Sky
1971 Words
"Why are you always looking up in the sky?“ She asked Neil.
"Why? Is it weird?” He smiled a little as he turned to Mabel who was frowning as she looked at him.
“No, it looks like you admire it so much”
"Yes. I do" di nawawala ang ngiting sagot ni Neil sa dalaga.
“What’s with the sky?” naku curious na tanong ulit nito sa kanya.
“Well, it reminds me of your beautiful face, the stars and the moon. Whenever I’m sad, I will look up in the sky and I see you. I can see the way you look at me, showing me that there is a reason for me to smile and be happy. I can see your lips, telling me how you love me so much."
Hindi na nakapag salita pa si Mabel, basta na lang itong yumakap sa kanya at isinubsob ang mukha nito sa kanyang dibdib. Nangingiting hinaplos nyang likod nito.
"I don’t know why even if you don’t say any word, or you don’t smile, laugh or cuddle with me, your one hug makes this whole world of mine fine. Maybe your hug is just as magical as your love for me. Or maybe it’s your way of showing your love for me. Or maybe your hug has no anything special in it, but what makes it special is you yourself. Your sweet feelings make your neutral hug magical and heart whelming."
"Kasi ang sarap mong yakapin, napapayapang loob ko kapag ganitong yakap yakap kita!"
Yun ang nasabi nya sa kayakap, pero ang totoo nyan nalulunod sya sa sobrang kaligayahang nararamdaman. Panu ba naman, nasa cloud nine na naman ang kanyang isipan..
'He’s the man who doesn’t get tired of my moods, he’s the man who wears make-ups and dress like woman just to make me happy, he’s the man who doesn’t forget to hold my hands every time we’re together, he’s the man who cracks silly yet funny jokes, he’s the kind of man who understands and comforts me every time I’m upset, down and sad, he’s the kind of man who will never leave me, who will never betray me, who will never let me suffer. He’s the man who will never let go of me. He is my man.'
Bumitaw sya sa pagkakayakap dito at hinila paalis sa Rizal Park ang kasintahan. "Tara, samahan mo ako!"
"Saan?" Sabi naman nito na maagap sa pag alalay sa kanya.
"I want to walk inside a bookstore with you. I know you’re not the kind of guy who loves reading books as much as I do, but I wanted to bring you to that place where thousands of books were displayed. You don’t have to pretend like you are excited enough or that you are enthusiastic with the idea but I hope you won’t refuse my favor. I just wanted to show you how I see myself with the characters on those books that I’ll choose in every shelves. I can imagine how you hold my hand as the other keeps on searching for a book to read. Then, we’ll sit on the floor and I’ll read to you the story inside the book that I’ve chosen. You don’t need to do anything but to listen. I want you to listen to the most wonderful stories ever written by amazing and famous writers. You don’t have to react when you see my tears flowing down my cheeks because that’s just me when I am so much in love with the book that I’m reading. Just feel the story with me. Close your eyes and listen as I read every word on that book. And I would be happy enough if the time will come that you’ll be the one who’ll pull my hand and ask me to read you another book on that bookstore. But I wanted you to know that more than those books that I’ve chosen to read to you, it is our own love story that is my favorite."
Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ni Neil sa kanyang kamay, na maya't maya nitong inilalapit sa labi at masuyong hinahalikan.
"Why books? Hmm.. Baby?"
"Because, reading is the cheapest way to travel. You can go into places by just wandering with the words that you read. You don’t have to buy a ticket, or ride a plane. You don’t have to take a line for the bus, or wait an hour for the train. You just have to go on reading and imagining everything written in the book that’s in front of you. You can imagine how wonderful are those places that you’ve been dreaming to be in. You can feel its history and learn about its people without spending even a single coin. You can discover the secrets every places have, and learn about its culture, traditions and beliefs without working on your passport and visa just to physically visit in those places. By just reading, you can be wherever you wanna be. And when you read it wholeheartedly, you would feel that things were not just a fruit of your imagination."
"Ganun katindi ang impact sayo ng mga librong nababasa mo?"
"Yeah! Reading is the best way to know about the world, Baby. All things were written in a book. The start of something and the end of it. How everything around you began, and what those who had already extinct. You can find every reasons, you can every explanations. Because books are written instruments of the whole world where you belong. You may find reading a one big boring activity, but inside those boring pages of paper are the hidden explanations on every questions you have in mind. Inside those thick dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs and atlases are the brain breaking realities about the world, about its people and about its environment. Through reading, you can never be ignorant on why you’re stepping on land and not on water. You would know why a fish can’t fly and why a bird can’t swim. You would know why the pyramids were built on Egypt and why igloos were built on Antarctica. You just have to keep flipping unto those pages and you would know everything about the place where you lived in since your life began."
Huminto pa sa paglalakad si Mabel at humarap sa kanya, ngumiti ito, tumingkayad at mabilis na hinalikan sya sa labi. Kinurot pa nitong matangos nyang ilong saka hinila na naman sya patungo sa kinapaparadahan ng kanyang sasakyan.
"Reading is the best instrument to know yourself more. Calm down your senses and find a spot where you can fully focus on those words inside the book you’re reading. Feel the fresh air bumping your nose. Make every stories and plots you’re tools on getting to know yourself better. Probably, you would really discover something about you by just mumbling those words with all your heart. You would know everything about your beliefs, your visions and your desires about life. Every flip, every change of pages, you would come to know the whats, wheres, whos and hows of your life. You would understand why you’re sitting in front of your monitor and reading this post. You would know why you keep on scrolling your mouse and typing things up on this site. You would know why you fall in love, and why your heart was broken by somebody else. By just reading, you would finally meet that inner self in you who’s always been there all along. That inner being that you see in front of the mirror that you can’t talk to but you can feel. Through those novels and short stories and love stories, you can finally utter the word, Oh! That’s so me!”
Napasimangot sya matapos marinig ang sinabi ng babaeng pinaka mamahal nya.
"But Baby, I really want to travel the world with you. Imagine the two of us waking up in the middle of the night preparing our stuffs while we are smiling at each other excitingly. During the long ride, every road sign will increase our excitement not because we’re going to an extraordinary place, but because we are going to place with an extraordinary person. Every kilometer will be cherished, every minute will be appreciated. We will not even get bored. And finally, when we reach our destination, all we will do is to hold hands, take pictures and cherish the moment of being together. That’s it. But actually, even a simple walks can even make my life happier than someone else in the world.”
Tinaasan sya nito ng kilay. "Pwede rin naman! yun ay kung may oras ka pang mag travel sa dami ng kasong hawak mo! Eh itong pagde date nga natin mas madalang pa sa pagpatak ng ulan, yun pa kayang pagta travel na sinasabi mo? Haha! Imposibleng magagawa natin yun!"
Napabuntong hininga na lang si Neil, tama naman kasing sinabi ni Mabel, tambak ang kaso na hinahawakan nya ngayon, kahit pa huminto na sya sa pagtanggap ng mga kleyenteng gustong kuhanin ang serbisyo nya, nakapila pa rin ang mga hearing na dapat nyang asikasuhin.
"Nahihirapan kana ba sa sitwasyon natin? Nagkukulang na ba ako sayo? Hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat kong gawin. Natatakot ako, alam kong nasasaktan na kita. Hindi ko kayang ganyan ka."
Napalingon si Mabel sa katabi ng mahimigan nya sa boses nito ang pag aalala at pagkataranta. Hinaplos nyang nuo nitong nakakunot, ang mga mata nitong namumungay at ang labi nitong bahagyang nanginginig.
"Hindi ko alam kung ano mga nasa isip mo ngayon, hindi ko alam kung bakit kinakabahan ako, hindi ko alam na baka biglang tapusin mo nalang kung anong meron tayo. Baby, Natatakot ako!"
Hinawakan ni Neil ang kamay ni Mabel saka masuyong hinalikan.
"Hindi ko alam kung paano ko maeexpress yung sarili ko, using this pero mahal kita, mahal na mahal. Hindi ako hihiling sayo ng kahit na ano, kasi, ayokong mahirapan ka! Gawin mo lang kung anong makakaya mong gawin, wag mong i pressure ang sarili mo, nandito lang ako! Hinding hindi na kita iiwan!"
Kinabig nyang dalaga na nakangiting nakikipagtitigan sa kanya. Sa mga pasakit, paghihirap na naranasan nya sa nakaraan nila, ngayon lang lubos na nakadama ng sobrang kaligayahan at kapayapaan ang puso nya.
"They say that I’m going to fail and regret loving you, because just like all the best things in life, our love story will have its bitter end. But honestly, I don’t even mind that part. Even if this relationship is destined to end, I’m still glad I fell in love with you. Because love is love after all, and love is loving the imperfections. Both happiness and pain gave me so much and completed the missing parts in my life. And even if life will allow me to trade these memories to shake off pain, I will never do it. I’m going to hold on to them so when the time comes that I’ll be meeting our dear Creator, I can confidently say that I had lived my life everyday to its fullest."
"I love you Attorney Neil Cuenca!" Mahigpit na yakap sabay tapik sa puwet nitong sabi nya.
"Hahaha.. May tapik pa talaga sa puwet ko?" Nanggigigil na binuhat nyang kasintahan habang yakap yakap nya ng mahigpit. "Napaka pilya mo pa rin! Mas mahal na mahal kita! Mabel Takeda!"
Yumuko si Mabel para magpantay ang mukha nilang dalawa. Napaawang na lang ang labi ni Neil ng sakupin ni Mabel ang labi nya't mapusok syang hinalikan na halos kapusin na sya ng paghinga.
'f**k! Saan natutong humalik ng ganito ang babaeng ito?'
Unti unting napapikit na lang sya ng kanyang mga mata ng bahagyang kagatin ni Mabel ang ibabang labi nya't sipsipin ito. Dun na tinangay ang nagdidileryo nyang kamalayan patungo sa kalangitan.
?MahikaNiAyana
- Writer
