Chapter 45

Next week we're going back to UASA. Everything was settled, volunteers from local or even overseas were continuously moving.

Thailand Meteorological Department coordinated with UASA and just like what we expected our organization made a false conflict. They made a failure communication issues between the two organizations. The UASA tried to coordinate but the system from Thailand Department failed its duty, making the situation worse.

The argument circulated internally between the two organizations, hindi na pinalabas sa media. There are things that should be settled behind the backs of millions of eyes.

Organizations with high names should have a broader mentality, dahil malalaki ang impluwensiya at maraming mga mata ang nakamulat, hindi ito dahilan para ipakita ang lahat.

How is that? To gain sympathy? Sympathy can't make human lives or even an organization continually exist. Because even if you gained hundreds, thousands or millions of sympathy but your system is still full of trash you'll definitely crash.

Organizations should show things and information that they need to provide. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hindi na kailangang isampal ng buong UASA at maging ng Thailand Meteorological Department ang naging problem sa buong mundo. People who might hear the news can't possess the ability to move, their opinion and perceptions can't make the system works, can't even reach the data satellites.

Problems should reach to those who can move with the conflict, hindi puro sa bibig lamang.

Dahil sa sandaling may nakaalam, would their eyes and mentality change what happened? Will they reset the destructions? Will they regain the lives of those people?

Sa huli ang magiging buka ng kanilang mga bibig ay mananatiling mga salita lamang na wala namang kakapitan na maganda. It will just end up another problem that will be needed to be fixed instead of focusing on the original problem.

That's how life works.

Hindi kailangang sa bawat problema ng mga kilalang ahensiya or organisasyon ay dapat nalalaman ng madla. Lies are always be lies and some secrets must be kept hidden forever.

But we can't stop people from creating lies. Kahit mga organisasyon, kailangan ito para mapanatiling mapapagkatiwalaan ang aming ahensiya. Very ironic but that's reality, kahit gaano pa kabilis umikot ang mundo.

Anong ahensiya pa ang maaaring pagkatiwalaan? UASA lang ang may abilidad na hindi kakayaning buuin ng isang panibagong grupo sa isang maiksing panahon.

That's why I don't blame or hate UASA for giving the Thai Department a complete lie.

Lumipad patungong Thailand si Commander Mitts, hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa kami nag-uusap dahil abala ito sa pakikipag-usap sa matataas na opisyal ng bansa.

I admire the Thai Meteorological Department, they shouldered all the faults given by people. Late announcements, slow movements, failure to people service, and many more.

I tried to talk with some of their crews but most of them gave me a tired smile, they're used to it. Most of the time public server received a hundred times of curses rather than smiles and thanks.

Pity world with narrow-minded people. Most humans have an eye even in the smallest fault but are unable to see the efforts and hardships of those public servers.

I shrugged my shoulder. I should have stop thinking about those, mahirap nang baguhin ang kaisipang matagal na nilang pinaniniwalaang tama. People nowadays can't notice that they are now digging their own graves.

My fingers moved together in the southwest, making an abrupt turn with my plane. I smiled when I was about to reach the flock of birds flying.

"Gotcha baby!" muntik ko nang mabitawan ang controller na hawak ko nang yakapin ako ni Pedro mula sa likuran.

He kissed me on the cheeks.

"I missed you.."

"Pedro! I've missed the birds." Iritadong sabi ko nang makalayo na sa eroplanong nilalaro ko ang mga ibon.

"Itatapon ko na ang laruang 'yan. Didn't you miss me?" yumuko ito at hinawakan ang kamay ko.

He controlled my fingers until the plane landed on our room's terrace.

"Hey, hey, I am not yet done. I'm playing Pedro."

"I'm home, you play with me. Itatapon ko na ang laruan mo, Behati." Seryosong sabi nito.

"Have you talked to Commander Mitts, already?"

Ilang beses na akong nagpaiwan sa hotel dahil ayokong maglakad na inalalayan niya ako. I hate being the burden.

"Yes," sagot nito sa akin.

"How was it?"

"She's on our side," kumindat ito sa akin.

Inagaw na niya ang controller sa kamay ko at mabilis ako nitong binuhat. We landed on our bed and he immediately grabbed our comforter to cover us together.

"Ang lamig, ang lamig pala dito sa Thailand baby. Let's cuddle." I rolled my eyes.

Lahat na lang malamig ang klima kay Pedro.

"How's the situation? Everything's alright?"

We're still under the covers with him towering me with his arms locking me from both of my sides.

"Yes, then we'll fly back to UASA. So.." his playful blue eyes wandered down on my lips.

"So?" I grinned at him.

"I thought you'd buy me ice cream?" I laughed.

"Of course, maybe I'll ask for delivery."

"Matutunaw Behati,"

"I can't walk yet,"

"You can, I'll help you."

"I can't, medyo kumikirot pa. I can't force myself, hindi ako makakapagpalipad ng eroplano kapag pinuwersa ko ang sarili ko. I need assurance for our next mission."

"Oh okay," he's defeated.

"By the way, I thought it's cold? Bakit naghahanap ka ng ice cream?"

"Because you promised me that you'll buy one for me." Ngumisi na lamang ako.

"Alright,"

Nagpadeliver kami ng ice cream, I want vanilla flavor and he's craving for chocolate.

Ako ang nagbayad ng lahat. Akala ko ay makikipagtalo pa ito sa pagbabayad, mukhang ubos na ang pera ni Pedro, bumili pa ito ng laruang eroplano para sa akin.

It was expensive. Nagulat rin ako nang dalhin niya ito sa akin, para hindi daw ako mabored habang wala siya. He told me that he was hesitant to buy bear, flowers or bags, baka daw ibato ko lamang sa kanya. Kaya eroplano na lang ang binili niya.

Ano nga naman ang gagawin ko sa kanila?

Dahil hindi na namin responsibilidad ni Pedro ang komunikasyon sa iba't-ibang ahensiya na konektado sa UASA hindi na kami umaalis ng hotel maghapon.

I'm sitting on his lap while we're both busy spoon-feeding each other with ice cream. I never thought that I'd be like this, but sometimes it isn't bad at all.

Lalo na at nangako si Pedro sa akin, that he'll behave once that we're back in UASA. Pinagbibigyan ko na.

"Behati, I want to marry you before we go to Mars." Nabitin sa ere ang hawak kong kutsara.

"Marry?"

"Yes," seryosong sabi nito.

I scooped a large ice cream and fed him with it.

"I think it's too early."

"Why not?"

"It's too early Pedro," sinubuan rin ako nito ng ice cream.

"I thought you want Aaroon? He needs a father and a mother, marry me and he'll be an Armstrong. And we will live happily ever after, then we'll give him a lot of brothers and sisters."

Mas malaking ice cream ang isinubo ko sa kanya.

"You are imagining things again, Commander." Mabilis niya munang inubos ang ice cream.

"Hey baby, I'm serious. Aaroon is a good boy, maraming gustong umampon sa kanya. If you want to adopt him you need a husband, they will give a favor to that couple who are willing rather than a single mom. You know.." my eyes narrowed.

"Why do I have this feeling that you are using Aaroon?"

"Hey, I like Aaroon too. I was just proposing, ikaw rin baka maagaw sa atin si Aaroon." He removed a cream from my lip using his thumb.

"Then let's do it in USA."

"W-What? Sa Pilipinas ang kasal, para matibay, wala ka nang kawala."

"Why do have this feeling that you've planned all of this?"

"Maybe?" ngising sagot nito.

Sinubuan ko na lamang ulit siya ng ice cream. Saglit niya lamang ito tinunaw bago muli siyang nagsalita.

"Try to think of it, you're a sucker for hitting two birds with one stone right? This is a great opportunity. You hit us both, I am the bigger bird and Aaroon is the smaller bird. And all together you got two birds. Mamahalin ka namin ni Aaroon, pero mas mamahalin kita."

Inalis ko ang mga mata ko sa asul niyang mga mata. Kahit kailan ay hindi ako nanalo sa ganda ng kanyang mga mata. There is something hypnotizing with his eyes giving me nods with his every word.

"Pero hindi pinagmamadali ang kasal, Pedro. I didn't even think that I'll reach that part of my life. But everything changed when I met you. But still, we can't take marriage lightly. Hindi pa yata ako handa sa buhay pamilya."

"You can't just leave UASA," tipid na sagot nito.

I answered his gaze and went exactly with his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Pedro, maybe we should talk about this after Project Mars?"

"I am already expecting that answer." Naiiling na sabi nito.

Hindi na muli namin pinag-usapan ang tungkol sa kasal. Hanggang sa makabalik na kami sa UASA.

Nakakalakad na ako nang makauwi kami at kasalukuyan na kaming nakatayo sa papabukas na malaking eroplano kung saan sasalubungin kami ng matataas na miyembrong panghimpapawid ng UASA.

We're with another Commander, yes he's back leaving his own resort with his relative.

Commander Linus Kellan Graham Bell.

Muntik pa silang magsuntukan ni Pedro nang sabihin nitong pinagkamalan niya akong gangster na nanggugulo sa kanyang meeting.

The pressure heated when I saw the horizontal fleet waiting for us. With Pedro, Commander Mitts, and Bell. We saluted all the officials as a greeting.

Nandito rin si Jensen na mariing nakatitig sa akin.

Unang nagsalita ang nagbabalik.

"Graham Bell, it's good to be back, sir! Ma'am!" Matigas na bati nito.

"Armstrong, ready for the mission." Malakas na sabi ni Pedro.

I took a deep breath and saluted them high.

"Monzanto, reporting for duty!"