I𝗺𝗲𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝘀
It's already 9:00 in the evening at kami nalang nila Bonget, Liza, Matthew, Borgy at Sandro ang nandito sa sala. Yung iba ay nagpapahinga na, napagod kaka-swimming. Si Irene naman ay pinagpahinga namin ng maaga dahil kakagaling lang niya sa lagnat sinamahan niya si Isabelle. Nagpapahinga narin si Mommy sa kanyang silid dahil bawal sakanya ang magpuyat.
"Matt, about sa pinag-usapan natin last week. Nagawa mo na ba?" Bonget asked directly.
"Yes tito, Borgy and I found out something.." Matt replied.
"Ano yun?" I asked, curiously speaking.
"Mom, Isabelle's full name is Isabelle Celestine." Matthew said right away, we were shocked of course!
"W-what?" I exclaimed loudly.
I was shocked when Matt uttered those words. Isabelle Celestine?
"Mom lower your voice!"Matt scolded.
"Sorry naman, nadala lang!" I defended.
"Yun lang ba yung sinabi nila?" Bonget asked.
"Tito, that Celestine makes sense kasi yun lang daw yung naalala ni Belle na pangalan niya nung nakita siya nila Sister.." Borgy exclaimed.
"We often call tine as tine or Celestine. We never call her Samantha." Borgy added.
"Where did they found her?" Bonget asked.
"In the Market daw near Paoay Church, tito." Matt replied.
"We're almost there..." Bonget whispered.
"Almost." I agreed by repeating the word.
"Hindi ba talaga kikilos si Ading?" Bonget asked and looked at me.
"Oh what? Bat ka sakin nakatingin?" I said, raising my eyebrows.
"Manang, convince her." Bonget said softly.
"I tried Bong, she said she'll take the risk naman daw pag may makita siyang evidence." I said.
"Bat niya pa hinihintay yung ebidensyang gusto niyang malaman? Alam kong may nararamdaman siya para sa batang yun, the way she care for that girl, ramdam na ramdam kong napamahal na siya sa batang yun. Aren't her feelings are enough proof? Baka dun na siya kumilos pag huli na ang lahat." Bonget irritatedly said.
"Dad, calm down." Sandro said.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, I looked at him solemnly. I know that he knows something.
"The what, manang?" He asked back.
"Yung dun na siya kumilos pag huli na ang lahat." I asked again, he sighed heavily.
"Last week, pumunta ako ng Ilocos kasi sigurado akong hindi mapipilit nila Matthew yung mga madre tungkol sa mga impormasyon ni Isabelle. Nag-usap kami nung mga tumatayong magulang ni Isabelle na sila Sister Theressa at Sister Anabelle. Ipinaliwanag ko sakanila kung bakit kailangan ko yung mga impormasyon tungkol sa bata at naintindihan naman nila iyon at nag usap kami tungkol kay Belle pero sabi ni Sister Theressa eh kailangan na ngang kumilos si Irene bago pa mahuli ang lahat. Naka-kontrata na si Belle, aampunin siya ng isang babaeng parang kapatid narin ni Belle kung ituring siya, dadalhin siya sa America at doon maninirahan." Bonget explained.
"Kung hindi kikilos si Irene, ako ang kikilos.." Bonget added.
"Magagalit sayo si Irene, Bonget. Alam mong ayaw niya na pinangungunahan siya." I warned him.
"Kaysa naman sa tumunganga nalang tayo dito, Manang. Buhay ng pamangkin natin yung nakasalalay dito." Bonget signifies, well he's right.
"Hindi ko na hahayaan na magdusa pa ulit si Irene ng maraming taon bago makasama ulit yung anak niya. Nakita natin kung paano siya nagdusa nung nawala sa piling niya si Celestine at bilang kapatid at kapamilya niya nasasaktan din tayo. Kaya sa pagpapaimbestiga ko kailangan ko din yung suporta ninyong lahat, maiintindihan din ito ni Irene manang, lahat ng gagawin natin ay para sakanya." Bonget added, we nodded as a sign of agreement.
"We'll start the investigation as early as possible. I'll contact the private investigators bukas agad." Bonget uttered.
"Tito -" Matthew didn't able to finish his words when we heard a voice coming from the stairs.
When we looked at the direction of the voice, it was Isabelle. Full of wonder on her face, did she hear everything? We were all in silence when we heard her spoke.
"T-tita? T-tito? B-Bakit n-niyo p-po ako pina-iimbestigahan?"
𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲
Nasa kwarto na kami ni tita Irene, dito nalang din ako matutulog dahil wala siyang katabi at baka bumalik ang lagnat niya. Natutulog na siya ng mahimbing at ako naman ay hindi makatulog kaya nanuod lang muna ako ng tv sa kwarto niya pero pinahinaan ko ang volume neto upang hindi siya magising.
Ilang oras nadin akong nanunuod pero hindi parin ako inaantok, kaya napagpasyahan kong pumunta sa kusina at magtimpla ng gatas.
Lumabas na ako ng kwarto at habang papalapit na ako sa may hagdan, naririnig kong may nag-uusap sa baba. Umatake nanaman yung pagka-mahiyain ko kaya't sabi ko sa sarili ko hindi nalang ako tutuloy doon.
Hindi ako nakabalik ng kwarto dahil narinig ko yung pangalan ni Sister Theressa at Sister Anabelle. Bakit nila pinag-uusapan sila Sister?
Lumapit pa ako sa may hagdan at nakinig sa pag-uusap nila. Alam kong mali pero bahala na. Umupo ako sa may hagdan at nakita kong sila Tita Imee, tito Bong, tita Liza, Kuya Borgy, Kuya Matthew at Sandro yung nag-uusap.
Habang nag-uusap sila, pumapasok parin sa isip ko kung bakit nila pinag-uusapan sila Sister. May nangyari ba?
May pina-iimbestigahan daw sila dahil malakas daw yung kutob nila sa batang babaeng iyon. Yan yung narinig ko, I was shocked when I heard my name.
"Naka-kontrata na si Belle, aampunin siya ng isang babaeng parang kapatid narin ni Belle kung ituring siya, dadalhin siya sa America at doon maninirahan." I heard tito Bong said that.
Ako yung pina-iimbestigahan nila? Bakit? At pano nila nalaman na pupunta ako ng America?
Pinaghihinalaan nila na ako yung anak ni tita Irene? What? Are they serious? Saan naman nila nakuha yung impormasyon na yan? Are they okay? Are they even thinking?
Hindi ako si Celestine!
I will never be Celestine!
(𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘩)
I'm not a Marcos nor an Araneta!
I'm not tita Irene's daughter!
Bakit? Kasi yung mga magulang ko, iniwan ako!
Si tita Irene, pinahanap nila si Celestine sa iba't ibang lupalop ng mundo para mahanap siya, pero ako? Smirked.
Sister Theressa would always tell me that I got lost, what the h*ll, 10 years? 10 whole years? Ni-hindi nila ako nahanap or do they even bother on finding me? Hinding hindi ko sila mapapatawad. I would rather be in Bahay Kalinga or stay with ate Talliah forever than being with my parents again.
My sight were now blurry, I immediately wiped my tears and then I decided to confront them.
"T-tita? T-tito? B-Bakit n-niyo p-po ako pina-iimbestigahan?" I asked them stuttering, I'm nervous okay!
They looked at me totally in shocked.
I repeated my question.
"Bakit niyo po ako pa-iimbestigahan?" I asked one more time, this time in my calm voice.
Ayoko namang pag-taasan sila ng boses, napaka-bastos ko naman kung ganon. Presidente, First Lady, Senator, Governor, Congressman at mga Marcos pa yung kausap ko.
To be continue..
Sorry for the wrong grammars and misspelled words.
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Long Lost Daughter
FanfictionThere lived a mother named Irene whose heart bore a deep and unending ache as many years ago, a devastating storm had swept through their lives as she lost her one and only daughter. This is a story of a mother who's longing for her daughter's love...
