𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝟎𝟏: 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭 (𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃)

𝟓 : 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫

     Side by side, both of them stood there, uncertain about where to begin. Mathara wanted a clean space, but she found herself clueless when talking about household chores. Sa totoo lang ay wala naman siyang experience maglinis ng bahay. But talking about cleaning dead bodies, siguro may maaalala siya.

     Ronin stood alongside her in a state of confusion. Syempre sanay na siya sa ganung tanawin araw-araw.

     "So? Ano na?" tanong no Ronin. A deafening silence settled between them moments ago and he decided to break it. Tanging ang malakas na buhos ng ulan ang background noise nila.

     "This is your house, you clean," simpleng sagot ni Mathara. She just surrendered, conceding defeat in her attempts to grasp the difficulties of cleaning a house. Sa isip ni Mathara para itong isang mystery tho it's just a normal thing to do and not that hard.

     "Titira ka rin dito at ikaw ang babae sa atin, you clean," reklamo ng binata. 

     "What? Babae lang ang naglilinis? How unfair is that!" Mathara blurted out, her eyebrows furrowed, casting a glance at Ronin with an expression of injustice. Naniniwala siyang walang gender ang mga gawaing bahay.

     "W-Well. No? But still, you owe me," Ronin stuttered, his eyes avoiding Mathara's gaze as he absentmindedly scratched his head, though it's not even itchy. Mabuti naman at pati si Ronin ay pareho ng paniniwala kay Mathara. Or maybe, he's just throwing excuses para hindi makatulong. "Fine, I'll just help," he conceded at last.

     Kinuha ni Ronin ang cellphone niya at nag-search ng videos para panoorin ni Mathara. Binigay niya ito sa dalaga.

     Mathara's confusion deepened, but she refrained from seeking clarification since nakuha na nung video ang attention niya. It is about how to wash clothes properly.

     "Ako na ang bahala sa mga mabibigat na bagay na nandito sa loob. You'll just be encharged of the laundry and folding," ani Ronin sabay buhat na nung mga cartong walang laman. He began sorting through his kitchen garbage, segregating the items that hadn't expired into one pile and tossing the rest into the trash.

     "Wala ka bang gloves? I don't wanna touch your stuffs, barehanded," nandidiring tanong ni Mathara with her face showing all the disgust she's feeling.

     "Maghugas ka nalang ng kamay," Ronin answered in irritation as he continued his task.

     Kinulekta na din niya ang mga walang kwentang bagay na nasa sala pati sa maliit na kwarto.

     Mathara doesn't have the choice. Kinolekta na niya isa isa ang mga nakakalat na damit sa buong bahay. 

     "What the heck is this?" she asked all of the sudden pulling something under the couch. Ayaw sana siya pansinin ni Ronin kaso nang sinulyapan niya ito, he realized it is his underwear.

     Ronin was about to run to her to take over, but it was too late. Mathara had already placed everything in a basin she found somewhere in the house. Everything is just too chaotic. Baka nga sa kakalinis nila e may mahanap silang gold.

     Sa sobrang hiya ni Ronin ay namula ito lalo na't nahanap ni Mathara ang mga basurang mga tissue sa ilalim pati ang mga naninigas na socks. Without knowing, it was the most disgusting thing Mathara had ever touched, and she couldn't even identify what it was.

     "What happened to this sock?" she asked innocently, holding up the stiffened sock that felt almost like a rock.

     If you only know what it was Mathara, you wouldn't want to ever touch it again.

     "Sh*t! You don't wanna touch that thing!" Nag-panic na si Ronin. "Itapon mo yan!" dagdag niya. Mathara now curious, pinched that sock. Nang makitang lalapit na si Ronin ay nataranta siya't ibinato ito. Hindi ito na shot sa carton ng basura kundi sa pagmumukha ng namumulang si Ronin.  

     The silence then took over. Tumakbo si Ronin sa sink at naghilamos. It is his, pero nadudumihan din pala siya. 

     Mathara began loading the dirty pile of clothes into the washing machine, demonstrating her proficiency in following directions. Well, lumaki naman siyang laging sumusunod sa kagustuhan ng kanyang ama. Yes, sunod sunuran siya pero naging magaan naman ang buhay niya't ni hindi siya nakahawak ng walis.

     By the end of the day, Mathara came to the realization that cleaning wasn't that easy. It demanded a huge amount of time and effort. Pareho silang pagod at nakalimutan na ngang mag-lunch. Madilim na sa labas at ang tanging pwede nila kainin ay ang mga tirang tinapay ni Ronin na nakolekta. These are still packed and is expiring the next day.

     The house looked a lot better. 'Yong couch ni Ronin may cover na at doon pinatong lahat ng mga nilabhan ni Mathara. They are all folded well. Dahil sa wala pang malalagyan ng mga yun ay pinasok na muna ni Ronin ang mga yun sa malinis na carton box. They are now also wearing clean clothes.

     Dahil sa gutom ay naubos nila 'yong mga tinapay. Sana lang ay hindi masira ang mga tiyan nila. Hindi pa naman din nalinis 'yong cr. Anyways, bukas pa expiry ng mga yun.

     Handa na silang matulog pero bago yun ay natanto ni Ronin gaano ka refreshing sa paningin ang hindi makalat na bahay. While it wasn't completed, the trash had been disposed of. With a few more touches, everything would be in order.

     Ronin stared at that woman busy covering the limited space on the old bed with clean cloth for sleep. Satisfied, she closed the door. Sino bang mag-aakala may makakasama ulit siyang tao sa iisang bahay.

     Behind the door of the small bedroom, Mathara was curled up like a fetus. Marami pa kasing gamit na hindi pa nailabas doon. Wala siyang unan at kunot kasi hindi pa nila mahanap ang mga yun. Inuunan nalang niya ang braso. Fortunately, it was still cold outside, allowing her to sleep as if she had an air conditioner. 

     Hindi na naman makatulog si Ronin. Something is bugging him. Narealize niya bigla na hindi pala niya dapat iwan si Mathara nang wala naman itong alam sa mga bagay bagay sa loob ng bahay. She will starve. 

    'Fine. I won't leave until she's able to manage on her own,' he thought, closing his eyes.

     Little did Ronin know, he was sympathizing with the serial killer who might be the one responsible for the murder of his own family.

TakahashiKazumi2024