The Girl at 829 (girlxgirl)

Chapter 50

"Baby, what brand of milk do you want? Do you want this?" tanong ni Jane kay Nadine habang kinuha ang isang carton of milk.

"I want that one! Mommy, I want the chocolate one too," malambing na sagot ni Nadine.

"Okay Baby." Nag iikot-ikot sila sa loob ng isang supermarket nang may nakita si Jane na isang pamilyar na mukha sa may Hair Product section. Mabilis na nilapitan ito ni Jane, "Tine? You're Tine from the bank, right? 'Yong officer ni-"

Naputol ang tanong ni Jane nang sumagot ang babae, "Yeah, I remember you—you are—Jane? Tama ba ako?"

"Yes, kamusta na?" nakangiting sagot ni Jane.

"Okay naman. Sa Quezon Ave. branch na ako ngayon. Ikaw? Kamusta na? This must be your daughter?"

"Yes si Nadine. Uhmm, Yaya dalhin mo muna si Nadine sa Biscuit section. Nadine, please go with Yaya and pili ka na ng Cereals and Biscuits mo ha...Get only those healthy snacks—So where was I? I'm good. I'm happily married. Isa pa lang 'yong baby ko. And she's almost 7—Uhmm.....Tine may balita ka pa ba kay Marsha? 'Coz I really haven't heard from her in years," humina ang kanyang boses nang banggitin ang pangalan ni Marsha.

"Yeah, nagkita kami sa Tagaytay noong huling uwi niya dito. Pero that was two years ago. Matagal-tagal na rin 'yon. I think nagbakasyon lang siya at ang sabi niya ay parang may inaasikaso daw siyang mga papeles sa Tagaytay that time. I think she bought a property somewhere there."

"Tagaytay?—Uhmm, do you happen to know where she's been? Kasi I really lost contact kay Marsha. Or saan ko kaya siya pwedeng puntahan or tawagan man lang?"

"She told me sa Australia siya naka-base. Kinuha daw siya ng Tita niya and then her whole family migrated sa Sydney."

"Ahh...gano'n ba? Any contact numbers kaya na pwede kong tawagan?"

"Ay sorry Jane, pero hindi ko na kasi naitanong dahil nagmamadali siya that time."

Maya-maya pa ay bumalik na si Nadine kasama ang kanyang Yaya dala ang ilang box ng biscuits, "Ah okay. Sige, Tine we have to go na din. Thank you ha...And it was nice seeing you again. Hayaan mo pag nagawi akong Quezon Ave., dadaan ako sa branch n'yo," pilit ang ngiti ni Jane habang nagpapaalam kay Tine.

Ng gabing iyon ay maagang nagpahinga si Jane. Napansin siya ng kanyang asawa na kanina pa siya balisa at paikot-ikot sa kama, "What's wrong, Hon? Napansin ko kanina ka pa hindi makatulog. Something bothering you?" tanong ni Eric sa kanya.

Binuksan ni Jane ang ilaw sa side table at pagkatapos ay humarap ito sa asawa, "Hon, I saw Tine kanina sa grocery. Si Tine 'yong officer dati ni Marsha. Ayon, nagkamustahan-nagkwentuhan," pahayag ni Jane.

"Nagkwentuhan about?" paguusisa ni Eric.

"About sa buhay-buhay. She saw Nadine. And 'yon-nagkwento din siya about kay Marsha."

"Ooo-kay...and then?" sarkastiko ang tono ni Eric.

"Apparently, she told me she saw Marsha two years ago sa Tagaytay."

"Okay, so bakit hindi ka makatulog?"

"Hon, I'll be honest with you. I wanted to go to Tagaytay sana. May titignan lang ako. I wanted to check if Marsha is there. Kung tama ba 'yong instincts ko. And once and for all, I just wanted to say goodbye to her ng maayos. To finally have a closure." Hindi sumagot si Eric at tinignan siya ni Jane sa mata, "Eric, bago tayo ikinasal I was very open with my past. And alam mo naman na hindi ko natapos 'yong mga bagay na dapat ay natapos na noon pa. Alam mong hindi naging maayos ang aming paghihiwalay. And I just hope you'll trust me on this."

Umikot si Eric para humarap kay Jane, bakas sa mukha niya ang pagaalinlangan, "Hindi na kita tatanungin kung mahal mo pa siya. Because sometimes, it's better to leave some questions unanswered. And I'm just not ready for that yet. But always remember that I love you, Jane. I loved your past and I will still love you for the rest of your tomorrows. And I love you that much that I trust you on everything. At alam ko rin na mahal mo ako at si Nadine, and you wouldn't do anything to hurt your family. Pero alam ko din na kahit anong mangyari, kahit gaano na katagal, Marsha will always remain special and she will always be a part of you. And that I can never, ever compete with her. So I say, go. And I wish that your instincts are correct para once and for all, all of us will have peace of mind - and heart."

"Thank you, Hon! Thank you for always trusting me...Thank you for loving me and Nadine. I love you," sabay hinalikan ni Jane sa labi sa Eric.

"I know. And I love you too."