Baby, youre mine

chapter 16

"My grandpa will beat me if he finds out about

how I let you treat me like this," patuloy ng binata sa

pagsesentimyento.

Bigla siyang may naalala. "Hindi mo pa sinasabi sa akin

kung ano'ng naging kasalanan mo sa lolo mo." Kaya hindi

niya naitanong noong una ay dahil gusto niyang ang binata

mismo ang magbukas ng paksa tungkol doon. Kaya lang ay

na-curious na siya.

Halatang natigilan si Rick at nang makabawi ay

bahagyang ngumiti. "I will tell you later. Handa na ang

dinner.... Tara na. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me how you two met."

Tumingin si Lindy kay Rick na katabi niya sa mahabang

dinner table. Si Don Marcelo ang nakaupo sa kabisera.

Napag-usapan na nila ng binata ang tungkol sa basic

and plot ng "love story" nila kung sakaling mag-usisa ang don.

Ang sabi ni Rick ay ito na ang bahalang magkuwento ng

mga detalye kung sakaling hingin ng matanda ang mga iyon.

"I've already told you about how we met, ,Grandpa" sabi

ni Rick. And you know it's not like in the movies. We were

just two new neighbors who eventually started to like each

other: We dated and fell in love. Gano'n lang"

Ngumiti na lang si Lindy. Halatang hindi pa nai-in love si

Rick. Wala kasing maisip na romantic love story ang binata,

kaya isang simpleng "boy meets girl, they fall in love, the

end" lang ang istoryang hinabi nito. Kung siya siguro ang

gumawa ng kuwento ay baka nai-apply niya ang kanyang

nababasa sa romance novels at with feelings ang kanyang

pagkukuwento dahil naranasan na niya ang ma-in love

"How boring" komento ng don na ngumiti pagkatapos

sabihin iyon. "My late wife and I had a very romantic love story.

Biglang nagkainteres si Lindy sa sinabi ng matanda kaya

hindi niya napigilang mag-react. "Talaga po?"

"Yes" tila nasisiyahang sabi ng don.

"Can you tell us the story?" curious na tanong ni Lindy.

Napuna niyang umasim ang mukha ni Rick.

"Come on. I've heard that story a million times already

tila pagrereklamo ng binata.

Palagay ni Lindy ay naaalibadbaran ang binata sa

usaping-pag-ibig.

"Your wife wants to hear it" wika ng don. Tumikhim

pa ito bago nagsimulang magkuwento sa kanya. "My wife

Veronica was a waitress in a five-star hotel restaurant in

Rome when I met her. She was very beautiful and I fell in

love with her the moment our fingers accidentally touched

when she served me a glass of water. But... I was engaged

that time to a woman my parents wanted me to marry.

It was a political marriage. Hindi ko kayang biguin ang

parents ko because I was an obedient son. Nevertheless,

that didn't keep me from dreaming about that girl in the

restaurant.

"Kaya para makita ko siya, palagi akong pumupunta sa

Rome kahit wala naman akong pinupuntahan doon. Palagi

akong kumakain sa restaurant ng hotel. I never made a

move because that would be unfair for the girl because, I was engaged, but I knew she had feelings for me, too. Then

one time, while I was walking in the streets of Rome, I saw

her standing in front of the famous Fontana de Trevi. I saw

her toss a coin in the fountain, closed her eyes and uttered

a wish. Immediately that moment, while staring at her, I

told myself I couldn't just let her go.

"Nilapitan ko siya. At doon na nagsimula ang lahat.

I broke off from my engagement and made Veronica

my girlfriend, even at first my parents were against our

relationship. One year later, we got married. On the day she

gave birth to our first child, sinabi niya sa akin kung ano

ang hiniling niya sa Trevi Fountain. And you know what

She said? Her exact words were 'I wished for you. I wished

for your love. And it came true! She cried upon saying that

because she was in guilt. She thought the fountain had cast

spell on me. Inisip niya na kaya ko siya minahal ay dahil sa

kagagawan iyon ng fountain. Ang sabi ko sa kanya, minahal

ko na siya noon pa mang una ko siyang makita. She didn't

believe me because she said there was no such thing as 'love

at first sight.' Hanggang sa mawala siya thirty-three years

ago, hindi pa rin siya naniwala na minahal ko talaga siya

simula pa noong una ko siyang nakita."

Bumuntong-hininga ang don. "Well, if there is really

no love at first sight. Then maybe we can put it this way:

the heart knows whom it will love soon. My heart probably

knew that I would love Veronica soon the moment I saw her.

It's like a presentiment or something. Still, I don't think it's

the fountain that made me fall in love with her. We were

destined to be together. She died still believing that it was

the fountain that did the magic between us. Hindi ko siya

pinalitan sa puso ko kahit wala na siya para patunayan na

walang kinalaman ang fountain sa pag-iibigan namin. And

probably by now, wherever she is, I know she believes me

now."

Napuna na lang ni Lindy na nakatitig na sa kanya ang

maglolo. Saka lamang niya na-realize na lumuluha na siya

nang abutin ni Rick ng table napkin ang pisngi niya. Kaagad

niyang hinila ang napkin mula sa kamay ng binata at mabilis

na pinunasan ang mga luha.

"Sorry. Na-touch lang po ako.

"Sorry. Na-touch lang po ako. That was a wonderful

love story."

Masyado siyang na-move sa love story nina Don Marcelo

at Doña Veronica. Para siyang nakinig ng isang romance

novel. She had wished to have a love story as romantic and

magical as that. Too bad she never had something like that.

Instead, she ended up alone.

Rick let out an amused laugh. "My wife has been

excessively emotional since she got pregnant," wika ng

binata sa lolo nito. "You know, that's only hormones. So

she's not actually jealous that we do not have a love story

as sappy as yours."

Tumawa ang don sa sinabi ng apo.

Nakita ni Lindy ang pagbaling sa kanya ni Rick at

hinaplos siya sa pisngi. "But, babe, even though we do not

have a love story as mushy as that, you know that I love you

so much. And that is all that matters, right?"

Parang gusto niyang itulak ang mukha ng binata kung

wala lang doon ang lolo nito. He was only adding insult to

injury by saying lies like that.