Epicenter Tape #2: Point in Time

#PIT36

POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING CHAPTER

#PIT36

Nag-abot agad ako ng bayad sa taxi driver, hindi ko na inisip ang sukli lalo pa nang mamataan ko si Gio palabas ng gate habang buhat si Mommy. Napapailing ako sa takot. Abot langit ang kaba ko, hindi makahinga nang maayos. My hands started trembling, too. Humahagos akong tumakbo palapit sa kanila.

Gio was walking hurriedly while carrying Mommy towards his car. Halata rin ang pag-aalala at kaba sa kanya.

"M-Mommy!" I called loudly. "Mommy! What happened?!" muling tawag ko sa takot, wala siyang kahit anong responde kaya napaiyak na ako.

I hated Mommy but I never wished to see her like this!

Nakakatakot siyang hawakan dahil wala akong makitang buhay at hindi ko alam kung anong nangyari pero halatang kabado si Gio habang nagmamadali patungo sa kanyang sasakyan.

"Gio! Anong nangyari?!" umiiyak kong tanong habang nakasunod sa kanila at hindi alam ang gagawin.

I couldn't find my right mind, seeing her without any movement is scaring me. Para akong mahihimatay sa takot, hindi ko kaya ang nakikita ko.

"Get in, Kiya!" he shouted as he immediately but carefully put Mommy in the back seat. "We need to take her to the hospital right now!"

Mabilis akong sumunod doon para alalayan si Mommy, I was crying but I couldn't hear my own voice even when I was eagerly asking Gio about what happened as he drove away. All I can see is my lifeless mother in my arms, ang sakit sa puso, sobrang bigat sa dibdib.

"Gio! What happened? P-Paanong ganito?" nanginginig boses kong tanong.

"I don't know, Kiya! I just saw her on the bed, she's already unconscious when I got there! May mga gamot doon na hindi ko alam kung para saan, she probably overdosed herself!" he answered indistinctly.

I cried loudly in pain and regret.

"This is all my fault! I should've answered her call earlier! I should've called her and visited her at home! I didn't know!"

Kung nasagot ko ang tawag ay malalaman kong nasa bahay siya at ang problema niya. I could've been more pushy but I didn't care too much about her call, I was so dense!

"That's not your fault!" Gio raised his voice as if knocking me some sense while driving.

"I could've helped her! I could've stopped her!" I was crying painfully thinking about why she did this makes me more guilty. I shook Mommy in my arms. "Mommy, please! Don't do this to me!"

Narating namin ang ospital at wala ako sa sarili habang madaling nilalagay sa stretcher si Mommy, Gio told the nurses about what he witnessed quickly, one of them checked Mom's pulse. Puro iyak lang ang ginagawa ko sa takot na hindi maisalba ang Mommy ko. I couldn't come into the emergency area with the nurses who took her, naiwanan kami ni Gio sa labas habang humahagulgol pa rin ako.

I couldn't stand any longer, I just sat on the floor and covered my face. My heart's breaking down. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko, sa totoo lang ay wala akong magawa. Punong-puno lamang ako ng pagsisisi at sakit, kasalanan din ito ni Daddy! She did that because of him! Because he cheated on our family!

"Kiya!" Gio called as he immediately pulled me into his arms to caress my back and comfort me. "Please, calm down. She's gonna be alright, let's pray for that. Come on." He supported me up to walk onto the waiting bench.

I don't know how long I am crying in his arms, kahit wala na akong mailuha ay panay ang masakit na pagpintig ng puso ko. Maybe, I hated my parents especially Mommy but I didn't want her to lose herself like this. I didn't want this to happen to our family.