CHAPTER TWO
1374 Words
“Welcome back, Miss Santillan. “’Glad to have finally met you,” may fondness na bati ng lalaking nasa edad trenta while offering his hand to her.
He was the detective she hired almost a year ago to find her father. Hindi pa sila nagkikita nang personal at sa pamamagitan lamang ng telepono, e-mail or Skype lamang sila nagkakausap.
Ini-refer ito sa kanya ng isang kaibigang Fil-Am sa States nang minsan niyang mabanggit ang pagnanais na ipagpatuloy ang paghahanap sa kanyang ama na huli niyang nakita noong siya’y walong taong gulang.
“And I didn’t expect him to look better in person,” bigla’y nabulong niya sa isip.
The guy was lavishly endowed with good looks. Not the conventional handsome, but he has the all-male-look, enough to please most women.
“’Nice to meet you too, Detective Andy Escudero.” She welcomed his hand with a smile. “And please, drop the formality and call me Emerald.”
Nagkita ang dalawa sa isang resto grill sa baba ng hotel sa Ortigas kung saan nakacheck-in sina Emerald at anak nito kasama ang Indonesian maid, who’s been with her since she had her daughter Katie.
Um-order muna sila ng pagkain bago dumako sa mga impormasyong ibibigay ng binata tungkol sa kanyang ama.
Andy pulled a brown envelope from his side. Naglalaman iyon ng mga papeles at ilang larawan.
Unang nadako ang kanyang mga mata sa larawang nakalakip roon.
Ilang sandali niyang pinagmasdan iyon.
She almost didn’t blink while looking at the old man in the photo.
Then there, a pair of tears slid from her warm brown eyes.
Her dad must be sixty-five by now.
Ibinalik niya ang mga nananabik na mata sa binata. “I waited long for this, Andy. Akala ko ‘di ko na makikita si Daddy. It’s been twenty years…” she recounted “And I can’t wait to see him.”
“He’s based in the province of Zambales, about four to five hours drive from Manila, where he and his second wife run their own small hospital,” simula ng detective.
Ayon rito, isang doktor din ang pangalawang asawa ng daddy niya. Nagkakilala ang dalawa sa Australia dalawang taon matapos lisanin ng ama ang Amerika at iwan silang mag-ina.
Her dad worked there for fourteen years.
Habang nagpapatuloy si Andy ay nasorpresa siya nang malamang meron siyang dalawang kapatid mula sa pangalawang asawa nito. Ang panganay ay nagngangalang Celine at kasalukuyang kumukuha ng pre-med course sa Maynila. Samantalang ang bunso ay nasa ikalawang taon sa sekondarya. He referred to him as Paolo.
“The good news is, I’ve requested an appointment with him tomorrow at five in the afternoon,” masayang pagbibigay-alam ng kaharap.
Napaangat siya ng tingin dito, pondering if his words were real.
He continued, “I told him I’m interested in buying his coconut farm in Legazpi, which he inherited from his maternal grandmother.”
“Oh, Andy!” she exclaimed in a triumphant voice. “Thank you…”
He smiled, “I’ll pick you up at 3:00pm tomorrow.”
Hindi pa rin siya makapaniwala na makikita na niya sa wakas ang ama. “I’ll be ready by then.”
Excitement started to explode in her.
Matapos ang pag-uusap nila ng lalaki ay sabik siyang bumalik sa suite na inu-okupahan nila. She just can’t wait to tell Katie the good news.
“Good morning sweetie!” masayang bati niya sa anak saka lumapit at humalik dito. Sunod rin niyang binati ang katiwalang si Rowan.
“Where did you go Mom?” The seven-year old girl asked in a very frail voice. Nakangiting tinitigan niya si Katie habang marahang inaayos ang medyo nakaangat na dulo ng telang nasa ulo nito.
“You’ll finally meet your grandpa tomorrow,” masayang pagbabalita niya rito.
Umaliwalas ang mukha ng bata sa kabila ng mahinang katawan nito.
“Wow! I told you, God hears our prayer, Mom.”
Emerald just smiled, pulling her closer, then kissed her head.
“I’m happy for you, Emerald,” sabad ni Rowan habang nakangiting nakatunghay sa kanilang mag-ina.
Sinuklian niya ito ng ngiti. “Thank you.”
“Should I prepare you breakfast yet?” tanong ng babae. “Katie is almost finished.”
Umiling siya. “No, I’m full. I just had breakfast with the detective down at the cafeteria. Just bring over Katie’s medicines, please.”
Tulad ng nakagawian niya, siya ang nagpapainom kay Katie ng mga gamot nito.
Hindi nawala ang kaba at excitement kay Emerald hanggang gabi. Kung pwede lang hilain ang oras ay gagawin niya.
She’s fathoming what’s going to happen the moment she meets her dad tomorrow.
Pinakiramdaman niya ang sarili kung meron konting galit sa dibdib niya, after all those years that he didn’t try to find her
.
Gradually, memories began to flood back.
Few minutes after her dad read her a bedtime story, and just when she’s about to fall asleep, she heard them fighting again. Like usual, her mom has the louder voice.
Same old reason, she came home late along with a man who just dropped her off the gate and left.
“It could be the same guy she saw two nights before,” she thought.
Her dad never told her about their fights. Though she tried to ask once, twice if she could recall. But he would only tell her, “It’s nothing, your mom just came from work tired, and that it’s my fault to have confronted her.”
She was just eight but she knew he was lying.
Until one day, while they two were having a picnic on one of those weekends, she asked why her mom sometimes comes home drunk. Adding that not just once did she see her arrive with another man.
Her dad was abruptly taken aback. The barbecue from his hand almost fell on his plate while he met her eyes, realizing what she just said.
“How many times did you see that?” he asked in distraught.
“Several times,” she recalled answering him in her innocence.
Her dad was speechless for moments.
“But how? I-I mean I always make sure you’re already sleeping before she comes home.”
Emerald can see anguish over his face. Naalala niyang bago ang kanyang pagsagot sa tanong nito ay bigla na lang siyang napaluha.
“I miss Mom, Dad,” she shuddered. “We live in the same house but I don’t get to see or talk to her often. That’s why sometimes, I try to stay awake till she arrives home just to see her,” she answered in between sobs.
Silence.
Her dad reached for her and embraced her tightly. At first, there’s nothing he could say but ‘sorry’.
“I’m sorry you have to experience this, honey,” he uttered, kissing her gently on her head. “But don’t worry, I’ll talk to your mom and I promise, we’ll make it up to you.”
Her dad was good at making promises.
But that promise he made never happened. It was him who made a lot of efforts to keep their family intact, but he would always fail.
Sa tuwing magpaplano ito ng out of town para sa kanilang tatlo’y laging may dahilan ang mommy niya para hindi makasama. Kesyo busy ito sa casino na pinagtatrabahuan o kaya ay may lakad kasama ng mga kaibigan.
Many times she wondered if her mom cares for her. She seldom spends time with her at masuwerte na kung ilabas siya nito isang beses sa loob ng isang buwan. Ngunit sa mga gano’ng pagkakataon laging hindi kasama ang ama.
Hindi rin iilang beses na nais niyang pilitin ang ina na sumama ang daddy niya, ngunit tuwina’y bigo siyang kumbinsihin ito. Her mom was strict at bawat sabihin nito’y kailangan niyang sundin.
Siguro’y akala nito ay kontento na siya sa sandaling panahong inilalaan nito sa kanya. Yes, they go out sometimes and she gets to shop with her everything she wants. But not even once did she ask if she was happy or enjoying. Because for her it’s always incomplete without her father.
Buti pa ang ama, kahit subsob ito sa trabaho bilang isang doktor sa isang hospice ay lagi ito may oras sa kanya.
- Writer
