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Chapter 3.

Nakatulugan kuna ang pagbabasa. When I wake up i immediately jump off to bed, the moment I look at my clock it's 7 in the morning.

I hurriedly go to the bathroom and do my daily routine before going down the kitchen to eat.

"Tinanghali ka yata?"manang ask as she see me entering the kitchen.

I nod with a sad face.

"It's my graduation day, I forgot and over sleep. "

"It's okey, your mother is waiting at you. I think she is about to be finished so you better hurry. " manang said.

I then move inside the kitchen to eat and manang help me.

The moment mother went out of her room I already finished eating, I run upstairs to get my things.

"Freatch stop running or you'll stumble." mother shout from down stairs.

I just ignore her and go directly to my room.

She settled some strands of my hair as we get off the car.

"Freatch!" I turnaround when Thea called me.

I waive my hand and smile at her, she's with tita Marielle her mother. Tita Marielle is beautiful and an exact photocopy of Thea, with her green eyes, pointed nose, small lips, a heart shaped face and an auburn curly hair that is just few inches away from her shoulder.

"Tita, magandang umaga po." I politely greet her.

"Freatch congrats." masayang bati sakin ni Thea.

"Congrats din." ganti ko naman.

"Asan na si Dorothy?" luminga naman kami sa paligid para hanapin siya, hindi kasi nahuhuli yung babaeng yun.

"Ayon oh." turo ni Thea kay Dorothy kasama ni tita Zela.

"Dorothy." tawag ni Thea kay Dorothy, kasabay ng kaway nito.

Kumaway naman ito pabalik, pero mabining lumakad.

"Grabe ang babae mo talagang tingnan." puna ni Thea ng makarating sa harap namin si Dorothy kasama ni tita Zela.

Hinampas ko naman siya sa balikat at pinanglakihan ng mata.

"Magandang umaga po, pasensya na po kayo sa babaeng to." hingi ko ng paumanhin kay tita.

Tumawa naman sila tita at mama,kaya nagtaka ako.

"Ayos lang yun Freatch, sanay na ako sa inyong dalawa ni Thea."malumanay na sabi ni tita Zela.

"Tara na, mukhang malapit na magsimula." yaya niya sa amin.

Parehas na parehas din ang ugali ni tita Zela at Dorothy pero mas kamukha ni Dorothy si tito.

Naghanap na kami ng upuan, pero dahil BABAE nga kami nasa hulihan kami, kahit na sabihing nangunguna kaming tatlo sa klase.

Over all the three of us is the only girls who attended the graduation rights, because we have honors and mostly are our guy classmates. It's the rule that if a boy or guy will graduate his father will assist him but if it's a girl even if she is on top of her class her mother will always escort her.

Every year Thea, Dorothy and I would ramp on the stage to get our awards, a lot of awards and medals but our fathers never come, not even the courtesy of showing up, a greating or just a thumbs up,not a single thing.

It sadden me, and those actions of my father are always my waking point of why things are like this, of how I understand our society. That fathers never care for their daughters, that we're just trashes, dirt and curse.

I could always see the difference of his treatment between me and my brothers, because every time I race with them, they always win even before it starts and no matter what effort I do he will never see it.

Kumain lang kami sa labas kasama nila tita at umuwi din pagkatapos, wala si papa at ang mga kapatid ko sa bahay dahil may mga lakad sila, it did not bother me lagi naman kasing ganito.

I let time pass as I read the book that I get secretly for kuya's room.

Malapit na akong matapos pero kanina pa ako nagbabasa at wala pa ding pumapasok sa utak ko. I hate this, it always affects me kapag hindi napapansin ni papa ang mga ginagawa ko.

I immediately close the book that I am reading and go at the back of our house. I went directly to the woods and follow the trail.

And stop infront of that big tree and incircle it looking for an important button.

Found it, I said to my self while smiling brightly and push a particular button.

I then heard a small cracks, so I look up and see a ladder slowly descending.

I smile more, it really amaze me every time Thea make this kind of things, I don't know how she thinks of this things but they are like magic.

I started climbing as it touches the ground, it is also stable so I don't feel nervous and I also trust Thea in this kind of things.

When I reach the top, I then push another button so the ladder would ascend on its own.

It's a tree house, we build this when we were much younger but everything is mostly Thea's work we just help her.

Credits to the owner they say.

I know they are not here because I'm too early, we are supposed meet here in the afternoon and celebrate.

I open the door and enter, our spacious kitchen welcome me, and on the left is our room with a comfort room inside. We work this tree house for 4 years with alot of addition and subtraction. Our mothers just help us with the money and materials that is needed but every work was ours.

Dorothy help with measuring the house, while Thea design it, I just help with cutting, hammering and reach out things.

We are similar in many things, because if I secretly get my brothers book, Thea is doing the same thing on his father and brother to read books that is related on engineering while Dorothy is borrowing books from our library, it's just that librarian do not want to lend her.

I then go inside our room and spread our foam. I feel like I need a sleep early this morning.

"Hoy, bangon na jan."

Tinapik ko naman yung kamay na yumuyugyog sa akin.

"Lah girl bangon."

"Tss." naiinis kong sabi

Kaasar naman ang sarap ng tulog ko.

"Oh?" padabog kong tanong at umupo na pero hindi pa din nagmumulat ng mata.

"Luh sama ng loob girl. Umayos ka, ako ng buhat ng mga pagkain mo."

Nagmulat naman ako ng mata at nakita ang mukha ni Thea.

Napangiti tuloy ako ng wala sa oras, para siyang iwan, nilakihan niya pa ako ng mata bago lumabas ng kwarto.

"Ano, tinarayan ka ni madam?" tanong ni Dorothy galing sa labas ng kwarto.

Bumangon na ako at niligpit ang higaan ko bago nagtoothbrush at naghilamos.

"Anong dala niyo?" tanong ko agad ng makalabas ako sa kwarto.

"Gising kana?" naniniguradong tanong sakin ni Dorothy.

Maldita kasi talaga ako kapag ginigising ako mula sa pagkakatulog at kadalasan may 5 or 10 minutes tulala moment ako pagbagong gising ako.

Tumango naman ako bago lumapit sa mesa.

"Ang dami ah."

"Talaga, madami kasing niluto si tita bawi na lang daw kasi inunahan mo kami." tampo pa din ni Thea.

Tiningnan ko naman siya bago si Dorothy, nakangisi lang si Dorothy at tinitingnan din kaming dalawa ni Thea.

Bigla ko namang niyakap si Thea at hinalikan sa pisnge.

"Yei thank you friend, love mo talaga ako. "at hinigpitan ko pa ang yakap ko samantalang kinakalas niya naman ang yakap ko.

"Ew, yak wag mo akong halikan." punas niya sa pisnge ng paulit-ulit na parang virus yung halik ko.

Kinalas ko naman ang yakap ko at sabay na kaming tumawa ni Dorothy.

"Yak, Ew, Ew!"reklamo niya pa.

Maya-maya lang ay tatlo na kaming tumatawa na parang mga baliw.

Time passes as we laugh, joke and tell stories like we never meet for the past years.

As the sun set we all look at it from the window and let it slowly eat us, the time and be mesmerized, let alone the sun but also the different shades of the clouds.

The sky is marvelously beautiful as the sun goes down slowly and the light fades.

Nang lumubog ang araw ay nagkayayaan na kaming umuwi. Paalis na kami ng tree house ng may marinig kaming sigaw.

"Tulong!"

Tumahik naman kami para marinig ng maayos.

"Tulong!"

"Tulong!"

"Narinig niyo?" tanong sa amin ni Thea, tumango naman kami.

"Maghiwalay tayo tapos sipol na lang para marinig nating tatlo." suhestiyon ko at pumayag naman sila.

Naghiwa-hiwalay kami para hanapin yung humihingi ng tulong. I know it's creepy because a lot of people is saying that in this part of the woods their are alot of ghost but I'm not really scared of them because I never has an encounter maybe this is the first one.

I scan everywhere and lighting my surrounding by moving my flashlight.

"Hello, is there anyone there?" I ask.

I'm getting scared.

"Hello?" I ask again as I clear some thugs and branches on my way.

Few footstep and i am in an open place. It is the Malambunga river.

I then scan the place looking if there is somebody here.

"Hello."

"T-ulong."

Nagulat pa ako ng biglang may magsalita, pinailawan ko naman ang paligid ko at siniguradong maaaninag ako kong sino man ang nasa malayo.

A body? I ask myself.

I slowly come close and look at it, I draw a stick to make sure and there I see her face.

Sumipol agad ako ng malakas at paulit-ulit.

"Ate?"

"Ate?" paulit-ulit kong tanong habang niyuyogyog yung katawan, baka kasi gising pa siya nagsasalita naman siya kanina.

Wala pang limang minuto ay nakita ko nang palapit sila Dorothy at Thea, pawis na pawis at hinihingal.

"Ya-nn na bahh?" tanong ni Thea ng makalapit at pinupunasan pa ang sarili tumango naman ako.

"Buhatin na lang natin siya papuntang tree house." salita naman ni Dorothy at umayon din kami.

Gabi na din kasi at siguradong hinahanap na ako ni mama.

When Dorothy and Thea recovered from there run we started carrying the girl up to the tree house,after that we just leave and go home.

Sa likod ako dumaan para walang makahalata, dahan-dahan akong naglakad ng tahimik.

"We are you going Freatch?" my father's voice echoed all over the house.

Amat-Amat naman akong lumabas, kumakain palang pala sila. Lumapit naman ako sa kabesera at hinila ang upuan ako.

Uupo na sana ako ng magsalita ulit si papa.

"Where did you go?" madiin niyang tanong.

Lumunok naman ako dahil sa takot, tahimik din si mama at awang-awa akong tiningnan.

Yumuko lang ako.

"Sa gubat po."

"And what did you do there?"

"Na...masyal lang po."

"Really?" he ask mockingly with a mischievous smile.

"Inutil kaba talaga? At wala kana ngang magawang maganda magpapasakit kapa ng ulo."

Lumunok lang ako sa sinabi niya, pero hindi kuna naulit ng pangalawang beses dahil masakit na ang lalamunan at mga mata ko.

Wag kang umiyak, wag kang iiyak.

Yan ang paulit-ulit na sinasabi ko sa sarili ko.

I then heard a slap and it happen multiple times, malakas at malutong yun. Pinikit ko lang ang mata ko ng mariin.

I know what is happening at ayaw kong makita yun dahil aminado akong may kasalanan ako at kasalanan ko.

"Hindi ba sinabi kuna sayo na lahat ng kalokohan mo, nanay mo ang sasalo." he said with conviction and from there and then I want to punch my face.

"Umakyat kana dahil hindi ka kakain ngayon gabi."

Ginuyod ko naman palabas ang upuan ko at handa ng umalis ng magsalita ulit si papa.

"Manang Karla simula ngayong gabi hindi kakain ang ma'am mo ng tatlong araw." dad said and I didn't take it.

Mabilis akong umakyat at pumasok ng kwarto ko at nagkulong sa comfort room ko para umiyak.

Naiinis ako sa sarili ko kasi wala namang ginagawa si mama pero lagi siyang napaparusahan dahil sa mga ginagawa ko. I said to myself while punching different parts of my body.

Napakabobo ko.

Arghhhh!

I pinch my arms and legs hard enough, it would look violet but I didn't care.

Gusto ko lang gantihan ang sarili ko sa katangahan ko.

My wrath and crys becomes my reason to fall asleep, and wake up in the same position I'm in.

As I wake up everything sink in again and got me senseless for an hour.