TAMED SERIES 3: RAFAEL AVILA

Kabanata 20

Rafael

Bitbit ang bote ng alak ay naupo ako sa swing na nasa porch ng beach house na ipinagagamit ni Azul. I applied at his resort as a lifeguard after I got bored at Steel's home in Sagada.

No, I refused to be fed for free. Kahit ayaw pumayag ni Steel noong una ay naging personal driver niya ako. Ganoon din sa resort ni Azul. I insisted on taking any job he could offer in Bayou so here I am, taking a rest after a whole day of work.

Inilabas ko ang phone ko't kaagad na hinanap ang page na madalas magbahagi ng mga bagong balita tungkol kay Caya. I heard she's done filming her comeback movie. Maraming natuwa sa love team nila ni David Roberto. Some even commented that they would make cute babies.

I scoffed after reading the comment. Natungga ko rin ang bote saka ko bahagyang iginalaw ang swing.

"Cute babies my ass," I murmured to myself before I scrolled more so I can save Caya's solo photos.

How long as it been? Six months? A couple more? I lost count already, but up until now, the memory of our last meeting still lingers in my head as if it just happened yesterday.

Malinaw sa isip ko kung paano gumuhit ang takot sa mga mata niya noong napagtaasan ko siya ng boses. I felt so embarrassed and guilty after realizing what I have done. Natakot akong maulit ko iyon, na mapaiiyak ko siya nang gano'n.

I wanted to apologize to her before we leave the cruise ship but I knocked on her door for nearly five minutes and she didn't open it. Naisip kong baka sumama ang loob niya sa akin nang husto. Na baka ayaw na niya akong makita kaya umalis ako ng barkong mabigat ang dibdib ko.

Kahit naman siguro ako ang nasa pwesto niya ay matatakot din ako. She must've assumed that I can be abusive or will keep raising my voice at her if we will end up together. Ang sakit isiping posibleng iyon nga ang naging tingin niya sa akin, pero wala naman akong magagawa.

What I did is wrong, and I regret it so much but sorry doesn't erase painful memories so now all I can do is be contented with the news I see about her. Admire her from a far without me causing her to feel unsafe.

I lifted the oval-shaped monogram pendant I'm wearing to peck a kiss on it. It's a white gold necklace that has a similar meaning to the name I requested for the pendant. Even the shape I chose screams the meaning behind my necklace. It's a silent confession. A message I knew only my heart could tell with its every beat.

"Rafael!" sigaw ni Nica. Isa sa mga katrabaho ko sa Blue Bayou.

"Yeah?"

"Tawag tayo ni Sir Azul! Lahat daw!" aniya.

Ibinaba ko ang bote ng alak saka tumayo. I hid my necklace inside my black shirt then walked towards her. Inipit niya ang ilang hibla ng buhok niya sa likod ng tainga saka ako sinabayang maglakad.

"Uhm, Rafael nagsi-set up na ang perya diyan sa may plaza. Baka gusto mong pumunta mamayang gabi? Libre ako," she said while we're walking towards the main house where Azul stays.

"May gagawin pa ako mamaya. Maybe some other time," I replied before I looked around, still not getting tired of the great view of the place.

Bayou isn't a typical resort. Instead of hotel rooms, they have several beach houses with different themes and sizes that can accommodate small and large group of people. May Bali-inspired air-conditioned cabins din na sakto lang sa hanggang dalawa. Kung ayaw ng cabins o beach house ay may camping tents na naka-set up na para sa guests na nagtitipid.

The place is large enough with several pine trees lining up from the middle part of the resort leading to the beach front entrance. Sa pinaka-beach front ay nakahilera ang nipa huts at sunloungers malapit sa area ng surf board rentals.

Azul made me stay in one of the beach houses that's nearest to the beach front. Palibhasa alam niyang mahilig akong mag-bonfire sa tabing dagat kapag gabi. Kahit mag-isa ko lang ay ayos lamang sa akin. Mas gusto ko pa nga iyon nang malaya akong makapag-isip.

We reached the main house where most of the employees are already gathered. Sumandal ako sa poste at itiniklop ang mga braso ko sa harap ng dibdib. Azul was sitting on a table, talking to someone over the phone. Nang maputol ang tawag ay inilapag niya ang mamahaling phone saka kami pinasadahan ng tingin.

"Alright, we've got guests who will arrive tonight. Biglaan and they need the place for an upcoming bridal party. They are quite known so I need to make sure they wouldn't be overwhelmed by fans while they're in Bayou," panimula niya.

Sa dalawang buwan ko rito mula noong umalis ako ng Sagada ay ilang kilalang personalidad na rin ang na-accommodate ng lugar. Hindi na ako nagulat dahil fashion vlogger ang asawa ni Azul. Kapatid din ni Crude Andrade si Zaskia kaya given na iyong marami silang kilalang sikat. After all, Bayou is a really nice and cozy place. Hindi naman sila mapapahiya.

"Sino, Sir?" tanong ng isa sa mga tauhan.

Wala naman sana akong interes sa guests kung hindi lang nagtanong ang isa sa mga tauhan. Although Azul and my other friends are clueless about what happened between me and Caya during the cruise, a part of me felt jittery the moment I heard what Azul had answered to the staff.

"Crude's friends. David, Caya, Ginny, Mariz, Astrid and a few more so I expect the security team to be alert while they're here."

My heart pounced. Caya is . . . coming here?

"Rafael, did you hear what I said?" tanong ni Azul nang mag-space out na ako nang tuluyan.

Napahugot ako ng hininga. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you're willing to be on duty tonight. Gusto raw mag-night swimming ng grupo pagkarating pa lang," he said.

Lumunok ako't tumango. "Yeah, sure. W-Walang problema."

"Thanks, mate." He checked his phone after receiving a chat. "Alright, let's go welcome our guests."

Naghalo ang kaba at pananabik kong makita si Caya. Humalo ako sa ibang tauhan nang maglakad kami patungo ng front desk para roon hintayin ang parating na mga guest. Hindi naman nagtagal ay pumarada sa parking lot ang isang itim na van na sinundan ng isang mamahaling sasakyan.

The guy named David Roberto went out of the gray-colored BMW. Naglakad siya patungo sa shotgun seat para buksan ang pinto roon, at nang makita ko ang babaeng naka-peach sleeveless dress, pakiramdam ko ay muntik nang mabasag ang dibdib ko sa lakas ng naging kabog ng aking puso.

Caya . . .