I knew that something was wrong the moment I opened my eyes. I groped the space beside me and found it vacant.
"Lalabs...?" I called out getting off the bed.
I headed to the kitchen and saw that the plates and food from the previous night were already cleaned and stored away.
"Lalabs, nasaan ka?"
I checked the bathroom and saw that it was empty.
"Green?"
I ran upstairs to the 2nd bedroom my sense of dread growing when I realized that my wife wasn't inside the house.
I ran downstairs again and peeked out the window to see if her car was there. A brick seemed to drop inside my stomach when I saw that it wasn't.
I took the stairs to the bedroom to get my phone then dial my wife's number and got the same automated response that I heard yesterday.
Mrs. Yu, nasaan ka po? Hihintayin kita rito sa bahay. Ako na po ang magluluto ng agahan, I texted.
Pumasok na kaya s'ya? Imposible. Alas diez klase n'ya, mag-a-alas siete pa lang.
I did not receive a reply from Green. She did not return home, too. But I only started to panic when I waited for her outside her classroom for her 10 AM class and she did not show up.
Shit. Hinding-hindi 'yun mag-a-absent, eh. Kahit anong inis n'un sa buhay ay kahit kailan hindi 'yun liliban sa klase n'ya kasi gusto n'un makapagtapos with Latin honors.
But when my wife did not show up for her second class, too, my panic became full-blown.
Lalabs, nasaan ka na ba? Hinintay kita kanina sa labas ng classroom mo pero hindi ka sumipot. Hinintay ulit kita sa second class mo pero natapos na lang 'yung klase ay hindi ka dumating. Pwede bang pag-usapan natin 'to? Parati ka na lang nang-iiwan, eh. Nag-aalala na ako sa'yo. Nandito ako sa tambayan ngayon, hihintayin kita rito or just tell me kung nasaan ka, ako ang pupunta.
"O, LC, hindi ba may pasok ka?" Tony, one of my brods, asked.
"Oo, teka lang."
I did not look up from my mobile as I sent another message to my wife.
Kumain ka na ba? H'wag kang nagpapagutom. Send me a message kung pwede na tayong mag-usap. O kahit mag-drop call ka man lang, ako na ang tatawag. Ayusin naman natin 'to, please? Alam ko malaki ang kasalanan ko sa'yo at alam kong nasaktan kita kaya ka umalis. I know that I am at fault and I am more than willing to make it up to you. Mrs. Yu, please...
"LC?"
"Bakit?" I asked, my tone sharp.
"Ay, sorry po, LC..."
"Ano 'yun, Tony?"
"Wala po, akala ko lang po...ano...may problema po...pasensya na po."
"May klase ka nang ganitong oras, 'di ba?"
"Opo, papasok na nga po ako. Sorry po ulit, LC."
"Okay. Sige, ingat sa pag-da-drive."
Kailangan ko na bang tawagan ang in-laws ko? Pero, ang usapan namin ni Green, as much as possible, ay h'wag isali ang mga magulang kapag meron kaming mga hindi pagkakaintindihan.
I heaved out a sigh.
"LC, okay ang po ba kayo?" Gary asked before sitting down beside me. "Si Mrs. Yu po ba, okay lang?" he added.
I wanted to tell him that Green and I were having issues but I knew that it was something my wife would probably chop my head off for.
"Okay lang ako, Gary. May inaayos lang kaya busy."
