Twelve

For the next few days, I pretended not to hear any of Harry's conversation with Grand Ida. I was thankful he never brought it up either until he got his first tattoo from Are.

"Wow, it's cool." His eyes sparked in enthusiasm as he watched the small black ink permanently pasted on his right chest. "Thanks."

Are just nodded. Niligpit niya ang mga gamit niya at tinawag si Nilo. Nang maiwan na kaming dalawa sa front porch ng cafe, Harry is still admiring his new tattoo.

"Did you like it?" I asked casually.

He grinned widely. "Of course!"

"That's good." I gave him a tight-lipped smile. Kaagad na napawi ang ngiti sa labi niya. He must've sensed that something is wrong.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine." I tried to act cheerful but miserably failed. I heaved a sigh. "Just having a bad day, I guess."

He nodded. "Well, how would you like some ice coffee? Wala naman si Nilo ngayon eh. You could sneak in the kitchen," he wiggled both his eyesbrows.

"Sure." Tumayo ako mula sa kinauupuan ko at nagtungo sa kusina, my mind racing. I don't know how to approach Harry about it. Kahit si Grand Ida ay hindi nagsasalita. Marahil ay hinihintay lang niyang si Harry mismo ang magsabi nito sa akin.

I quickly prepared the two of us some ice coffee and went back to the front porch. Harry put his shirt on even though I warned him to let the tattoo dry up thoroughly first. Napailing nalang ako. Inabot ko sa kanya ang ice coffee, my eyes hovering everywhere but him.

"Okay, Mary Grace," Harry's tone is serious and demanding. "Spill it. What's going on?"

Nasurpresa ako sa boses niya. I stared at him for awhile. Bumuntong-hininga ulit ako. "Let's go somewhere." Iniwan ko ang hindi nagagalaw na ice coffee sa mesa at ganun din siya. Hindi siya nagsalita habang sinusundan ako sa paglalakad. We went past the gate of Parola Nature Park, headed to left until we were greeted by the tall looming trees that must be older than Grand Ida and other old people in the village.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked.

Hindi ko siya sinagot. Nagpatuloy lang ako sa paglalakad. The old white mansion finally came into view from a distance. Mas binilisan ko pa ang paghakbang ko. Harry gave me a questioning look but didn't bother asking as we went the to terrace surrounding the entire mansion. I ran my fingers through the dusty oak door and pushed it open.

All the furniture were covered with white sheets. The huge chandelier dangling above us is threatening to fall and filled with cobwebs. The white painting chipped off as well but the intricate design of the wallpaper and the sculptures in every corner remained beautiful.

"Who's house is this?" he wondered out loud as he examined a huge piano sitting alone on the center of the living room. Two velvet red sofa were pushed against the wall and a huge ruined painting is placed across the location of the piano.

"It's an ancestral house from Don Igancio. This white mansion is around 80 years old."

"Wow." Was all he could say. Hinila niya ang puting tela na nakatakip sa piano. The black Davis piano came into view, sparkling against the rays of the sun seeping through the large windows. Naupo siya at nagsimulang tumugtog. Nanatili lang akong nakatayo at nakatingin sa kanya. His fingers gracefully pressed each keys with such precision. I never knew he could play the piano until now.

Nang matapos na siya ay kaagad akong pumalakpak. He acted as if he's on a grand stage, stood up, and bowed curtly. I laughed.

"I'm going to buy this house someday." I said, looking around from the ceiling to the floor. "All it needs is some serious clean-up, a new floor, and I might have to repair the damage on the roof back there." I pointed towards the enormous kitchen. "The room upstairs are simply amazing. The view of Pacific Ocean is more beautiful than what I have on my room right now."

Umakyat kaming dalawa papunta sa ikalawang palapag kung nasaan ang naglalakihang mga kwarto. We lingered around the huge bath tub, the walk-in closets, and the glass windows in every room.

"It needs some new wallpaper, too." Harry said, eyeing the dark green wallpaper sa ikatlong kwarto na pinasok namin. "Apparently, the owner loves odd colors."

I slapped him lightly on his arms. "Don Ignacio is an influential merchant back on his days. Grand Ida said that some of the rooms here upstairs are for his workers, because he never had the chance of building his own family. Every night, Don Ignacio throws a feast and invites almost everyone to his house." Nilapitan ko ang bintana at binuksan. Dinungaw ko ang minsang malawak na hardin sa ibaba na ngayo'y napuno na ng matataas na damo at talahib. "His worker's families would come and celebrate here. He died at age 78 in his sleep peacefully. Ever since then, this house is abandoned. Wala namang nagtangkang bumili. It's under the care of his cousin's son, Raffy."

"You're really inlove with this mansion.." He said. It's more of a statement than a question.

I nodded my head. "Yes, I am. I'm going to go back here and I'm going to buy this house. If you want to build a family with me, this is the perfect place to do so."

Tinitigan niya ako ng ilang segundo. "Go back here? Where are you going?" nagtatakang tanong niya.

Lumunok ako sabay talikod sa kanya. Naglakad-lakad ako sa loob ng kwarto, memorizing the details of the king-sized bed pushed into the corner and the floral prints on the carpet that are almost covered with dust and dirt.

"Harry, I'm going back home." I declared silently.

Hindi siya sumagot sa akin.

I turned towards him. I could see the shock flashing across his face. I smiled tightly. "I'm going back home to settle things right, then I'm going to publish my second book, and I'm going to finish my degree. After that, I'm going back here and I will spend the rest of my life here. With or without you."

Makaraan ang ilang segundo ay dahan-dahan siyang tumango.

"Are you sure about this?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. I'm going to build my own path, Harry. Oh, did I mentioned that I'm going to go back having sessions with my psychiatrist again?" I gave him a tight smile once more.

Harry took a step forward and engulfed me into a hug. I hugged him back and closed my eyes to savor the moment.

When he pulled back, there is sadness in his eyes. "But Mary Grace, I need to tell you something. Two years is a long time. Marami na ang nagbago. Things aren't the way they are when you left."

"I know." I stepped back from him and shrugged. "Mom and Dad are going through annulment, right?"

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya sa narinig. "Paanong—"

"Narinig ko kayong nag-uusap ni Grand Ida. Forgive me for eavesdropping."

"Is this the reason why you decided to come back?" he looked alarmed and devastated.

"Yes and no." I said, half-telling the truth. "I just realized that I can't run away forever. Eventually, I need to face my demons. I need to come back home and inform them that I'm still alive. I need to settle things with my friends. I need to ask for forgiveness from my parents. If I could save their marriage, then that would be great. And I need to face... I need to face Uncle Thomas and Jeremy."

Hindi siya nagsalita kaya nagpatuloy ako.

"I don't know if I am ready to forgive them but I know that I am ready to face them. Whatever happens, happens. I'm tired of being a slave of my own destructive emotions. I thought I have escaped from the black dog when I flee from Pampanga but I just stepped into an even bigger darker cloud in the process."

"I don't know what to say..." he whimpered.

I nodded my head. "It's okay. I just realized it, Harry. I've been such a coward for so long. Now, I'm ready to fight this battle."

Hinalikan niya ang noo ko. I felt so secure under his breath. "You're never alone, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." I rested my head on his chest. I could hear his erratic heartbeat against my ears. Hinubad ni Harry ang suot na hoodie at inilapag sa sahig. The sunlight streaming through the window is too beautiful to ignore. We lay down the dirty floor with his hoodie, talked some more, and eventually I fell asleep. When I woke up, it's almost sunset. Natutulog pa rin si Harry. I smiled, admiring how his eyebrows cast shadows on his high cheekbones.

He must've felt the weight of my stare because he fluttered his eyes open and sat up groggily. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

"I don't know. But I know for sure I'm going to have a deduction on my salary since I practically ran away during work."

We both chuckled. I dusted the dirt off my uniform and followed Harry outside of the house. Pinagalitan kaming dalawa ni Nilo pagbalik ko sa cafe. Bumalik ako sa pagtatrabaho while Harry went to my room to have a shower and prepare our dinner.

I was forced to help Jason and Nilo in closing the shop before I retired to my room. Nang buksan ko ang pinto ay nadatnan ko si Harry na natutulog sa dining table. Dinner is already served. There are piles of papers everywhere. I approached him silently to get a good look at the papers only to realize those are his interior design sketches.

Traveling my gaze around, I picked one of his sketches. Most of it are modern condominiums and apartments. A smile tugged on my lips when I saw a half-finished sketch he must've started drawing awhile ago. It's the white mansion. I didn't expect him to memorize the details in just a single visit, but it has to be the mansion we visited earlier. The structure and the terrace are similar. He stirred from his sleep and rubbed his eyes.

"Oh, you're here." He quickly gathered all the papers and place it inside a black clearbook. "I'm sorry, nakatulog ako."

"It's okay." I said, dragging a chair and sitting myself across from him. "I keep on forgetting that my boyfriend is an interior designer."

He smiled at me as if he liked the word boyfriend. My cheeks burned but I just ignored it. "Actually, by the time we're going to buy the mansion, I'm planning to rebuild it myself. With your help, of course. Since you're the one who got the idea of buying an old house and turning it into your own sweet home."

I beamed. "That's really great, Harry. I'm looking forward to it."

We talked about our plans with the mansion over dinner and by the time we finished talking and eating, we took a shower together. I wanted to invite him on the terrace to watch tugs and boats pass by but knowing that he's beat, hinayaan ko nalang siyang matulog.

While he is sleeping, I pulled out my old laptop and started writing the last few chapters of the book 2 with a cup of coffee. Hindi ko namalayan ang oras. When I glance to watch the ocean again, the sun started to peak from the horizon.

"Great," I groaned, shutting down my laptop. "I didn't had a chance to sleep."

Binalingan ko ang kwarto only to see Harry still sleeping soundly. I went inside the bathroom and washed my burning eyes. I figured Nilo could use a little help in opening the shop kaya nagtungo na din ako doon.

Before I could even take a step towards the cafe, an angry voice boomed over the distance.

"Kath!"

I turned around only to see Mr. Sullivan's face reddening in anger. He stormed towards me.

"Katherine." He said through gritted teeth. I gave him a confused look. The manuscript isn't due until next next month. "Or should I call you Mary Grace, instead?"

He slapped a newspaper on top of the table. Napatingin kaagad ako sa artikulong nailimbag dalawang araw na ang nakakaraan.

Business Tycoon's Daughter, Mary Grace, Found and Dead

I squinted my eyes on the picture they have incorporated along with the article. It's a dead body of a girl. But it's not me. Sunog na ang katawan niya. Natagpuan daw sa isang apartment sa Antipolo. Biglang sumakit ang ulo ko. The police confirmed it was the missing Mary Grace from two years ago because of the DNA test. I read the article over and over again. There's a picture of me next to the picture of the dead girl. Walang pahayag mula sa mga magulang ko.

"What is going on here?" galit na asik sa akin ni Mr. Sullivan. "No, scratch that. Who are you?"

I lower down my gaze and bit my lips. "I'm sorry, Mr. Sullivan. It's a complicated story."

"Well, I better know about your complicated story," he placed an air quote, "before I declare you dead as Katherine Lagmadeo as well. I'm running out of excuses for your demanding readers and fans. Masisira ka. Masisira din ang kompanya namin."

"Okay, okay," I said, declaring defeat. "I'm going to tell you about it. Why don't we sit down first? I assume you haven't slept either." I stared at the dark circles under his eyes and wondered what time he decided to flee from Davao to Parola.

He just glared at me before he slumped down on a chair and prepared to listen.

So I did explain it to him. Everything except the ugly parts. But all the while I am talking, I couldn't get the news out of my mind.

What would my mother think about this? Is this the reason for the annulment?

And why

Why am I so good in disappointing people?