II | The Girl In The Outskirts
1173 Words
Adriene Constance
Adriene rubbed her eyes the moment she woke up. Naririnig niya ang mga huni ng ibon at ang kahol ng kanyang mga alagang aso. Bumangon siya at agad binuksan amg bintana ng kanyang silid. Napangiti siya nang makita ang kanyang lola na maagang nagtatanim sa kanilang hardin. Kakatubo lang ng mga semilya ng talong na itinanim niya noong mga nakaraang linggo.
She went out of her room and found her mother cooking breakfast. Ngumiti ito sa kanya as her way of greeting her good morning.
"Hija, nalate ka yata ng gising ngayon?" tanong ng kanyang ina. Napakamot siya sa batok. Usually she wakes up at 4 AM para tulungan ang kanyang lola na magharvest ng mga tanim nilang gulay para ibenta iyon sa palengke. Maraming bumibili lalo na kapag presko.
"Eh kasi nay, late na ako natapos kagabi. Hindi naman po tayo pupunta sa palengke ngayon, hindi po ba?"
Umiling ang kanyang ina saka inihain ang piniritong isda. Kumalam bigla ang sikmura niya.
"Hindi nga. Ano bang pinagkakaabalahan mo kagabi?" her mother asked habang kinkukuha ang sandok para sa kanin.
"It's just work," tipid niyang sagot at naupo sa silyang naroon. It wasn't about work. She just figured her mother wouldn't pry too much kapag iyon ang sinabi niya.
Maya-maya pa ay pumasok ang lola niya sa loob. Marumi ang mga kamay nito at may hawak itong itak. Naupo na rin ito sa silya katabi niya matapos maghugas ng kamay. They said their blessings and started to dig in.
At 22 years old, nagtatrabaho si Adriene sa isang botika bilang cashier. Hindi siya nakatapos ng pag-aaral dahil sa wala siyang perang ipangtustos. Highschool ang natapos niya and she decided to work immediately para matustusan ang gamot na minemaintain ng kanyang lola. Hindi niya naman pinagsisisihan iyon. She's happy thhat she could provide for her family at gagawin niya ang lahat para sa kanila.
"Balita ko ay may nobyo ka na, hija," biglang tanong ng kanyang lola dahilan para mabilaukan siya sa kanyang kinakain. Her mother laughed and handed her a glass of water and she gulped it down while hitting her chest.
"Saan niyo naman po nakuha ang balitang iyan, la?" Tawa niya. "Kung magkakaboyfriend po ako, kayo ang unang makakaalam."
Her grandma smiled and continued to eat. She and her mother exchanged glances bago sila nagpatuloy sa pagkain.
Maaga siya ngayon dapat sa trabaho dahil shift niya. Kaya naman matapos kumain ay agad na siyang naghanda.
Isang oras ang byahe mula sa kanilang bayan papunta sa sentro ng lungsod kung saan siya nagtatrabaho. It was a relief that there aren't many people on the bus kaya naman nakaupo siya agad.
She opened her phone only to see a reminder popped up on her screen. She let out a small smile when she read what it was.
Papa's death anniversary.
It's been 2 years since her father's death. Two years since a group of people from the Crown came to their house and gave them an urn. It was her father's ashes. Ni hindi man lang nila ito nakita bago ito naging abo. But the Crown merely said it was for confidential reasons. They couldn't do anything except to accept and to mourn. Ano pa bang magagawa nila? It had been an honor to have one member of their family to serve the Crown. It had been an honor for her father. He died for that honor and since then, she has avoided working under the Crown. Not that she's going to be accepted anyway but if she really wanted to, kaya niyang mag-aral at magtrabaho para sa Crown. She just chose not to.
A job at the Crown is dangerous no matter how simple it is. Everyone could be an enemy. She couldn't afford to die. She couldn't afford to give her grana and her mother the same heartache again. Once is enough.
Huminto ang bus sa isang bus stop kung saan siya bababa. Napatingin siya sa kanyang relo. May kalahating oras pa siya para maglakad papunta sa pharmacy na pinatagtatrabahuan niya.
Maybe I should buy a cake and some foods na paborito ni papa. Isip niya. It has been a tradition for them to eat meals together or maybe go to the place where they spread her father's ashes. Napangiti siya. Maaga siyang matatapos mamaya sa trabaho kaya makakapagluto pa ang kanyang ina.
She went to work almost skipping happily with the idea.
She worked from morning until early that afternoon. Sabik siyang makauwi sapagkat alam niyang naghihintay na rin ang kanyang ina at ang kanyang lola.
It's been two years and yet it feels like it was just yesterday. Hindi niya nakilala ang kanyang ama sapagkat parte ng trabaho nito ang putulin ang koneksyon nito sa pamilya. She never understood it until his death. Delikado ang trabaho nito ang anyone related to him might be put in danger too. It was also the reason why she's using her mother's last name instead of her father's.
Every month, they would receive money from the Crown for her father's service. They tried to decline it but when the Crown said that her father specificaly saved that money enough to support them for a lifetime, tinanggap nila. After all, it was her father's hard work.
"What should I write in here, madam?" asked the man on the counter while showing her a circular cake.
She hands him the note and the man just nodded bago ito nagsimulang gayahin ang isinulat niya sa papel.
She thanked the man bago lumabas ngunit imbes na magpatuloy sa paglalakad ay napahinto siya nang may makitang mga lalakeng nakatayo sa harapan niya. They were all wearing black suits which were awfully familiar. Bago pa man siya makapagtanong sa mga ito'y lumapit ang dalawa sa kanya at ipinakita ang isang badge na nagpapatunay kung sino sila.
"We're agents of the Crown. Miss Adriene Constance, we are here to escort you to the Crown's office," saad ng isang lalake sa kanya. She knew right away they were agents the way they talk with so much stiffness and the way their faces hold no emotion.
Humigpit ang hawak niya sa box ng cake. "I...May I know the reason why?" she asked but the men looked like they're not inclined to explain everything to her.
"We're just following orders from the Crown. Any further information will be disclosed to you in the office," said another. She looked at the black car behind them. People are starting to look in her direction too.
She swallowed hard and her silence was the men's cue. They parted and led her directly to the car. She sat inside and two of the men were sitting on both her sides as if preventing her from doing something funny. Maybe jump off the car or something.
Ngunit hindi siya baliw para gawin iyon. Everybody knows not to do anything stupid against the Crown.
So she stayed silent, with the cake on her lap, waiting in anxiety what could be in store for her.
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- Writer
