She Was a Good Dream

Chapter 3

The following morning ay maaga akong nagising dahil maaga ang call time namin. Aalis nang maaga ang bus patungo sa Ilocos. Everyone's on the bus and on our same seat, I saw her. Nauna na pala siya sa akin. She just smiled at me. I sat again beside her.

"Ang aga mo ah, nakatulog ka pa ba?" Tanong ko dito. Halos iilamg oras lang din ang naitulog ko. I was thinking about last night that we were together.

"Oo konti. Nahirapan nga akong bumangon. Hindi mo man lang ako pinigilan kagabi. Ang dami kong nainom," reklamo nito sa akin na parang kasalanan ko pa samantalang ilang beses kong inagaw ang shot glass sa kanya pero siya itong tagay ng tagay.  Sinimulan nitong kunin ang cellphone at earphones sa bag. Mukhang itutuloy na niya ang panunuod ng Kdrama na kahapon pa niya sinusubaybayan. Nahuli niya akong pinagmamasdan ang ginagawa niya.

"Gusto mong manuod din? Dali heto oh share tau" nakangiting aya niya sa akin habang inaabot ang isang bahagi ng earphones niya. I never really liked romance and dramas. I'm more into action and horror films. Kaya lang naman ako may idea about this drama is because it was also a hit show in Singapore at kahit si Allison ay nahook din dito. I remember how she gets irritated everytime na  pinipilit niya akong makinuod sa kanya but I refused to do so. Aside from that,  the scenes and even memes were flooding my social media accounts. I should've said no to Alex just like how I refused Allison. But to my surprise, I accepted the earphones and watched it with her. Well, I secretly watched her reactions while she's watching it actually.

This girl is very sensitive. Not shallow, but maybe--- very easy to affect. She smiles when the scene is happy ; she cries when it's sad; she easily gets pissed off when the lead characters are being maltreated; her eyes sparkle when the scene is very touching. I saw all her emotions by just looking at her at this very moment. But there's something about her that is very intriguing. I can feel that not everything that you see in her is what you get. There's more to her that needs to be discovered.

Natapos namin ang palabas habang nasa biyahe. Hindi ko napansin ang oras because I was enjoying watching the show-- or watching her actually--most of the time.

"Ikaw ba naniniwala ka sa destiny?" Biglang tanong niya sa akin habang maayos niyang binubuhol ang earphones.

I didn't answer.

"Like, there's this one person that is meant for you that no matter where you are, you will always find each other?" Dugtong pa niya ng hindi ako sumagot.

"I believe we make our own destiny"  matipid na sagot ko. I  was taught that you have to work hard for what you want and not rely everything to fate.

"So you don't believe in Destiny",she concluded.

"I just choose to believe what is real, what is tangible, and what is practical", I answered safely. She just smirked.

"Ako kasi, I believe that the things that are meant for you will always be for you, no matter what and where it takes you" she smiled at a blank space while saying this.

"Kaya ang mga bagay na hindi para sayo, ay kailan man hindi magiging para sayo, at ipagkakait sayo, kahit anong pilit mong makuha yun," Why do I see sadness in her eyes? She's been like this since day one. Magsasabi siya ng positive then biglang babawiin niya ng negative. Just like how she avoids talking about her life in the Metro, na parang ayaw na ayaw niyang mapag-usapan yun. She said she wanted to escape her life back there even just for a while. Anong meron?

"Huy!" Putol niya sa akin. I didn't notice that I was lost in my own thoughts.

"Sabi ko excuse at magsi-CR kami nila Ashley", aniya. Napatingin ako sa mga kaibigan ko na nakatayo na sa gilid namin. Mukhang matagal tagal pala akong nawala sa pag-iisip ko.

Nang makabalik kami lahat sa bus ay nagsimula na ulit bumiyahe papuntang Ilocos.

Naging tahimik si Alex kumpara sa mga nakaraang araw na behavior niya. Nagkukuwento pa din siya pagkaminsan, ngunit hindi na katulad nung mga unang biyahe namin na napaka jolly niya. Hindi ko alam kung bakit but I felt worried about her.  Ilang oras ang lumipas ay nakarating na kami sa Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

Every one are excited dahil ito na talaga ang pinunta ng trip namin na ito. Kanya kanyang kuha ng pictures ang iba pang kasabay namin sa tour. And of course with my lady friends, hindi nagpatalo ang mga ito sa kakaselfie at groufie. They included Alex on all pictures. I know they like her. I do too. Wait what?

Napunta kami sa iba't ibang tourist spots dito sa Ilocos Norte. Pinagkasya ang oras na base sa schedule at Itinerary. We went to Paoay Church and the Sinking Bell tower. We were all in awe at the historical places and the structure of the buildings. As an architect, it really amazes me to see this kind of structures that still stands here despite the natural calamities that hit on it. Lalo na ang matagal na panahong lumipas ay hindi pa rin ito tuluyang nagpatibag.

We also went Malacañang of the North which is a  two-story-mansion that was turned into museum. It was the former holiday residence of the Marcos family. The home is done in Spanish colonial style, with a large spacious living room area, a grand staircase, and wide hallways. It displays the memorabilia and some personal.stuffs owned by the Marcoses. Naalala ko na sinasabing balwarte ng mga Marcos  ang Ilocos.

Despite being a little distant Alex and I are still together roaming around along with my friends.

We stopped by a restaurant where the tour guides made a reservation so we can all have lunch together. Napuno ng walang humpay na kwentuhan at tawanan ang hapag.

Our last stop for today is the infamous Bangui Windmills.  Along the Bangui Bay shorelines stands a long line of 70m-high wind turbines that supplies 40% of the power requirements of Ilocos Norte.

Naghahanap pa lang ng mapaparkingan ang bus ay napansin ko na ang pagtanaw ni Alex sa windmills. I saw different emotions on her face again. There's excitement, there's  happiness, and there's also pain-- am I seeing it right?

Nang makababa kami sa bus ay nag-unahan nang magtakbuhan papunta  sa windmills dahil bukod dito ay maganda din ang sasalubong na black sand beach kung saan nakatayo ang mga ito.

Alex held my hand while walking. I think that's unintentional because I felt that she was just finding something or someone to gain strength and to hold her still. Yung tipong parang bibigay ang katawan kaya kailangan niyang kumapit upang hindi bumagsak.Her eyes  are watery and I can feel that there's something beyond those smiles.

She squeezed my hand.

"Nandito na ko..Axel..." I heard her soft whisper. She didn't mean for me to hear it because it was very subtle. Sadyang lang sigurong awake ang senses ko just by being beside her. I wanted to ask who Axel is. But I felt that it was not the right time to be nosy given that she's full of emotions.

Naglakad kami papalapit sa shore then she let go of my hand at naunang maglakad upang mabilis na makalapit dito.

Then she stopped and lifted her arms like she's flying.  I watched her while she's feeling the wind breeze that sways her hair. I just watched her for a few more minutes. Then I started walking towards her.

"Enjoying the wind huh? " puna ko sa kanya habang nakapikit siya at patuloy na dinadala ang malakas na hanging inililipad ang  buhok niya at ang suot na scarft.

"It's very calmin--,like it hugs you and tells you that you're not alone" aniya ng hindi pa din minumulat ang mga mata. There she goes again with her very deep metaphors and idioms.

I just keep my eyes on her. Bakit kahit anong lawak ng ngiti niya at kahit gaano niya pilit  ipakita ang kasiyahan ay nararamdaman ko na may labis na kalungkutan siyang itinatago? Ano ba talagang sikretong tinatago mo Alex?