Most Notorious Jerk

Prologue

“LOLA!” WAS ALL that I mumbled the moment I opened Lola Love’s hospital room.

Sa ginawa ko ay nagulat ang Amerikanang nurse. Pareho silang napatingin sa akin na para bang isa akong kagimbal-gimbal na himala. Sakto pa namang kinukuhanan niya ng dugo si Lola. Napangiwi na lang ako nang makita ang kunot na noo ng malditang matanda.

“Alam mo, ikaw na bata ka. Ikamamatay ko ang pagiging hyper mo!” patuloy na pagtataray ni Lola Love.

“Ehe, forgiveness naman!” Patuloy ang pagngiwi ko.

Lumapit na ako sa hospital bed. I mouthed a genuine sorry to the nurse for which she responded with a polite smile. Nang matapos na siya sa pagkuha ng dugo sa lola kong maldita ay nagpaalam na rin siya sa amin.

“Oh, ano na namang ipinunta mo dito?” Pagtataas ng kilay ng lola ko. Napakataray talaga, parang walang colon cancer. Grabe.

“Heto!” Sinimangutan ko siya.

Itinaas ko ang hawak kong picture. Nakita ko ito sa attic ng bahay niya. It was a picture of a guy. Specifically, a guy with abs. At first, akala ko si Lolo ‘to. Pero hindi, eh. I’ve seen enough younger pictures of him to be sure that he would never be this guy.

At talagang nakumpira ko ang lahat nang itaob ko na ang picture. May nakita ako sa likod nito. It was a handwritten message from someone.

Until we meet again, my Loverielle Venus Costello.

I love you.

Always yours,
Steven Quentin Davis

August 2021

2021 was the year of her hormonal youth. With the way this Stevan guy wrote this obnoxious letter, there must really be something. Ghad, hindi ko inakala na sa taong 2063 pa matutuklasan ang kalokohan ni Lola dati!

“Tell me, Lola. Sino ‘to?” Hindi ko na napigilan ang pagtaas ng boses ko.

At lalo ko pa itong itinaas nang makita ang maliit na ngiti ni Lola. She really has the audacity to smile right now, uh?!

“As what you’ve told me, 2019 naging kayo ni Lolo. So, you really cheated on him 42 years ago?!” Right now, I was staring at her as if she was the most notorious criminal on Earth.

“You know what? That guy . . .” Natigilan ako nang makita ang matamis niyang ngiti. This was the very first time I ever saw that kind of smile from her . . . yes, even when my grandfather was still alive.

“That guy is Brooklyn’s most notorious jerk.”

I blinked.

Brooklyn? That was almost a two-day drive away from where we lived—from Nevada.

Kinuha sa akin ni Lola ang picture. Matamis pa rin ang kanyang ngiti habang tinitingnan ang lalaki mula roon. “And he gave me so much that I found myself finally whole the moment I lost him.”

Nang muling dumako sa mukha ko ang kanyang tingin, sumilay ang butil ng luha sa kanyang mga mata. Napalunok na lang ako. I was never ready for this serious moment with her. This was not what I came for . . .

“Do you wanna hear a tragic love story?”

. . . but I found myself nodding.