11/23

Hashtag 23

#WhenElebenTwentitriStarted

"Perhaps to experience true happiness, one must accept the broken self."

-x-

If given a chance to relive a past, Jhing Blanco's smiling lips wouldn't hesitate to answer a day: 11/23. Not to change it, no. Nothing to fix. It was perfect as it is. Just to re-watch that one perfect night and say "you've made the right choice" to herself while tapping her own shoulder.

But heck.

Reality check: she couldn't go back to year 2016.

There was no turning back. Only moving forward.

The smile on her lips vanished when July and Yayo looked at her with creased foreheads. Tumutok siya sa manuscript na ineedit, afraid of what the two will say.

"Sigurado kang ganyan lang itsura mo?"

There. July said it.

Ano bang masama sa simpleng shirt at jeans? She had been living her 25 years in the world; at wala naman sa listahan ng tungkulin niya ang mag-make up o magpaganda.

But July and Yayo had other plans.

Kaya nang magpunta sila sa premiere night, she was all dressed up like a disguised princess, her brown hair down and curling at the tips, natural make up and a white long sleeved flowing dress just above her knee.

As Jhing looked at the mirror, she looked like a decent angel. . .with horns - which, by the way, looked overdressed for the event.

Tinukso na siya ni Fall kaya hinayaan na lang niya. May ilang readers na nagpunta kaya naging busy rin siya sa pag-entertain. Pero pasulyap-sulyap siya sa paligid. Searching for a particular face.

But there was none.

He was nowhere.

Hindi rin ito nag-text.

"Jhing!" Fall called from the cinema's entrance. Nagsipasukan na ang mga tao. "Tara na!"

Nagpilitan pa sila ni Fall pero nanalo ang katigasan ng ulo niya. She stood there, outside, like a lost puppy, waiting for her person.

Naghalo ang inis at tuwa nang tumawag ito. But what he said through the phone wiped her smile out.

"Hindi ako makakapunta," his voice, heavy in Jhing's heart. "Baka wala na akong maabutan, paalis pa lang ako sa workshop. Traffic sa edsa."

Gustong umiyak ni Jhing. She was waiting for him to come! He promised and she believed him. The expectation crashed her but she still managed to smile.

"Sige, ayos lang."

Hindi ayos! But hell, anong magagawa niya? Para tuloy siyang namatayan as she entered the cinema.

"Sigurado ka?"

Hindi na niya mapigilan ang asar. "May magagawa pa ba ako?"

He laughed. "Pilitin mo akong samahan ka. Lilipad ako papunta sa'yo."

"Wow, superman?"

Before she could step on the stairs, someone grabbed her arm. Muntik na siyang sumigaw kung hindi lang niya nakita ang pamilyar na mukhang nakangiti sa kanya.

Miko.

They looked like idiots, talking to the phone, in front of each other.

"Anong mayroon? Bakit ka ba tambay sa labas?"