Chapter 5

The Blind

Once Belmond arranged the groceries in the kitchen, he bade me goodbye because he still had a date with his wife. I was used to it and he was also used to it. I never want to have anyone stay longer inside the house, even if they're close friends with me. Only if there's an occasion will I make exemptions.

I pressed my hand on the wall with a cane in my hand as I walked towards the direction of my room. After a while, I opened my door and went in then closed it.

I fished out my wallet and phone from my pants and put it on my bedside table. Then, I began undressing myself to have a quick shower. Maalinsangan sa labas kaya kailangan kong magpalit. Kahit naka full blast ang aircon, hindi ako kampanteng magpahinga nang pawisan.

While carrying a towel and a change of clothes, I strode towards the bathroom.

~

After finishing what I had to do, I sat on my comfy bed and used my hands to find something. It took me a while before I had the cold device in my hand. Whenever I go out, I would leave a recorder for my weekend housekeeper, the all-rounder Manang Letlet. She cleans the house whenever I'm not around or when I call her to clean it asap.

My fingers gently touched the play button and pressed it. Manang Letlet's old yet energetic voice began talking.

"Magandang araw, Ser Q. Naglinis na po ako sa bahay at natapon ko na po ang mga basura. Maayos naman po ang mga gripo, tubo, at mga kasangkapan. Natapon ko na rin po pala ang mga expired na at hindi na magagamit na mga produkto." I nodded in approval. Manang Letlet really is a good worker. "Ah, nga pala Ser. May nahanap akong phone sa kusina na parang nahulog sa sahig. Ginamit ko ang charger mo Ser, pangcharge. Nalowbat kasi 'yon. Nang ini-open ko, nalaman kong magandang babae yung may-ari." Napakurap ako sa pagkabigla. So she found Wynfrost's phone... "Naku Ser! Ang ganda talaga! Maryusep! Ang seksi pa Ser!" Natampal ko ang noo ko dahil sa pinagsasabi ni Manang Letlet pero nagpatuloy pa rin ako sa pakikinig. Hindi niya pa kasi sinasabi kung nasaan ang phone. "Kung may single pa sana akong anak, baka nireto ko na sa may-ari ng phone. Pero hindi rin pwede, kasi may lalaki siyang kasama sa mga larawan, parang boypren yata. Pero Ser, i-de-describe ko ang babae Ser base sa nakita kong mga larawan. Maputi Ser, makinis ang kutis, parang gatas at alagang-alaga. Mahaba ang buhok niya na kulay brown at parang napakalambot suklayin. Hanggang bewang niya 'yon pero napansin ko sa mga larawan na mahilig siyang irolyo yun sa taas ng ulo niya. Makapal ang nakaarko niyang kilay. Mahaba ang mga pilikmata at makinang ang kulay asul na mata. Parang kalangitan ang kulay ng mata niya Ser, klarong may lahi dahil doon. Mataas din ang kanyang ilong, yun nga may lahi talaga. Tapos yung mga labi Ser ang pula! Kahit hindi siya lagyan ng kolorete sa mukha, para siyang artista! Pagkatapos ang laki pa ng dibdib Ser!" I choked as I pressed the pause button.

"Do I have to listen to this?" I asked in hesitation. After thinking for a minute, I decided to continue listening. Like I said, maybe Manang Letlet will say some important things in between her very detailed description on Wynfrost's appearance.

"Naku Ser! Seksing seksi! Hindi masyadong maliit ang bewang niya pero ang balakang naku! Kung sinumang lalaki ay mahuhumaling sa ganda ng hubog ng kanyang katawan! Ang kinis din ng mga hita niya at mabilog! Pagkatapos ang pang-upo ay umbok na umbok at mukhang malambot hawakan! Pero ang pinakamaganda na parte ng katawan niya ay ang mga kamay niya Ser, maganda talagang tingnan ang mga ito. Mahaba ang mga daliri at malinis ang kuko. Pintor din kasi siya kaya alagang-alaga niya ang mga iyon. Gumuguhit din siya kaya ganoon kaganda ang kanyang kamay. Hay naku, ang kikinis talaga ng mga kamay niya at mukhang masarap pisilin dahil mukhang malambot at walang kalyo. Bakit kaya ganoon? May mga tao pala talagang walang kalyo, Ser 'no? Ah, nga pala Ser, yung boypren niya barakong barako. Gwapo naman pero mas pogi ka pa rin Ser. Pumuputok ang masels ng nobyo ng babae at may mga tattoo pa sa katawan. Bagay naman sila pero nakakatakot yung lalaki kasi parang laging nakasimangot. Ay Ser! Ang phone nasa unang drawer ng bedside table. Sige Ser, ba-bye."

I held the device in my hand as I thought about Manang Letlet's description.

So Wynfrost is pretty? I'm sure Lan made sure to pick a pretty girl to seduce me but that wouldn't help. What's beauty to a blind man? Isa pa, hindi ko pa nakakalimutan si Floell. Siya pa rin ang laman ng mga panaginip at bangungot ko.

I placed the recorder on my bedside table then checked the drawer. I found a slender phone inside so I took it out.

What should I do with this? Should I take it to the owner? On second thought, I don't want to become someone's delivery guy so I'll just wait for Wynfrost to show up.

"Should I check it?"

I swiped the screen and pressed the upper volume button on the side. The phone created some sounds so I tried to find some things that I could use to blackmail that girl. Even though I couldn't see, I could still hear the videos or recordings. I tapped on the top-left corner and began searching for the recorder in the phone. It took me a very long while before Wynfrost's voice echoed in the room.

"Hi! This is Wynfrost! Argh. What the heck is wrong with me? My voice sucks," she mumbled. "Gosh geez. How come men like me moaning? I don't get them. Ha. Maybe because I'm so hot? Hahaha."

What? She's crazy for recording this.

I tapped on the screen to find the button for "next".

The sounds of slurping then came in, as well as some munching sounds.

"Yep, I'm eating ramen right now! And some crunchy half-cooked cabbages! Ang sarap-sarap talaga! Nomnomnom! Try it!" I heard her blow some air then said, "So spicy! But I like it!"

I began tapping to find the button for next again and familiarized where it was. Baka mahirapan akong i-play ang susunod kong lagi akong kakapa-kapa.

"Hey, Ron!"

"What?" A rough grumpy voice snapped.

"Who's the most beautiful and the sexiest girl in the world?"

"Are you serious?" I could sense irritation from the masculine voice. "Argh. Fine. Stop pouting. You're the most beautiful and the sexiest girl in the universe. Tsk. Happy?"

"Napipilitan kang mokong ka? Gusto mo ng suntok?!" Wynfrost screeched.

"You're so childish," ani ng lalaki, tila nauubusan ng pasensya.

"I hate you!"

Then the recording stopped.

I couldn't help but replay it again. I wanted to check the man's voice since it sounded familiar.

Is that Rondel? I know that guy. We went in the same University and had been friends for some time. Hindi ko na ito nakita pa matapos itong pumunta sa States. Nakabalik na pala siya? At naging girlfriend niya pa si Wynfrost? Hah. What a small world.

Next.

"Baby, I love you! Mwa! Mwa! I love you so so so much! I want to be with you everyday! I miss you everyday! I love you everyday!"

Ah. Cheesy. I couldn't help but cringe at the words and Wynfrost's "pa-cute" tone.

Next.

"Ah~ Ohh~ So goood~ Hah. Ahhh~" Nanlamig ang pakiramdam ko at natatarantang pinindot ang home button. Kaagad na natigil ang kahindik-hindik na ingay kaya napabuga ako nang hangin.

Who records things like this nowadays?

I tossed the phone on the bed.

"I wanna be good for you~
But that's not not not your type~
So I wanna be bad~"

I froze when I heard music coming from Wynfrost's phone. Is someone calling? It must be her boyfriend then. I still couldn't believe she ignored him yet still wished to make-up with the guy. Contradicting.

"You like to hate me
when I'm chasing you~"

One of her wishes is for me to help her recover her relationship so I shook my head and tried to find the phone on the bed. When I felt it, I held it and used my thumb to swipe from the lower left side. Kadalasan kasi nandoon ang kulay green na button para sagutin ang isang tawag.

"Hello?" said a familiar rough voice from the other line. "Why the fuck did you ignore me, Wyn?!"

"Rondel," I casually said.

The line went silent for a while before I heard him speak again.

"Tangina. Sino 'to?! Ba't na sa'yo ang phone ng girlfriend ko?! Papatayin kita kung may ginawa ka sa kanyang masama! Fuck! Where's Wynfrost?! I swear to hell that I'll fucking kill you motherfucker!"

I paused upon hearing his words. It's clear that he's concerned with Wynfrost's well-being. He must really care for her. I guess the both of them could still be saved, after all.

"This is Quentin Andre Fidel."

"Fuck! Q?! Is that really you?!"

I chuckled upon the sudden change of his attitude. He's so simple-minded. I guess that's what Wynfrost liked about him.

"It's me." I said. "Wynfrost accidentally left her phone when she attended my birthday party."

"Oh yeah! Kakatapos lang pala ng birthday mo! Hahaha! Belated happy birthday pare! Pero pa'nong napunta si Wynfrost diyan?"

"Lan invited her over. Kapitbahay ko ang girlfriend mo."

"What the fuck?! That little-she didn't even tell me her whereabouts!"

"Come to Block V, Wilhelm Street of Saturno Subdivision. She just moved."

"Okay, okay. Salamat Q. Malilintikan talaga sa akin 'yang babaeng 'yan!" I just chuckled at his ramblings but I stopped when I heard a girly voice from the background. Then there was a high-pitched squeal and Rondel's curses."S-See you, pare!" he managed to say after groaning and grunting for a few seconds.

Toot. Toot. Toot.

I see. He's still with his other woman.

I tossed the phone on the table again then sighed.

If only people could value what they have while they're still alive and together. They wouldn't want to end up like me, so full of regrets.

While remembering my fantastic memories with Floell, I couldn't help but wonder why some couples ended up with a third party. If they truly love each other, why cheat? Is it for their ego? For the thrill? Or is it just natural for some people to betray and hurt others?

I looked for my phone and said, "Simo, open speech to text application."

"Opening Speech to Text Application," said a friendly robotic voice from my phone.

Napagdesisyunan kong gamitin ang problema nina Wynfrost at Rondel para sa susunod na issue ng magazine. I'll keep their identities anonymous, of course.

~

Buzz. Buzz.

I've been listening to the news when I heard a buzz from the intercom that's connected to the gate of the house. I slowly stood up and went towards the still buzzing device and pushed a button.

"Who is it?" I asked while yawning. These days, my sleeping days had been lessened since I kept having random nightmares. I needed to sleep badly but felt a little irked by how the bad dreams became frequent nowadays. I used to have them but these days, Floell's appearance in my dreams became somewhat ominous. She would tell me to kill myself every now and then. It felt like she wasn't the Floell I knew anymore.

"Hoy, ba't natahimik ka?! Don't tell me you won't let me in?" Wynfrost's irritated voice made me flinch. She was still extremely loud.

"Sorry, I just thought about something," I said and pushed a button for unlocking the gate. "Come in."

"Nice, nice," she mumbled so I went to open the front door. My slippers made noises on the floor as I walked but I was already used to that. My hand found the knob and turned it. A soft wind blew towards me and I smelled a scent that reminded me of both sweat and something else. Is that spray paint? "Ohoho. Wow. Can't believe you opened your door for me?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I shrugged my shoulders and went my way towards my room. "I'll just get your phone."

"Oh you found it?" she asked as I heard her footsteps on the floor. The squeaky noise from her rubber shoes made me cringe.

"Did you jog outside?"

She paused and answered, "Yeah. How'd you know that-oh! Sorry! I'll take them off now. I did some graffiti on some wall I found."

"You did what?" I couldn't help but wonder what goes on in her crazy head. "You can't just vandalize some wall in this subdivision."

"Hey, that's not vandalism, dude! That's art!" she retorted and I heard her snort. "And don't worry, Mr. Serious. I won't get caught and if I'll be caught, you won't be implicated." I shook my head and continued towards my room. The faster I get her phone, the quicker she'll leave. "Do you have food here? It's already 6 PM and I'm hungry!"

"Go eat inside your own house."

"Ang kuripot mo. Akala ko pa naman makakalibre na naman ako. By the way, I didn't get to thank you for brunch so thanks!" Nag-iba yata ang ihip mg hangin matapos niyang makatikim ng libre?

Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at nagmadali papunta sa kwarto ko.

It took a few minutes before I went back in the living room with her phone. When I didn't hear anything, I frowned. As I made my way towards my kitchen, I smelled the delicious aroma of sinigang. It was my favorite.

Hindi ko namalayang napabilis ang paglakad ko at kaagad na nakarating sa kusina. Tumikhim ako matapos marinig si Wynfrost na nagsasalitang mag-isa.

"Uh, did you cook Sinigang?" I asked while pretending that I wasn't already drooling in my mind. I love Sinigang. It's heavenly sour taste is the absolute perfection to me.

"Yep! This is the least I could do for you after getting free ride and a free lunch!" she said enthusiastically. "Nagsasaing pa ako kaya maghintay ka muna sandali."

"Okay." There's nothing wrong with this, right? This doesn't mean anything. She's just returning the favor using her cooking. And me letting her is just a natural kind response.

"Oh, akala ko magagalit ka?" she jokingly said and I heard her laugh. "I'm actually surprised that you can be bribed with Sinigang."

"I'm sure Lan told you it's my favorite," I nonchalantly mumbled and leaned on my chair.

"Wow. You're really thinking that I want to seduce you?" She chortled like a maniac and yelled, "Dream on, pretty boy! I'm not interested on getting banged by a Mr. Nice Guy."

Says the girl who called a blind guy a pervert.

Nilagay ko na lang ang phone sa mesa at iniba ang usapan. Well, she'll never admit it anyway, that she wanted to two-time Rondel and I while she's getting paid by Lan.

"Rondel called and I told him where you live."

"You what?!" she shrieked and I heard a certain metal falling to the floor. Must be a kitchen utensil. "Why the fuck would you do that?!"

"The last time I checked you wanted me to help you in fixing your relationship," I plainly answered.

"Fuck. Hindi ka ba nakakaintindi ng space at time? I still need to think!"

"Wow. Joy," I deadpanned. "Nag-iisip ka pala?"

"You shit! Stop making fun of me! Who knows if he'll break up with me now?! I also wanted to give him some space so that he'll realize how important I am to him! Yet, you! Argh!"

"I see. You're worried that he'll run off to the other girl and leave you hanging. You trust your relationship with him that much? That you only need to give him time to think and everything's going to be fine?"

"What would you know?" she asked in a shrill voice that made me want to cover my ears. She choked in her words and sniffed. "I'm afraid of losing him. The only hope I had was to give him time." She then began wailing like a starved child.

Does she really love him that much?

"Hey," I said after a while. "If you really love him then you have to trust that he won't hurt you intentionally." She remained silent but I could still hear her sniffing. "You see, if a guy loves you then give him a chance if you can but if he doesn't, let him go and move on. Which one do you think is your boyfriend? You have to be honest with yourself."

"I...don't know. I-I want to believe that he still loves me but I have a feeling that i-it's already over." Her voice was meek, almost quiet-something very different from her loud curses and carefree laughter.

She loves him alright.

Hindi ko mapigilang mapabuntong-hininga.

"Don't think too much about it. You have to face reality sooner or later. You can't keep running from it. You'll end up hurt and regretful in the end." Unti-unting humina ang kanyang pag-iyak kaya napahinga ako nang maluwag. "Now finish cooking and keep the snot out of my sinigang."

Mahina siyang natawa pero klarong pilit lamang iyon. Somehow, bringing up the topic about his boyfriend made me guilty.

I only told Rondel about Wynfrost just so that I could get rid of her as soon as possible.

I combed my hair upwards uncomfortably and scratched my nose.

"Thank you," Wynfrost said so I was taken aback. I thought she would contradict me again. "I know you're just doing this because of fulfilling a wish but still, thank you for trying to help Rondel and I. And you're right, I need to face the reality of my situation."

Napayuko na lamang ako at nagpanggap na walang narinig.

Why would I feel guilty towards her? She's nobody.