Villaverde Brothers Series 2: Jilting the Fearless✓

Chapter Sixteen

Jai received another call earlier while we were having lunch. Dahil sa tawag na 'yon ay napansin ko ang pagkawala niya sa mood. Tahimik lang siya at kapag kinausap mo naman ay tipid sumagot.

I feel like I want to comfort him, but I don't know how. Alam ko namang tungkol na naman sa trabaho ang natanggap niyang tawag kanina base sa mga sinabi niya.

He looks really stressed pero ayaw niyang ipahalata sa akin.

Nasa loob ako ng cabin dahil ang sabi ko sa kaniya ay may aasikasuhin lang ako. He doesn't know that I'm just watching his back habang nasa labas siya at nakatingin sa malayo. His feet are hanging on the deck. Nasa magkabilang gilid niya ang mga kamay niya, saka ko lamang napansin na suot niya pala ang kulay sky blue kong scrunchie sa kanliwa niyang kamay.

I smiled while staring at it. Bagay sa kaniya huh? Parang ayaw ko na lang tuloy kunin at sa kaniya na lang.

Hindi ko alam kung gaano ko na siya katagal tinititigan. Ang payapa niyang tingnan. Limang minuto pa bago ko napagpasyahan na lumabas at tabihan siya.

Nag-angat siya ng tingin nang maramdaman niya ang paglabas ko.

"Careful," he said and held my hand as I was sitting beside him.

"Thank you." I smiled.

The wind breeze hugged my skin which made me close my eyes while feeling it.

"Let's wait for the sunset," he mumbled.

Tumango ako. Mas okay na siya ngayon kaysa kanina. Perhaps, the view calmed him. Kagaya ng paligid, payapa na rin siya.

"Sana naging isda na lang ako. Palangoy-langoy lang," aniya habang nakatingin sa fish pond.

"Sometimes do you wonder if other life forms have problems, too?" he asked seriously.

I was silent for a minute, enjoying the breathtaking scenery in front of us.

"We won't know it unless we become them," sagot ko saka sumulyap sa kaniya. "Hindi natin maiintindihan ang isang bagay maliban na lang kung mararanasan natin. For us, they look just like normal life forms who live in their usual habitat. Minsan nga sinasabi pa natin na ang swerte nila dahil hindi nila naranasan kung gaano kahirap ang buhay ng isang tao. But the world is cruel to them, too."

He moved a bit to raise his left foot and rest his chin on his knee. "I guess you're right about that, and merciless people are the one to blame. They abuse animals, beat dogs and cats, do dynamite fishing, hunt the wilds in forests . . . they even shot the birds who flew freely." He chuckled sarcastically.

Nalungkot ako bigla sa usapan namin. I glanced at him again and smiled. "Gusto mo pa ba maging isda? Bahala ka, gagawin kang ulam. Depende kung prito, paksiw, o ihaw."

He laughed. Nang marinig ko ang tawa niya ay parang nawalan ng bigat ang dibdib ko . . . na kahit papaano ay napapagaan ko ang loob niya kahit ang corny ko mag-joke.

A couple of minutes pass by and we are just silent, staring at the view that nature is serving us. The silence between us isn't bothering; it's comforting and peaceful.

Sometimes, we all need this. The comfort that it gives just by being together. 'Yong kahit walang magsalita, panatag ang loob mo at hindi nakakabahala.

I heard him sigh. "This is what I really need," he then said and looked at me. "To be far away from people who keep on belittling me and my capabilities."

There he said what's the problem. Kung ano ang kanina ang gumugulo sa isip niya at kung bakit siya nawawala sa hulog.

"Anong problema? Makikinig ako," sabi ko habang nakatingin nang diretso sa mga mata niya.