Chapter 28

My father is a seafarer. When my mother is still in her last year in college, the two of them eloped because my grandparents are opposed to him. Papa is five years older than my mother at that time. They lived in a small apartment and while my mother is still finishing her degree, they had me.

That's what I know of their love story. It all started when the two of them decided to run away and build a family of their own against the will of their parents.

Tulo pa rin nang tulo ang aking mga luha habang tumatakbo ako. I panted heavily and looked around. Pinara ko kaagad ang pinakaunang tricycle na aking nakitang dumaan. Nagtataka akong tiningnan ng driver habang pinupunasan ko ang aking mga luha.

"M-Manong... sa terminal po..." wika ko sa pagitan ng aking paghikbi.

"Ayos ka lang?" nag-aalala nitong tanong bago niya pinaandar ang kaniyang tricycle.

I sniffed. "Ayos lang po..." I silently answered and fidgeted with my fingers. Hindi pa rin tumitigil sa paghuhumerentado ang aking puso. I swallowed a couple of times and tried to calm myself until I arrive at the terminal. Kaagad kong binayaran si Manong at tumalon mula sa tricycle nang makita kong papaalis na ang bus patungong Davao.

I waved my hands frantically to make the bus stop. The driver scowled at me but stopped the bus and let me in. Humahangos akong pumasok. Hindi pa man ako nakakaupo ay umandar na ulit ang bus.

I scanned the surroundings, looking for Sage but he's not inside the bus. Inisa-isa ko ang mga pasaherong nakasakay pero wala talaga siya.

"Manong!"

The conductor turned to me and rose an eyebrow.

"P-Pakibaba nalang po ako please..." nahihiya kong tugon sa kaniya.

Sumimangot sa akin gang konduktor ng bus. "Ano sa tingin mo ang ginagawa mo, Miss?"

Nangilid ang mga luha ko at dali-dali siyang nilapitan. "P-Pasensiya na po talaga. Kailangan ko pong bumalik sa terminal."

He let out an annoyed sigh before he signaled the driver to stop the bus. Masama rin ang tingin ng driver sa akin habang bumababa ako. Paulit-ulit akong nag-sorry sa kanila at dali-daling bumaba ng bus. Tinakbo ko ang natitirang distansiya patungo sa terminal.

The bus terminal is packed with people. I scanned the surroundings, looking for Sage once again. Hindi ko siya makita. Natatakot akong baka masundan ako ni Mama dito kapag hindi ako nagmadali.

Tears prickled my eyes. I don't understand! If she eloped with my father when she was still younger, why can't she understand my situation right now?

Pigil ang aking hininga habang sinusuyod ang buong terminal. Pero hindi ko makita si Sage. Due to extreme exhaustion, I plopped myself on one of the seats to rest a little. Kinakabahan pa rin ako.

What if he decided to run away alone? What if his father's men have found him or what if he's in danger right now?

I couldn't shake the bad thoughts from my mind. Nanatili akong nakaupo sa silya at naghintay sa kaniya.

Sage told me to meet him at the terminal. He told me to wait. He's going to come. It's all right, Mallory. He's going to come any moment. Sage is going to come for you.

I took a deep breath and decided to wait instead. I tapped my feet against the cement nervously. 30 minutes passed. Wala pa rin si Sage. And the 30 minutes turned into an hour.

Yumuko ako at pinigilan ang pagtakas ng aking mga luha. It's okay, Mal. It's okay... Paulit-ulit ko itong sinambit sa loob ng aking isipan.

You were able to wait for him for three years when he left the village. And you were able to wait for him for two months when he suddenly disappeared again. An hour won't kill you. Or another hour.

I convinced myself that Sage is going to come for me. Ang isang oras ay naging tatlong oras. Madilim na ang paligid. The market is buzzing with people and the passengers have vacated the area. Hindi ko inaalis ang aking tingin sa mga umaalis na bus.

I swallowed.

Four hours.

Nahihilo na ako sa pagod at gutom. Gusto kong bumili ng kahit maiinom man lang pero natatakot akong umalis sa aking puwesto. Paano kung biglang dumating si Sage at hindi ko siya makita?

A black-tinted car arrived shortly. Napatayo kaagad ako. The car is so familiar to me. Bigla akong nabuhayan ng loob. I ran towards the car but when the door opened, I immediately stopped running.

Sage's mom.

She's clad in a grey business suit today with an expensive-looking glasses sitting on the top of her head. Pinagbuksan siya ng pintuan ng isa sa kanilang mga tauhan. Iginala niya ang paningin sa paligid at tumama ang kaniyang mga mata sa akin.

Are they looking for Sage too?

"If it isn't Mallory..." she mused out loud. Tumutunog ang takong ng kaniyang sapatos sa bawat hakbang niya patungo sa akin. She stopped a few feet from me and smiled.

"Are you looking for Sage, too?"

Hindi ako makaimik. As far as what he had told me, his parents are forcing him to study in Italy. Ito ang rason kung bakit gusto niyang magtanan kaming dalawa.

"Mallory?" she prodded.

Marahan akong tumango.

She sighed. "I'm afraid Sage won't be able to show up today..." aniya. "You can go home little girl..."

Nang hindi pa rin ako sumagot ay nagkibit-balikat siya at tinalikuran ako. Before she could take a step, I grabbed her arms and spun her around. Gulat siyang napatingin sa akin.

"W-What do you mean when you said that..." I trailed off. "That Sage is not coming for me?"

Marahan niyang tinanggal ang aking kamay sa kaniyang braso. "He can't make it." Anito sa seryosong mukha.

"What?"

"My son can't make it to you, dear. Kung anuman ang napag-usapan niyo kanina, huwag mo nang isipin iyon. Sage isn't coming for you..."

Iniling-iling ko ang aking ulo. "What are you talking about?"

Bumuntong-hininga siya. "Darling, I think it's best if you just forget about Sage."

"Bakit? Where is he? Are you planning to send him to Italy now?" natataranta kong tanong.

She pursed her lips. "Stay away from my son, young woman. You'll only hurt yourself..."

"Just tell me where he is!" I pleaded.

"Sage can't come today." Mahinahon niyang wika. "That's all you need to know."

"But-"

"No buts, young lady. You should go—"

"Goddamit, I need to see him!" nagulat ako sa biglang pagtaas ng aking boses. Mrs. Monterio looks taken aback. Then she scowled at me.

"Fine. Do you want to know where he is right now?"

Nakipagtitigan ako sa kaniya.

"He's on his way to Davao for his flight to Makati. As soon as the plane lands, he'll be escorted by his father himself to Italy. Is that clear now?"

"But..." I trailed off. Nangilid na ang luha sa aking mga mata.

"Don't waste your time waiting for someone who's never going to come. That's just trying to remember someone you've never meet. Do you get what I'm trying to say? It's impossible, Mallory... The two of you? It wouldn't work."

Tears started streaming down my face. "But he said he'd come..." I said with a broken voice.

"Well, save your waiting game for another guy. I'm sure there are hundreds of guys who'll be charmed by your innocence and beauty. Sage is just looking for someone to toy around..."

Nanigas ako sa kaniyang sinabi.

"What?" she cocked an eyebrow at me. "Do you really think that a Monterio would fall in love with someone like you?" she spat.

Nagsimula nang manginig ang aking mga labi. "Sage... Sage said..." I trailed off. "I know... I know that he loves me!"

"Well, he don't." mabilis niyang sagot sa seryosong boses. Napapantastikuhan niya akong pinakatitigan. "Are you out of your mind, Mallory? Sage will never be for you and can never be for anyone else. He's only for Jasmine."

"Hindi niya na mahal si Jasmine—"

She laughed humorlessly, cutting me off mid-sentence. "Oh, believe me. He still does. Why else would he kill a person if not for love? Why did he kept on coming back to her? My son loves Jasmine... and their child."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa kaniyang sinabi. "Anong—"

"That's right. If you still haven't connected the dots, I'll solve the puzzle for you. Zahra is not my daughter. She is the daughter of Sage and Jasmine." Aniya. "Ngayong alam mo na ito, siguro naman ay lalayuan mo na ang anak ko?"

I never knew the power of words until it hit me hard that time.

"Oh? Don't look so shock, dearie. You should be aware of this from the very start. You are nothing but a toy to my son..."