ALDUB: Treasure of the Hearts

Off To Palawan (Part 24)

"HAA!" All of them shouted at the same time.

"Pigilan nyo ako, sasapakin ko ito!" Jose is acting like he's gonna hit Paolo. Wally tried to stop him. Jose stood up and went out of the restaurant. He kicked the pebbles on the parking space while pulling his hair.

Paolo realized that he was wrong earlier. He whispered "Sorry" and lifts his shoulders.

"Okay lang yun. Alam kong effort ang ginawa mo knowing limited pa lang ang alam mo sa pagtatranslate. I hope masasamahan mo kami until matapos ito." Maine assured him.

"Oo naman. Nangako na ako di ba? Saka mataas ang tingin ko kay Doc Joey, ang makasama sa mga pinagkakatiwalaan niya ay isang karangalan. Pagpasensiyahan mo na lang ang mga away namin nina Jose at Wally, ganun lang talaga kami." Paolo said.

The group decided to rest in Infanta, Quezon for the night and travel back to Manila by tomorrow morning. Maine can't sleep yet so she went to the porch of the inn. She found Alden is also there staring at the sky.

"Hi! Can't sleep?" Maine greeted Alden.

Alden was startled. He stared at Maine and smiled. "Nagpapaantok lang. I'm also thinking of the last clue about Quezon, Palawan. Ano kaya ang nandun? Bakit dun napili ni Lolo Doc na ilagay ang sumunod na clue? Based on History, nandun ang Tabon Cave where they found the Tabon Man. Then I remember, my mom's ancestral house was there. San kaya eksakto ang clue?"

"Salamat talaga Alden ha. Sa walang sawang pagtulong mo sa akin para mahanap ang mga clues. Tinaya mo na rin ang buhay mo para masamahan lang ako. Sana nga iyon na ang last clue. Medyo nakakapagod na rin. Nahihiya na rin ako sa abala kina Kuya Wally, Kuya Jose at Kuya Paolo lalo na sa iyo."

"Ano ka ba para kang others. Di man ako physically fit and strong gaya ng iba, di man kita maipagtanggol nang ayon sa lakas, I will protect and help you in the best way I can. And I wouldn't wish to be in any other place than here with you. I'm glad to be of help."

"I wish we've met in a better circumstance. Hindi yung lagi tayong tumatakbo, nagtatago and at times fighting to survive. Buti na lang nanjan ka. You made this quest meaningful. Napapagaan mo ang pakiramdam ko sa gitna ng mabigat na sitwasyon. Thank you again."

Alden asked, "Maine, ano nga pala ang plano mo after maisurrender natin ang treasures?"

Maine just smiled and said, "Pag nahanap na natin ang treasures at naisurrender na sa gobyerno, baka bumalik na ako sa company where I worked as an archaeologists. On leave lang ako for now. I worked under new expeditions kaya exciting din pero siyempre di tulad ngayon. Pero dahil new discoveries, confidential ang mga lugar at dig sites namin sa umpisa. Kaya di mo ako makontak dati."

"I-ibig sabihin, di kita makokontak uli kapag bumalik ka sa work mo hanggat di tapos ang project nyo?" Alden sounds disappointed.

Maine was taken aback. She never thought about it but she realized, that will be their reality once this journey ends. She stared at downcast look of Alden. "Eh, ano kaya kung sumama ka sa akin. With your expertise and experiences now, I'm sure pwede ka sumama sa mga archaeological expeditions!"

Alden smiled sadly, "Let's see after this journey." Alden doesn't want to burden Maine or stop her from growing in her chosen field. So he smiled and changed the topic. "Wag muna nating pag-usapan yun. Magkuwento ka pa tungkol sa adventures nyo ni Lolo nung kabataan mo."

They chatted for hours, sharing stories from their childhood. It's around midnight before they call it a day and went to their respective room, hoping that tomorrow is a better day.

Early morning the group went directly to the airport after returning the car they rented. Maine managed to hire a private plane for them. She thought that if they will book a flight, Ruby might trace their tracks. In less than an hour they reached Puerto Prinsesa Airport. They rented a private van for their travel to Quezon which is 3-4 hours away from Puerto Prinsesa. This time, Jose and Paolo volunteered to drive. They headed towards the ancestral house of Alden first.

The caretakers apologized for not being prepared in their coming as they rushed to clean the rooms and prepare meals for them. Alden told them they should be the one apologizing for not giving them a heads up.

After eating lunch, they were escorted to their respective rooms. JOWAPAO took a quick nap. Maine decided to roam around the house. Her attention was caught by a room named Alden. She knows that Alden was staying opposite her room, so what is this room for? She opened it and saw toys and clothes worn by young Alden. Her attention was fixed on something that was framed.

To be continued...