They were staring as if I wasn't real. It was a casual meeting, kami lang ng mga bestfriends ko. All though my family wanted to talk to me as well, pinili kong mauna kausapin ang mga lokong to. The things that I experienced, I'm sure will not be a waste if it was them.
Sila lang ang alam kong maniniwala sa mga sasabihin ko. Kahit pa sa mata ng ibang tao, hindi kapanipaniwala. I was even excited telling them. Sa sobrang dame ng gusto kong sabihin, hindi ko alam kung saan ako magsisimula. Kaya naman, kahit sinabi na nila na magsimula na akong magkwento, nagkakatinginan lang kami. Walang umiimik, lahat naghihintay ng kwento.
"Are we just going to stare at each other then?" Inis na tanong ni Philip habang nakatitig sakin.
"Where do I start?" Simpleng tanong ko.
"Where have you been for a year and a half?" Seryosong tanong ni Gabriel. Simula nang maupo kami hindi na inialis ni Gab ang tingin sakin. Pinagmamasdan nya ng maigi ang bawat kilos ko. Iniisip nya ba na impostor ako? Simula ng mawala ako isa't kalahating taon na, inakala nilang namatay na ako. Hindi man lang nila pinahaba ang paghahanap sa nawawalang kapamilya?
Ngumiti ako ng bahagya, ngiting alam kong pamilyar sa kanilang tatlo. "Somewhere I want to take you guys. An unabelievable place, you would think it's just a dream. I did, at first."
Tumayo ako, para makabwelo. Naiilang na din ako sa seryosong pagmumukha ni Gab. Alam kong sa tatlo sya ang huling maniniwala. Hindi sya ang tipo ng tao na maniniwala hanggang sa makita nya. Mahihirapan ako, ano kaya kung dalhin ko na lang sila doon? Mas mainam, para hindi na lang ako magkwento at baka pati si Philip at Daryn ay hindi rin maniwala.
Itinoon ko ulit ang paningin ko kay Gab. Ano kaya ang iniisip nya?
"I'll give you five minutes to start or else I'll go and forget you had an important thing to say."
"I wanted to make sure if I wanted to be married to Sue, so I went fishing alone. Well, honestly speaking, I didn't even fish. I just slept. When I woke up, I was sprawled in a beach. I didn't know what happened, my boat was nowhere to be found. To think I'm a light sleeper by nature." I sighed as I recall waking up on a seemingly ordinary beach.
Ordinary will be quite an understatement to the mysterious island I've been in.
"Can you stop smiling like a fool and start what you need to tell us? I still have a meeting to attend to," sabat ni Daryn sa mga inisip ko.
"Seriously Daryn? Can't cancel the meeting for me?"
"As much as I want to, I can't. The family's business will be in trouble if I don't attend that meeting."
"You've better hurry up Remus, some of us here are busy." Wika ni Gabriel.
I slumped at the sofa infront of Gab and sighed before I continued with my story.