Ilang beses na kaya akong napapabuntong-hininga rito? Wala kasi akong ibang magawa, ayoko namang sirain muna ang pa iyak-iyak na kadramahan nitong si Spade, kahit na kating-kati na 'yong dila kong magtanong kung ano nga ba talaga ang nangyayari at biglaan kaming tumakbo nang tawagin siya ni Joy ng King.
Alam niyo 'yon, wala ng isa pang salita, diretso niya akong hinatak palayo roon sa bhouse ni Clarice at nagpunta kaming park.
Hay! Halos lahat ng andito ay nakangiti, pwera na lang itong si Spade na hindi matapos-tapos kakaiyak.
I am now seeing Spade's other side and I don't really know if I should be happy or I'll regret this dahil pakiramdam ko hindi na siya titigil kakaiyak. Charot!
"Oh, panyo," tinitigan niya lang 'yon at hindi tinanggap. Ibinalik ko na lang 'yon sa bag ko. Arte-arte, eh, wala namang uhog 'yong panyo ko 'no.
"Maundy..." napatingin ako agad sa kanya nang tawagin niya ako. Namamaga na talaga 'yong mga mata niya at ang pula ng ng ilong niya. Kawawa naman 'to, "...can you be my human handkerchief instead?" hindi pa man ako naka-iling ay agad niya na akong hinila. Huhuhu, ang damit ko! Bagong bili 'to wala pang laba tapos iiyakan niya lang? Charot!
"Sige lang, Spade, umiyak ka lang," bulong ko sa kanya at ayon mas lalo nga siyang umiyak.
Ang higpit-higpit ng yakap niya sa'kin, ramdam na ramdam ko 'yong abs niya—Joke! Ramdam na ramdam ko talaga na may mali sa pagkikita nila ni Joy. Bakit kaya?!?
Huhuhu, Spade tama nang iyak nang maichika muna sa'kin kung ba't biglang nagka gan'to.
It took him almost 5 minutes to finally get sober. Singkit na singkit na si Spade, super kawawa na 'yong awra niya ngayon. Hay!
"You've been sighing. Did you feel my agony, too?" tanong pa niya na nasa malayo ang tingin. I'm wondering kung nakakakita pa ba siya, eh, halos papikit na 'yang mga mata niya.
"Explain mo nga sa'kin, Spade, kung ba't bigla tayong lumayas," sabi ko sa kanya na agad niyang ikinangiti. Nakakaloka! Nagawa niya pang ngumiti, eh, wala namang kangiti-ngiti sa sinabi ko!
"I never did imagine that I'll see her again after a long year," panimula pa niya.
Okay, hindi naman siguro tayo bobo para hindi maintindihan kung sino 'yong ibig niyang sabihin, 'di ba? Pero, for clarification magtatanong tayo. "Sino? Hehe," tanong ko sa kanya.
"Si Joy. It's been 7 years since the last day that we've seen each other. Who would have thought after such years I'm gonna see her again."
Alam niyo 'yon? Oo na, hindi pa!
Basta, ang lungkot-lungkot talaga ng boses ni Spade, kulang na lang ng sad background music, maiiyak na ako rito. Send tissue, please!
"Ano bang nangyari 7 years ago?" ayan na inaatake na nga ako nang pagiging interviewer ko!
"What's with your relationship with Joy?" biglang tanong niya na ikinagulat ko talaga. Mighad! What a question!
"Spade...straight akong babae at kahit maging lesbian man ako, hinding-hindi ko liligawan ang alien na Joy na 'yon! Wala kaming relasyon," madramang sagot ko naman. Nagtaka ako nang nakangisi siyang napapailing.
May mali ba sa sagot ko? Guys, enlighten me please!
"I-It's not like that, Maundy. I mean, are you guys friends, relatives or just an acquaintance," pagka-klaro pa niya at medyo napahiya naman ang lola niyo ro'n.
"Labag man sa kalooban ko na sabihin 'to, pero kinakailangan. We're best friends," sagot ko.
"You really are a joker, Maundy. No wonder—" bigla na lamang niyang pinutol 'yong sasabihin niya dahilan para mas umatake 'yong pagiging tsismosa ko.
"No wonder?" tanong ko sa kanya.
"N-no wonder...i-it feels so good to be with you. Y-you know, funny people are the best to be with," aniya. Napatango na lang ako kahit ang weird lang niya, nauutal talaga siya, literal. Pero, kasi madalas ko na naman 'yang naririnig noong college pa lang ako, so nakasanayan na rin.
"Anyway, ang daming advertisement. So, ano na? Anong meron kay Joy bukod sa siya 'yong alien kong best friend?" tanong ko.
He chuckled, then he said, "you're so harsh." Matapos akong i-compliment, biglang ganyan.
Harsh ako? Nagsasabi lang ng totoo, harsh na? Hindi na nga lang ako magsasabi ng katotohanan kapag kasama si Spade, baka ma 'you're so harsh' na naman ako.
"But, if Joy is an alien, then she's surely the most beautiful one," dugtong pa niya na agad ikinalaki ng mga mata ko. Is this man blind or blind? Wow, ha, the most beautiful?! Most Beautiful?! Mighad! "Whatever type of a person Joy is, an alien or a human, she's still beautiful."
"Crush mo ba si Joy?" wala sa sariling tanong ko.
"She was my crush," sagot naman niya. Was? So naging crush niya? Naks, ang bruha! May nagkakacrush din pala sa kanya. "Who eventually became my love," dugtong pa niya.
"W-wait! Let's take it slow. Pwede bang dumaan muna sa stage ng like? Love agad? Si Joy minahal mo? Si Joy Lee Villaflor na kamukha ni Kakay, 'yong taga Yekok? Minahal mo?!" sunod-sunod kong tanong.
He smiled, then uttered, "I thought, we're gonna take it slow? But, you're almost rapping when you asked those questions." Napanguso tuloy ako, sorry naman nadala lang, 'no. "So, I'm gonna give you an answer. It's a yes."
"Wala bang golden buzzer?"
"Huh?"
Slow rin 'tong si Spade. Hindi yata na-expose sa social media at 'di alam 'yong tinutukoy ko. Parang PGT ba, since sabi niya it's a yes. Pero, mas wow talaga kapag golden buzzer, eh. Hehehe.
"Wala. Sabi ko, please continue. Hindi na ako mangiinterrupt, paki tuloy 'yong kwento niyo ni Joy," nakangiting sabi ko. Kailangan niya nang tapusin nang mapanatag na 'yong kaluluwa ko. Curious na curious lang naman kasi ang Lola niyo mga apo.
"Okay. Joy is my schoolmate way back high school days. She's very popular at that time since she's the vocalist of a famous band in our school. But for me, I am just seeing her as a normal person, I don't have any interest in her, I see no special when I look at her from head to foot. But, not until we became classmates, friends, and until she became my special someone, inspiration, my everything, and my love," usal niya pa.
Kanina ko pa talaga balak magbigay ng reaction paper, pero dahil naka zipper na nga itong bibig ko ay 'di ko na nagawa. Hindi na nga kasi ako sisingit nang tuloy-tuloy ang daloy ng kwento niya.
"I totally got a thick face and an overflowing confidence, so I told her my feelings right after realizing that I am deeply falling in love with her," ang ganda ng ngiti ni Spade, para bang binabalikan niya 'yong magandang nakaraan nila ni Joy, "we're in our third-year in high school when we became an official couple. Everything was astonished, every day was magical because she's with me, she's mine. She's incomparable, special, and one in a million. I call her queen and she calls me King, though that's my name, it became more special," nakangiting usal niya.
Wow! Ganda ng description niya kay Joy, pero ako ang masasabi ko lang talaga kay Joy, alien siya. Oh, sige, special alien, one in a million! HAHAHAHA—ay Huta!
Maundy, drama muna ngayon, okay? Tama na muna ang comedy, makinig muna tayo kay Spade, okay? Okay!
"But one day...she left me," nakayukong sabi niya. "She left without saying just a single word. She left, leaving me thousand of question in my mind," dagdag pa niya.
Ang sad naman! Bad ni Joy!
"The magnificent days turned into a horrible scenery, the sparkling moment suddenly lost its battery, and replacing it a new one is so damn hard to do! I became lifeless, Mon," bahagya siyang tumigil at napabuntong-hininga.
Ni-ready ko na rin 'yong panyo ko at inilagay 'yon sa may balikat ko, para kapag bigla na naman niya akong hilahin at umiyak sa balikat ko, hindi na mababasa 'yong damit ko, kasi may panyo na! I'm so brilliant!
Pero, natawa lang siya sa ginawa ko kaya ayon, umatras 'yong mga luha niya.
"You know what, Maundy, I always cry every time I remember that she left me, and it really breaks my heart. I thought she's the one I'm holding in front of the altar. I thought she's the girl my children will be calling their Mom. I thought I'll grow old with her, but my thoughts faded when she also fades. It was all erased and gone as how she lost," ito na nga! Tumutulo na 'yong luha niya! Ready na 'yong balikat ko, pero ang walang hiya, may dala naman palang panyo!
Huhuhu, talagang binasa niya lang 'yong damit ko, eh, kung hindi lang 'to malungkot at may kadramahan ang love life, winushu ko na 'to.
"That's why I really am surprised when I saw her again," nakangiti niyang sabi, pero halatang malungkot din siya. "I'll be honest, I'm happy, but I shouldn't be. I am starting to like Clarice, and then I'll see Joy, all of a sudden. This is seriously a complicated situation. I don't know how to handle this. I am so confused about my feelings and I am now hesitating if I'll still continue to win Clarice's heart," hala, ano ba 'tong pinagsasabi niya? Hala, kaloka! "Maundy, I don't know what to do," matapos sabihin 'yon ay umiyak na naman siya. This time ako na talaga ang humila sa kanya at niyakap siya.
Sometimes, hugging a person who's in sorrow can relieve their sadness. It shows that they're not alone, that whatever challenges they're facing, there's still someone who'll hug them and will say...
"I'm here, Spade. You can always talk to me. I'll help you as long as I can," bulong ko sa kanya.
Naaalala ko si Spade sa mga Kuya ko at kay Miracle. Lahat sila lalaki na akala ko malalakas at walang kinatatakutan, but then now I realized, men are also a human, they get hurt, they experienced downfall, and they cry.
Even those two gays, I know, they will also face what Spade is facing now, or who would have thought, perhaps, they had faced the same kind of challenge already. Hay.
I'm gonna open this topic to them, of course without dragging Spade's name. Hindi naman ako gano'n ka professional sa pagiging tsismosa para ichika sa kanila itong nangyari kay Spade, 'no, kaklaruhin ko lang naman kung naranasan na rin ba nilang magmahal ng tunay tapos biglang iiwan. Hay, sad!
"Thank you, Monang," aniya matapos kumalas sa pagkakayakap sa'kin!
Huta!! Wait!!
Tama ba 'yong narinig ko?! Tinawag niya akong Monang?! P-paanong nalaman niya 'yon?
Don't tell me siya si—
"I wonder how you guys became best friends and I wonder if you open up your childhood life to them," nakangiting dagdag niya.
MIGHAD!
This can't be!
Ay, teka nga napapa-english na rin tuloy ako, kaloka! Pero, seryoso hindi ito pwede! Feel ko mas lalong magiging complicated ang lahat!