S q u a r e T w o ( H E )
1040 Words
I can't f*****g believe this.
Sa sakit ng katawan ko, I know I swear to the seven seas that I curse that person who stopped me from my suicide. Siya ata ang mapapatay ko.
Last night, I'm not quite sure if she was the one who entered this room. I kept my eyes closed, and heard someone saying, "Ako nga pala ang superhero mo. Medyo tatanga-tanga ka kasi."
And I don't really appreciate it when someone tells me that. Gusto ko sana siyang sakalin. But I didn't have enough physical strength to do just that.
Sana hinayaan na lang niya akong masagasaan. It could've been easier that way. Now, I'm s**t, really. Bawat galaw, it hurts like f*****g hell.
"Please look at this chart..."
It's the same dumb drill they asked from me yesterday. To stare at this stupid chart with different stupid numbers and emoticons on top.
"On a scale of one-to-ten, ten being the highest, please rate the pain you feel."
And I'm giving them the same shitty answer over and over... "Do you f*****g need to ask? A girl just jumped over me from that stupid railway and landed all her weight on me, broke my right arm and knee, left me a concussion, bruised back, scarred lips, and an agonizingly painful stitch on the shoulder. How do you friggin' think I'd feel?"
Just like yesterday, the nurse just turns her back on me after writing something on her notepad. I don't give a damn about her. I don't care if she's a girl. I just don't want to be asked stupid questions with obvious answers. Thankfully, I'm alone again.
By noon, my parents finally and unfortunately heard about what happened and decided to visit me. The hell I care.
"For Pete's sake, James. What in the world were you thinking?"
I just disregard my mother's exaggerated expression. "What's it to you? Get out of here," my uber calm response.
"That is not the way to treat your mother, James! Especially in front of me. Nawawalan ka na ng galang!"
I scoff after hearing my father's broken record. Technically and biologically, she's not my mother. "If you came here to add up to that pain rate they're asking me, mission accomplished," I say. And with a more subtle voice, I snide... "You have no idea what pain in the a*s you guys are."
"Ano na naman ba ang tumatakbo diyan sa utak mo? Do you think the media will let this pass? How will you be able to attend your own brother's wedding? This is downright embarrassing!" The wedding. The f*****g wedding. And he thinks I'm a pea-brained asshole when I just actually inherited this trait from him.
"Stop giving me lectures about embarrassment, papa. When you actually had to have an arrangement and get Jace married to someone because he's gay."
I can see my father's face turning red. "Walang-hiya kang bata ka! Wala kang utang na loob!" Blah blah blah...
If I wasn't stuck in this boring bed, kanina pa ako pinag-tangkaang sakalin nito. Yes, that already happened and this is honestly exhausting. How many times have we been having this argument? I don't know. But this I'm sure. In three... Two... One...
"Romulo... Hindi ako makahinga."
And there you go. Lagi namang ginagawa ng mama 'to kapag nagkakagulo. Magdadrama na akala mo inaatake talaga at itong pulpol ko namang ama, paniwalang-paniwala.
"Do something, James Eric!" my father exclaims.
And I know that whenever he calls me by my two first names, he's totally pissed. "Can't you f*****g see that I'm almost dying of immobility here?" And that's no s**t, obviously.
Habang nasa kalagitnaan kami ng kahibangan na 'to, bigla na lang bumukas ang pinto and an agonizingly familiar face of a scavenger walks in. That damned girl. What is she doing here?
"Okay lang po kayo?"
There's a trace of surprise written on her face. Tinulungan niya pa si papa na i-upo si mama sa isa sa mga upuan. I can also see na may cast siya sa kaliwang braso at may small bandage sa noo. Serves her right, epekto ng pagiging isang malaking epal.
"Who are you?" my father asks with that stupefied look on.
"Ako po ang nagligtas sa anak niyo. Nabanggit po ng nurse na gusto niyo raw po akong makita."
Oh, you don't say. Napalingon siya sa'kin at matipid na ngumiti. What the f**k was that for?
I just stare at her apathetically and wait for my father's reply. She did not save me. She ruined my plans.
"Okay na ako. Salamat, hija," sabi ni mama pagkaabot sa kaniya ni Ms. Meddler ng tubig. Tss. Okay ka naman talaga.
"Gusto ka lang naming pasalamatan sana. Hindi naman namin inaasahan na hindi rin pala maganda ang lagay mo. May pangalan ka ba?"
Why, suddenly, my father is asking such a stupid question. Of course, she has a name. A lame one, I bet.
"Nasanay na po akong matawag sa apelyido. Inoue po."
Inoue? What a stupid name! I knew it. I just don't see the point of calling yourself with your last name when you have a first one. Kaya nga binibigyan ng first name para matawag sa first name tapos tinatawag niya ang sarili niya sa last name? How ridiculous! And why am I even mulling over this stupid thing? It's not like I'm paying attention to what she's saying or something.
"How can we ever repay you for saving our son, Inoue?" mother says.
These stupid people. Ano pa? Syempre hihingi 'yan ng pera dahil halata namang inutil 'yan at siguradong walang trabaho. Pasalamat sila at wala ako sa mood na makipagtalo.
"Ang totoo po, ma'am, sir..." She shakes her head like she couldn't decide how much would be the price of her unwanted nobility. "'Yung mga kuya ko na po ang magbabayad sa hospital bills ko. Okay na po lahat. Ang tanging mahihiling ko na lang po siguro sa ngayon..." She steals a glimpse at me and continues on... "'Wag niyo na po ulit hahayaang maglasing ang magaling niyong anak."
Wait. Did she just, quite intentionally, refer to me as 'magaling' in a sarcastic manner? Anyway, that's not the surprising part. Nahihiya lang siguro ang isang 'to na humingi ng pera. If I know, walang tinatanggihan ang mga kagaya nito.
And of course my parents will play the generous role. I just close my eyes to exhaustion.
"Kidding aside, sweetie. What can we do in return for your heroic deed?" my father asks.
Surprisingly, she turns down every offer that my parents are giving her. Odd.
- Writer
