pa rin siyang kumbinsihin ng kanyang tiyuhin na bumisita sa condo niya para doon salubungin ang Pasko, but Nico chose to ignore his calls and roam around the city this Christmas Eve. Kani-kanina lang ay binati at kinamusta na siya ng kanyang mga magulang, but after living the most of his years isolated from the world, Nico only did what was necessary and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Yes, he was still alive.

Yes, he received his allowance and bought groceries the other day.

Yes, he was still doing well in his studies.

Yes, he was gonna graduate in a few months.

Yes, he knew what he wanted to take in college.

No, he doesn't have a girlfriend nor does he like anyone.

'Why do they even bother to ask about that, anyway?'

Mananatili itong misteryo kahit kay Nico. With his hands in his coat's pockets, the young man strolled down the streets. Nang mahagip ng kanyang mga mata ang isang convenience store, he almost stopped by to get some (cheap and unsatisfactory) instant coffee, but changed his mind when he saw the line of customers. Hindi niya halos makita ang counter, pero naaaninag niyang hirap sa paghahandle mag-isa ang babaeng cashier. Nico might be oblivious to most of human emotions, but he wasn't heartless enough to add to that girl's busy workload.

And so, Nico kept walking to who knows where. He just kept walking and observing the world, even though it was already giving him a headache from overstimulation.

'Damn this condition.'

Hindi niya sigurado kung saan siya pupunta, hanggang sa mahagip niya ang pamilyar na ilaw ng police cars sa 'di kalayuan.

*

While the Eastwood police and the media team was busy with the dramatics of that lousy store owner, Nico quitely slipped inside the store and did some investigation on his own.

'Something doesn't add up here,' he concluded from the moment he entered the place.

Pasimple niyang inobersbahan ang pwesto ng mga estante at CCTV cameras sa loob. He made sure his face was covered up as to not add fire to the flame (at baka sermonan siya ni Uncle X kapag nalaman nitong pumuslit siya isang crime scene).

A robbery? No.

'No signs of forced entry, no hurried foot prints, and the dust pattern suggests someone repositioned the glass case.'

Binalikan niya sa kanyang mental file cabinet ang nabasang lifestyle catalogue a few weeks ago. It was an unnecessary piece of information he can vividly recall, but fortunately for him, it featured the interiors of Eastwood's top jewelry stores. Bukod dito, kahina-hinalang naganap ang lahat ng ito matapos tumaas ang sales ng karibal nitong store, ang Eastwood Jewels, dahil sa Holiday specials nito.

Business rivalry, he was sure.

And the media was probably the owner's request too. Nico already saw this movie before. Publicity. Gaining the sympathy of the people. Possibly framing the crime on his rival...

"Pathetic."

With that information in mind, the only thing left is to catch them red-handed and retrieve that diamond necklace. Lumabas na siya ng store at nagtago sa 'di kalayuan.

"Naiintindihan ko ang nararamdaman mo, Mr. Villareal. Pero noong ni-review namin ang CCTV footage, wala kaming nakita. The display case with the necklace is also located at the camera's blind spot so---"

"So wala kayong magagawa?!"

It was Christmas Eve, and yet here he is hiding in the shadows of a nearby alley, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Nang sinubukan na naman siyang kontakin ng kanyang tiyuhin, agad na nai-decline ni Nico ang kanyang tawag at ibinulsa ito. 'Sorry, uncle. Solving a petty fake crime is still more entertaining than chatting about Christmas dinner.'

At alam niyang mauunawaan ito ni Uncle X, given that he had secrets of his own.

When Nico spotted the owner and a journalist discreetly walk away, a smirk played on his lips.

"Gotcha."

Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't the only one following the pair.

*

An apartment complex.

How cliché.

Gustong matawa ng binata sa napiling lokasyon ng dalawa, pero alam niyang hindi pa tapos ang kanyang gabi. He already has an idea what was going on, but still needs to catch them in the act. Otherwise, this whole fiasco would just be a waste of time.

Pero hindi inaasahan ni Nico na pagkapasok niya sa loob ay naramdaman niya ang presensiya ng isang tao sa corridor. For a moment, he thought that person was a threat.

But after a couple of seconds of inactivity, he quickly figured out that it was probably just another curious soul who got himself tangled up in this mess.

The hallways remained silent, save from the noises coming from the room the owner and the journalist went in.

Nico stationed himself against the door, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"---Siguraduhin mo lang na maikokonekta mo ito sa Eastwood Jewels. Hindi biro ang halaga ng kwintas na 'to!"

"Tsk! Ako pa ba? Walang problema. Hindi makakalabas ang napagkasunduan natin. Bukas na bukas din, iba-bypass ko ito sa editor namin. Close kami 'non, kaya 'di siya makakahalata!"

"I-update mo ako kapag na-release na ang diyaryo. Kailangan makikita ko ito sa headlines: JENNY'S JEWELERY ROBBED, POLICE SUSPECTS THE EASTWOOD JEWELS OWNER AS THE MASTERMIND!"

Well, will you look at that?

Sumilip si Nico sa loob at pasimpleng pinatay ang voice recorder na nakatago sa kanyang bulsa. Now, for the finale, he barged into the room and made his presence known.

The look of shock and horror passed the ugly faces of the two men.

"Sino ka?! P-Paano mo kami nasundan dito!"

Nico made a show of himself and started his monologue.

"Amateur trick. The police should've known the robbery was fake right away. Walang ebidensiyang sumusuporta sa claims mo na may 'magnanakaw' at pinasok ang jewelry store mo. In fact, if this was a lock-picking incident, there should have been scratches on the keyhole, around the door handle, or even a missing hardware from your locking system. None of those were present, and since there wasn't any other way of entry--aside from the window that was spotless and intact--it's an indication that the key was used in the crime. From your statement earlier, nasa iyo ang kaisa-isang susi ng jewelry shop, unless you're stupid enough to leave it on display and someone duplicated your key. It was also fishy how the case was position in a way that it was in the blindspot of the CCTV. You did that on purpose, didn't you? From previous pictures in a catalogue, the case with the diamond necklace wasn't positioned the way it was tonight. You rearranged it to your advantage and took out the necklace yourself."

Tulad ng kanyang inaasahan, agad na napangiwi ang may-ari sa narinig. To say that the truth hurts is sometimes an understatement to some. On the contrary, the truth can feel like a stab wound to the chest or a broken rib. It all depends on how guilty someone is.

Right now, Nico is enjoying the anger that boiled in the store owner's eyes. Nakakatawang isipin na kanina lang ay nagpapaawa pa ito sa harap ng awtoridad at ng mga camera. Kung nagbabalak itong maging aktor, Nico would rate him a negative one of out ten score.

"HAHAHA! PINADALA KA BA RITO NINA ORTEGA?!"

Work with the chief? Oh, please.

"I'd rather be an acrobat than work for the police."

Nico didn't even bat an eye when the owner decided he was done with his bullshit tonight. Kalmadong pinagmasdan ng binata ang baril na nakatutok sa kanya. Meanwhile, the journalist was quite surprised seeing the gun in the owner's hand. Agad niyang naunawaan na dinala niya ito kung sakaling magkamali siya sa kanilang transaksyon.

Trust no one, indeed.

"Ito ang napapala ng mga pakialamerong kagaya mo!"

Huminga nang malalim ang binata. Unfortunately, he wasn't like his Uncle X--he couldn't sweet talk his way out of danger even if life depended on it. But he needed to buy more time. The message was already sent. Hindi niya alam kung gaano katagal bago dumating sa lokasyon nila ang mga pulis, pero alam niyang isang himala na lang makakaligtas sa kanya ngayon.

At this point, Nico probably needs an angel to save him.

"Hindi ka na dapat nakigulo bata---ARAY!"

With a blink of an eye, a Christmas present appeared out of nowhere and hit the man in the head. Nagpakurap-kurap ang binata, hindi makapaniwala sa nangyari. From the corner of his eye, Nico saw a glimpse of a pink jacket disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

'Do angels come with Christmas presents? Damn Sherlock's luck.'

Agad niyang ginamit ang sandaling iyon para makipag-agawan sa baril. He tackled the man down, silently thanking his uncle for the martial arts lessons he forced him to take since a few years ago. Wala na siyang nagawa noong pumuslit papalabas ng silid ang journalist bitbit ang kwintas.

Nico cursed under his breath and punched the man square in the face.

In the end, he was able to disarm the jewelry store owner and get out of the room until the police arrived.

But he was more amused when he realized that half of the job was already done.

*

"Kung hindi dahil sa audio recording na ipinadala mo, hindi namin malulutas ang kaso," Inspector Ortega said while the jewelry store owner was being taken away. Maya-maya pa, naningkit ang mga mata ng hepe at pinangaralan siya. "But what you did was dangerous, son. You could've gotten yourself killed! Ano nga ulit ang pangalan mo? Nasaan ang mga magulang mo? At paano mo nalaman ang contact number ko?"

Nico pulled his scarf to slightly cover his face and avoided eye contact. Uncle X would never let him out of this one. Not when he spent one day snooping through his phone and memorizing every valuble contact numbers for emergencies.

"You'll know my name someday, chief. Right now, it doesn't matter."

Just a concerned citizen.

Huminga nang malalim ang hepe at hinayaan na lang ang binata.

"Mga kabataan nga naman! Hay... oo nga pala, ikaw rin ba 'yong nakahuli doon sa journalist? He's still knocked out! Impressive work you did there, and the wound..."

Naalala ni Nico ang babaeng nakasuot ng pink jacket kanina. Yes, he just realized 'he' was actually a 'she', and Nico has no doubts that she's the one who handled the journalist who was trying to escape earlier.

Impressive, indeed.

'Suffocated by her jacket, and she clearly stepped on his hand.'

His eyes momentarily drifted to the spots of blood her heel made on the concrete floor. Napangiti si Nico at pasimpleng tinakpan ang mantsa gamit ang kanyang sapatos bago sinagot ang hepe, "Hindi na mahalaga kung anong nangyari. Let's just say that justice has been served, even on Christmas Eve."

"Hmm but are you sure you haven't seen the necklace?"

"I have no idea where that is, chief."

Inspector Ortega stared at him suspisciously before finally sighing. Bakas ang pagod at kagustuhan na rin nitong umuwi.

"Fine. I'll let you off the hook, kid... umuwi ka na. Mukhang may pamilya ka pang uuwian ngayong noche buena."

He eyed the destroyed gift Nico was holding in his hand. Tumango lang ang binata at nagsimula nang maglakad papalabas ng gusali, kung saan agad siyang sinalubong ng malamig na simoy ng hangin at boses ng mga batang nangangaroling. Christmas lights flickered amidst the dark landscape.

He felt his feet taking him somewhere, as if on instinct.

An invisible pull that was leading him to where he was suppose to be.

Upon reaching Night Raven's Park, Nico Yukishito felt a strong sense of familarity when his eyes laid upon the figure of a girl sitting on a bench. Probably contemplating on the events that evening. For a moment, he felt bad for her. Mukhang aksidente nga lang na nadawit siya sa kaso, at hindi sinasadyang naabala nito ang pag-uwi niya. Unlike him, Nico was sure that there was a family waiting for her at home.

Back turned to him, she was silently watching the lights and lanterns that decorated the acacia tree.

'How long had she been sitting here all alone?'

Nico gently approached her and placed the ruined Christmas gift on the empty space beside her. Thankfully, the dolls inside weren't damaged.

Natigilan ang dalaga sa ginawa niya, pero hindi ito humarap sa kanya. Shoulders tensed, eyes still avoiding him. Is she pretending to not recognize him?

Maybe she wants to forget.

The less they know about each other, the quicker they'll set aside this untimely encounter.

"Sorry about the gift."

Nico smiled apologetically and placed his hands in the pockets of his coat. His eyes still glued to her jacket.

Unlike her, he was cursed to remember.

"I know it's you. I can recognize that shade of pink anywhere... it looks good on you."

Nico Yukishito shyly announced and started walking away from the girl.

The night ended with them parting ways.

They never saw each other's faces, yet Nico had a feeling that destiny would someday mock them of this night.

Two souls fated to find each other again in the face of adversary.

Until next time.

'Maybe Christmas isn't so bad afterall,' Nico Yukishito thought and took out the diamond necklace from his pocket before tossing it in a nearby trash can.

---THE END---