So Close Yet So Far

Paperbag

Binuksan ni Jackie and gate at pumasok ng nakatulala. Hindi niya napansin na nasa harap na pala niya ang kanyang nanay na nagtatakang nakatingin sa kanya. Jackie went straight to the back of their house and looked up at the night sky. The moon is shining extra brightly tonight.

Iba ang liwanag ng buwan ngayon, naisip niya, while unconsciously nakahawak siya sa kanyang mga labi. Ang buwan nga ba ang nag-iba? O nakikita lang niya ang lahat bilang maganda?

-KINABUKASAN-

Mas naunang nagising si Jackie sa kanyang alarm. Hindi niya alam kung bakit pero sobrang saya ng pakiramdam niya. Ganito ba yung feeling na alam mo na rin na mahal ka rin pala ng mahal mo? Dali-dali siyang bumaba at nagtungo sa kusina. Since mid-shift siya at mamaya pa ang kanyang pasok, she decided to cook lunch for the whole family.

Biglang pumasok sa isip niya na itext si Vice. 

Jackie: Vice! Kumain ka na lunch? Dalhan kita nitong niluto ko. 🥰

Nag-antay siya ng reply mula dito ngunit walang dumating. Maybe he's busy. Wag kang mag-alala Jackie ganyan naman talaga si Vice hindi palareply.

Pero deep inside, umaasa si Jackie that she'll be someone different. Na kahit busy siya, he will make time to reply. Then suddenly, pumasok sa isip niya si Tye. They never talked about Tye! There was Vice kissing her but he never mentioned anything about him and Tye breaking up. She just brushed of the thought. I'll sort it out with Vice. Alam niya na hindi impulsive ang ginawa ni Vice na paghalik sa kanya. But she thought wrongly.

-OFFICE NI VICE-

Tye: Babe! Where have you been!?

Nagkukunwaring tanong ni Tye.

Tye: Kagabi pa kita hinahanap. Bigla ka na lang nawala. Hindi ka sumasagot sa calls ko, nandito ka lang pala sa office.

Yes, Vice spent the night in his office instead of going back in his house. Si Jackie parin ang nasa isip niya. What the hell did I do? I kissed Jackie without sorting anything out with Tye first. But he tried to harm Jackie for shit's sake. Eto ang mga thoughts na paulit ulit na iniisip ni Vice simula pa nung makabalik siya sa office. He did not bother answering Tye.

He then felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Kinuha niya ito at binasa ang text. Si Jackie. Bigla siyang napangiti sa nabasa.

But this time I chose love. Real love. Because the love that he thought was real with Tye wasn't. Real love will not hurt people, and even physically in this case, with what Tye did to Jackie.

Tye: Vice, ba't di mo ko sinasagot? Anong nginingiti ngiti mo diyan?

Hindi napansin ni Vice na lumapit na pala sa kanya si Tye at biglang kinuha nito ang kanyang phone. Binasa niya ang text na nakadisplay dito. Cheaters. Pinilit niya ang sarili niya na kumalma.

Tye: What's this? Why is she texting you if you already had lunch?

Hindi sumagot si Vice.

Vice: Tye, give me back my phone.

Tye: No. Andami ko ng tanong sayo pero ni isa wala kang sinagot.

Vice. It's just a stupid text Tye. Pag-aawayan pa ba natin to? 

Tye: But this stupid text made you smile?? 

Vice: Masama bang ngumiti Tye? You don't even know if that's the reason why I smiled. Pwede namang iba yung rason diba?

Tye: So what's the reason then?

Vice was silent.

Tye: Exactly.