My Untamed Princess

Chapter 30: Closer Encounter 2

It was almost 7pm when Cassie finally stood infront of her mother's grave. The visitors stayed longer than the usual. Maybe they were really waiting for her. 

Sh sobbed at the sight of her mom's grave. She would have wanted to touch the name Eliza Echavez engraved on the cold marbled tomb but the mausoleum was already closed. Fred must have ordered Yaya Bining to close it.

Pinakatitigan niya ang ang bouquet ng Calla Lilies sa kanyang kamay. Hindi man lang niya iyon mailalagay sa ibabaw mismo ng puntod ng Mommy niya. Lumuluha niyang inilusot ang boquet sa uwang ng gate na bakal ng musoleo. It was still a few feet away from her mother's grave. Pero wala siyang magawa, hanggang doon lang ang naabot niya.

Maingat niya iyong inilapag sa tiled floor bago tuluyang humagulgol.

Pain flooded her chest in an instant. It was the pain of losing someone you loved so dearly. It was the pain of being left behind. It was the pain of being a prisoner inside an invisible cell as huge as the life you are living.

"Mom...I'm sorry," she said in between sobs.

Ilang minuto rin siyang umiyak sa harap ng musoleo. Ilang beses din nag-replay sa isip niya ang mga eksena ng gabing pumanaw ang kanyang ina. Maging ang mga pinagdaanan niya ng mga nakaraang taon na pilit niyang hinarap na mag-isa.

If only people could take a look inside her memories, they would have understood everything about her. She would've explained everything to them, the why's and the how's and all the things they could not see-- the real her, the suffering version of her. Maybe if she had the liberty to do that, people wouldn't be too quick to judge. But she her hands are tied. She does not have the freedom to speak her truth no matter how she wanted to do it. The price is too high for her to pay.

Maya-maya pa, bumuhos ana ulan. As if grieving with her, for all the things she had been through and the sufferings she will still surely go through.

She would've wanted to stay a little bit longer but she's getting wet and she needed to find a place to wait out for the rain to stop.

Nagpalinga-linga siya. Maliwanag ang daan patungo sa main gate ngunit napakalayo niyon mula sa kinaroroonan niya. She’s sure, pagdating niya doon, basang-basa siya. But she knew she's safer outside the cemetery.

She tried waiting out for the rain but in only grew heavier after a few minutes. She tried calling Ella. But the rain was too loud. Hindi sila magkaintindihan na dalawa. She ended up hanging up.

Sinubukan niyang isiksik ang sarili sa maliit na entrada ng musoleo , sa parteng may silong, para kahit papano ay hindi siya mabasa. Ngunit sadyang malakas ang ulan at hangin. Nababasa pa rin siya nang paunti-unti.

Nahintay niya ang isa't-kalahating oras bago siya nagpasyang sumugod na lang sa ulan. Tinakbo niya ang mahabang daan patungo sa main gate. Umaasa siya na sana pagdating niya sa guardhouse, makakakuha siya agad ng taxi pauwi.

She was panting so bad when she reached the guardhouse.

"Miss, ngayon ka lang lumabas? Lampas ka na sa oras ng pagbisita a!" sabi ng guard. Nag-iisa na lang ito at wala na ang dalawang naunang guards nang pumasok siya.

Alanganin siyang lumapit sa entrada ng guardhouse, gusto niyang makisilong kahit saglit lang sana. Basa na ang jacket niya at aminin man niya o hindi, she’s beginning to feel cold.

"K-kuya, baka p-puwede po muna ko d-dito?" pakiusap niya.

Pumalatak ang guard. "Naku miss, bawal ang kagaya mo rito. Umuwi ka na lang. Bilisan mo. Ako ang malilintikan sa 'yo eh," sabi ng guard,  ilang beses pang kinumpas ang kamay sa ere sa pagtataboy sa kanya.

Gusto sana niyang maki-usap ulit kaya lang,  nagbanta na ito na tatawag ng pulis. Napilitan tuloy siyang lumabas ng memorial garden at muling naglakad patungo sa main street, ilang daang metro din ang layo mula sa pinanggalingan niya. Nang makarating siya sa Main Street, halos wala rin dumadaan na sasakyan o taxi dahil eksklusibo ang lugar na iyon. Lugar ng mga mayayaman.

Exhausted and cold, nanginginig niyang nayakap ang sarili nang marating niya ang isang maliit na waiting shed. Nilabas niya mula sa bulsa niya ang cellphone na dala niya. Siniguro niyang hindi iyon mababasa kanina habang sumusugod siya sa ulan.

Her fingers were shaking as she tried to send a text message to Ella. Sa ngayon kasi, mas malaki ang chance na masusundo siya ni Ella doon kaysa sa makapara siya ng taxi. Habang nagtetext siya, nagwa-warning ang cellphone ng battery low. Lalo niyang binilisan ang pagte-text, ngunit habang hinihintay niya ang pagse-send ng message niya ay saka naman tuluyang namatay ang cellphone. She tried switching it on again but it won't even light. Hindi niya tuloy alam kung na-send ang message niya o hindi.

At that point, she wanted to scream. Hindi niya alam kung anong klaseng kamalasan ang dala niya ng araw na iyon pero kung ano man iyon, hiling niya na sana ay tantanan na siya niyon dahil sagad na sagad na siya. She's cold and dripping wet in some god-forsaken place!

Oh God please, dasal niya.

She just hoped that a miracle would soon arrive before hypothermia sets in. She had low tolerance for cold. Tinanggal na niya ang jacket niya at isinampay iyon sa makeshift na upuan ng shed. Tanging ang manipis na blouse na lamang niya ang iniwan niyang pang-itaas. Umaasa siya na puwede iyong matuyo kahit papano kapag nahanginan.

Wala sa sarili siyang napaupo sa baldosa bago niyakap ulit ang sarili. Isinisiksik niya katawan sa isang kanto ng shed. Mabuti na lamang at kahit papa’no, may dingding ang waiting shed. Hindi kagaya ng ibang shed na open design. At least kahit papa’no, may panangga pa rin siya sa lamig.

She tried to wait for the miracle that heaven would send. But as she trembled in fear and in cold, the hopes that she'd survive the night decreases every second that passed by.

Kung sabagay, walang bago do’n.

She had always been alone, fighting the demons disguised as angels. She had learned there is no savior available for her, lest the ones she makes out of herself.

Tuluyan na siyang napahagulgol kasabay nang muling paglukob ng awa sa kanyang sarili.

Lalo siyang nanginig nang dumaan ang malakas na hangin.  Lalo niyang hinigpitan ang pagyakap sa kanyang mga binti habang nakauklo ang kanyang ulo sa kanyang mga tuhod. Alam niya malapit nang bumigay ang katawan niya. She'd soon began to tremble uncontrollably and not long after that, she'll die of hypothermia.

Oh God!

Pagtama ng ilaw sa direksyon niya ang nagpa-angat ng ulo niya. It was a headlight from a car. Agad ang pag-angat niya ng kanyang nanginginig na braso at isinalag iyon sa kanyang mukha, upang maaninag ang mukha ng bultong papalapit sa kanya.

It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus.

And when it did, she saw a man holding an umbrella under the pouring rain, like a perfect man-saves-woman scene from an old movie.

Sa nanginginig na mga tuhod, pilit siyang tumayo mula sa kinauupuan niya. Naglakad naman palapit sa kanya ang lalaki. 

She gasped when she had finally seen the face of the man. He was wearing some old rugged jeans and brown leather jacket with a black shirt underneath it. His golden hair faintly glistened under the faint light from a not so far away light post. And his face, his face wore the same worried and sad face when she last saw him 10 days ago.

"I've been lookin' all over for you, Princess?" anang pamilar na boses.

Princess.

She felt her heart hitched.

She unknowingly took a step closer towards him. She wanted to touch his face  to make sure he was not just a figment of her imagination. She wanted to make sure he was real.

Huminto siya sa mismong tapat nito, sa lilim ng hawak nitong payong. Mabilis niyang inangat ang kanyang kamay at masuyong hinaplos ang pisngi nito.

She smiled when she felt the warmth of his skin.

He was real and he's really there!

"Will, y-you...you came back," she said in between tears and sobs. He just smiled, a genuinely happy one. "H-how did you find me?" 

He grinned. "I didn't. I was just passing by.”

Bahagya siyang natawa sa sinabi nito. Weird as it seemed but it she missed his arrogance. "You're alive," bulong niya.

"Dying is not really my kind of thing," kaswal na sagot nito, nagkibit pa ng balikat.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance and amusement. He really is hopeless, she thought.

"What? I promise I'll try, didn't I? Besides I still have a necklace to return and forgiveness to earn," he whispered.

She smiled faintly and nodded her head. She gasped and tried to rub her arms to give a little heat to her skin. Mukhang panandaliang nalimutan ng katawan niya ang ginaw nang makita si Will. But when the hype died down, she started trembling again.

"Should I give you my jacket now?" lukot ang mukhang tanong nito, kunwari hindi alam ang sagot. Pinukol lang niya ito ng masamang tingin. "I take that as a yes," anito bago mabilis na tinanggal ang suot nitong jacket at pinasuot sa kanya.

Kinabig siya nito payakap pagkatapos. Gumanti na rin sjya ng yakap. 

"I missed you, mangku," bulong nito maya-maya. 

Agad siyang napaangat ng tingin dito. "W-what did you say?"

He didn't reply with words, instead, he looked at her for a while before claiming her mouth into a long and hot kiss. The kiss was gentle, taking it’s time. As if memorizing every curve and crevices of her mouth. Kaibang-kaiba ang halik na iyon noong huling beses siya nitong hinalikan.

Lalo siyang nanlamabot. This time, not because of the cold but because Will’s kiss is thawing something deep inside her. Making her surrender to him… willingly.

After a few moments, Will ended the kiss. They were both breathing heavily. Their eyes lingered on each other.

"You looked shocked. Should I kiss you some more?" tanong nito, bahagyang ngumiti.

She chuckled lightly. "Y-you said...you...you missed me."

Lalo itong napangiti.  "Let's just say your witchy spells worked on me a little bit. So, yeah, I missed you."

Her heart fluttered. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from smiling. 

The kapre really missed her and she’s overyjoyed!

Maya-maya pa, nag-aya na ito sa loob ng kotse nito. Inutusan siya nitong tanggalin ang blouse niya at isuot nang tuluyan ang leather jacket nito. He even waited outside the car while she was changing.

"Hindi mo sinunod ang sinabi ko sa 'yo, Mangku. Matigas talaga ang ulo mo," umpisa nito nang makabalik na ito sa loob ng kotse. Nakapatong sa manibela ang dalawang kamay nito habang seryosong nakatingin sa kanya.

Sumimangot siya kunwari. Nagsusungit na naman ang Kapre. But she’s too happy to see him, she doesn’t mind.

"My instructions were clear. Babalik ka sa inyo kapag hindi ako nakauwi pagkatapos ng tatlong araw. But what did you do? You never--"

She silenced him with a quick kiss on the lips.

"Yeah, I missed you too, Kapre," she said grinning, just a few inches above his lips. Ilang sandal rin itong natahimik, nakatingin lang sa kanya. Mabilis namn niyang inayos ang pagkaka-upo sa shotgun seat. “What?” untag niya rito nang wala pa rin itong imik.

“Wala naman sila Boyet a. Ba’t ka nanghahalik, Mangku?” tanong nito sa naaliw na tinig.

“Ayaw mo? Sige sa susunod hindi na.”

“Hey, I didn’t said that.”

“So you like it?” she taunted.

Humugong ito. “Anong klaseng tanong ‘yan?” He was cursing and spitting nonsense while turning the ignition on. Para itong nagrereklamo na hindi. Umiling-iling pa.  Ewan niya kung bakit.

Naaliw naman siyang panoorin ito.

Earlier, she prayed for a miracle. And the heaven sent one-- a conceited, talkative and overbearing man, but nevertheless, a miracle.

The heavens sure has its ways, she thought, smiling. 

When the car moved, she automatically closed her eyes. She never wanted to sleep but she was tired and exhausted and she knew with Will beside her, she's safe...for now.