Kabanata 12
Building A New Everything
Kasalukuyan kaming nasa private cabin ni Aida at nagpapahinga. Kakatapos lang naming magdinner kasama si Lawrence at iba pang flight attendants. Nagpapahinga na rin ang mga kasamahan namin dahil ilang oras nalang ay babiyahe na naman kami pabalik sa Canada.
Si Aida ang ipinalit kay Elisse bilang FA na na-assign sa akin. Pansamantalang umuwi si Elisse sa Italy para makapagpahinga ito. Nakalabas na ito noong isang araw, at kahit pilit nitong sinasabi na papasok sa trabaho next week ay hindi ito pinayagan ng doctor. Her parents was there too, at ito na mismo ang sumundo sa anak. I feel sad for Elisse, but happy at the same time. At last, she can take her rest in their home.
"Captain, matagal ka na pong nagtrabaho dito sa Queen's?" Napalingon ako kay Aida na halatang nahihiya pa sa akin kaya nginitian ko ito. Ang maamong mukha nito ay ang pinaka-unang mapapansin ng kung sinoman. Ang mga mata nito ay animo'y laging nakangiti. Hindi naman talaga maipagkakailang may taglay na gandang Pilipina itong si Aida, kaya hindi na ako magtataka kung may magkakagusto dito mula sa airline.
"Hmm... five months palang simula nang ma-assigned ako dito. But it's been five years when I started working in Duke's International Airline, ang kambal ng airline na ito," sagot ko kay Aida. Bahagya itong tumango sa akin at tumitig.
Duke's International Airline was owned by the older brother of the owner of Queen's Airline. As what I've researched about this airlines. Mr. Duke Shawn was 40 years old, owned the DIA. While Mr. Damian Eliaste Shawn is a 35 years old, widowed, owned the Queen's Airline. The airline was named after his late wife, Queeny Naomia Shawn.
Ngayon lang ako nakaramdam ng payapa dahil may nakausap akong kapareho ng bansang pinagmulan ko.
"Matagal na rin pala, Cap," ilang sandaling saad nito. Tumango ako. Matagal na nga, at sa tagal no'n ay wala pa rin akong nakukuhang impormasyon tungkol kay Adriel.
"Don't you miss your family? Kasi ako, na ho-homesick parin ako. But I need to sacrifice for them. We weren't rich. I wasn't born with a gold spoon in my mouth, so I need to strive hard for them. I am the bread winner of the family, kaya todo kayod ako," kwento ni Aida. Bahagya akong nakaramdam nang awa, at the same time ay proud ako sa kanya.
I maybe don't know how does it feel to be a bread winner, but I know how it feels to be far to someone you love. From your family, which is your source of bravery.
"It's better to be far from them, at least you know that they're still there, waiting for you to comeback," seryosong sagot ko kay Aida. Tumango naman ulit ito at sumang-ayon sa sinabi ko.
Sa isiping iyon, nakaramdam uli ako nang pangungulila at sakit. Pangungulila sa pamilyang ilang taon ko ng hindi nakikita. Sakit dahil alam kong kahit ilang ulit man akong umuwi, may taong hinding-hindi ko na muling makikita. Na hanggang alala ko nalang iyon.
No matter how hard I tried to move on, I really can't. Unless I'll get the justice for him. For Adriel. It's been five years, yet, the scars was still fresh. The feeling was still here.
'Maisha, Adriel is gone.'
My moms voice was shaking while saying the news that broke me into pieces. It shattered my world. The pain that attacked me was like a sharpened knife, torturing me endlessly like a remorseless killer.
'The plane he's maneuvering crashed a minute before it lands,' dagdag ni mommy na nagpahina sa akin.
'N-No Mom... your just kidding me,' nanginginig ang boses ko habang mariin ang pagkakahawak ko sa aking cellphone. 'M-Mommy...' Humagulhol na ako.
Nasa food tasting ako nang araw na iyon para sa handa namin sa kasal. But it seems like...
Mas lalong gumuho ang mundo ko nang makita ko nang tuluyan ang cremated na katawan ni Adriel. Nakalagay na iyon sa maliit na babasaging urn. Parang binawi lahat ng meron ako sa oras na 'yon. Lahat-lahat ng meron ako ay biglaang nawala nang tuluyan nang mag-sink in sa isip ko na totoong wala na nga si Adriel.
'N-No Dad! Tell me I'm just... d-dreaming.' Umiiling ako at humagulhol habang yakap-yakap si Daddy. Halos magwala na ako dahil sa sakit na nararamdaman. Hindi naniniwalang nangyari ito.
Every second, I was praying so hard, pleading to God that it's just a nightmare. That this is not true. But when I woke up, I was always slapped by the truth. The truth that Adriel is gone. That the love of my life left me alone, broken.
Lahat ng masayang alalang meron kami ni Adriel ay nananatiling alala nalang. Lahat ng plano na meron kami, nawala na parang bola. It really broke me, not just my heart and soul, but the whole me.
Those memories, it keeps on hunting me every now and then. Hinding-hindi ko pa rin iyon matanggap kahit ilang taon pa siguro ang lumipas. Alam ko, dahil nagdaan na ang ilang taon pero para parin iyong kahapon lang nangyari.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now on our final approach into Canada." Si Lawrence ang hinayaan kong mag-announce para sa landing namin.
"Prepare yourselves, a minute from now, we're waiting for another plane to move out of the alley before we land," dagdag nito.
Payapang naglanding ang eroplano at nagsimula na ring bumaba ang mga pasahero na ina-alalayan ng mga F.A's. Nagsimula na ring mag unload ng mga baggages ang mga crews.
Malalim na buntong hininga ang pinakawalan ko bago naglakad palabas ng eroplano. Nilibot ko ang tingin sa buong alley, seeing how wide it was to make Adriel's plane crashed in the ramps.
Yes, it was so wide, pero sa takeoff at landing lang ang may 50% possibility of plane crash, not when it's flying.
And that 50% took my happiness. Took away my supposedly happy life. That 50% gives me an endless pain.
I lost everything, so now I build a new everything. I just hope na magtatagumpay ako. Nakakapagod ring masaktan, pero wala akong ibang pagpipilian.
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