Summoned

[Calithea Sophronia]

The silence was so loud that I couldn’t bear to sleep any longer. I slowly opened my eyes and scanned the area, only to see the white walls and ceiling. Nang mailibot ko ang paningin sa paligid, napagtanto kong nasa hospital ako.

I was about to get emotional upon remembering the revelation when my cousin, Chelsy, rushed over with a worried expression on her face. Nang makita akong nakahiga sa hospital bed ay bigla na lamang siyang pumalahaw ng iyak.

"Ling! Anong nangyari? Why did you suddenly collapse? I’m worried sick about you." Her tears trickled down her face as she tried to check my state. Niyakap pa niya ako nang mahigpit, pero nang mapansin ang mga nakakabit sa akin ay napaatras siya at nag-sorry.

"Why are you here? Sila tita? Are they okay?" tanong ko, binabalewala ang kaniyang mga katanungan. She just looked at me, kind of hesitating. Doon ko naisip na baka ay may nangayari na hindi ko alam. Akmang babangon ako mula sa pagkakahiga nang pinigilan niya ako. "Stop! You need to rest."

"How could I rest? Ni hindi ko nga alam kung anong nangyari pagkatapos kong ma-black out e’."

"You can do that later, Ling. Sa ngayon, magpahinga ka muna."

"Hindi, okay na ako. I need to go and—"

"Mom’s at the airport." Napatigil ako nang marinig iyon. What is she doing at the airport? At this time and day?

"She’s..."

"She’s what?" I asked her, with my brows furrowed in confusion.

"She’s with the detective. They’re going to pick up your mom."

That response sends a bomb into my ear. My heart raced to process what I just heard, and a series of questions took over my mind. They’re picking up my mom? Why? Did they call her? Did she admit to everything?

"You don’t have to worry. Everything’s gonna be okay," rinig kong sabi ni Chelsy at pilit akong pinapahiga. Mas lalo pa akong nagpupumilit habang iniisip ang mommy ko. What will happen to her once the detective sees her? Will they put handcuffs on her? Or lock her up in jail?

"Voughn." While trying to get away from Chelsy’s grip, my eye accidentally caught someone at the door. Napabitaw rin si Chelsy sa akin nang marinig ako.

"Right. Pagdating ko nga pala rito ay nasa labas siya ng kwarto mo. Hindi ba kayo nagkausap?" tanong niya, pero wala akong maisagot. I never got the chance to see him earlier. Bakit hindi man lang siya lumapit sa akin, kahit alam niyang gising na ako? Paglingon ni Chelsy sa pinto ay wala na si Voughn. He didn’t come inside, at bigla na lamang umalis.

"Saglit lang, Dars. I need to—" Before I could finish my sentence, the door swung open, revealing a man dressed in a white coat. Alongside him was a woman, whom I assumed was a nurse. She was holding something, probably a medical chart.

"Hi, doc!" Chelsy greeted the doctor, making way for him to check on me. Nahihiya naman akong napasandal sa headboard ng kama habang may kung anong kinakalikot ang doktor sa mga nakakabit sa akin. He asked me some questions, like how I was feeling and such. I just answered all of it honestly.

Pagkatapos niya akong i-examine ay pinayagan na rin niya akong ma-discharge. Chelsy offered to settle all the bills, kaya nauna na ako sa kaniyang lumabas ng hospital. Pagkatapos kong isukbit sa balikat ang sling bag ko ay dumiretso na rin ako sa may bench, malapit sa entrance. Mrs. Amore then popped out of my mind, curious about the things she’s been doing while I’m unconscious.

Siya ba ang nag-utos sa detective para i-summon ang mommy? Is she going to put my mom behind bars? I’m worried, but I don’t know what to do knowing that my mom still committed a crime.

"You’re here." Reality pulled me back when I heard a familiar voice. My gaze then met Voughn’s as he approached me, holding a sandwich and a drink in his hands. Pagkalapit niya ay ibinigay niya ito sa akin. Kahit naguguluhan, tinanggap ko naman ito kaagad.

"Are you okay?" His eyes locked on mine, showing how worried he was. He leaned closer to me, pushing aside a few strands of my hair. Napalunok naman ako dahil sa sobrang paglapit niya sa akin.

Nang mapansing naghihintay siya sa sasabihin ko ay kaagad ko siyang sinagot na okay lang ako. I thought he knew something kaya nag-iba ang kilos niya that time. He seemed to be back to his usual self, so he must be okay now. In some way, that made me a little bit relieved.

Pero naputol ang moment naming dalawa nang dumating si Chelsy. "We need to go," she said, without even greeting the man beside me. I looked at her, confused. Is something the matter?

"Why? May problema ba?" Akmang sasagutin niya ako nang sumingit si Voughn sa usapan. "Where are you going? I’ll drive you," he offered, then went straight to his car parked a few meters away from the bench. Ilang saglit lang ay nasa harap na namin ang sasakyan niya.

"Thank you, Mr. Vice President!"

"No, don’t call me that when we’re outside."

"Okay, Voughn!"

Napanganga na lang ako sa usapan nilang dalawa. Chelsy was now inside his car, busy putting her thumbs up, indicating that she was satisfied with the attitude of her cousin’s boyfriend.

"Oh? Ano pang ginagawa mo riyan sa labas?" Talaga namang ngayon pa lang niya napansing hindi pa ako nakatayo sa kinauupuan ko samantalang siya ay nasa sasakyan na.

Tahimik naman akong tumayo at binuksan ang pintuan ng passenger seat. But when I do, Chelsy’s intense gaze pierces through me, questioning my actions. "Ano? Driver lang ang peg ng boyfriend?" nang-uuyam niyang tanong. Napatingin naman ako kay Voughn na ngayon ay pinipigilan ang sariling matawa. Gosh, sabi ko nga sa harap na ako sasakay.

Hindi ko na napigilan pa si Chelsy nang sabihin niya kung saan ang destinasyon namin. She didn’t know I was pretending to be Sol, so her words were unfiltered. Sa presinto pala kami pupunta at patuloy lamang sa pagmamaneho si Voughn. He didn’t ask any questions or even get curious as to why we were going to the police station. In my mind, he must be waiting for me to tell him.

But I’m not ready yet.

When we arrived, we saw detectives coming out of the station—one of them was the detective I saw last time in our house. Nang makita kami ay kaagad niya kaming nilapitan.

"You’re here."

"Yes, detective. Where are they?" Chelsy asked. My heart skipped a beat when I realized who she was talking about.

Mom.

"Nasa loob sila. Come inside," sagot ni Detective Ronald at inaya kaming pumasok. Nagpasalamat muna kami kay Voughn at nagpaalam na rin sa kaniya. He just nodded and waved his hand, half-smiling.

The station seems busy. I saw a lot of posters about missing people, murder suspects, and some recruitment posters too. Sobrang ingay rin ng mga tao sa paligid. May mga nag-aaway pa nga habang stress na stress naman ang mga detectives na nasa harapan nila. One word to describe the scenario is chaos.

"Wala si Mrs. Amore, nakaalis na siya bago pa kayo dumating. May kailangan pa raw siyang asikasuhing papeles. Babalik din siya mamaya," rinig kong sabi ni Detective Ronald habang binabaybay namin ang hallway papunta sa kinaroroonan nila tita. Pero hindi ko na pinansin pa ang sinasabi niya. Mas binibigyan ko ng pansin ang kaba na nararamdaman ko ngayon.

I’ll be facing someone I treated as my mother my whole life, who turns out to be someone who took me away from my real parents.

"We’re here."

The time seemed to slow down as the door swung open, revealing her face, which I used to love seeing. Her eyes were filled with worry and longing. She stood up and slowly approached me, trying to reach my face. "Anak," she called me as her tears started to trickle down her cheeks. The warmth of her hand invited my tears to fall, and so they did.

"Mom, it’s not true, right? Hindi mo magagawa iyon. Please tell me I’m your daughter.” Pero wala akong narinig na sagot mula sa kaniya kung kaya mas lalo lang akong nasaktan.

"Mom, please! Anak niyo ako, ’di ba? Galing ako sa’yo, ‘di ba, mom?" I kept on asking her, hoping that she would nod and say yes to me.

"Oo, anak kita. I treated you as my own daughter and loved you with all my heart!" Halos hindi ko na makita pa ang mukha niya dahil sa mga luhang patuloy lamang sa pag-agos. Bakit gano’n? Bakit ang sakit? Bakit naiintindihan ko ang ibig niyang sabihin? Bakit hindi na lang hanggang "anak kita"? Bakit may karugtong pa?

"I’m sorry, anak. I’m sorry kung nasaktan kita. Pero totoong tinuring kitang tunay na anak ko. Minahal kita na parang tunay kong anak!"

"STOP! TAMA NA!" I cried out, filled with anguish. Sobrang sakit. Gusto ko lang namang sabihin niya na totoo niya akong anak, pero iba ang sinasagot niya. I expected her to say I’m her ‘real’ daughter, not just ‘like’.

"Anak," she called me, but I just shook my head and stormed out of the room, leaving her behind.

Despite my blurry vision because of my tears, I finally made it to the exit of the police station. Without minding the people that surround me, I bawled like a lost kid in the middle of nowhere. And it seems like the heavens wept in sympathy as the raindrops mingled with my sobs.

Ang ulan ang nagiging karamay ko sa sandaling punong-puno ng hinanakit ang puso ko. Hinayaan ko na lamang ang sariling mabasa, nagbabasakaling sasabay sa agos ng tubig-ulan ang bigat na nararamdaman ko ngayon.

Pero nagulat na lamang ako nang may biglang yumakap sa akin mula sa likuran ko. His smell was a familiar one, making me turn my head to see his face. "Voughn," I whispered. He’s still here. As if he knew that I'd be needing his presence, and so he didn’t leave.

"It’s okay. It’s okay to cry, Cali." Nang marinig iyon ay mas lalo akong napahagulhol ng iyak. He called me Cali, which means he knew everything. He knew I was making a fool out of him. Yet he’s still by my side.

"I’m sorry, Voughn! I’m so sorry!" I cried out, feeling guilty. He hugged me even tighter, and I could feel his heart beating so fast. Nabitawan na nga niya ang payong na kanina lang ay hawak-hawak niya.

"I know. I know you were sorry, so let it all out. I got you," he said, now facing me. He reached out to my face, trying to wipe away my tears even though the rain had already washed them away. And for the second time, he hugged me, providing solace to my aching heart.

Nanatili kaming nakatayo sa ilalim ng ulan nang ilang minuto at nang mahimasmasan ako ay dahan-dahan niya akong inalalayan papasok sa kotse niyang nakaparada malapit lang sa kinaroroonan namin. Walang imik niyang inilagay ang tuyong jacket sa balikat ko upang hindi ako ginawin. Hindi naman ako makatingin sa mga mata niya at nanatili lamang nakayuko.

"Here, drink this." Kaagad kong tinanggap ang bottled juice na ibinigay niya. Ito rin pala ’yong binigay niya sa hospital na hindi ko man lang nainom.

"I’m sorry, Voughn."

"Shhhh, stop saying sorry, okay? I know it wasn’t easy for you to do that. You probably just wanted to help me. Thank you for coming to me, Calithea," he said, making me look at his eyes.

"Because of you, I have realized the true feelings I had with Sol. I thought I loved her, but it turns out that all this time, it wasn’t love but guilt. She died because of me," he added, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. Hindi ako umimik. Pinapakinggan ko lang ang mga sasabihin niya.

"I recently found out that she died from her illness, but the aftereffects of that accident pushed her to her deathbed. That accident, 13 years ago. I always blamed myself for that, thinking that it happened because of me."

"Voughn," banggit ko sa pangalan niya, upang pigilan siya sa maaari pa niyang sabihin. I don’t want to hear him blame himself for the things he never wanted to happen. That wasn’t his fault.

"Thank you for saving me, Mi Amore." He then let out a faint smile after saying that. I just hugged him in return. Somehow, I felt relieved now that we’re okay despite him knowing the truth.

Pero hindi ayaw pa yata ng langit na magpahinga ako dahil kaagad akong napabitaw sa yakap nang mag-ring ang cellphone na nasa sling bag ko. Mabuti na lang at waterproof ito, kaya hindi nabasa ang anumang nasa loob. When I saw Chelsy’s name on the screen, I heaved a sigh. Naiwan ko nga pala siya sa loob ng station.

"Hello?"

"Ling! Where are you?" tanong niya. I could sense her feeling nervous, as her voice seemed a little shaky.

"Why? What happened?" I asked, curious about the reason why she called. Baka may nangyari pagkalabas ko?

"Mom and Tita gave the CCTV footage to the detective. It was the evidence of their crime, 23 years ago," aniya. Napakunot ako ng noo dahil doon. Merong CCTV footage? Bakit itinago nila ito at hindi binura? Have they been preparing for getting caught?

"So? What about it?"

"Ling, mayroon pang isang tao na nakunan sa CCTV!"

WHAT?

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?"

"Hindi siya kilala ng mommy at ni tita. That means someone was there, trying to do something bad with the twins!"

Natutop ko ang bibig dahil sa gulat. Someone was trying to kill us? Ano ba talagang nangyari noon?