The Bautista clan 8 : Adrian Vincent

Sixteen

Sixteen

Hindi alam ni Ginger kung ilang oras siyang nakatulog. Basta pagmulat niya, Adrian is sitting beside her. Napaisip siyang bigla kung nasaan na ang babae na nakausap niya.

"Where is she?" tanong niya sa lalaki

"Who?" Adrian asked, frowning.

"The woman. 'yong babaeng naghahanap sa' yo tapos ang sabi.. Bigyan ko siya ng apo! Nasaan na 'yon?"

"Relax sweetie. Bakit ka naman kasi nagbubukas ng pinto?"

Relax?! Okay ka lang??

"Hindi ko naisip' yan. Basta, nasaan na siya?"

Adrian stared at Ginger, he didn't saw her like this before. Naliligalig na ito sa paraang hindi niya alam dahil lang sa isang babae.

Hindi naman si ex 'yon. Naka alis na ng bansa e.

That is why he is so busy this past days dahil mas ginusto niyang palayasin dito sa Pilipinas ang ex niyang walang ginawa kundi takutin siya.

But for him, walang sino man ang basta na lang siyang takutin, he does blackmailing, then who the hell will do the same thing to him? —no one.

His clan will do the 'right' and everything will be alright.

"What did she say?" kunot noo niyang sambit.

Ginger slapped Adrian's arm "ano ka ba naman, hindi ka nakikinig e! Ang sabi niya bigyan ko daw siya ng Apo.. Apo— binigyan diin niya ang salitang 'apo' —Okay? Apo daw! Imagine that?" malalaking matang sambit nito.

Mom?!

Adrian knew her mother. She's doing things differently. She was like a detective that a 'simple' word does not exist.

Mahilig ito sa mga puzzles.

" Sweetheart, calm down. Can you describe her? I mean, her face. How does she look"

Ginger frowning habang tila tinititigan nito ang babae sa isipan "Beautiful. Short hair, matangos ang ilong. Tapos maputi saka ano— mataman siyang nag isip— maputi siya"

"Does she have mole on her upper lip?"

"Oo meron nga!"

"Does she smile a lot?"

Ginger nodded.

"Well sweetie, she's my mother" walang anumang sambit ni Adrian "She like you then" he added.

While Ginger's eyes widened "What?"

"Uh-uh. When she smiles a lot, probably she like the person. But when she doesn't and she looks so serious, it means she doesn't want to know that person"

"Ohh" Ginger just don't know how to react. She likes me??

"Ano bang sinabi sa'yo at nakatulog ka?"

"Gago ka ba? Nakatulog?! Nawalan ako ng malay shuta ka!" nakairap na sabi ng dalaga.

Adrian chuckled but when the words of Ginger sank in to his brain, he goes from chuckling to worrying real quick!

"What? Are you okay? Is there anything painful?" sabi nito sabay tingin or much more to say, inspecting Ginger from head to toe.

Ginger felt so good. But then, bad at the same time. Kung siguro kaya niyang ipaglaban ang feelings na meron siya, siguro wala nang mas sweet pa sa kanya.

She wish she can show him how much she care, how much she adore him, how much she loves him..

Yeah, she loves him..

All this time, she never really gets what feelings she have but she learned little by little that she's in love.

"wala naman. Parang nagising lang sa pagtulog" may bikig sa lalamunan niyang sinabi.

She cleared her throat then took the glass of water by her side saka uminom. Adrian just watching her

Hindi lang ito nagsasalita pero parang may gusto itong sabihin. Ginger waited for him to speak but she never got a chance to hear those words he wanted to say.

Just tell me to my face that you like me, susugal ako.

Sabihin mo lang na may puwang ako sa puso at isip mo, isusugal ko ang kalahati ng buhay ko.

Sabihin mo lang na may halaga ako aa buhay mo, I will learn to give up my life and just live in the world with you...

All the while she murmured to her self, talking and asking things impossible.

"Are you hungry sweetheart? What do you want to eat? I will cook for you" magiliw na sambit ng lalaki.

Ang nasa isip niya kasi, to enter a woman's heart is to feed her. The way to woman's heart is her stomach.

Kaya naman mas pinili niyang pakainin na lang ito kaysa makapag sabi pa siya ng laman ng damdamin niya.

Mahirap na, baka bumangon itong bigla at kumaripas ng takbo.

"Buttered shrimp with pasta please" Ginger said.

She doesn't know why she craved for that while she does not fond with pastas and butter.

Basta na lang niyang naisip iyon at naglaway pa ang bagang niya! "Damihan mo nang garlic please?" tila nagmakaawa pa siya na ikinatawa ng lalaki.

"Noted my queen" Adrian said saka tumayo at hinagkan sa noo ang babae saka lumabas ng kwarto.

Ipinikit ng dalaga ang mga mata habang ninanamnam nito ang katagang 'my queen'.

Ginger is still at KMN village, dahil nga nawalan siya ng malay kaninang tanghali.

And now, it's already 9 in the evening at hanggang ngayon, hindi pa din niya alam kung paano siya nakapasok sa kwarto " hindi naman siguro ako nag sleep walk" nakalabing saad niya

Napakunot noo siya nang maalala na naman ang sinabi ng ginang sa kanya.

It's like echoing to her ears that made her shiver and closed her eyes tightly like she don't wanna remember those words again!

"Paano naman ako? Mahal ko nga, mahal ba ako? Hindi naman pwede na magkaka anak ako na hindi ako mahal ng tatay ng anak ko no" naiiling na sambit niya.

She wants a happy family that this world didn't let her experienced.

Ayaw niyang magkaroon ng anak na mas malala pa ang mararanasan kaysa sa naranasan niya.

She prayed for a family.

A family that she'll call her own.

Adrian cooked then he went up to call Ginger pero nang makangalahati na sa magarang hagdan ng bahay niya, bumaba siya ulit saka inilagay sa malapad na tray ang mga niluto niya.

Nang matapos nitong ayusin ang mga pagkain, umakyat na siya ulit saka nagtaka ng walang Ginger na nakahiga.

He looked outside at doon niya nakita ang babae na nakapangalumbaba sa may glass wall ng terrace.

Ginger just having a night sight to Adrian's place. Maganda ang lugar na binagayan ngagandang bahay ng lalaki.

His terrace is like a city sight dahil tanaw niya ang kabuuan ng lugar. Tila ba bitwin ang mga ilaw na tila nagsasayawan.

But despite of that, the place is cool and silent. Maliban sa mga kapit bahay na tila ba disco light ang mga harapan.

Nang maramdaman niyang papalapit ang lalaki, tumayo siya ng normal at ang dalawang kamay na lang ang nakapatong sa malapad na tubo na kung saan naka kabit ang salamin.

"Hindi ka nilalamig? Mahangin dito" anang Adrian.

"Nahh. It's cool. Kaninong bahay 'yong may disco light?"

Adrian looked outside "López and Geoffrey" he said nonchalantly

"Ahh. Siguro mga baliw mga' yon" anang babae.

Adrian laughed so loud "Sinabi mo pa!" anito.

"Lakas mo makatawa a. Kagaya ka din naman nila e" Ginger tssk then walk "Gutom na ako" she added.

Adrian just smiled and murmured 'nice ass' to the woman he's in love with then he extended his hand his hand and slapped her ass.

Napatili naman ang babae saka tinampal nito ang kamay ng binata "Ang manyak mo talaga!" saad nito.

The two went inside, Adrian's hands on Ginger's shoulder making the woman's heart beat skipped and for that, she sighed so deep.

If only I can call you mine...

The two eat together, nagsubuan pa hanggang sa matapos sila. Pagkatapos kumain, bumaba sila at nag ayos sa kusina saka pumanhik ulit at naglagi sa terrace.

The night stayed like that, so cool and good vibes.

But then, when morning came, no shade of Ginger in all over the house. That made Adrian so worried, or much more to say— bad mood.

"f**k it!!" halos sabunutan na niya ang mahaba niyang buhok dahil sa inis sa sarili kung bakit ba naman kasi ang late niyang nagising!

The frustration went up high when Geoffrey threw himself inside Adrian's house na wala man lang pasabi

"What's wrong? Are you lost?!"

"I'm not baby girl so don't ask me questions like that. Idiot" Adrian said.

Napataas naman ang isang kilay si Geoffrey pero dahil ramdam niyang bad mood ang pinsan daig pa ang naglilihi sa pagka busangot ng mukha na tipong hindi nabigyan ng kahilingang pagkain,so before anything else, he went out just to let his bad mood stayed like that but before he can step out from his main door he shouted at the frustrated man "Nasa trekking daw si bebe loves mo! Kasama ang mga barkada niya!" then he vanished from Adrian's eyes.

"Trekking?"

But who is he talking with? E nakaalis na ang pinsan. Kaya naman tumakbo siya palabas pero wala ni isang tao sa labas ng bahay niya.

The frustration doubled! As if he wanted to wreck someone's neck!

While in the middle of the farm, Ginger is busy looking in her so green surroundings, tge virginity of the forest giving her refreshing feeling while Jessa is taking pictures— for posting she thinks.

Nagkibit balikat na lang siya.

Not knowing that everybody's eyes is on her. Minsan kasi lutang moments siya. Kaya naman todo bantay ang lahat sa kanya.

Nag aya siya kasi kaninang umaga to just go walking, but for her to do this unplanned, the four girls knew that she have something.

She did her best to stay calm every single moment but what are friends are for if they don't know what is happening?

"Kapag Ang babae gumaganda habang nagkaka-edad na,

ibig sabihin marunong magdala ng mga probema" narinig ni Ginger na saad ni Jessa.

Napalingon siya sa apat "What do you mean?" aniya. To her un knowledgeable about, the rest is talking about her. She's somewhat blooming in their eyes.

"Lutang ka na naman" anang Bea "Saan na kaya tayo nakarating?" she added.

But Mikaela not bothered at all. Alam niya kasing nakasunod lang ang monitor sa kanila.

Courtesy of Roderick of course.

"live life what you like, not what impresses others ika nga. Ano naman ngayon kung lutang ako? At least, I know what makes me lutang" Ginger tsskd.

Mikaela and Cathy looked at each other. Nakaupo lang sila ngayon tanaw ang malawak na bukirin, Ginger don't know that this is Montoya's farm and the next hectares of this is hers.

Mikaela sighed “If it comes, let it come. If it goes, it’s ok, let it go.

Let things come and go. Stay calm, don’t let anything disturb your peace, and carry on. That is what life thought me ma friend. Too many different things that thought me to be strong. And I know, kaya mo din 'yan. Whatever it is" aniya.

"What about love?" Ginger asked, still looking up on the sky.

The four tilted their heads to her.

"What about family?" she asked again.

Mikaela; who has a lot of experience spoke "Love? Mahirap' yang kalabanin sis. Kapag 'yan dumapo sa' yo, wala ka nang kawala pa.

Love yourself then find a man to share that love and after that, form and build a family"

"How can I do that?" may bikig sa lalamunang saad ng dalaga

Catherine couldn't speak. Jessa sighed. Bea just focusing on the view and Mikaela closed her eyes.

After a while, Jessa stood and shout "Mga tang ina kayong mga lalake!! Mga dagok kayo sa buhay naming mga babaeeee!!

She shout and shout, throwing all the pain inside her that she doesn't know on the other side of that mountain is a man, holding his breath and closing his eyes for the voice of hers full of pain and hurting.

Ginger stood up, ginaya niya ang kaibigan and shouted "Mahal kitaaaaa!!! Mahal na mahallll!

Tang'na ka lang dahil hindi mo ramdam!!! Isa kang dakilang mandhiiiidddd!!"

Mikaela smiled and murmured 'confidence in its finest' saka pinindot ang off power ng gadget na nakasukbit sa buhok niya.

She doesn't want her friends to be in trouble. Mas mabuti pa din na maunang magsabi ang mga lalaki kaysa sa dalawang kaibigan niya.

"Wanna share the burden with us?" Cathy said when Jessa and Ginger stopped and now sitting.

Jessa sighed "I have this man, isa siyang hangal. Ayaw pang umamin. Ako na nga nanligaw at lahat lahat! Shuta na 'yon!" gigil na saad nito.

"Nalawayan mo na?" Bea said.

"Oo! Lahat lahat! Potah, gago na' yun!" Jessa said.

"Eh ikaw naman Ging?" Bea tilted her head to Ginger "Nadakma mo na?"

It surprised them all, hindi ganito ang babaeng 'to kaya naman alerto silang lahat sa susunod na mangyayari.

Ginger smirked "Who knows Adrian Vincent Bautista?" lumingon ito kay Mikaela at Bea "Maliban sa dalawang' to?"

Cathy raised her hand

"Is he the one?" Mikaela asked

"Aba, marunong tumingin ng guwapo 'to. Mahusay!" anang Bea. "Tama' yan friend, pang display 'yun" she added nonchalantly.

"Gaga, paano naman ang asawa mo at sa' kin?" anang Mikaela.

"Pina retire ko na si hubby ko. Akin lang 'yun no" walang anumang sambit ni Bea.

Ginger knows, heto na ang oras para sa lahat. This is the time to open up. Friends are friends. Alam niyang ang apat na babaeng ito ang makaka unawa sa kanya.

This is it...

She breath out, breath in then...

"How did you get yours? How can I get him?"