Elliana's Point Of View

"ELLIANA! May bangka sa labas! Gumising ka!"

Nagising ako sa yugyog ni Cleon. Ang laki kasi ng kamay nito at sakop na sakop ang mukha ko.

"Calm down, will you?"

Kumalma rin naman agad si Cleon. I held his hand and we ran outside the house. Two boats with men in black inside it. Bodyguard ni Papa at 'yong iba ay hindi ko kilala.

"You! Bring us back to the city!" sigaw ni Cleon.

The man didn't even budge. They bought foods and sacs of rice. Tama nga ako, may hidden camera sa bahay na 'to. It's the third week of the month, imposibleng malaman nila na paubos na ang pagkain namin sa sandaling panahon lang, unless of course, cameras.

I held Cleon's arm and pulled him away from them.

"What? This is our chance, Elli."

"May plano ako. Huwag ka ngang padalos-dalos, baka bumulagta ka diyan bigla sige ka. Ang laki pa naman ng mga bitbit nila," nguso ko.

"Anong plano?"

"Banggain mo 'yong isa, ayon 'yong nakatayo sa gilid. Tapos kunin mo cellphone. If we can't move here in this goddamn island, then we'll seek help from outside. Wala tayong kalaban-laban sa mga 'yan."

"Bakit ako?"

"Alangan namang ako. Go na, kaya mo na 'yan, malaki ka naman eh," tulak ko.

Hinawakan ni Cleon ang palapulsuhan ko.

"Hindi ako magnanakaw, Elliana! Paano 'pag nahuli ako?"

"Problema mo na 'yon. Kidding. Just go and snatch his phone. Please? Para maka-alis na tayo dito."

Cleon face palmed. Well, tama naman ako. We can't just attack those guys. All of them versus the two of us? Wow, advance heaven.

"Magagalit si Papa God nito sa 'kin."

"Tigil mo nga 'yan. Hindi ito pagnanakaw, okay? Call of needs 'to. Sagot ko na pagpapagamot sa 'yo kung sakali."

Cleon has no choice but to obliged. I stared at him from afar. Palinga-linga si Cleon. Mayamaya pa ay sinadya nitong matapilok at bumagsak sa likod ng isa sa mga gwardya ni Papa. I saw how fast his hand move to snatch the phone on the man's pocket. Walang kamalay-malay ang mga ito sa ginawa ni Cleon, tinulungan pa nga nila na makatayo si Cleon.

Hinintay namin na umalis sila saka kami bumalik sa loob. We stared at the phone, undecided.

"Ano? Buksan mo na," tulak ni Cleon sa kamay ko.

"Go. Do it."

"Ako na nga kumuha, ako pa magbubukas?"

"Oo," sagot ko.

Bago pa makuha ni Cleon sa bulsa niya ang cellphone ay agad kong pinigilan ang kamay nito. I pulled him up and dragged him outside, near the sea.

"Bakit nandito tayo?"

"There are camera's inside the house. Bantay sarado tayo."

"Ilang percent sure ka na wala rito sa labas?" nang-iinis na tanong nito.

"Oo nga 'no?" gulat na tanong ko.

"Shower room. Alam kong wala doon. Hindi naman siguro sila dadating sa point na bobosohan tayo ano? That's invading our privacy."

Inirapan ko ito. Pumasok ulit kami sa loob at dumirtetso sa shower room. Doon ay binuksan namin ang cellphone.

"May password," he hissed.

"Emergency call. 911," utos ko.

"Wala tayo sa Pinas, mahal na reyna."

"Ano? Tutunganga na naman tayo?"

Natigilan ito kaya tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. Iniharap nito ang cellphone sa 'kin.

"No internet. No signal."

"Great," I sarcastically said.

Lumabas ako at tinungo ang kama. I lazily lay down and stared at the ceiling, motionless.

"Are you okay?" Cleon approached me.

"What do you think, Cleon? Am I? Should I be? We're stuck here, Cleon. Now what?"

"Hindi naman forever 'to. Huwag kang mawalan ng pag-asa."

Hindi ako umimik. Paano na si Yvonne? Ayokong mag-isip ng masama pero hindi ko maiwasan. What if she found someone better than me? Madali pa naman ako palitan.

"Elliana, magsalita ka nga. Hindi ako sanay sa pagiging tahimik mo."

"Shut up, Cleon. Gusto kong matulog."

Tumagilid ako ng higa at nagtalukbong ng kumot. I feel so hopeless. Kahit saan tignan, checkmate na kami. I can't wait for another month. Paano kung pagbalik ko hindi na ako? I can't. It'll hurt so bad.

"Iniisip mo ba 'yong girlfriend mo?" Cleon gently asked.

"Oo."

"Don't worry. 'Di ba nga sa mga kwento mo mahal na mahal mo siya. I'm sure she is to you too. Don't you trust her?"

"I do," maliit ang boses na sagot ko.

"Then have faith on her. Don't think lowly of her. Trust her, Elliana."

"May tiwala ako sa kaniya. Pero paano kung pagbalik ko... iba na?"

"Magtiwala ka nga sa kaniya. Tumayo ka diyan. Mag-isip tayo ng bagong plano."

"Pagod na ako."

Hinila nito ang iilang hibla ng buhok ko kaya napaigik ako sa sakit.

"Isang beses pa lang 'yon susuko ka na agad. Bilisan mo. Kakainin ko 'yong mga pagkain para sa 'yo. Kawawa ka naman sobra."

Umupo ako sa kama at pinanood si Cleon na maglakad palabas.

"Huwag mong hintayin na ibato ko sa 'yo 'tong tsinelas ko, Elliana," banta nito.

Tuluyan na akong tumayo at sinundan siya sa labas.The strong wind swept some strand of my hair. Nakaupo si Cleon sa recliner na nasa ilalim ng puno ng buko at may suot na shades.

"How the hell are you so calm?" naiiritang tanong ko.

"Kaya ka problemado kasi iniisip mo ang problema mo."

"What do you want me to do then? Magsaya? Fuck you ka."

He motioned his hand. "Sit down and we'l talk. Plano ko naman ang masusunod ngayon. Pala-desisyon ka kasing babae ka."

Umupo ako sa recliner na katabi lang ng sa kaniya. I rested my back and relaxed myself.

"Look at this. Nakita ko 'to sa table kanina. Read."

Tinanggap ko ang envelope na bigay niya. I opened the brown envelope and started scanning the paper. It was a contract. A marriage contract to be exact. There was also a letter. Handwritten by my Mama. It says we can't leave this island without getting married.

"What? Do you want me to sign this? Nagpapatawa ka ba?" mapaklang natawa ako.

"Ayan pala-desisyon, wala pa akong sinasabi eh. Oo, pipirmahan mo 'yan. But in a joking manner. May spare signature ka?"

"Anong spare signature sinasabi mo?"

"Fake signature. After mo pirmahan ilapag natin sa table para makita nila."

I glared at him. "Mapapahamak tayong pareho dito. Bakit hindi nalang natin punitin 'to? Para magpadala sila ng bago. In that way we'll plan our escape."

"Mas lalo mo lang pinapalala ang sitwasyon. Tingin mo ba magpapadala sila agad-agad ng panibagong kopya nito? Hindi. They'll watch us suffer for a long time."

Sabagay, may point siya. Pointless.

Kinagabihan ay sabay kaming kumain ni Cleon. We were still talking about our plan. Marami ang kinain ni Cleon. Araw-araw naman 'tong nasa dalampasigan para mag-jogging at magtampisaw sa dagat. Fat burner daw eh.

"Hindi masyadong malalim ang dagat. Kaya naman nating languyin. Kung mabilis ka lumangoy," he stated.

"Gano'n ba? Gusto mo lunurin kita?" pabalang kong sagot.

"I despise you, Elliana."

I looked at him flatly. "Despise is a strong word, Cleon. Be gentle, I'm still a woman you know."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

ANOTHER WEEK had passed and we're still stuck. I'm losing my sanity together with my patience. Gusto ko ng umuwi.Kating-kati na ako na umuwi. Nakakairita lang dahil hanggang ngayon wala pa rin kaming maisip na plano.

"Patience, Elliana. Ang init-init palagi ng ulo mo. Relax a bit, woman."

"Get out of my sight, Cleon. Baka hindi kita matantiya," banta ko.

"Tuloy ba ang plano?" he suddenly asked.

Tumango ako. "Tuloy. Let's just wait until luck comes to our favor."

"Anong gagawin mo kung sakaling makabalik ka sa inyo? Haharapin mo ang mga magulang mo?"

"Oh, I will, Cleon. Ipapakita ko sa kanila kung paano ako mag-rebelde."

Cleon gulped. He moved his chair next to mine. Nasa porch kami ng bahay at tinatanaw ang dalampasigan. The way the coconut trees sway because of the strong wind. Everything here is peaceful but not quite happy. Happiness depends on a person. Happiness may be a person, the nature, or yourself. But happiness for me... it's her. By her side.

"Iiwan mo talaga ang magulang mo para sa girlfriend mo? Itatakwil?"

"Hindi ko sila iiwan o itatakwil sa buhay ko, Cleon. I am just setting myself free from their control. They can still come to me if they want to. They're my parents and even though they did this to me, my love for them is unconditional. Magulang ko pa rin sila at anak nila ako. Mabuting magulang sila sa 'kin, ipinapakita nga lang nila iyon sa sarili nilang paraan. I don't know how their mind works but I'm pretty sure they only want to give me a fulfilled and content life to live. But this is not what I want. And they misunderstood me. I understand them. Sino ba namang magulang ang gustong pabayaan ang anak, 'di ba?

"So, no. Hindi ko sila iiwan. Hindi ko sila itatakwil. Hindi ko puputulin ang koneksyon namin bilang magulang at anak. Kahit itakwil ako ni Mama at Papa, para sa 'kin, anak pa rin nila ako. Anak na maaasahan at hindi sila iiwan kailanman."

Cleon stares at me with full of admiration and amazement. He smiled widely and nodded.

"Kung gano'n ay ganoon na rin ang gagawin ko."

"You have your own mind, Cleon. Huwag mong i-base sa sagot ko ang desisyon mo sa buhay."

HUMIHILIK na si Cleon  sa tabi ko habang ako naman ay dilat na dilat pa ang mga mata. I was about to go to sleep when I heard an unfamiliar sound. Palakas ng palakas iyon, parang palapit ng palapit. I stood up from the bed and opened the curtains. My eyes widen and my mouth hang open when I spotted a huge helicopter that landed near our doorstep. Nagmadali ako sa pagbaba sa pag-aakalang si Mama at Papa iyon.

"Good evening.Where's my sly bunny?" pormal na tanong ng isang lalaki sa 'kin ng buksan ko ang pintuan ng bahay.

"Wait, who?"

"Cleon. Where's Cleon? He's been missing and I only found out two days ago. Akala ko iniiwasan ako nito."

"He's upstairs. Are you here to bring us back to the city? I promise I'll pay you, six digits," I begged.

"Woman, I don't need your money. I need my bunny. You only have five minutes to prepare. There's two boats on the north and five private jets from the east approaching us," he casually said.

Agaran ang takbo ko paakyat para gisingin si Cleon. Isang sambit ko lang ng 'sly bunny' ay agad na nagmulat ito ng mga mata at nagtatakbo pababa. I immediately followed and nearly stumbled on the floor.

"You found me. Damn! I thought I'll be stuck here forever," natutuwang sigaw ni Cleon.

"As if I'll let you. You sly bunny. You'll be coming with me and I will not let you off my sight. All of you, escort the girl to the heli."

One from the left, one from the right, three from behind. Inalalayan nila ako habang papunta sa sasakyang panghimpapawid na gamit nito. Before I could even take a step at the heli, a loud explosion stopped us from our tracks. Followed by another, and another.

"What the—Cleon! Inside! Now!" the man shouted.

Sa hindi kalayuan malapit sa dalampasigan ay naaninag ko si Papa. Next to him was my Mama and the rest were Papa's men with guns in their hands.

"Cleon, you go first. Dito lang ako," I sighed heavily.

"Nababaliw ka na ba, Elliana? Hindi kita iiwan dito. Sasama ka sa 'min!" he shouted.

Umatras ako. Nakasakay na silang lahat maliban sa 'kin. I shake my head countless times. Tears fall from my eyes as I smiled at Cleon widely.

"I told you, they're my parents. They care for me as I am to them," I sobbed. "Haharapin ko sila. Wala na akong pakialam sa kung anong mangyari, Cleon. All I care about right now is her, my person, the one who I'm willing to take the risk in everything with. I promise to see you again, Cleon! Ingat!"

I ran as fast as I could. I slowed down when I was already near them. My parents.

"Ma, Pa. Hear me out. You don't understand," I helplessly said.

Papa's face was straight. No emotions being shown. Kabaliktaran ang kay Mama. She's in rage. Pulang-pula ang mukha nito. Sinisinagan ng buwan ang pwesto namin kaya nakikita ko ito. I am secretly hoping that at this point, I can still change their minds.

"You disobeyed me, Elliana. You changed. What happened to you? Where's my daughter?" Mama asked.

"Ma, this is still me. Walang nagbago. The daughter you are talking about... was naive and easy to control. This is my life, Ma. I get to decide what to do with it. Nasa tamang edad na ako na mag-isip at magdesisyon para sa sarili ko. All I need is your support."

"Paano ka namin susuportahan sa bagay na ayaw namin para sa 'yo, Elliana?" this time, it was Papa who asked.

I inwardly smiled. "It's not for you to decide with, Papa. Sabi ko nga hindi ba? Matanda na ako, may sariling isip para mag-isip. Hindi dahil sa ayaw niyo ay bawal na sa 'kin. Hindi dahil ayaw niyo ay pagbabawalan niyo na ako. It doesn't work that way, Pa. Alam ko ang ginagawa ko. Anong mali? Anong mali kung pareho kaming babae?"

"Maraming mali, Elli. The society, the people, they will judge you," Mama interrupted.

"Ma, bata pa lang ako marami ng humuhusga sa 'kin, sa atin. What's new? That's their point of view, not ours. Why focus on them?" I asked.

They both fell in silence. It's not just about my relationship with Yvonne, it's also about out relationship as a family. A family is not controlling. A family is comfort.

"Explain to me why her, Elliana?" Papa glared at me and I was taken aback.

"She's my person. I can be me... with her. There's a million reasons why her, Pa. Naiintindihan niya ako. Pinapakinggan niya ako."

"She's after our money—"

"Mayaman sila, Ma, Pa. Mayaman sila sa pagmamahal galing saa mga magulang nila. Their parents thought them well. Their parents treated me as their own. They showered me with love and care. They showered me with warmth."

"Fine. Go. Do whatever you want. But don't come to us crying and pleading. You are removed as the owner and CEO of Villá Ellá. Tinatakwil kita bilang anak ko. Wala akong anak na suwail at walang respeto. Go, leave, and don't come back." Papa exclaimed.

Ngumiti ako. I don't feel sad, I don't feel happy as well. I felt nothing. My heart felt at ease and free. Maybe because... I know... Papa didn't mean the words he said. I don't know. It confuses me.

"I love you, Ma, Pa. Take care, both of you. I understand."

Dahan-dahan, tumalikod ako at humakbang palayo. Papalayo sa mga magulang ko. Nagulat ako nang makita si Cleon sa harap ko. Umiiyak at puno ng pag-aalala ang mukha.

"I'm proud of you, Elli," he whispered and embraced me.

I broke down into tears and hugged him back tightly.Am I free? Am I really?

"Let's get you home, to your real home. You deserve to be happy, Elli."

I nodded as I lose my consciousness.

*****