Kabanata IV
1376 Words
"Bagong client ni Bossing?"
"Huh? Parang hindi naman. Mukhang si Bossing ang client. Nurse ata to'.
"Hindi naman baliw si Bossing."
"May point ka pero sino na naman to'? At bakit dinala sa hideout?"
"Malay ko ba. Inutusan lang tayo bantayan siya baka raw tumakas. May lahing Manny Pacquiao raw."
"Huh?"
"Aish! Wag kang maingay kapag magising yan, lagot tayo pareho. Bilin pa naman ni Andreas, dapat gigising lang daw to' kapag nandito na si Bossing."
"Nasaan ba kase si Bossing?"
"Saan pa ba? Sa Condo niya, may tinira. Yung bagong Model ng Vogue Philippines."
Nagising ako sa mga boses na yun. Napakurap-kurap ako dahil masyadong madilim. Pero kahit anong gawin ko ay madilim pa rin. Kumunot ang noo ko, at biglang napakagat ng labi mapagtantong may nakatakip sa ulo ko. Gusto ko sanang kumilos pero napahinto maramdaman ang bakal sa mga kamay kong nasa likuran ko na pala. Kahit yung paa ko ay meron, and not only that, may tali rin sa bewang ko.
They chained me?! Ba't ang dami naman? Ba't whole body ko na ata tinalian nila? Do I look like a big man?!
I can't accept this.
Inhale. Exhale. Dahil sa ginawa ko may naamoy akong masarap na pagkain, and that's the signal upang kumulo ang tiyan ko.
Napahinto sa pagtawa ang dalawa kung saan binabackstab nila ang kanilang sariling Boss. Not loyal dogs!
"Hoy, gutom na ang prinsesa. Ano gagawin natin?"
"Di naman sinabi ni Andreas na papakainin natin yan. Bantay lang. Bantay!"
"Sabagay. 2 points ka sa akin."
Umikot ang mga mata ko run. They are all crazy. Inamoy ko ang paligid. Even yung nakatakip sa ulo ko ay mabango rin tapos yung paligid din. Nasa bodega ba talaga ako? Parang hindi naman.
Hindi amoy bodega eh. Walang amoy patay na daga, malansa, o ano pa dyan. But, I don't like the smell. Why vanilla? Marami pa namang iba dyan.
But wait, anong oras na ba? Gabi na ba? O baka ilang days na ako rito. No way!
"Ahm, excuse me," Narinig kong may tila nabilaukan sa biglaan kong pagsalita. Di ko pinansin dahil mas mahalaga ang problema ko.
"Ilang days na ako rito? Or maybe, one day lang naman diba?" Nag-alala kong tanong pero wala akong nakuhang sagot.
Narinig ko lang ang pag-ubo at sunod-sunod na hampas.
"I'm just worried kase baka nag-alala na ang tita ko. Baka nagalit na yun o baka pinapahanap na ako sa buong Luzon." Pagpatuloy ko pa habang inaalala ang mukha ng tita ko kapag wala pa ako sa bahay o lampas na ako sa curfew.
Hindi tatalab kay tita ang nasa legal-legal age na yan sa kanya. Walang legal-legal age pagdating kay Tita dahil strikta na talaga siya since birth.
"Ahm, hello? Nandyan pa rin ba kayo? Can you here me?"
"P-ta! Sh-t! Akala ko katapusan ko na. Ang panget naman sa lapida kung binalaukan ang rason sa pagkamatay ko!"
"Di pala bala ang papatay sayo."
Nanlaki ang mga mata at tila statuwa akong nakaupo sa silya marinig ang salitang....bala. You mean, you mean....
"Are you going to kill me?" Nagpanic na ako sa loob-loob ko.
Narinig ko ang isa sa kanila na humagalpak ng tawa.
"Pu-ta, bro! Nagsalita nga siya. HAHAHA!"
"Tangina, syempre! May bibig! Sh-t, mam-tay na ata ako," sagot ng isa, habang patuloy ang pag-ubo niya.
Di ko sila pinansin.
"So... so... you're going to shoot me?"
"Depende."
"DEPENDE?! DEPENDE SAAN?!"
Narinig ko ang isa pang tawa, at naramdaman kong may lumapit sa akin. Napapikit ako kahit wala naman akong makita dahil sa takip sa ulo ko.
"Depende kung mabait ka."
Hah? Mabait? But I'm half d-monyita. Bakit ako kailangang maging mabait sa mga K-DNAPPER?! They are bad guys!
"Can you just answer my question? And stop laughing, please." Halos mapairap ako.
Ang sakit sa tenga yung paraan ng pagtawa niya.
"Ay! Demanding pala to'."
Napakagat ako ng labi. I'm famished. Gusto ko ng adobong manok at kanin but how? I'm kidnapped tapos nakatali pa.
Why I'm here? Anong kailangan nila sa akin? I'm student, not wealthy rich kid.
"Come on, boys. Sagutin niyo na lang kaya? It’s just a simple question. Wala namang mawawala sa inyo." I said, a little more annoyed this time.
I was really starting to lose my patience. Who wouldn’t be? I couldn’t see anything. My skin was itching like crazy—I have sensitive skin, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it's already red and irritated. And my skincare products? Mahal ‘yon! I don’t have the budget to buy new ones.
"Wag ka na lang magsalita," one of them snapped. "Maganda ka, sure, pero hindi ka type ni Bossing. Medyo morena ka kasi."
My brow shot up. And so what if I’m morena? That’s not an insult. And me? Not his type? Like I care.
"Medyo matangkad ka rin, pero sorry na lang, hindi talaga type ni Boss."
I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I felt a bit relieved. Maybe that means they won’t kill me. Sana nga.
They continued their useless conversation until I heard the door open—and then close. I straightened up in my seat.
Who was that? Another one of them? What’s he planning to do? Oh no. T-rture?!
Before I could panic out loud, I felt someone stop right in front of me. I held my breath, bracing myself. My heart thudded in my chest. Hinihintay ang gagawin niya. Kinabahan ako lalo when ilang minuto itong nakatayo sa harap ko. The two guys na maingay kanina ay tahimik na.
And the air? Heavy. Intimidating. It gave me goosebumps.
Who is this? The boss?
My lips parted when I felt him touch my head. Damn it! I forgot to move when he gripped the fabric covering my face.
Pagtanggal ng takip ay bumungad sa akin ang nakadikwartong lalaki sa haparan ko. Hindi klaro ang mukha dahil nasa madilim na bahagi ito nakaupo pero malinaw sa mga mata kong naninigarilyo ito. May smoke kase eh then may kaunting light pa rin galing sa bagay na nasa mesa.
Where are we? The place was still too dark to fully see. I couldn't even count how many people were around me.
Then he spoke.
"Clythie Santos."
Napaayos ako ng upo. Shocked.
"Not my complete name but how did you know my name?" Gulat na gulat kong tanong sa kanya. My focus was on the man in front of me.
May narinig akong napaubo sa tabi-tabi but I don't care about them. Sino ba sila?
"23 years old."
"Yes! I'm 23 years old." I answered cautiously.
"Studying at Trinity University of Asia — St. Luke’s College of Nursing."
"Ah huh! And I'm proud ." Nakangiti kong sagot.
"She's not crazy, right?" Rinig kong may bumulong.
The man in front of me ignored them.
"The one who broke my car," he said coldly, suddenly standing up.
I stared at him as he dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his shoe. Then he walked toward me.
He stopped right in front of me. He’s huge. Not a "boy," definitely a man.
I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes and get a better look at him. The light above him made it hard to see his face—conveniently positioned right behind his head like it was meant to keep him hidden.
Sinadya ba nila?
"A f-cking expensive sport car." he said again, his voice low—and hot. The way he spoke, that accent... What accent was that? European? Middle Eastern? I couldn’t tell.
But wait, did I hear him right?
"Ah... sports car?" I asked, utterly confused.
"Trying to forget?" His voice dropped, colder now.
"That’s not going to work on me."
Di ko siya pinansin. Instead, my thoughts drifted toward that so-called sports car. Oh my God, what is he even talking about? I can’t remember anything! With all the stress I’ve been juggling—our nursing majors, long quizzes, money problems, cheerleading duties, being a muse—who has the mental space to recall whatever nonsense he’s spewing?
Napakurap-kurap akong napatitig sa sahig.
May ninakaw ba akong sport car? Kailan? O baka si Noémie at ginamit name ko tapos nabintangan akong si Noémie? Right! Magkasama kami when they kidnapped me.
"Cut that f-cking crap!" he suddenly snapped.
- Writer
