Walang Dahilan

Ika-10 Dahilan

"Where are you going?" tanong ko.

"I can't watch horror flicks before bedtime, sorry." paalam niya. "Goodnight, I don't want to hear screaming kung ayaw niyong sa labas kayo matulog." banta niya. Ang harsh naman ng babaeng to.

Bago siya tuluyang naglakad ay lumapit siya kay Reggie and kissed her head "Goodnight sweetie."

"I said don't call me that anymore." reklamo ng isa pero hindi siya pinansin ni Althea.

"Goodnight Jade." paalam niya ang kissed my cheek.

"Goodnight MK." sagot ko naman and I saw her blushed.

"Sweeet." kantiyaw ni Reggie. Pero tumalikod na si Althea papuntang kwarto na parang pilit itinatago ang pamumula niya.

"Hey, MK." tawag ko ulit sa kanya at lumingon siya pabalik. "May partner ba yang pj mo?" tanong ko, sabay tingin sa suot niya at kumunot ang noo. " I mean set ba yan?" tanong ko ulit.

Saka saglit nagisip. "Wala, ito lang pambaba, why?"

"Buy a set, then. I can wear the other half, the one with long sleeves please. Malamig sa room mo eh." sabi ko and nakita ko ulit siyang nagblushed.

"Wow, couple talaga...Sh.it. Kilig ako."sigaw ni Reggie.

"Hey! Watch your words!" sitang sigaw ni Althea kay Reggie.

"Sorry na po, I just got carried away." paumanhin niyang sagot. Natawa na lang ako sa kanilang dalawa at tuluyan ng tumalikod si Althea at pumasok ng kwarto.

Sinalang na ni Reggie ang papanoorin namin and minutes passed pareho na kaming tahimik nang bigla siyang lumipat ng tingin sa akin.

"Tita Jade, sorry kung napilitan kayong pakasal kay Tita Althea." bungad niya.

"Gusto ko rin naman Reggie." kalma kong sagot.

"I know she likes you, maybe love ka na nga niya eh, dahil kung hindi she will never agree with this."

"I know." simpleng sagot ko.

"Is there a chance that you'll like her, too?"

"I like her, Reggie. But I don't know what kind of like. It's just so strange na ako mismo hindi ko maintindihan. But I don't want to hold it back, I want to discover what's this I'm feeling. I find her special, more than special actually. I don't know, ako sa sarili ko ay nalilito din at hindi ko maintindihan."

"Sana you'll feel more than like din."Sagot niya at tumango lang ako at natahimik. "You did not judge her, her real self."

"I believe that love has no age, race, religion, and gender. May karapatan ang bawat taong magmahal. Just as fidelity doesn't have to be exempted to anyone because of status, belief, influence and gender. If you fall in love, you'll learn to embrace the whole person as he/she is. You can't have other partners just because you want it in that moment. I don't think you're truly in love if that's the case." Napapangiti kong sabi.

"Wow! So you're a one-man-woman. Ay mali one-woman-woman pala." Biro ni Reggie.

"You can say that." ngiti ko ring sagot. Mukhang gusto lang ata talaga ako makausap ni Reggie dahil wala na sa pinapanood namin ang atensyon niya.

"She has loved me all my life, Tita. Her face is the only face I see when I wake up in the morning and before I sleep. In my memory mukha niya ang una kong natandaan ng bata pa ako. Siya ang naalala kong may hawak ng kamay ko pag nag lalakad kami. The one person who's with me when I first went to school. She's my mother, my father, ate, teacher, my trainor, my friend. She sacrificed her own happiness for me. Nong maghiwalay sila Mom and Dad, si Tita Althea ang nagisnan kong magulang. Gusto kong magalit sa mga magulang ko but she taught me not to, despite the cold treatment from my Dad, hindi ko nakitang nagalit si Tita Althea kay Dad." kwento ni Reggie. Gusto ko pa sanang magtanong kung bakit ganon ang trato ng kapatid ni Althea pero nagpigil ako.