Dedicated to: @Imong_Bongot_Itom

Chapter 9: Go home

White Kamono Hotel
August 21, 2022

"Rhoe Anne, I have tea for you!" Nore said excitedly.

Pagkakatapos kong kumain tuwing vacant time namin, pinipili ko nang magbasa ng susunod naming topic. I was trying to use the available time that I have in school, dahil kapag nasa bahay na ako ay halos ako na ang gumagawa ng napakaraming gawaing bahay.

"Gusto mo?" inalok niya sa akin ang turon ng saging na hawak niya. Umiling lang ako.

"Busog na ako. Ano na naman ba ang nasagap mo? Bakit 'di ka na lang magbasa ng sunod nating topic? Ang haba pa ng vacant natin."

She rolled her eyes. "Duh? Makinig ka muna kasi. . ."

"Ano nga?"

"I heard sa faculty room from our English teacher that you're going to be our class representative in a story-writing contest! Hindi ba malapit na ang English month?"

"Ako?"

She nodded with a grin. "I told you so. You have the talent."

Nore's my closest friend, but I never mentioned to her my situation at home. Dahil hindi ko gustong mag-alala siya o 'di kaya ay gumawa siya nang bagay na madadamay pa siya. I knew Nore too well, siguradong susugurin niya sina Sarah Anne at Tita Kiana. Baka umabot pa kami sa barangay. Ayoko nang makaabala pa ng ibang tao sa sitwasyon ko.

As much as possible, I will keep everything to myself.

***

Matapos ang vacant time namin, agad kumalat sa buong klase na ako ang nagugustuhan ng English Teacher namin para sa story writing contest, but those rumors ended quickly when Sarah Anne and her group heard the news.

"May ka-close kayang faculty teacher si Sarah Anne. She even asked the student assistant na naroon sa faculty room na narinig ang usapan ng mga teacher. Hindi naman daw si Rhoe Anne ang magiging representative. She's a liar," rinig kong usapan sa likuran.

Agad kong hinawakan ang kamay ni Nore nang akma na siyang tatayo mula sa upuan niya.

"No. . . hayaan na lang natin sila."

Pinandilatan ako ng mata ni Nore. "You are not a liar, Rhoe Anne. Grabeng effort naman ang ginawa niyang si Sarah at may pagtanong pa siya sa faculty room. Grabeng inggit na iyan. Are you sure na okay ka pa sa bahay ninyo?"

I faked my smile at her. "Of course. I am fine."

Nore looked unconvinced, but she respected my decision.

***

Inuwi na ako ni Kousuke at hindi na kami nagkaroon ng pag-uusap kahit sa loob ng kanyang sasakyan. Nasisiguro ko na nagsisimula na siyang mag-isip na may mali sa akin. Maybe he's starting to think that something was really off with me.

Nakahiga na ako sa kama habang tulala sa kisama. An opened book on my chest as I sighed in frustration. Should I say sorry or what?

I saw how puzzled he was when I talked to him in Tagalog. Bakit naman kasi siya ganoon? We just knew each other for a week, pero kung makapagsalita siya ay parang handa siyang gawin ang lahat sa akin.

Was my father like him? Or were my parents experienced the similar situation? Paano kung ayaw lang talaga ng family ng Papa ko kay Mama?

At kung makatingin ang mga hapon kay Kousuke sa tuwing magkasama kami! Bakit ba napaka-judgemental nila?!

I was about to turn off the lights of my room when I heard a noise outside of my window. Agad akong kinabahan. Of course, Japan was known for its safety but there were still news about weird Japanese men trying to break in to someone's room.

I took my lamp shade and I approached the glass window slowly. Hinawi ko nang kaunti ang kurtina habang nangangatal na ang tuhod ko. I was about to scream and run to the kitchen to press the emergency button, when I recognized the man standing below with his hoodie and flashlight.

"Rhoe Anne. . ."

Napahinga ako nang malalim at ibinaba ang lamp shade. "K-Kousuke!"

Marahas ko nang binuksan ang bintana. "What are you doing?!"

Ibinaba niya na sa tabi ng bahay niya iyong mahabang stick na ginamit niya para makakatok sa bintana ko. "Are you going to sleep already?"

"Yes."

"Really? Do you want to go fishing?"

"Now?"

He nodded. "Yes. The river is just in front of your hotel."

"Is it okay?"

"Of course."

Namawang lang ako sa harapan ni Kousuke. He was just standing there with his hands on his jacket with that familiar silly grin on his face. I sighed in defeat. Bakit pa ba ako mag-iisip kung paano hihingi sa kanya ng pasensiya sa nangyari kanina?

He was not bothered at all!

"I'll change my clothes first. You don't expect me to wear nightgown while fishing, right?"

He chuckled. "Take your time."

Napailing na lang ako nang buksan ko ang cabinet ko. Karamihan kasi sa dala kong damit ay puro dress, how could I wear something appropriate for night fishing?

Dumungaw ulit ako sa may bintana.

"Do have more hoodie, Kousuke? I noticed that most of my—"

"Alright. No problem. Come down already."

Akala ko ay mauuna pa ako kay Kousuke at hihintayin ko siya sa parking lot ng hotel, but he's too quick. Agad niyang inabot sa akin ang gray niyang hoodie at mabilis ko iyong isinuot para ipatong sa night gown ko.

"Let's go," sabi niya.

We were both wearing huge gray hoodies, with rubber slippers and thick socks. Hawak na ni Kousuke sa isa niyang kamay ang mga equipment sa pangingisda na nakalagay sa maliit na timba.

"I'll bring the chairs!"

Bago ako sumunod kay Kousuke ay bumalik ako sa parking lot, may maliit na storage room doon at binuksan ko iyon. I almost jumped in joy when I saw numbers of small chairs. Kumuha ako ng dalawa at hinabol ko na si Kousuke na nauna nang naglalakad sa akin. But when he noticed that I was trying to catch up with him, he slowed his pace.

"Come. . ." inilahad niya ang kamay niya sa akin.

Dahil magaan naman ang dalawa kong upuan na ipinagpatong ko, nagawa lang itong buhatin ng isa kong kamay. I was about to accept Kousuke's hand when he withdrew it. Kumunot ang noo ko sa ginawa niyang iyon.

He chuckled before he walked closer to me. With his free hand he pulled the hood of my jacket to cover my head. "There."

I bit my lower lip to suppress my smile. Tumalikod na ulit siya, but his hand was trying to catch my free hand hiding inside his oversized jacket. Nang hindi niya mahuli ang kamay ko ay tumigil ulit siya sa paglalakad at tumigin na siya sa jacket niyang suot ko.

"Where is your hand?" natatawang tanong niya.

"Your jacket is too big for me," sagot ko.

Kinapa niya ulit ang manggas ng jacket niyang suot ko bago niya mahawakan ang kamay ko. "Got it. Let's go."

He swayed our hands together as we walked towards the river. Kousuke is really that funny guy next door.

"Hindi ka nagalit sa akin? Napaka-moody ko kanina."

"What? You're speaking in your language again, Rhoe Anne," sagot niya habang nag-aayos na siya ng pamingwit.

I was already sitting but Kousuke's already busy with the fishing equipment. "Nothing."

"Now I can relate with Seiji's frustration. Why are you like that? Speaking with your language, probably giving side comments against us."

I laughed. He told me before that he has a cousin with a Filipina wife. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay artista pa yata ang naging asawa. That Japanese could be a better type of Kousuke.

"Is he funny like you? I am sure he's like a boy next door. You mentioned before that your cousin's girlfriend is an artist, right? A heartthrob or a boy next door type? Or even more handsome than you?"

"Huh? Seiji? Didn't I tell you that he was too skinny and his wife kept on complaining that we've been trying to copy her husband's body type. Are you sure that you're not familiar with Sidra Everleigh? She's very famous in the Philippines."

Umiling ako. "I am not into social media. I am a cave girl."

"No wonder why you chose this countryside."

"Should I go to Tokyo instead?"

"You'll never meet a handsome country boy then," he winked at me.

Umirap ako sa kanya. "Yes. Of course."

Ibinigay niya na rin sa akin ang fishing rod ko bago siya naupo sa tabi ko.

I sighed. Sa halip na sa ilog ang tanaw ko ay sa malayo ako nakatingin.

"You okay?"

Tumango ako sa kanya na hindi lumilingon. I knew that he was staring at me, but I chose to ignore his stares.

"If I am going to ask you. Do you want to live in the countryside, Kousuke?"

"Maybe? But I am not really a countryside boy. I love the city, parties. . . night club."

"But you don't have a choice, right?"

Siya naman ang tumango.

"To be honest, Rhoe Anne, I don't know what's going on in my life. Maybe Sidra's partly right, I am quite jealous of Seiji. Now Seiji has a purpose, he has a reason to live and be happy. He found the love of his life. I never saw him that happy before he met Sidra. With my years of working, partying, and being that obedient Matsumoto son, there are no changes at all. I was like a hollow shell that just follows the rules again and again. . ."

"You're getting bored then," sagot ko sa kanya.

"Maybe? How about you? After looking for your father?"

"Revenge."

Napalingon sa akin si Kousuke sa akin nang marinig iyon. He tried to open his mouth he chose to close it again.

"Aren't you going to stop me or something? And enlighten me that revenge is never an answer?"

"If that someone deserves it, why not?"

"Really?"

Pinili ko nang baguhin ang usapan namin. "When I first saw this river, I was really fascinated. It's so clean and I can't see any garbage at all. The huge white birds living near it can only be found in Manila Zoo in the Philippines, and the eagle freely flying here every day is fearless. . . not afraid of getting caught by humans. Nature has its freedom."

In Japan, nature owns itself, but sadly. . . in my country, nature is always owned by humans.

"Japan preserves the wild, one of the major reasons why foreigners love to visit this country. Foreigners always see the beauty of this country, but every country has its dark side as well. Japan isn't perfect at all. Are you aware that the suicide rate here is high?"

Tumango ako.

"I hear stories about the imperfections as well. . ."

Huminga nang malalim si Kousuke. "Here we have to act and think like the other Japanese. We can't be unique or get too much attention. . . they will look at me weirdly," tipid na sabi ni Kousuke.

That night, Kousuke and I shared our frustrations to our country. Hindi na nga kami nakahuli ng isda at nag-usap na lang kami ng mga reklamo namin sa buhay. We had a fair share of laughter, but he was still careful to ask more questions about me. Siguro ay nararamdaman niyang hindi pa rin ako kumportableng pag-usapan iyon.

Inihatid na ako ni Kousuke sa harapan ng hotel.

"Thank you for tonight, Kousuke."

Ngumiti siya sa akin. "I noticed. I never saw any other guests here aside from you. I never saw a car parked here. Tell me, Rhoe Anne. Did you buy this property? Is this hotel exclusive for you?"

Natawa ako sa sinabi niya. "I go out too early or too late, Kousuke. I guess there are only few guests. How I wish that I owned this property. This place looked old but it is so nice to stay here."

"And you have a very handsome neighbor," he winked.

I laughed. "You're really overconfident. Go home."

Bago ko siya tinalikuran ay agad akong lumapit sa kanya at tumingkayad. I gave him a quick kiss on his cheeks.

"Good night, Kousuke."

Hindi ko na hinintay pa siyang sumagot dahil nagmadali na akong umakyat sa hagdan patungo sa second floor. And I was about to continue to walk on the hall way, towards my room number 31 when I felt the sudden coldness all over my body.

Bigla akong napahawak sa ulo ko at kumuha ako ng balanse sa may hamba ng pahabang pasilyo.

"What's wrong with me?"

Hahakbang na sana ulit ako habang sapo ang noo ko nang may makita akong kubadong babae na napakabilis maglakad patungo sa akin. She was too fast to walk for her age.

Tila nawala ang ingay ng ihip ng hangin, agos ng ilog at ang huni ng kuliglig sa gabi. At ang tanging naririnig ko lang ay ang ingay ng tsinelas kong dahan-dahang umaatras.

At nang sandaling malapit na ang kubadong babae sa harapan ko, bigla siyang tumigil at hinarap ang mukha ko na may mulat na mulat na mata gamit ang singkit niyang mga mata.

"Kaerou!"

Napasigaw ako at natumba sa kinatatayuan ko. I placed my arms in front of my face to protect myself from the old woman, but a minute passed and when I glanced in front of me, there was no one, but only me.