Lasta Sanco (A Collaborative Novel)

Chapter Eight

I'm Julia

Ariadne

"I see, a one sided love no?"

"Huh?"

Gulat naman akong napatitig sa babaeng ito-- ah si Julia? The one that I healed from her cold.

"Ahaha! I'm Julia, mukhang may dinadamdam ka ngayon ah?"

"E-eh?"

"Ahahaha! Sorry, mukha ba akong feeling close? I want to be friends with you!" Inilahad niya naman agad ang kamay niya for a hand shake. Takang-taka namang nakatingin sa kaniya.

I'm at the office now, continuing my work.

"Why me? I'm unsociable and boring to be with, only a few people likes me."

Nakayuko ko lang ani at saka nagpatuloy sa pagta-type. Nagulat naman din ako ng kunin niya ang kamay ko, forcing me to hand shake with her. Napapatitig tuloy ako lalo sa kaniya. "Nice to meet you Delfei! I'm like you, I'm cursed too!"

"Eh!?"

Nanlaki tuloy ang mga mata ko, napataas ang balikat ko sa gulat. Dahan-dahan ko tuloy nailayo ang kamay ko sa kaniya habang siya napapalakpak pa sa excitement.

"C-cursed?"

"Hm! Sinumpa ka na magpagaling 'diba?"

I slowly nodded habang titig na titig pa rin sa kaniya. Agad naman din akong nabalik sa ulirat at nagtanong.

"Kilala mo ba kung sino sumumpa sa'kin?"

"Of course, sad to say she already died, it was my grandma, hehe!"

Lalo naman akong nabigla do'n at napatitig lalo sa kaniya. Seriously? Is this serious? Am I being prank?

"Sorry kung tumabi ako sa'yo bigla, from the moment I interacted with you, I knew you we're cursed, hindi ko lang na-realize agad kasi may sakit ako no'n."

"You really do know..."

"Yup! Thank you for healing me, and sorry din kasi I know it gives you severe headaches and heartburn."

"Huh?"

"Sorry din kung sinumpa ka ni lola, like you, she cursed me too and I didn't even know why, hindi naman ine-explain sa'kin ng mother ko."

"What's your curse?"

"I'm unable to sleep, so meaning I've never experience falling asleep, tuwing gabi nakahiga lang ako sa kama, waiting until mag-umaga. It gets real bad pa kapag pagod ako sa buong araw, so madali akong magkasakit, kasi kulang lagi sa pahinga. I might die one day dahil sa kulang ko sa pahinga, ahahaha!"

"Oh."

We're talking as if normal lang 'tong pinaguusapan namin.

"I know about the girl na sinumpa rin ni lola and finally, I got to meet you!" Mahina pa ulit siyang pumalakpak. She seems really friendly so I smiled at her.

"May gusto lang akong klaruhin about sa sumpa mo."

"Ha?"

"It's a cursed pero hindi ka agad mamamatay everytime may pinagagaling kang tao." Ngayon ay nagsasalita na siya ng seryoso. Parang nagbubulungan pa kami sa gitna ng trabaho.

"But of course 'yong usual na symptoms na nararamdaman mo everytime na may napagaling ka, like, heartburns, headaches saka ung pag-co-collapse mo..."

Wow she really knows it.

"Mararamdaman mo talaga, I'm not sure about this pero there is one thing na kapag ginawa mo because of your feelings, it will surely take your life one day, but you could control it, Delfei."

"I don't understand, ano 'yong one thing na 'yon?"

"Actually hindi ko rin alam, sorry," Nag-peace sign pa siya agad. "Gusto ko lang sabihin 'to sa'yo, thinking na maybe makapagpagaan ng pakiramdam mo, like your worries about your curse. It will be fine if you're just healing a wound, a sickness and any physical pain, except emotional pain of course."

She's right, I can't heal emotional pain or emotional damage, 'yon talaga 'yong balak ko no'ng haplusin ko ang buhok ni Hector that time. I thought it would worked somehow pero iba lang 'yong na-realize niya.

"Wala ka lang takas sa symptoms after, so bear with it nalang," tila malungkot pang aniya. "I'm sorry on behalf of my grandma, for cursing you. Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit."

Mukha talaga siyang nagso-sorry. Ngumiti nalang ako at hinaplos ang balikat niya as my way of comforting her. "You don't have to, at least napagaan mo pa rin ang pakiramdam ko, nag-lessen 'yong worries ko, I don't have to worry about dying one day." I showed a smile kaya't napangiti rin siya.

Even though that old woman died, her curse didn't wear off, wow, hassle.

"Besides, you've been cursed too, it's more saddening to think that it's your own grandma who did it to you." Taas-balikat ko namang ani, natawa nalang siya out of her emotional pain.

"Yeah... By the way, don't worry, I'll find more information about our curse, baka pwede pang matanggal, seriously it's making our life harder." Iiling-iling pang aniya.

Well, thank goodness, 'yong ina ko lang naman ang nagsabi out of extreme worries na I might die immediately for healing a lot of people. I was so scared about that.

I actually believe this woman, hindi ko naman in-explain sa kaniya kung sino ako, but she just knows.

And judging from the looks of her eyes, parang ang laki na ng eyebugs niya na tinatakpan niya nalang through make up. 

I feel bad for her, unlike mine, mas mabigat 'yong kaniya. To think that you're not able to sleep your whole life and the consequences of not being able to sleep is real bad.

If our cursed is not meant for us to die one day..

Then it's meant for us to suffer.

This is ridiculous, wala manlang kaming alam kung bakit kami ginanito.

****

It's 6:30 in the evening now, napagpasyahan ko ng umuwi. From the moment na bumalik ako sa office, hindi na ako nakipag-interact kay Hector. Funny to see na hindi ko na rin napansin na hindi rin naman siya lumapit sa'kin sa buong hapon. I didn't see him in the office, well, I didn't because I didn't bother to look where he is or if he's in his desk so I don't actually know.

I'm already outside the building, ready to go home.

And that's where I notice a familiar person, once again, beside me, not to far from me.

It's him and his girlfriend, they are arguing. Ang hirap tuloy hindi maging chismosa kaya nakatingin pa ako sa kanila. The girl seems to be so angry and him.. is she trying to explain? I don't know but he looks frustrated too.

I should leave, Aravel is waiting.

I was about too when suddenly, I notice his girl na bigla nalang tumingin sa'kin. Nabigla tuloy ako at agad bahagyang yumuko sa kaniya bilang paalam for me to leave.

"Hey!"

Gulat nalang akong napatitig sa kaniya nang nagmamadali siyang lumapit sa'kin! She's mad! Yes she is!

What the heck, what did I do?