Santini Qien Escovar
"I told you, Mags. I'm doing just fine."
"Huwag kang mag-complain! I just want to make sure you're not trying to-"
"I'm not," mabilis na pagputol ko sa sinasabi ni Magña, "I made a promise, 'di ba?"
I heard her let out a sigh on the other line and grunted, "Of course you did. And I've lost track of how many times you've promised and ultimately failed due to your katangahan!"
"Totoo na nga this time!" I defended myself, pursing my lips as I walk towards my bathroom door.
"Well, it better be," I imagined her rolling her eyes, "You won't appreciate what I would do if you ever risk ruining your life again."
I suddenly felt shivers down my spine due to her choice of tone. Magña can be truly scary when she wants to be. I tried to not be affected and shrugged it off as I reached for my toothpaste on the cabinet.
"I know and I understand," I said in defeat, squeezing the almost empty toothpaste tube I'm holding, "You don't have to worry anymore Mags, dahil sa tingin ko ay tuloy-tuloy na ang pagbuti ng lagay ko dito sa isla."
She stayed silent for a moment, only her faint breaths audible. I immediately understood what it meant; she's definitely overthinking. I paused squeezing my toothpaste tube and then reached for my cellphone, which I had placed on the edge of the lavatory.
"Hey Mag-"
"I want to meet her," she interrupted with a serious tone.
My eyebrows furrowed at her statement. She wants to meet who?
"What?"
"Open your cam nga Santi. Nahihirapan ako humawak sa phone," hindi niya pinansin ang pagtataka ko imbes ay inutusan pa akong i-open ang camera ng cellphone ko para magvideo-call.
I didn't complain and did as she told me. When I opened the camera, her formal appearance greeted me. She's already wearing her usual office attire, while doing her make-up. Kaya naman pala nahihirapan humawak ng cellphone.
"You made tito mad again, didn't you?" I asked with a knowing tone, as I've known her for years. Hindi naman siya papasok ng ganito kaaga sa opisina kung wala siyang atraso kay tito or kung may special event sa company nila.
And I bet it's the first reason because she called me. Magña always calls me whenever she wants to distract or calm herself down. Mind you, she has severe anger issues but has a very soft spot for her friends, especially me.
Napangiti nalang ako nang maalala ko ang unang beses na pinakilala siya sa'kin ni Dad bilang playmate ko dahil I refused to interact with any of my siblings dahil sa sama ng loob ko sa kanilang lahat that time. My old man told me that Magña is the only child of his best friend slash business partner and was a bit older than me, so I shouldn't act rude and should treat her with respect unlike how I treated my sisters. But it turned out she was even more maldita than me.
Flashback
"Hello, I'm Santini. Are you-" I was rudely cut off mid-sentence when the older girl in front of me gave me a look that said, stop-talking-to-me-because-I-don't-give-a-single-fork-about-you. My face formed an offended expression, with my mouth slightly hanging open in disbelief.
"Shut it, you little rat! How dare you block my way?!" the older girl snapped, sending glares directly at me. "Save your blabbering nonsense for someone who gives a fuck, because I certainly don't! I'm supposed to meet someone important my old man told me to meet, and now you're making me late!" she yelled, her face starting to turn red. Damn, she's really fuming mad.
Confused, I sighed. "Aren't you Magña? Magña Yves Felarca, tito Magnifico's daughter, right?"
Napansin ko na napatigil siya dahil sa sinabi ko pero hindi nawala ang pagiging masungit sa aura nito.
"I am indeed, Magña Yves Felarca, the only child of Magnifico Felarca," she stated with so much arrogance evident in her tone of voice. "Why the fuck do you know me and my father's name? Are you one of those creepy stalkers of mine?! Gosh! I should've brought my butlers with me!"
I wanted to facepalm so badly or just straight-up strangle her neck because her annoyance-cursing machine mouth was getting on my nerves. But I stayed calm and composed because I had promised Manang Fe I'd behave.
I faked a smile and casually put my hands inside the pocket of the straight leg trousers I was wearing, "For your information, Ms. Felarca, I'm not one of those creepy stalkers you mentioned. In fact, I'm the one whom tito Magnifico wants you to meet."
Magña Felarca gasped in disbelief, "You're tito Salvador's daughter?!"
"Obviously, yes. Can't you tell?" I rolled my eyes, unable to hide my maldita attitude.
"I actually don't, except for the singkit eyes, you and tito don't have anything in common," she responded a bit bluntly, with a very judgmental look in her eyes
"Well, that's rude coming from someone who doesn't resemble their father any more than I do," I retorted with equal energy. "Are you sure you weren't switched at the hospital?"
Magña crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, "You're such a disrespectful rat," she spat with a smirk.
I smirked back, "Likewise, mademoiselle."
End of Flashback
After that day of almost pulling each other's hair and getting on each other's nerves, we became inseparable. Magña wasn't really a bitch as she seemed during our first encounter; I learned that it was just a facade because she didn't want to appear weak, and I understood that well. We didn't realize that we actually had a lot in common, aside from pagiging suplada and maldita, which is why we instantly clicked.
Magña was also the one who taught me to open up more to them because she told me that in the end of the day they're still my family. And I did what she told me dahil na-realize ko rin na wala naman silang kasalanan kung bakit ganoon ang nangyari sa'min ni Mommy before.
"You're spacing out while brushing your teeth, Santi," I heard Magña laugh from the other end of the line, bringing me back to reality, "You never change, idiot."
"Hindi kaya!" medyo defensive kong tugon habang pinupuno ng tubig ang hawak na baso pang-mumog, "And stop changing the topic, will you?"
I saw her roll her eyes, "I wasn't changing the subject, you're just losing your focus."
"But to answer your question again, yes, I made Dad mad because I bailed on the dinner date he arranged for me and his business partner's son."
My mouth fell open in surprise, "Tito's still setting you up with dates pala?"
"Yeah," she replied with a frown, "Kapag nagrereklamo ako he always says na bakit kasi hindi ko nalang tinanggap yung arrange marriage proposal for us before." may bahid na pandidiri sa tono ng boses niya.
"What the hell?" hindi ko napagilang humagalpak ng tawa dahil sa sinabi niya, "Tito never changed pfft! He's still our biggest shipper."
"Shut it bitch, nangingilabot ako sa pinagsasasabi mo," masungit na suway sa'kin ni Magña habang masama ang tingin.
Don't get Magña wrong, she's definitely not homophobic. We see each other as siblings, so whenever our dear fathers mention the failed arranged marriage between the two of us, we can't help but shudder and laugh. Magña is like Sanya in terms of being a sibling to me. She's overly protective of me because I tend to make reckless decisions that could endanger my life. She's always there for me, acting like a nagging mother.
Well, I don't really blame them for being so OA dahil aminado naman ako na kasing tigas ng adobe ang ulo ko before. But hey, I'm doing my best to change for the better now.
"Enough about my dating life," she said, setting down her favorite lipstick shade, "I told you I want to meet her, right?"
Kumunot ulit ang noo ko, "Sinong her ba?" I asked emphasizing the word her.
"That girl you saved weeks ago, the one who's currently living with you," Magña said, referring to Aviana.
"Who told you about Avi?"
I swear that I didn't tell anyone about Avi, well except for Sanya because she knows all that is happening sa'kin dito sa isla for the sake of her sanity.
"Sanya did," tipid niyang sagot at saka ako inirapan, "And now that you've reminded me that you didn't bother to contact me and inform me about what's happening there, I feel like flying there without notice just to smack you on the head."
Napangiwi naman ako dahil sa sinabi niya, "I'm sorry but I'm not sorry for not telling you Mags. I just want to keep Avi safe and hidden here with me until she finally asks me for help to find her family." I explained.
"Oh? You mean that girl doesn't want her family to find her yet?" she raised an eyebrow as I nodded.
"It seems so. I was just as confused as you when she said that, but I chose to focus on understanding her because her situation is also difficult."
The confusion faded from Magña's face, but she kept one eyebrow raised.
"That's strange of her, don't you think?"
"I do find it strange but I refused to overthink dahil kapayapaan ang pakay ko rito sa isla at hindi stress." natatawang tugon ko.
Magña chuckled, still focused on the hair curler in her hand.
"I'm glad someone's making you smile and keeping you alive there," she said softly, with a giggle, but her expression suddenly turned serious, "Do me a favor, Escovar, and live."
I let out a small laugh and nodded, "I will, mademoiselle."
--
After bidding our goodbyes to each other I started to prepare and took a bath dahil sasamahan ko ngayon si Avi sa therapy session niya. Oo nga pala, it has been a whole month since I arrived on this island, and at the same time, she accidentally ended up here, so I thought of taking her for a stroll at the plaza near the seaside after coming back from the hospital.
Pero bago iyon ay may dadaanan muna kami sa palengke, I remembered that I had promised her something before. Oh, wait, I didn't promise because I told her I'd do it even without making a promise. I'll buy her those seashell bracelets that she really liked the last time we went there. For what reason? Sa'kin nalang 'yon.
I grabbed my midnight blue Yankee cap from the top of my side table before finally leaving the room. I was about to go downstairs, but I stopped in front of Avi's door to make sure she was ready.
"Hey, Av? Are you ready to go?" I called out to her as I knocked on her door.
"I am! Don't go down yet, wait for me!"
I heard her footsteps approaching the door before she fully opened it. Avi's smiling face greeted me, ngiti niyang maihahambing ko sa sinag ng araw dahil sa liwanag nito.
"Qien! Do you have a spare cap that I can borrow? I don't want the sun to hit my face; sunburn sucks."
I didn't respond because I couldn't help but glance at her chosen outfit of the day and then at mine. Oh, is this some kind of accidentally twinning look?
I know that I'm the one who gave her all the clothes in her closet right now but I have no idea kung anong klaseng mga damit ang binigay ko because those were the clothes Sanya bought for me bago ako naparito sa isla.
Mukhang napansin niya ang maya't mayang pabalik-balik na pagtingin ko mula sa suot niya at sa suot ko. Letting out a gasp of realization, she covered her mouth.
"Oh! What a coincidence," she giggled, finding it amusing as she mirrored the glances I had been making earlier, "We're matching outfits!"
"Is it really a coincidence?" pabirong pinaningkitan ko siya ng mga mata sabay patong ng isang kamay sa beywang, "Or did you happen to raid my closet to have us matching outfits?"
Hindi sa pagiging assumera, but I overheard Avi and Marina before in the living room talking about how adorable matching outfits are with best friends, and especially with couples Nag-cringe lang ako sa usapan nila kaya ibinaling ko nalang ang atensyon ko sa panonood ng Doraemon sa TV kaysa makinig sa kanila.
"I... I have no idea what you're talking about, Qien," she replied with a sly grin before walking past me.
I didn't immediately follow her and remained standing, trying to figure out if there was any meaning behind her smirk. Avi's being playful kasi lately nahahawa na kay Marina.
"Stop zoning out! I'm gonna be late for my appointment!"
"I'm not zoning out!" I retorted defensively, furrowing my eyebrows as I went after her, "Did you really-"
She paused halfway down the stairs, causing me to stop too. Turning back to face me, she wore a mischievous grin.
Avi raised an eyebrow at me, as if challenging me with her gaze, "And what if I did? What are you gonna do about it?"
Magsasalita na sana ako nang bigla niyang hawakan ang kwelyo ng polo ko para ayusin.
"I can't resist meddling with your closet because your fashion sense is terrible, Qien," she teased with a grin, focusing on adjusting my collar before moving on to unbuttoning the first button of my polo.
Naramdaman ko ang unti-unting pag-akyat ng init sa buong mukha ko nang inilapat ni Avi ang malambot niyang kamay sa balat ko. In my mind, I silently hoped her hand wouldn't wander to my neck, the most sensitive part of my body.
"Marina and I felt we had to intervene because things got really bad and concerning when you wore sandals with socks the other day," Avi pretended to look concerned, as if feeling sorry for me for having such a terrible sense of fashion, "And I think we were right to do so, don't you agree?"
Nangilabot ang lahat ng balahibo ko sa katawan nang dumapong bigla ang index finger ni Avi sa kaliwang pisngi ko at marahang pinadausdos pababa sa leeg ko. My heart raced, and it felt as if I had swallowed my tongue because I couldn't even find the words to protest against what she was doing to me.
What the hell was that for?!
Avi withdrew her finger and shot me a disapproving look, "Qien! You forgot to put on sunscreen!"
--
I had to go back to my room to apply sunscreen on my face dahil ayaw akong payagang umalis ng bahay ni Avi at masisira daw ang balat ko sa sinag ng araw sa labas. Sa tingin ko nga ay mas okay pa sa kaniya na makalimutan naming kumain bago umalis kaysa makalimutang maglagay ng sunscreen.
Pagkababa namin ay inabutan namin si Marina at Manang na abala sa kusina. Tinukso pa kami ng magaling na bata at tinanong kung saan daw ba ang date namin ni Aviana. Binara ko lang ang pang-aasar niya at saka siya inirapan samantalang natawa lang ang kasama ko. Syempre hindi ko pahahalatang apektado ako!
"Manang, mauuna na po kami!"
Sabay kaming lumabas ni Avi mula sa bahay. We were just going to walk to the hospital because Avi still refused to ride my baby Ducati. I'm curious, what happened to her before and why doesn't she like riding big bikes?
"If I hadn't reminded you to wear sunscreen, your face would probably be burnt by now,"
Napadako ang tingin ko sa katabi nang magsalita ito.
I rolled my eyes and made a face to tease her, "Fine, miss always right, thanks for reminding me po."
She crossed her arms and flashed a proud, annoying grin, "You're welcome for that and you're welcome for that aesthetically pleasing outfit you're wearing right now."
"Dang, is my fashion sense that bad?" I chuckled while flashing back from all the outfits that I have worn my entire life.
Come to think of it, I did grow up with a stylist. And by stylist, I mean my youngest sister Savy. She's the fashionista in the family, always fixing us up and choosing outfits for Sanya whenever we have events or galas to attend. Then Savy would always send me outfit ideas from Pinterest that I often questioned, but when I asked her, she'd just say it's for my own good or just wear it.
Sigh, maybe I do have bad fashion sense.
"You spaced out again, and I bet you already have your answer, hmm?" Avi playfully said with a teasing smile plastered on her face.
"Oo na, tama ka nanaman," nakanguso kong sambit, "Mga babae talaga hays." akala mo hindi babaeng bulong ko sa sarili.
"I didn't catch that, moron," Avi gave me a sideways glare and lightly nudged my shoulder, "But I can tell by your reaction that you're finally admitting defeat."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Avi," natatawang sambit ko at saka pinamulsa sa suot kong pants ang mga kamay.
Avi snickered and stuck out her tongue, "Asal ta-lo kha!"
Imbes na maasar ay natawa ako dahil sa sinabi niya, "Who taught you that?"
She shrugged with a grin, "I've just heard Marina say it whenever you get mad at her teasing."
"That kid talaga," nakuha pa talaga akong i-backstab?! Shaking my head, I continued walking alongside her, "What else have you learned from Marina, huh?"
"Secret! I won't tell you~"
"Damot," ingos ko, aasarin ko pa sana siya nang bigla akong may maalala "Oh, by the way, after your therapy session, I've planned to take you somewhere."
Her eyes lit up with curiosity as she turned to me, "Really? Where?"
"Secret! I won't tell you~" panggagaya ko sa sinabi niya kanina, "You'll find out later, Avi,"
She pouted and huffed, "Pahngit mo kabon-ding!"
Napahinto ako sa paglalakad at napahagalpak ako ng tawa dahil sa sinabi niya. Masyado atang napalakas ang tawa ko dahilan para mainis siya at padabog na umalis. Binilisan niya ang paglakad at iniwan akong tumatawang mag-isa.
"Hoy wait lang!"
Natatawang humabol ako sa kaniya pero kapag hinahawakan ko siya sa balikat ay iwinawaksi niya ang kamay ko palayo.
Hindi naman ang pronunciation niya ang pinagtatawanan ko! Nabibigla lang talaga ako sa choice of words niya. With all the Tagalog words she could learn from Marina, she chose those.
"Go away! You're always making fun of me!" Bulyaw niya sa'kin habang patuloy pa rin ang mabilis na paglalakad.
At ako pa talaga ang sinabihan niyang asar-talo niyan.
"You've got it wrong! I wasn't laughing because of your pronunciation!" I denied her accusation because it's true. I'm used to her stumbling over Tagalog words because that's normal since obviously she's not Filipino.
"Shut up! You're lying!"
When I caught up to her, I immediately grabbed her left arm to stop her from walking. I didn't give her a chance to struggle out of my grip because I quickly turned her to face me and held her right arm too so she couldn't escape. Hindi naman mahigpit ang pagkakahawak ko sa kaniya dahil hindi ko naman gustong masaktan siya.
"Let me go!" she hissed, glaring at me. Hindi ako nagpatinag at nanatiling nakawahawak sa magkabilang balikat niya.
"Listen to me," I said softly and looked directly into her eyes, but she avoided my gaze. Letting out a sigh, I appealed, "Aviana, please?"
After a huff, she glanced back at me. I smiled and released my hold on her arms.
"I understand why you took offense to my laughter. But just to clarify, I'm not mocking you. It wasn't about your pronunciation, which I'm used to. That's why Marina and I are here, to help you learn," I explained gently.
Tinaasan niya ako ng kilay na tila hindi kumbinsido sa sinabi ko, "Then why do you always laugh at me?"
"It's because of your choice of words. Well, it does include how you say it too, hehe. But I find your effort to speak my language really adorable. Please don't be mad, okay?" I shyly averted my eyes while putting my hands in my pants pocket.
"Fine, okay, whatever."
Her muttered response prompted me to smile back at her.
"Just please refrain from constantly teasing me! We don't share the same sense of humor, just like we don't share the same fashion sense," she asserted, rolling her eyes again. "I don't want misunderstandings, but I'm doing my best to learn and understand while living with you guys."
I nodded in agreement. "Of course, I understand. And if you ever want my help with finding your fam—"
Hindi ko na natapos ang sinasabi ko nang bigla niya akong yakapin, burying her face in my neck and tightening her embrace.
"K̄hxbkhuṇ xạṣ̄win k̄hxng c̄hạn tæ̀ c̄hạn ca mị̀ læk s̄ìng thī̀ c̄hạn mī nı txn nī̂ pheụ̄̀x klạb pị chı̂ chīwit k̄hxng c̄hạn mā k̀xn." she whispered softly, although I couldn't understand as she spoke in Thai.
After a few seconds, she let go of the hug and greeted me with a smiling face.
"Are you gonna translate that for me-"
"Nope!"
Ah, sabi ko nga hindi.
When we arrived at the hospital, I immediately escorted her to her therapist's office. I told her na magpakabait kaya nakatanggap pa ako ng hampas sa braso bago siya pumasok sa loob ng opisina.
I decided to wait for her sa mini garden nalang dahil medyo mainit doon sa waiting area kung saan ko siya talaga hinihintay. Ang sabi ng isang nurse na napagtanungan ko ay under maintenance daw ang mga aircon. I made my way to the mini garden, keeping my gaze straight ahead as I felt uncomfortable with people around staring at me.
Nang makarating ako sa destinasyon ko ay kaagad akong lumapit sa malaking puno kung saan kami nakapwesto noon ni Avi, pero bago pa man ako makaupo ng tuluyan sa damuhan ay mayroong pumasok na isang pigura sa loob ng mini garden na tila may kaaway sa cellphone niya. Mabilis akong nagtago sa likod ng puno para hindi ako makaistorbo at makita ng taong iyon.
"For God's sake, Greg! How many times do I have to tell you I have no interest in your proposal whatsoever?!"
My eyes widened as I recognized Doctor Cha as the person arguing with whoever was on the other end of the phone. This was the first time I had heard her raise her voice like this; she seemed really angry.
"I don't care what you tell your father, Gregory. And for the umpteenth time, kindly refrain from bothering me while I'm working, or better yet, just don't. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated, Mr. Evangelista."
Doctor Cha's voice was as cold as ice when she uttered those words. Kahit ako na nakikinig lang ay gininaw at kinilabutan eh.
Narinig kong pinatay na ni Dok ang cellphone niya at saka na rin ako nakarinig ng mga yapak papalayo dito sa mini garden. Sumilip muna ako sa pwesto ni Dok kanina para siguraduhin na wala na talaga siya doon, ayon wala na nga.
Napahinga naman ako ng maluwag, mabuti nalang hindi niya napansing nandito ak-
"Eavesdropping is rude don't you think, Ms. Escovar?"
---
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