#NewClassicRTMC

Chapter 23
Winner

"I'm going to miss you."

The melancholic look on Tita Ingrid's face clenched my heart. I didn't want us to part, too. Wala pang isang araw simula nang nakilala ko siya, but I already grew fond and attached to her.

After eating breakfast, Ike told me to pack my things and get ready to go back to Manila. Even though he wanted us to stay for a little bit more, he couldn't re-sched his shoot for the final teaser of Road to Record with the other mentor who made it to the finals.

"You should bring these with you." She offered me a tupperware of leftover homemade brownies we baked. "You can eat these brownies while composing a song."

Her sincerity made me smile. I took the brownies from her hand. "Thank you po, Tita Ingrid."

She shook her head, a smile finally appeared on her lips. "Don't mention it," she replied. "If you have time, don't hesitate to give me a call, okay? Or maybe I'll try to get your schedule sa manager mo para ako na mismo ang tatawag sa 'yo."

Tita Ingrid's eagerness to meet me again made me laugh. But deep inside me, my heart was already swelling with so much love that I have been receiving from her.

"Mom, you're way busier than Aleena. She needs to set a schedule with you a month ahead before she gets to meet you again," Ike chimed in, stifling a laugh. "It'll be hard for her to keep in touch with you."

"Excuse me! I am not busy!" Tita Ingrid defended herself. "It's your father who is busy!"

"Uhuh..." Ike nodded calmly. "And you always accompany him on his business trips."

My eyes drifted to Tito Jimmy. He was nodding his head, agreeing to everything that Ike said.

"I can make time for Aleena if she'd ask." She sounded so sure of her words with a proud smile on her face. "She's like a family to me now―like my daughter-in-law."

Kahit walang iniinom ay para akong nasamid. Nag-init ang aking pisngi sa hiya. Sinulyapan ko si Ike at mukhang hindi niya rin inaasahan ang sinabi ng ina. Si Tito Jimmy naman ay natawa na lamang.

She didn't just say that I'm like a daughter to her, but a daughter-in-law. Those two words made a greater impact. It created a whole different meaning.

"You two better get going now," Tito Jimmy rushed us since the atmosphere got awkward. "Baka hindi na makisama ang panahon mamaya."

Muli kaming nagpaalam ni Ike sa kanyang mga magulang bago sumakay sa helicopter at tuluyang umalis sa isla upang bumalik sa siyudad. I looked down once we took off. My chest tightened as Tita Ingrid kept waving her hand while watching us leave.

As we got farther and farther away, it seemed like the island was being swallowed gradually by water. The view was filled with boundless skies and sea where you could easily get lost.

With a heavy heart, I turned my face in front and stopped looking back. I tried to ease myself as I looked ahead, knowing that I know my destination―and in that place, I could meet those great people I met back in the island.

"Did you have fun with our trip?" Ike asked me while we were still on air.

Kahit na maingay ang sinasakyan naming eroplano ay nadinig ko siya nang malinaw dahil sa suot naming headphones.

I smiled at him and nodded. "I want to live in that kind of peaceful place in the future. I got to relax and clear my head," I told him. "Masaya rin akong nakilala ko ang mga magulang mo, lalong-lalo na si Tita Ingrid."

Agad na sumilay ang ngiti sa kanyang labi. "Kung ganoon ay masaya rin ako."

I was really happy to be there. The scenery made me forget about stress. The sea water washed down my emotional turmoil. The breeze carried my problems away. The conversation I had with Ike patched up the wound in my heart, and his parents embraced it with warmth. Everything about that trip felt like I was back home.

If I'd be given a chance to go back, I wouldn't hesitate. I could even stay there forever.

Our trip lasted for more than two hours. Sa condominium tower dumiretso ang sinasakyan naming helicopter. Kung saan kami umalis ay roon din kami bumalik.

Ike had to leave right away because of his hectic schedule. Once I was inside my room, I immediately got a hold of my guitar, notebook, and a pencil before sitting on top of the bed.

I turned the pages of the notebook until I arrived at a blank sheet. I got a huge wave of inspiration last night. Bago ko makalimutan ang lahat ay mabilis kong isinulat ang mga salita na aking magiging gabay sa paggawa ng kanta.

I recalled how the night sky looked when Ike and I sat on the shore. It was filled with stars which reminded me of my mother. I know she's just up there, always watching over me.

It had been a while since I last wrote a song for her. And because it was my chance to let more people know about her, I decided to dedicate the final song to her. Through the song, many people would come to know how wonderful she is and how much I love her.

For the whole day, I just worked on the song without taking a break. I applied what I have learned throughout my whole journey with Ike as my mentor. I was proud of myself that I made such a huge progress even without Ike's real-time supervision.

I was mentally and physically exhausted after working on the song. Halos nakalimutan ko na rin na kumain. My only focus was to finish the song since I didn't have any time left. I still needed to do some revisions to make sure that the song is written well.

Nakatulog ako katabi ang aking gitara. Nagising ako kinabukasan nang may madinig akong pagkaluskos sa labas ng kuwarto. I wasn't scared because I knew who could be out there.

Kaya naman pagkatapos kong maghilamos at suklayin ang aking buhok, walang pag-aalinlangan akong lumabas. Pagkalingon ko sa kusina ay naroon nga si Ike gaya ng aking hinala.

A takeaway breakfast meal was already prepared on top of the nook. As soon as he saw me, Ike smiled after he got a pitcher of cold water from the fridge.

"Good morning."

That simple smile and greeting were enough for my heart to run for miles. And when I got a good look of him all dressed up, I tried so hard to hide the blush creeping up my cheeks. He has this different, strong charisma whenever he's dressed for work.

"Good morning," I greeted him back and sat on the stool, trying to act calm and cool. "Hindi ba't may schedule ka ngayon?"

"Mamayang nine pa ang simula ng sched ko ngayong araw. I figured I should take you to Top Star myself."

I tilted my head in curiosity. "Top Star?"

As far as I knew, I didn't have any schedule. Hindi ko alam kung bakit kailangan kong pumunta sa Top Star. Wala rin namang sinabi sa akin si Mr. Joel.

"I asked Mr. Joel to let you use our studio there to work on your song," he explained.

"Bakit hindi roon sa private studio ninyo?"

Hindi ko maiwasan ang magtaka. To work on my music, he would always take me to their studio. It was unusual for me to work at Top Star.

Ike paused a bit before he proceeded answering my question. "Isaiah's going to use the studio today."

Napatango-tango ako at nagsimula nang kumain. "Okay..."

There was a slight feeling of guilt inside me. I almost forgot that the place wasn't mine to begin with. Hindi lang din kay Ike ang lugar na 'yon. It's for the whole band. Naisip ko tuloy na baka si Isaiah pa mismo ang nahihiya sa akin dahil ginagamit ko ang kanilang studio.

Ngumuso ako sa iniisip at tahimik na kumain. Pagkatapos ay agad akong naligo at nag-ayos ng sarili. Driving his own car, we both went to Top Star Records. Pagkaakyat namin mula sa basement, ang team na makakasama ni Ike ay naghihintay na sa lobby kasama si Mr. Joel na mukhang nagbibilin sa mga staffs. The moment he saw us, he quickly strode his way to meet us.

"Ike, nabilinan ko na ang mga staffs na makakasama mo. I also prepared a proxy manager for you," Mr. Joel informed him.

Ike nodded. "Thank you."

Tiningnan ko silang dalawa bago ko idinirekta ang tingin kay Mr. Joel. "Hindi ka po sasama sa kanya?"

"He's going to be with you here," si Ike ang sumagot kaya naibalik sa kanya ang mga mata ko. "If you need anything, just tell Mr. Joel. Pero kapag nagkaroon kang problema tungkol sa kanta mo, text me first or give me a call. I'll call you back once I'm not busy, okay?"

Ngumuso ako habang tumatango-tango. Madami pang sinabi si Ike kay Mr. Joel para masiguradong magiging ayos lang ako rito sa Top Star bago siya tuluyang umalis kasama ng mga staffs.

On the other hand, Mr. Joel quick took me to New Classic's private studio inside the building. It was a bit small compared to their studio in their own unit, but it also has everything that they need.

"You can work here," Mr. Joel told me while turning the lights and air condition on. "No one can come here except for the band and New Classic's personal sound engineers. Walang mang-iistorbo sa 'yo rito."

I carefully placed my bag on top of the touch as I looked around more.

"May nasimulan ka na ba sa kanta mo para sa finals?" tanong niya sa akin.

Nilingon ko si Mr. Joel upang sagutin nang maayos ang kanyang tanong. "Mayroon po. Patapos na po ako."

He nodded. "That's good," he remarked. "Ike visited Willow yesterday to check on her progress. Halos patapos na rin siya sa kantang ginagawa. You should finish it by the end of the day or tomorrow para makaisip na rin tayo ng gagawin para sa performance mo. Ike outsourced a performance director for you. You don't have much time left so we need to utilize all our resources."

Feeling confident, I gave him a reassuring smile. "Tingin ko po ay kaya kong tapusin ngayon. Huwag po kayong mag-alala."

Muli siyang tumango at walang ibang sinabi kaya inayos ko na ang aking gamit. Maingat kong inilabas ang gitara mula sa lalagyanan nito at ipinatong saglit sa couch habang kinukuha ang notebook at lapis.

"About the exclusive offer..." Mr. Joel spoke again after almost a minute of being silent. "Have you thought about it already?"

My lips parted. I snapped my head back to Mr. Joel.

Nawala na sa isipan ko ang tungkol sa offer ng Top Records. After talking to Ike about it, I felt like he didn't want me to accept the offer. He told me that his contract would be expiring. I wasn't sure if that meant he wouldn't renew his contract with the company, but since he was having a hard time telling me about it―whatever their decision might be―I knew they had a hard time sealing everything.

"Hmm... Hindi ko pa po napag-iisipan," sagot ko na lang dahil hindi pa rin buo ang aking desisyon.

Muli siyang tumango. "I understand," sabi niya. "Alam kong kailangang pag-isipan nang mabuti ang ganitong bagay. Whenever you're ready to tell me your decision, don't hesitate to approach me, okay?"

Nakangiti na lamang akong tumango pabalik.

Hinayaan na ako ni Mr. Joel na ipagpatuloy ang paggawa sa aking kanta. Like a personal bodyguard, he stayed with me until after eating lunch. Kinailangan niya nga lang ako iwanan saglit dahil mayroon siyang meeting kasama ang executives. I didn't mind his absence. Sa katunayan ay mas naging kumportable ako nang umalis siya.

Pagdating ko sa langit,
Ika'y hahanapin upang makitang muli
At balang araw,
Ang hiling ay makasamang muli
Ika'y aking yayakapin at yayakapin nang mahigpit

A smile spread on my face once I finally got the right melody to finalize the chorus part of the song. I wrote the chords on top of the lyrics and tried playing it once again.

"What a nice song." Natigil ako at halos mapatalon sa kinauupuan nang biglang may magsalita. "You're really working hard, huh?"

I was surprised to see Willow when I looked up. Tuluyan siyang pumasok sa loob ng studio at isinarado ang pintuan. Naglakad siya papunta sa tabi ko at tiningnan ang aking notebook. Litong-lito ako habang pinapanood siya.

Ang akala ko ay bawal pumasok ang iba rito?

"Langit?" she whispered the tentative title of the song I was writing. "You're planning to write a mellow song for the finals?"

"Uhm, oo..." nag-aalangan kong sabi sa kanya.

Tumango-tango siya at saka ako binalingan ng tingin. She was wearing a very sweet smile that it gave me chills.

"I was about to give you an advice, but I realized that it wouldn't matter anymore," she chuckled softly, and I was confused because of her words. "The winner is already decided. There's no need for you to work so hard, right?"

My forehead creased as my eyes narrowed. "Hindi kita naiintindihan."

Even though she just used plain words, I found it hard to understand what she meant.

Her eyes widened a bit.

"Ike didn't tell you?" she exclaimed. "I thought he already told you... Siguro ay ayaw niyang sabihin sa 'yo. I'm sorry. Hindi ko dapat siya pinangunahan. Can you please not tell him that I told you about it?"

I was getting impatient. It seemed like she was making me trying to solve a riddle without getting straight to the point. I stood up and clenched my fist to restrain my overflowing emotions.

"Puwede bang diretsuhin mo na lang ako," mariin kong sabi.

She stopped from looking frantic as she sighed in defeat. "It's already decided that I'm going to win Road to Record. The final votes will be rigged. To be honest, I really don't like it but..." Her voice sounded forlorn "Ike and the executives had a meeting yesterday. Sinabi lang sa akin ng manager ko. Top Star is going to back me up in order to win the competition and ensure my debut in the industry."

My hand slowly opened as I lost strength. The wound in my heart that had just been healed began bleeding again. It hurt more. I felt like I was being drained completely because of the pain. I could feel myself giving up again.

Willow reached out to hold my hand. She looked at me, her eyes filled with concern. "I'm really sorry, Aleena," she apologized. "I really want to have a fair competition but I don't have the final say."

Hindi ko ginalaw ang aking kamay. Nakatitig lamang ako sa kanya. Hinihintay kong bawiin niya ang kanyang sinabi ngunit binitiwan niya lamang ako at saka umatras.

"Anyway, I have to go back to practice," she said after a moment. "See you on the first rehearsal."

Mabilis niya akong tinalikuran at lumabas mula sa studio. Napaupo ako sa couch nang tuluyang mawalan ng lakas.

My eyes fell on the tip of my fingers. It was a bit reddish. The marks from the guitar strings were visible as I didn't stop playing my guitar just to find the perfect the melody and rhythm to the song.

I bit my lower lip hard. Before my thoughts turned to chaos, I shook my head and shrugged the negative feelings away.

"I trust Ike. Siya lang ang pagkakatiwalaan ko," I whispered to myself as I chose to believe in Ike. "He wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't allow that. He wouldn't lie to me."

My calloused fingers touched the G-Clef bracelet he gave me.

Ike believes in me. He trusts me. I will put my faith in him. I know he won't let me down. He won't break my trust. He won't make me regret.

I really hope he won't.