The Jerk's Property

Chapter 15

Point of View of Asher Sullivan

"Dad, sira yung gulong ng kotse ko. Pahiram ng sa 'yo."

My father took a sip of alcohol from his wine glass as he moves to fiddle at the ring of keys above the table. He effortlessly threw it on my direction as his eyes are still settled on his drink.

Swiftly moving away as soon as I got them in my hands, I didn't bother to know why my father, who is still in his executive suit, is already drinking excessively at this juncture of a moment.

He has come home earlier than the usual, and I didn't know he will just be drinking then, instead of doing something productive.

But, after all, this is not much different from what he does whenever he and mom gets into an argument I never bothered to stick my nose into.

Padaskol akong naupo sa driver's seat pagkapasok ko sa kotse. The moment I revved the engine, the guards automatically opened the double-door gate with rush.

Napangisi ako. That's when you already know who I am, baby.

Whoever owns the car I am using, whatever the condition of the road I'm taking, whoever I am with, or whatever time it is of the day, I drive in a way that satisfies me.

Lumayo mula sa gate ang dalawang guwardiyang nagbukas nito, takot na madamay sa anumang disgrasyang puwede kong idulot dahil sa pagmamaneho ko.

Tss. Coward.

As soon as I got away from our ever strict subdivision, I pressed the speed of my father's car to its limit.

Heh. This mustang really keeps up with its good performance. It is mine, actually, or it is originally mine to say at least. I just happened to got my father's car destroyed to the extent that it can no longer be repaired, so he took this car from me as a payment.

It's a little bit fancy for an old man, but I couldn't give that as an excuse. My father, who I am most resembles of, loves fancy and sports car during his time.

Consequently, I literally had to endure having no personal car for a year. There's no single adjective to be able to perfectly describe my endurance.

Luckily, my grandfather whose generosity is second to none, gave me a car as a graduation present, for being the topnotcher and for receiving the highest honor award in senior high school.

Buti na lang. Kailangan ko naman talaga ang sariling sasakyan sa college. Nakakaumay ang may driver na naghahatid-sundo, ang kupad magpatakbo, at nakakatamad kaladkarin sa mga gimmick. Nakakasawa na rin ang nakiki-ride on lang sa mga barkada. Ang ingay nila masyado.

When my friends found out that I finally have a car, they weren't as excited as I do. Masaya silang wala akong kotse, dahil mukhang mas mapapadali ang pagkamatay ko kapag mayroon.

And as for the reason of this ride, I just want to grab some beer at the grocers. The wine cellar at home is pretty full, but they're not even enough for my father who is workaholic and alcoholic at the same time. They're all his.

I just want to give myself a reward for being a Dean's Lister for this semester. Vilican students are tough, but being on top doesn't really require someone to be better than others, but do the best for thyself.

As I headed home, the speed level of my former car is reaching its peak. Habang binabagtas ang kahabaan ng Almero Street kung saan maraming batang nagtatakbuhan papunta sa malapit na plaza, binagalan ko ang takbo.

I gripped the steering wheel as a memory rushed in my head. Nanatiling ganoon ang bagal ng pagmamaneho ko hanggang sa makarating ako sa parking lot ng aming mansion. The guards who opened the gate for me seemed to look shocked about me driving with moderation.

I grabbed the foods and drinks I bought for myself as I stepped out from the car. Pinaglaruan ko ang mga susi sa kamay ko hanggang sa may napansin akong pamilyar sa mga ito.

Dahan-dahan ko itong tinanggal sa key chain at pinakatitigan—the key of my brother's room. There's a letter P in it written by a permanent marker. I can recognize it because I was the one who made it. It stands for 'Priam', the name of my one and only brother.

And the reason why I decided earlier to drive slowly is because of the accident happened fourteen years ago. I don't want to accidentally bump anyone because of too much speed. I don't want anyone dying the same way as my brother did.

Ibinulsa ko ang susi at bumalik sa kung nasaan si Daddy kanina. Umiinom pa rin siya at hindi nag-abalang tingnan ako.

I put the keys above the table. "Thanks."

I rushed to my room that is across my parents', took a single wine glass settled above the glass table in my mini living room, and managed to go upstairs without taking the maids' attention.

Mabagal ang mga hakbang ko habang papalapit sa kuwartong may mataas at malaking pintuan. It is a wooden double-door with archaic carvings. And though it hasn't been open for a long time, the maids seemed to take care of it well.

"But maybe just in the outside," I murmured as I stared at the key in between my fingers. "No one can enter except for the holder of its key."

I looked around the area. The scarecrow that my parents put at the corner before is now gone. Thanks to those scarecrow, I didn't think of coming here even once, except of course now that I grown up.

Maliban sa hindi rin naman ako makakapasok dahil wala akong susi, mariin din akong pinagbawalan ni Mommy at Daddy noon na pumasok. I still can remember clearly how they reminded me every single day.

Bawal akong pumasok sa ikatlong palapag. Ayaw daw ng kapatid ko ang maingay.

I just realized now how lame it was for me to believe it. My brother doesn't hate noise. He was pretty noisy himself, for their information. At kahit pa man totoo nga, ano ngayon? He's dead. He can no longer complain.

Ang totoo, hindi naman dito ang orihinal na kuwarto ni kuya. Pareho kaming sa second floor noong buhay pa siya. Pero sa araw na nailibing na siya, lahat ng gamit niya ay itinago sa nag-iisang kuwarto na ito sa ikatlong palapag ng mansion.

I took a glance at my wristwatch. It's almost five, I better start celebrating.

I took a deep breath before inserting the key in the keyhole. It didn't fit.

"What the . . . "

Maang akong napatitig sa susi, at halos suntukin ko ang sarili ko nang mapagtantong ito nga pala ang susi noong sa ibaba pa lang ang kuwarto ni kuya. This room here, I don't know how to get in.

Or perhaps . . .

I held the knob, pressed it to unlock, and the door clicked open.

Napakurap ako nang ilang beses. So, this room is not locked all this time? What a trick.

Dahan-dahan ko siyang itinulak, ingat na ingat na hindi makagawa ng ingay hanggang sa tuluyan na akong nakapasok.

I am here because it strangely excites me when I saw the key, and for the first time, I want to have a toast with my brother as if he's alive.

Dumiretso ako sa malaking kama na nasa gitna ng kuwarto at umupo sa gilid. This room has a bathroom, a mini living room, and a walk in closet. Isn't it supposed to be the master's bedroom?

Inilapag ko muna sa sahig ang mga hawak ko at ikinalat ang tingin sa paligid. It looks like the old room of my brother, only that it looks emptier since it is three times bigger.

Nadako ang atensiyon ko sa picture frame na nasa ibabaw ng bedside table. I took it and traced the smiling faces of me, my brother, and our childhood friend, Krisha. It was taken a month before his death. It's kind of nostalgic to see it now, but I value it more than anything.

Unfortunately, my mom forbade me to take it in my care.

"Asher, why are you sleeping with that picture frame beside you?"

"Because I look handsome here, Mommy. And my kuya Priam too. And Krisha looks cute in her chubby cheeks and reddened nose."

I was taking it whenever I go, if possible. I don't know. Sometimes, there are things that we value too much regardless of how worthless they are in the eye of other people. Only us can see its significance. Only us can see its beauty. And we don't have to force others to do the same, because they may have other things to value in their own.

My mom let me keep it, though I don't see any reason not to. But when my brother died and they moved his belongings in this wide, empty room, this picture frame is taken as well.

"But, mommy, that's mine! Kuya Priam gave it to me himself!"

"Asher, listen to me. This is originally your brother's. Your tita is the one who took this shot, right? And after developing the photo, she gave it to your brother."

"And my brother put it in a frame and handed it to me!"

"Huwag nang matigas ang ulo, Asher. Akin na 'yan."

"No! This is my last remembrance of my kuya! Don't take it— no! Mommy!"

I chuckled as I visualizes my face that day. I was crying on the staircase as I watched them put it here, inside this room. I can't run and retrieve it because I was so afraid of the scarecrow they intentionally made to stop me from coming here.

What a crybaby I was, throwing tantrums just because of a single picture frame.

Kaya pala. Ngayon alam ko na. Hindi naka-lock ang pinto kung kaya't naglagay na lang sila ng scarecrow para hindi ako mangahas na pumasok.

And now I remember, I am the one who lost the keys of this wide grand room.

"Anak, ang totoo, kinuha ko ang picture frame na 'yon because your brother will be glad if you give him something that you love."

"Really?"

"Yes. And look at these bond papers in my hand. This is your handwriting, right?"

"Yes. He often asked me to write our names in those bond papers."

"And he loves these."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Now, have it. Keep it in your room instead of that picture frame, so your brother will always be with you."

"With me?"

"Yes, my Asher. Don't lose them, okay? Now go to your room, and from this day forward, don't ever go to the third floor of our house because your brother is resting. He hates noise."

"What a petty lie you tried to inculcate in me, mother."

I emotionlessly watched the photo as if I'm watching a replay of that certain moment of my life. My grip on the frame tightened as I felt longing . . . and emptiness.

Aside from my brother, is there anything that I want to have? When it comes to love life, well, I never thought about that yet. Although I came to know that Krisha is my soul mate, I never had this romantic feelings for her. Is it because we've been friends for so long? I see her as a sister.

Bah, thinking that I'm going to marry her someday makes me cringe. It's a family stroke.

Speaking of which, does my brother has a soul mate?

Napatayo ako agad mula sa pagkakaupo at muling pinasadahan ang malawak na kuwarto. A large portion of its wall is covered by curtains.

As I approached them, I felt a strange excitement building inside my stomach, sweeping up to my bifurcation of trachea, and a fear circulating my sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Nang makalapit ako ay mahigpit akong napahawak sa mga kurtina, nagdadalawang-isip kung gagalawin ko ba sila o hindi.

But the decision is made. And what am I afraid of, anyway?

Walang pag-aalinlangan kong hinawi ang mga kurtina at tumambad sa akin ang hitsura ng pader.

"Bloody hell."

The wall . . . The wall is filled with countless letters in a red ink! At first, I felt extremely shocked and terrified because it looked like it was tainted with blood. But as I looked closer, they are not just scratches of red, but letters. No, they're not just a bunch of random letters but sentences!

"Ang tanga ko talaga, nadulas ako kanina sa hagdanan sa school, ang daming nakakita!"

"Why am I so sad?"

"Pogi!"

"Ang hirap namang ngumiti."

"Soul mate, I'm eating a pineapple. You want?"

"Baka naman mag-reply ka?"

"Pogi, ano name mo?"

"Ampalaya ang ulam namin. Ang pangit ng lasa. Huwag mo akong pakainin ng ampalaya kapag mag-asawa na tayo, ha? Joke."

"College na ako. First year. Sa September 15 ako mag-e-eighteen he he."

"Alam mo ba, green ang favorite color ko."

"Oys, taga-saan ka? Kita tayo hihihi"

"Soul mate, patay na mama ko."

"Soulmate.? ! !"

"I love graham shake. Ikaw?"

"Oy naman. Oh sige, bigay mo na lang phone number mo haha!"

"Alam mo, hindi bagay sa akin ang name ko."

"Soul mate, matakaw ako. Ang gusto ko sa lalaki ay yung makakain ko. Charot! Hindi, gusto ko yung magaling magluto. Mag-aral ka na hehehehe yay"

I laughed silently. Wala sa sariling napakagat ako ng labi habang pigil-pigil ang ngiti.

Whoever this girl is, she's pretty persistent. My brother never able to reply to her, but it seems like she never stopped giving him messages.

The wall of my parents' bedroom is empty. Sabi nila, once na ikasal na ang isa, mawawala na rin lahat ng laman ng pader nila, lalo pa't sa iisang kuwarto na sila ng asawa.

My room, on the other hand, is empty. I've been hearing about this magical way of communication between soul mates, but I never saw one. It's my first time.

Para sa iba, hindi naman ito gaanong mahalaga. May phone naman, social media. At kahit hindi makapag-usap ang soul mates bago pa sila magkita, gagawa nang gagawa ang tadhana para magkita sila dahil nga sila ang itinadhana.

Hindi naman lahat ng tao ay nagkakaroon ng kuwarto, hindi lahat ay may pagkakataong makausap ang soul mate nila sa pader. Isa pa, sabi ng mga barkada ko, gawain lang daw ito ng mga adik sa vandalism.

Bakit dudumihan pa ang pader? Ang pangit tingnan, sayang ang magandang pintura.

Me too, I never gave importance to this. I can communicate with Krisha whenever I want on i********:, anyway.

But now, looking at this wall full of red strokes from a lady who's been patiently waiting for her soul mate to reply, I'm starting to love how interesting this wall-writing kind of thing is.

The words she has written look like an art in my eyes. For the first time in my life, I felt interested in the stuff that I once considered weird and nonsense.

"Big bro, ang aga mo kasing namatay," I voiced out, still reading the messages and taking a mental note of the important details. "You've got an interesting soul mate. She's so open and funny."

Should I talk to her? What am I going to tell? Dung, what am I thinking?

"Dear, your soul mate is dead. I feel bad for you as much as I feel bad for myself. My brother is a good guy."

Kung noon ko pa siguro naisipang pumunta rito, kilala ko na ngayon ang babaeng ito.

But it's not too late. I want to know her more.

Tumalikod ako at dahan-dahang lumabas ng kuwarto. I cautiously took the steps downstairs and headed to my room. Nang makahanap ako ng marker na itim ay dali-dali rin akong bumalik.

Isinara kong muli ang pinto ng kuwarto at bumalik sa pader. Naghanap ako ng space kung saan matatakpan pa ng kurtina.

Umangat ang kamay ko para magsulat, but my hand stopped mid-air as I realized that I have actually no idea what to say.

I read again the messages and a particular one caught my attention. As much as I remember, it's not still here earlier.

"Fine! You think you're a loss? Besides, I have an ultimate crush—the oh so handsome fafa Benji, one of the heartthrobs in my university. Duh!"

The hell is this? Did she just write it now?

Ah, girls! Ever since, si Krisha lang talaga ang close sa aking babae, at ang barkada kong si Xandra. I've never been close to any other ladies aside from them. They make me sick!

And Priam's soul mate is not an exception. Too much of crushing down my expectations, huh?

Muli ko itong binasa. University heartthrob? I don't know why, but I feel so annoyed. Is it because my brother can't answer her and she's already acting like this, or there's another reason I myself doesn't know?

Crap. I'm really annoyed!

Napatitig ako sa pangalang binanggit niya.

Benji?

Muli kong iginala ang aking paningin sa pader. Hindi rin nagtagal at may nakita akong mga salitang 'Geneva University'.

Is she referring to my friend, Benjie?

Feeling so irritated, I didn't hesitate to write back.

"Crush, my ass. Wrong spelling. Sa dulo, kulang ng letter E."

I moved the curtains back to their old position and picked the bag of foods and drinks I put on the floor.

Lumabas ako ng kuwarto ni kuya na hindi maipinta ang mukha. I got too excited about that girl, expecting that something's different in her.

Hah, what a waste.

Inilagay ko sa kuwarto ang mga binili ko at lukot ang mukhang pumunta sa kusina.

Shit. Akala ko ba naiinis ako sa kanya?

"May kailangan ka, anak?" tanong sa akin ng pinakamatandang katulong sa bahay nang makita akong nakasandal sa lamesa.

Napalunok ako at nag-aatubiling napahawak sa leeg. "Manang, turuan mo akong magluto."

That's when I started sneaking in to my brother's room to constantly check on her messages. I took a picture of the wall and wrote down in a note about the things she likes and everything she had shared.

When I visited my brother's tomb, I talked to him. I told him that I'm transferring to Geneva University, find his soul mate, and take care of her for him.

And I think, I should go back again to his grave and ask for forgiveness, even if it's not easy or it's not forgiveable at all.

Because my plan is far from what it becomes.

I fell in love with her. I fell in love with my brother's soul mate.