Twenty-Eight

"Grand Ida!" I leaped out of the truck, my heart hammering in joy. The old lady smiled warmly at me as she pulled me into a tight hug. "I missed you so much!" I murmured, burying my face and inhaling her familiar vanilla scent.

"Well, I missed you too, dear." She tapped my back. Nang kumalas ako sa kanya ay malaki na ang ngisi ko sa mukha. "How are you?"

"Swell!" I giggled. "I'm going to graduate this school year. I can't wait to be back here!"

She smiled at me again. "Nilo hired a new waitress but it's nothing like you." Then she looked over my shoulder where Harry is just climbing out of the wrangler jeep. She smiled at him in acknowledgement. "I'm glad to see the two of you together again."

My cheeks flushed. "Well..."

"Why don't you come to my house and have a tea, first?" she said, already turning on her back and walking on her cane. "I prepared something for you."

"That'd be great!" hinintay ko muna si Harry na makalapit sa akin bago kami sumunod dalawa sa bahay ni Grand Ida.

After a hearty meal with her together with Nilo and Jason, bumalik ako sa dati kong kwarto kung saan ako natutulog noon. To my disappointment, a tourist had already booked the room. Sumilip lamang ako at naglakad-lakad na kaming dalawa ni Harry sa resort.

"Gusto mong maligo tayo ng dagat?" I suggested, grinning widely.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled down at me. We traced the old route towards the shore, avoiding twigs and branches every now and then. When the sea finally came into view, my heart swelled in happiness.

Lifting my dress off, I excitedly dug my toes in the sand. I had my bathing suit under my sundress. I glanced at Harry in excitement. He's throwing his shirt over his shoulder.

Over the past few years, Harry had gotten bigger. His shoulders are broader and the muscles on his back strained tightly every time he moves. I smiled at him when I met his eyes. He's mine. I thought inside of my head.

Harry joined me into the cold water soon after. We acted like kids, splashing water against each other. Mabuti nalang at hindi kalakasan ang alon ngayon.

"Do you still remember the first time you went here?" I asked him while floating in the water. Harry waded towards my direction and grabbed my waist.

"Yeah. It was one heck of a ride." He chuckled. We rented the old wrangler jeep in Davao instead of taking the bus dahil marami akong gusting hintuan na mga tanawin papunta dito sa Parola.

I smiled cheekily at him. Harry was so busy with the new branch these past few months we barely have time to see each other. After everything that had happened between the two of us, I just can't let go of this man, I thought as I gaze into his warm dark eyes.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him into a kiss. Harry smiled against my lips before pulling me closer, hungrily covering my mouth. I missed him so much.

I closed my eyes as fire rose up inside of me. Harry's hands snaked towards my waist. He started tracing the strings of my pale orange bikini when a huge wave slapped the two of us as if to shoo us away.

Nagtawanan kaming dalawa ni Harry.

"I'm tired. Umahon na tayo." wika ko.

"Sure." Harry guided me out of the water. Kinuha ko ang dress na suot ko kanina at inilapag ito upang upuan sa pino at maputing buhangin. Grand Ida will soon send someone to look for us para mag-dinner mamayang gabi.

I leaned against his shoulders and let out a contented sigh. I could do this for the rest of my life. The waves, the open sea, Harry, and me. It's more than enough.

Now that we've settled everything, there's nothing that could stop us. Harry and I aren't talking about it, but we both know we'll enter marriage in later years lalo pa ngayo't graduating na ako at may naghihintay na trabaho sa akin sa kompanya ni Dad.

"Hey..." I held his hands. Harry tore his gaze away from the sea and turned to me. I smiled lovingly at him. "Thank you."

"For what?" he cocked both of his eyebrows.

"For not really giving up on me." I nibbled on my lower lips. "I'm so fucked up and devastated but you never gave up on me."

He pulled me closer to his side. Mabibigat ang kanyang paghinga. I traced the muscles on his chest and was impressed that it felt hard as it looked like.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Mary Grace. Always remember that." He said silently.

I smirked at him. "You're only saying that because I'm still young and beautiful right now. I bet when we both reach 50's with teenage kids you'll start losing interest on me because I'm going to be a big fat woman." I joked.

"You're an idiot." He chuckled. Tumayo si Harry at inilahad ang kanyang kamay. "Come, I want to show you something."

"Ano yun?" pinagpagan ko munang mabuti ang aking damit bago ko ito isinuot ulit. Hindi ako sinagot ni Harry. I just followed him down the path to the highway. Nang marating namin ang kalsada ay tumawid kami at pumasok na naman sa isang gubat.

I immediately recognized the path leading to the white mansion I showed him when he was still here. I promised him to buy that mansion and live here for the rest of my life.

As curiosity grew bigger inside of me, I suddenly noticed that the path was purposefully cleared. Dati kasi'y nahihirapan pa kaming dumaan dito. There are no twigs or branches. Even the fallen log tree had been removed.

When the mansion came into view, my breath was caught in my throat. I stared at it in awe. It's freshly-painted. The yellowish white paint on the window sills, the body, and the pillars of the mansion are now in stunningly white color. Malinis na rin ang bakuran. There are no longer weeds and wild grass. There's even a metal rounded table sitting on the corner with three chairs surrounding it.

As we walked closer to the mansion, I started hearing voices of people inside.

"Harry?" kinalabit ko siya. Nilingon niya ako at sinagutan ng ngiti. When we finally reached the outer living room, the carpenters glanced at us and nodded at Harry in acknowledgement.

"Ikaw pala, Sir." One of them cheerily said. Magulo pa ang loob ng mansion pero halatang ilang araw na din itong inaayos. The old wallpapers are gone. Ang mga antique na gamit ay nasa labas. Older women are oiling the metal artifacts and children are cleaning the cabinets and drawers. "Malapit na po itong matapos. Siguro sa katapusan ng buwan ay pwede na kayong lumipat dito."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa narinig. I turned to him with a stunned expression on my face. "You bought the mansion?" I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice.

"I didn't." he said, shoving his hands into the pocket of his board shorts. "I requested for a lease and transacted it under your name. Now, all we need is your signature and we can start paying for the mansion. Meanwhile, I asked them to start repairing it so we wouldn't have to wait longer."

Tears sprung to my eyes as overwhelming happiness consumed me. "Harry!" I threw my hands around his neck and sobbed loudly. He chuckled, patting my shoulders. I couldn't find the right words to say and hope that by crying he would know how grateful I am for him right now.

"I can't believe what you just did..." I said, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"We can't keep on dating forever, you know." He shrugged and pinched my nose. "Eventually, I need to settle down with you."

Tumulo na naman ang mga luha ko sa sobrang saya. "Thank you..." I whimpered.

"Why don't we see Raffy so you could sign the contract?" he suggested with a smile on his face. "I'm sure you'd be glad to finally own this house."

"More than you could ever tell." I said, laughing as we exited the mansion while holding hands.

---

I flipped my book and groaned out loud, trying to remember where I left off last night.

"Ma'am, hindi ka pa ba uuwi?" tanong sa akin ng isa sa mga trabahante na si Jane. "Baka umulan po, oh."

I gave her a tight smile. "It's okay, Jane. Baka dito pa ako matulog. I couldn't concentrate studying at home."

Tinanguan niya ako at nagpatuloy sa pagpupunas ng mga lamesa. The final exams are fast approaching and it made me feel sick to my stomach. I haven't had enough time studying at all lalo na't nagpabalik-balik kami sa Davao.

I glanced at the wall clock. It's 10:19 pm already. Smiling lightly at Karlo's picture, itinuon kong muli ang atensiyon sa librong binabasa. The door suddenly chimed.

"Sir, closed na po kami ngayon."

I lifted my head and saw a tall guy walking towards the counter where I am seated. I tapped my fingers against my open book as I watched him strode purposefully towards me. He's really pleasant in the eyes. With his hair neatly combed and his expensive-looking Burberry coat, I could tell that this man came from a wealthy family.

"Are you Mary Grace Ferguson?" he stopped in front of me.

I blinked and straightened on my seat. "Yeah, it's me. Bakit?" I eyed him curiously. I have no idea who he is.

He stuck his hand out and smiled kindly at me. "My name is Roman Blackwell. I am a close friend of Annie Ferguson, your sister."

My breath was suddenly caught in my throat. "Oh."

Wala sa sarili kong tinanggap ang nakalahad niyang kamay. He shook my hand firmly and let go after a few seconds.

"I was in Italy for six years. Ngayon lamang ako nakabalik dito and when I came back, I learned about what happened to her."

I hang my head lower with what he said.

"I am sorry for your loss. If you don't mind, will you please show me to her grave during your free time? None of our classmates know where she's buried."

Studying Roman's face, I contemplated on what to do. He seemed friendly and genuine to me. His eyes are flashing with sadness and longing upon the mention of Ate Annie's name. He must've been real close to her.

"Okay." I said, snapping my book close. Final exams are three days away. Maybe I could steal a day to show my sister's old friend to her grave. "Are you free tomorrow?"

He buried his hands on his pocket. "Yes, I am."

"You can come back here tomorrow, Roman. I'll show you to her grave." I finally decided.

---

Kararating ko pa lamang sa café pagkatapos ng aming klase ay pansin ko kaagad ang magarang BMW na nakapark sa labas. Climbing out of the jeep, I strode casually inside the café and saw Roman sipping on his coffee while reading a newspaper.

I mentioned him to my parents earlier but none of them heard about him. Ate Annie is secretive when it comes to her relationships and barely opens up to the family, which made me feel bad. At least Roman is here to acknowledge her after all these years.

"Roman, hi." I said, bouncing into him and putting up a cheerful tone.

He placed his mug on the table and nodded at me in acknowledgement. "Hello, Mary Grace."

"Shall we go? I'll just leave my books on the counter."

"Yeah, sure." He said, pulling himself up and straightening his navy blue blazer. I smiled at him before I went to the counter and secured my books on one of the desks. Stashing the drawers closed, I pulled my hair in a tight ponytail as I approached Roman. He opened the glass doors for me and lead me to the luxurious car waiting outside.

Nang makasakay na kami ay pinaandar na ni Roman ang sasakyan. I gave him the directions to the cemetery.

"My parents don't know about you." I suddenly blurted out. "Kailan mo nakilala si Ate Annie?" I gaze at him curiously.

"Elementary." Sagot niya sa akin. Tinapunan niya ako ng tingin at tipid na ngumiti. "Your sister doesn't like me."

Tumaas ang aking kilay sa kanyang sinabi. "Oh?"

"Inaway niya ako noong natalo ko siya sa Science quizbee when we we're still in 3rd grade." He chuckled as he turned on his left. "Being the mean kid that I was, I teased her. Your sister ended up crying. My parents have to punished me for my bad behavior and made me ask for an apology the next morning."

"Well, yeah, I knew that story." I said, remembering when Oliver said how he wants to hug her badly when she saw her crying after the quizbee. Si Roman pala ang nagpa-iyak sa kanya.

I turned my gaze on the car window and my eyes widened when I thought I saw Ate Annie on the street, opening up her umbrella.

"Teka!" I shouted. Roman cursed and stepped on his brakes hard.

"Anong—"

Bago pa man siya makapagsalita ay lumabas na ako sa sasakyan at hinabol ang babae but she disappeared into the alley. Nagpalinga-linga ako sa paligid. Wala na siya.

"What's wrong?" Roman asked worriedly, appearing next to me after a few minutes.

"I just thought..." my hands started shaking. "I just thought I saw her." I started to take long breaths as I could feel the panic rising out of me. I swallowed hard.

"Are you okay? You must've been seeing things." He said carefully.

Biglang nangilid ang mga luha ko, remembering that night when I thought I saw Uncle Thomas in the form of Harry. Maybe I should see Dr. Siang later. I don't want to get overwhelmed by my depression again.

"Yeah, maybe I am."

"Are you sure you want to go? Pwede naman nating ipagpaliban muna." He said with genuine concern. "You don't look so good. Namumutla ka."

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I murmured, throwing one last look at the alley before I followed Roman back into his car.