Chasing Dos - Montecillo Series #3

[B3] Episode 36

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Dos heaved a sigh as he closed the door of the room. It pains him to see Georgina hurting that way. Kaya nga for the past ten years ay iniiwasan niyang makita ang babae dahil hindi niya kinakayang makita itong lumuluha.

"Tulog na?" Jarvis asked which he answered with a nod. "Good. It's the first time I saw her cry since the day they called her about Arika. George and her were really close kaya nasisiguro kong nagpipigil lang siya."

"Yeah." Tumango siya before heaving a sigh. "The last time I saw Aki she lectured me about George. They were really close."

Tahimik na umupo sila sa bakanteng upuan hindi kalayuan. Then he stared at the while casket in front of them.

Who would've known that Arika would go first? Na ang babaeng parang pinaglihi sa energy drink—as Inno would usually say, ay may lihim palang problema na dinaramdam.

When the two of them talked last time, hindi niya nahalata ang lungkot o problema nito. She was way too positive and happy for him to doubt her. Iyon pala'y peke lamang ang sayang pinapakita nito.

"Alam mo, Isidro, sobrang nakakabanas ka na," the girl confronted him—more like cornered him at his own home. It was the day he saw them at a restaurant and he got too scared to approach them. "Clearly eh mahal mo si Horhe pero bakit ayaw mo man lang lapitan?"

"She doesn't want me to," sagot niya—more like excuse.

"Sinabi niya ba 'yon?" tanong nito sa kanya. "I mean, did she say that she doesn't want you near her?"

"No," mahina niyang sagot. "Ang sabi niya ay bumalik ako sa kanya kapag handa na akong magkaron ng kinabukasan kasama niya."

The girl squinted her already chinky eyes at him. "Oh, tapos? Bakit di ka bumalik?"

That made him heave a sigh.

"Because I can't give her a future," aniya. "George deserves the world and more. Ano ba ang kaya kong ibigay sa kanya? Ni hindi ko nga mabigay sa kanya yung 'future' na gusto niya."

"Teka nga," anas ng babae sabay pamaywang. "Mahal mo pero di mo mabigay yung kinabukasang gusto niya? Naghihirap ka na ba? Alam kong maluho si Georgina kasi walking designer 'yon pero sigurado naman akong makakapag-adjust 'yon. Saka, kumikita yon ng sapat."

Hindi niya alam kung matatawa ba siya o seseryosohin ang sinabi ng babae. But, he shook his head and found himself telling the girl one of his secrets.

"I'm dying, Arika," aniya na nakapagpasinghap sa huli. "Cancer. I've known since I was in high school."

"High School? Ang tagal na ah. Bakit buhay ka pa?" Diretsong tanong ng babae na nakapagpataas ng kilay niya. "I mean, no offense pero, may gamot ka naman diba? Saka yung chemo ba 'yon?"

"Gamot, meron," sagot niya. "I had treatments before. Around first year high school I had to stop for a year to receive treatments. Kaya nga nakasabay ko pa noon gumraduate sina Jarvis at River. Anakala naming lahat na okay na. Nawala na yung sakit ko so I had started to live normally again but it returned.

"I was in college nung bumalik yung sakit ko," he continued. "My CLL was recurrent so I had no choice but to do all treatments again and that was frustrating for me. Knowing that this illness wouldn't go away, I had to save George from the pain and suffering I may cause her one day."