Chasing Love

Two: An Answered Prayer?

"Isabella? Is that really you?" Chase looked as surprised as she was.

"Ikaw nga," ang hindi makapaniwalang bulalas ni Sab. "K-kailan ka pa umuwi?"

"How are you?" he asked, in chorus with her. "Oh, sorry," anito. "Go ahead, go ahead." Iminuwestra nito ang isang kamay, as if giving her a signal to go on talking first.

"Kailan ka pa umuwi ng Pilipinas?" she asked again.

Gosh, she felt so nervous. She could, in fact, feel her heart hammering against her chest at the moment. Her heartbeat was so loud that she wouldn't be surprised if he could already hear it. She was suddenly so excited and so nervous at the same time that she even stammered when she spoke.

Totoo ba ang lahat ng ito? Hindi ba siya nananaginip lamang?

"Just last month," sagot nito. “How are you?”

He looked excited, too. She knew it when he gets excited because his eyes would twinkle. Like now. He was also grinning from ear to ear. He was happy to see her, too, and that made her even more excited.

“I’m... I’m fine,” she stammered. “I-ikaw? H-how are you?”

God, ito na ba ang sagot sa matagal na niyang pinapanalangin? Talaga nga bang si Chase na ang nasa harapan niya ngayon? Was this for real? Hindi ba siya nananaginip?

"Uhm, excuse me po, pero sinong ihahatid ko sa inyo?" ang biglang sabat nung driver ng taxi.

Sabay silang napalingon ni Chase rito. For a moment ay nakalimutan niya kung nasaan sila. Kung 'di pa nagsalita ang driver ay 'di pa niya maaalalang nasa taxi nga pala sila ng mga oras na 'yon.

"Uhm... A-ano po..." nauutal niyang wika.

C’mon, Isabella, think. Mag-isip ka.

She wanted to make their conversation last longer. She didn't want it to end. Not yet. She just couldn’t send Chase away just like that. Definitely not this soon. How could she make him stay longer?

"Uhm, where are you going?" narinig niyang tanong ni Chase sa kanya.

Napabaling siya rito. And finding herself staring straight to his eyes made it even more difficult to think straight.

"Ha? Sa ano... sa bahay. M-may ano kasi... may kukunin lang ako," nagkandautal-utal niyang sagot dito. Say you wanted to come with me, please, she added in silence. Huwag ka munang umalis. We need to talk.

"I see,” anito, mukhang nag-iisip din. Iniisip din kaya nito kung papaano mapo-prolong ang pagkikita nilang ito? “Sayang naman,” he added. “I have to go the other way. I thought we can share a ride."

He hesitated for a while before he spoke again. "S-sige, you can have this cab. Hanap na lang akong ibang masasakyan."

"NO!" she immediately said in a high-pitched voice. Then, she realized na masyado yatang napalakas ang boses niya. Ayaw naman niyang magmukhang ganoon ka desperada. And so she tried to speak in more ‘natural’ tone after that.

"I mean... okay lang,” she added in a more ‘relaxed’ tone. “H-hindi naman ako nagmamadali. You can have this cab," she lied.

"No, it's okay, Sab. Ako na lang ang bababa," Chase insisted.

"No! O-okay lang talaga, p-promise. Ako na lang ang bababa," aniya.

Ang totoo'y ayaw niyang may bumaba sa kanilang dalawa. Gusto pa niya itong makasama. Ang dami pa niyang gustong sabihin dito. It had been three years, for Pete's sake! Three years na rin mula noong huli silang mag-usap. Three years na wala na siyang ibang ginawa kundi ang ipagdasal na sanay dumating ang pagkakataong ito, ang muli itong makita’t makausap. Ang dami-dami niyang gustong sabihin dito. Ang dami-dami.

"So sino po ba talaga?" wika ng tila naiinip ng taxi driver.

"Ako na po," they said in chorus.

Then Chase looked at her and reached for her hand. And the moment she felt his touch, she flinched. Para siyang nakuryente sa parteng hinawakan nito.

"Okay lang, Sab. You can have this cab. Ako na lang ang bababa," he said as he held her gaze while still holding her hand.

Hindi pa rin siya makapag-isip nang diretso. Naroon sa mga kamay niyang hawak-hawak nito, at sa mapupungay nitong mga matang nakatitig sa kanya, ang buo niyang atensiyon, making it very, very difficult to regain her reasoning. He let go of her hand. Noon siya tila nahimasmasan.

"O-okay lang talaga sa'yo?" aniya, just to prolong their conversation.

"Yes, of course," anito. "Bababa lang ako, Manong."

Nooooo! Naghuhumiyaw ang kanyang puso. Hindi maaari! You can't leave, Chase! You can't leave again! I've wanted to see you for the past three years, hindi ka puwedeng umalis! Not now! Not ever!

But those words remained in her thought. Ni isa sa mga salitang iyon ay walang lumabas sa kanyang bibig. Her lips remained sealed as she stared at him opening the door on his side.

Please, Chase, no! Don’t go. Please, she begged in silence.

Pero tila ayaw dinggin ang kanyang mga panalangin. She saw Chase finally setting a foot outside the cab. Halos maiyak na siya nang bigla itong muling bumaling sa kanya. Biglang umatras ang mga luha niya. Nabuhayan siya ng loob.

"Can I have your number?" tanong nito na tila may kislap sa mga mata.

"Number?" tila wala sa sariling sagot niya.

"Number. Contact number. Cell phone. Land line,” anito.

"Ah, yes! Number. Yes, of course," aniya.

Yes, of course! They could exchange numbers! Ba’t ‘di niya agad naisip yun? Puwede nga pala niyang hingin ang number nito. Hindi ganitong napa-praning siya sa kakaisip kung papaano ito pipigilang umalis.

Dumukot ito sa bulsa nito at saka naglabas ng cell phone at iniabot iyon sa kanya.

"Please save your number here. I’ll call you later,” anito.

"Y-yeah, sure!" Dali-dali niyang tinanggap ang cell phone mula sa kamay nito. It's the latest iPhone model. At sa nanginginig na kamay ay dali-dali niyang ni-input ang number niya roon.

“H-here." She handed the phone back to him, na agad naman nitong tinanggap.

And the moment that he took the phone from her, she felt his hand brushed against hers. At sa ikalawang pagkakataon ay nakaramdam siya nang mumunting boltahe ng kuryente mula sa parteng nasagi nito.

Oh, god. After all these years ganito pa rin pala kalakas ang epekto ni Chase sa kanya!

"So, papaano? I'll go ahead na," anito.

Marahan siyang tumango kahit ang totoo'y naghuhumiyaw pa rin ang kanyang puso. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet. Gusto pa niya itong titigan nang matagal. Gusto pa niya itong mahawakan, mayakap, mahalikan... Oh, if only he knew how much she missed him.

Pero wala na. Mukhang ayaw na talagang dinggin ang panalangin niya. Because she saw him finally stepped out of the car.

Ngunit bago nito tuluyang isinara ang pinto ng taxi ay muli itong yumuko upang magpantay ang kanilang mga ulo.

"I'll call you," he said as he did a ‘call me’ hand gesture.

Napanganga siya habang nakatitig sa mukha nito. Ni hindi niya makuhang sumagot o tumango man lang dito. The next thing she knew, he already slammed the door on her face. Then, he was gone. Just like that.

Everything happened so fast. She pinched herself right after as to make sure that she was not just dreaming. And she really was not.

Chase was really back!