what was that?

#02

re: part 031
a narration

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Sierra

On every vehicle that passes by, Sierra hopes that one of them will stop and a passenger from that will come out and search for her eyes. She hopes to see someone that looks familiar, feels familiar.

She's shaking, freezing, as it continues to rain so hard. Hindi niya alam kung nasaan siya. Kung bakit siya napunta roon, it’s either namali ng pagbaba sa kaniya o mali ang naituro niyang direksyon sa Grab driver na sinakyan niya.

Sa lahat ng kasama niyang imbitado sa summit, wala siyang kakilala maliban sa isa na inaasahan niyang tutupad sa mga salita nito na pupuntahan at hahanapin siya.

“Sie... Sierra, diyan ka lang okay? Please, ’wag kang lalayo, ’wag kang makikipag-usap sa iba, ha? ’Wag ka nang magtanong sa iba. I’m on my way, pupuntahan kita riyan. Please, stay safe until I arrive, okay? Pupunta ako, pupuntahan kita.” She clung onto those words, to that voice that feels nothing but assurance and safety.

Pero ang tagal.

Hindi niya alam kung dahil lang ba sa kaba kaya pakiramdam niya, matagal na oras na ang nakalipas nang mag-usap sila sa telepono ni Miguel Lorenzo, o talagang nahirapan na siguro ito sa paghahanap sa kaniya. But she clearly stated and described her surroundings. He has to find her.

She’s shaking in the coldness of the breeze, and maybe out of fear and nervousness too. Ito ang unang beses na maligaw siya, sa lugar na hindi niya kabisado at sa lugar na wala siyang kakilala. Sure, it wasn't her first time here, but this is her first time around this area, with no one to accompany her.

Her anxiety rises every time someone looks at her, or every time a vehicle approaches in her direction while it moves slowly than the other cars in the road. She's overthinking everything already!

Pinilit niya lang na magmukhang okay. Pinipilit. Na kunwari ay naghihintay ito ng b-in-ook niyang sasakyan, na patingin-tingin lamang siya sa mga sasakyan na dumadaan. She cannot even book a ride without the risk na baka alam ng driver na naliligaw siya at samantalahin nito ang bulnerabilidad na estado niya ngayon.

Inside her? She wanted to go home already. She wanted to feel safe and warm. Because right now, everything around her, for her, is risky, and unsafe, and scary.

And at exactly 7:59, that eerie evening, a car halted in front of the shed where she was. From that car, a familiar built came out. Diretso ang tinging nag-aalala nito sa kaniya, may maliit na ngiti para siguro ipahatid sa kaniya na narito na siya.

Indeed, he was finally there. Those searching eyes. Someone who looks familiar, feels familiar.

Sierra felt her heart beating fast. She finally felt the safety and warmness she's been looking for, for almost 30 minutes now.

The smile never faded until the owner of those smiles came rushing to her. With damped hair and clothes, running to close the distance in between them, Miguel Lorenzo closed their gap in a warm and safe embrace.

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With a concerned expression that Miguel Lorenzo cannot hide, he ran to Sierra and hugged her immediately. He hugged her tight, trying to touch the confident Sierra and bring it back to the surface.

His hands almost itching to get a hold of her skin, to cage her in his arms, to be protective of her, against every single thing.

“Are you okay? Sier? Sierra?” Miguel Lorenzo looked intently in her eyes, searching for something.