Prologue

Girl

I didn't understand before why my bother, Adam Mikolos Rozovsky, would want to go back to the Philippines. May rason kung bakit umalis na ang pamilya namin doon. And my parents already choose to raise us in Germany.

But now I think I understand him. Because he's now living a quiet life in a place in the country with his wife and children.

And now I'm going to visit them in Masbate, Philippines. Doon na nakatira ang kapatid ko at nagpalaki ng pamilya niya.

While me? I think I'm just trying to see what life here in the Philippines is like. Gusto kong makita ang pamumuhay ng kapatid ko. At baka rin just like him I could also find peace here and I might just decide to stay here. Who knows?

I'm in my late 20s now, at mag-isa pa rin ako—I mean I'm single. And what's wrong with that? It's just my parents who were pressuring me sometimes about getting married and having children, so I left our home in Germany. Just for a while lang naman. At nagbabakasyon lang din ako ngayon para magpalamig din.

Magpalamig sa Pilipinas? Well, I will spend my time swimming in the beaches here and relax.

And I also understand my parents. They're just worried about me. Given na maaga rin nag-asawa si Adam at nagkaroon ng sarili niyang pamilya.

At babae pa ako. Alam naman natin na parang may expiration "daw" ang mga babae na gaya natin. It's something about mahihirapan ka nang makapag-anak because of old age. But I don't really believe in such nonsense, anong expiration ang sinasabi nila? At isa pa, I'm not old yet. I'm still in my twenties, you know. Even though I'll reach my thirties soon... But I just won't think about it now.

"Ate!" My brother welcomed me wholeheartedly in his home with his wife and children.

Ngumiti naman ako at niyakap ko rin siya. He's really grown so much into a man. And now he's a husband and a dad to his own family.

Nakita kong nakangiti rin sa akin si Aeva, ang wife ng kapatid ko, at binati rin ako.

Nagkaroon pa ng conflicts din sa mga pamilya namin dati. Aeva came from a family who even tried to harm my brother. But in the end Aeva couldn't do it to Adam. Siya kasi ang inutusan ng pamilya niya na ipahamak ang kapatid ko at dahil din ito sa isa nilang client. And that client used to be connected with my mom. At isa rin sa mga dahilan kung bakit nagpakalayo na ang pamilya namin noon. But it's okay now. Pwede nang mamuhay ngayon nang mapayapa rito ang kapatid ko kahit papaano.

And our family is also protecting him and his family.

I went to also hug Aeva at mukha pa niyang hindi inasahan ang ginawa ko. Ito naman. Close na kami ngayon since she married my younger brother. And we're family now. At Nanay pa siya ng dalawang cute na mga pamangkin ko.

Let's just leave the past behind, I guess...

"Mikolos! I miss you!" Niyakap at pinanggigilan ko pa ang pamangkin ko. Ang panganay na anak nina Adam. He grew taller now at naging kuya na rin siya to his little sister. Kaya mas lalo pa yatang naging responsible din ang batang ito.

"Oh my! Ito na ba ang isa ko pang pamangkin?" Dumapo naman sunod ang mga mata ko sa isang baby na nasa loob pa ng crib.

Lumapit din naman si Adam at tiningnan na rin ang anak niyang natutulog doon. "Yes. She's so adorable, right?" He said.

At tahimik na lang naman akong tumango na bahagya rin napangiti habang pinagmamasdan ko ang baby...

I shook my head in an instant as not to remember anymore of a memory from the past. Nasa nakaraan na nga iyon at tapos na. Wala na rin namang silbi kung iisipin ko pa rin ang mga bagay na tapos na hanggang ngayon.

I sighed a little.

Pagkatapos ay tinawag na rin kami ni Aeva na kumain na muna. Sumunod na rin naman ako at sumalo sa pagkain nila.

"I didn't know that you were serious of coming here, when mom told me about it." Adam said while we're eating on their table.

I nodded at my brother. "Yeah. Well, I need a vacation." I said.

At tumango na lang din sa akin si Adam.

"Are you okay here?" He asked me.

"Hmm. I might go again." I said.

"To where?" Adam asked me, at bahagya rin kumunot ang noo niya.

Ngumiti naman ako sa kapatid ko. "Baka babalik ako ng Luzon and go to Subic and La Union—sa mga beach, you know. Pagkatapos ay itatry ko rin ang iba pang mga famous spot and beaches dito sa Pilipinas. I'm also planning to go to Cebu and Palawan. Aside from Boracay." I said.

I'm not really sure kung mahilig din ba ako mag-swimming o gusto ko ba ang dagat. But since most foreigners come here in the Philippines for summer and the beach, naisip ko lang na iyon na lang din ang i-try ko. Mukhang fun naman.

"Gusto n'yo bang sumama?" I asked them.

Umiling naman sa akin si Adam. "Mikos still have classes."

Tumango naman ako.

"Did you come here alone? Will you be fine?"

Tumango naman ako sa kapatid ko ang gave him a reassuring smile.

I'll be fine. What could go wrong?

Kaya mga ilang araw lang din ako nag-stay sa Masbate at nagpaalam na rin kanila Adam na tutuloy na sa plan kong trip.

Well, I actually didn't have a plan. Basta ay pupunta na lang ako sa kung saan ako mapadpad.

At may beach din pala sa Masbate so Adam and his family also brought me there on a weekend kasama sila at ng mga bata bago ako umalis. I was able to make some happy memories with them, too.

At hindi ko inasahan na sa unang lugar pa lang na pinuntahan ko ay agad ko na rin mahahanap ang isang bagay o tao na hindi ko naman talaga hinahanap...

I was in a beach resort in Subic. It's a 2 to 3 hours drive from Metro Manila. I planned to stay here overnight. Pero humaba pa ang pag-stay ko sa resort when I realized that he's also here!

The first day I just enjoyed the resort. But the next morning, early on that day when I saw it with my own two eyes how he arrived here in the resort. Bumaba siya sa sasakyan at mukhang may kasama din siya pero hindi ko na nakita dahil tumakbo na ako pabalik ng room ko dahil sa gulat ko nang makita ko siya.

At ngayon, on the same day, I went out of my room and just carefully looked out for him here in the resort. I'll be bored if I'll just stay in my room the whole day. At bakit naman ako magkukulong lang sa kwarto ko? Iniiwasan ko ba siya? At bakit ko naman siya iiwasan? Past is past!

At isa pa, nagbayad din ako rito sa resort ng stay ko, 'no. Hindi naman siya ang may-ari nitong resort.

Huminga ako at naglakad-lakad na muli sa tabi ng dagat. I find this relaxing. Nakakawala ng stress at parang nakakalimutan mo ang mga iniisip mo...

I stopped on my steps on the sandy shore. Napupunta rin sa suot ko na sandals ang mga buhangin. At parang nakalimutan ko nga sandali ang presensya rin ng tao na 'yon dito sa resort. Na pagkakita ko ay nasa harapan ko na pala siyang bigla. No, hindi lang siya. Sila... May kasama siyang batang babae...

Lalo akong natigilan sa kinatatayuan ko. Umihip ang medyo malamig na hangin at parang humampas pa ito sa balat ko na para akong nilamig bigla...

Hindi pa niya ako nakikita at ako pa lang ang nakakita at nakatingin sa kanila ng bata. I saw him there, looking and talking to the little girl he's with... And he's holding the child's hand...

Parang naging bato na yata ako at parang nagkaugat na rin ang mga paa ko sa kinatatayuan ko. Parang hindi na ako makagalaw doon. And they were already approaching where I was.

Palapit sila nang palapit sa akin...

Hanggang sa mas luminaw at lalo ko pang nakita at namukhaan ang batang kasama niya.

But why does... the little girl...

This girl kind of looked like me when I was her age...

I couldn't be mistaken. I still remember my face when I was young. And I have my pictures, too! What's happening to me... What's happening here?!

"Theia!" I heard him called the little girl when she started running, at palayo sa Daddy niya...

And... did I just heard my name again from him calling...

I mean, my name's Aletheia...

What the hell?

What is this?

Gulong-gulo ako. Para akong nanigas na nga sa kinatatayuan ko. I cannot move and couldn't say a word.

But then, I did move with my instincts when I saw the girl fall in front of me. Nadapa siya sa harapan ko kaya agad ko siyang tinulungan...

At nagkatinginan kami pagkatapos nang mag-angat din siya ng tingin sa akin. She's a pretty child who has fair skin and healthy looking thick hair, at mahahaba rin ang mga pilikmata niya. She looked like little princess Snow White. And her cute small pink lips smiled at me after she saw me in front of her...

"I'm sorry... And thank you, po. For helping me..." Tumayo rin siya at pinagpag ang konting buhangin na dumikit sa balat niya, sa tuhod niya at konti rin sa siko.

At parang may sarili namang isip ang mga kamay ko na tinulungan ko rin siya na alisin iyong konting sand sa may elbow niya.

"Thank you!" She smiled at me again when she saw that I helped her with the removing of some dusty sand on her...

Napalunok pa ako habang nakatingin sa kaniya. And then I slowly smiled to the pretty child...

"Theia..."

At doon pa lang ako napaangat ng tingin sa taong nakasunod din sa bata. At nagkatinginan kami ng taong iyon. And I saw how his eyes widened when he saw me.

What really happened?

I just want to know now.

What did he exactly do...