CHAPTER 17: WAAAAHHHHHH!

Pagkatapos sabihin ni Dylan yun, narinig ko nalang na naghihilik na siya. Ako naman, parang natuyuan ng utak at nakatingin lang sa wala. I still couldn't believe what just happened and most especially, my mind wouldn't comprehend what he said. Nung nag-try akong bumangon, walang nangyari. Ang bigat-bigat naman kasi niya tapos medyo nahihilo na rin ako nun. Tell me, nahahawa ka ba sa pagkalasing ng isang taong lasing kapag hinalikan ka niya? After a while, hindi na nakayanan ng mga mata ko... Nakatulog na rin ako nun with the same position still...

"HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP! HEY SLEEPYHEAD, WAKE UP!"

Nagising nalang ako sa tunog ng... alarm clock ba yun? Bangag pa rin kasi ako habang hinahanap ko yung nagsasalitang yun, na alarm clock nga talaga. Nung tingnan ko yung oras, it was quarter to 10:00 AM. We're exactly inside, if I were not mistaken, Dylan's room. Tiningnan ko yung paligid ko nang bigla akong napatigil. WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Why in the hell we are in his room when in fact, the last time I checked my memory, we fell asleep on the couch?! Kinakabahan na talaga ako nun. Tiningnan ko ulit si Dylan na mahimbing pa rin na natutulog. Then, I stopped dead on my track.

"Lord, please??? Tell me these are all but a dream. Please? Please? Please? Pleaseeeeee?"

Kasabay ng pag-angat ko ng comforter ay ang biglang pagbukas ng pinto.

"SURPRISEEEEEEEEE!" Natigilan kaming lahat. What a suprise, indeed. Basta ang alam ko, yung kasunod nalang na nagyari...

"WAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Tapos...

"WAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Naramdaman kong medyo gumalaw-galaw si Dylan nun at dahan-dahan na binuksan yun papikit-pikit pa niyang mga mata.

"What the..."

And as usual...

"WAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Ewan ko ba, para kaming mga siraulo dun na nagpapahabaan sa pagsabi ng waaaah.

"SILENCE! I SAID SILENCE!" Napatigil naman kaming lahat sa kasisigaw. Si Tito Arnold naman na papa nina Dylan ay tumingin-tingin saming dalawa.

"And the two of you, fix yourselves. We're going to have a very long talk about this."

Pagkatapos sabihin yun, sinara na niya yung pinto kasama yung Mama nina Dylan na si tita Sheryl at ang Mommy ko! Si Dylan naman, bumangon agad. Nung ako na, napahiga ulit ako.

"Ouch!"

Ang sakit-sakit naman yata ng katawan ko? Diba dapat ulo ang yun dahil sa hang-over? Dapat nga wala kasi konti lang naman talaga ang ininom ko, ah!

"What's going on with you?" Tanong niya sakin na naka-kunot yung noo.

"I-I can't g-get up. My b-body h-hurts like hell."

Sabi ko sa kanya na medyo kinakabahan. Mukha kasing mainit yung ulo niya nun, eh. Oh well, sino ba naman ang hindi magkakaganun sa nangyari ngayon, diba? Sinubukan ko ulit na bumangon pero napahiga ulit ako. Napatingin ako sa kanya nung napabuntung-hininga siya.

"Alright. Just turn your back for a while, I'll just get dress. I'll help you."

Mahinahon naman yung pagkakasabi niya nun kaya medyo nabawasan yung kaba ko. Habang nagbibihis siya, iniisip ko naman kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari kagabi. Ang alam ko naman kasi talaga, nakatulog kaming parehas sa couch. Hanggang dun lang talaga yung naaalala ko. Nagulat nalang ako nung naramdaman kong lumutang ako bigla. No, I don't have any super powers neither am I a witch. It was Dylan. He was carrying me. Mukhang napansin naman niya na nagtataka ako sa ginawa niya.

"You said you couldn't get up. I'm taking you to the bathroom so that you could fix yourself there, okay?"

Napatango nalang ako. DE JAVU! Para kasing nangyari na 'to sakin, eh. Isip... Isip... Isip...Then it suddenly dawned upon me. Nanaginip ako kagabi na lumulutang din. Ang pinagkaiba lang, hindi naman ako nahuhulog-hulog ngayon. Was it Dylan who carried me also last night? And the reason why I always fell was because he was drank and couldn't normally control his movements? OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!

Binaba niya ako sa may gilid ng bathtub tapos biglang hinawakan yung braso ko. Tinignan-tingnan niya at inikut-ikot pa nga, eh.

"Why do you have so many bruises, too?"

Napatingin naman ako sa braso ko. Marami nga akong mga pasa! Sa kanya naman ako napatingin.

"And you also?! How did we get these?" He just shrugged.

"Wait here."

Lumabas siya ng banyo nun. I think he was looking for something in his room. When he headed back, he was holding some clothes and an ointment bottle.

"These are the only clothes that fitted on your size... I guess... While this is the only ointment left. Gamitin mo nalang para gumaling agad yang mga pasa mo."

"How about you? I mean, what are you gonna use for your bruises? Mas malala pa ngang tingnan yung mga yan kesa yung sakin, eh. Siguro dapat ikaw na ang gumamit ng ointment." Umiling-iling siya.

"Nah... I'm fine, really. Now, just do what I told you. Besides, I don't want them to think that I beat you or something." Pagkatapos niyang sabihin yun, lumabas na siya kaagad. Siguro para hindi na ako makipag-debate pa sa kanya. Tumayo ako ng dahan-dahan lang kasi masakit talaga yung katawan ko. Humarap ako sa salamin dun. Ang dami ko ngang mga pasa.

"Ano ba talaga ang nangyari kagabi?" Para akong baliw dun na kinakausap ang sarili ko. Yes, if you were in my position, I guessed you would do such a thing too. Maku-curious ka din talaga sa mga nangyari.

"Hindi naman ako ganun kalasing diba?" Tiningnan ko naman yung leeg ko.

"And instead of hickies, I've got bunch of bruises. Great. Just great. But did we really..." I sighed. I couldn't even let myself say the words. "Sana naman wala talagang nangyari pero bakit masakit yung katawan ko?" Nagulat nalang ako nung biglang may kumatok.

"Mickey, are you done?" I cleared my throat first before answering.

"Ahhmmm... Not yet."

"Okay. Just get on it already, okay?" Binilisan ko yung pagbihis tapos ginamot yung mga pasa ko. Nang matapos, lumabas na agad ako. Nakita ko siyang nakahanda na a mukhang ako nalang talaga ang hinihintay niya.

"Let's go."

Nauna na siyang maglakad sakin. Ako naman, nag-aalangan pa kasi kinakabahan talaga ako sa mangyayari pati na rin hindi ako makagalaw dahil biglang sumakit na naman ang katawan ko. Napansin siguro niya dahil huminto siya at tiningnan ako.

"You okay?" Hindi ko siya sinagot. nakatingin lang ako sa sahig nun.

"Look, I know exactly what are you feeling right now. Relax, okay? Everything will be alright, I'll promise you that. We'll get these things all over and we're gonna help each other, okay?"

With his words. With that smile. With those reassuring eyes, I found myself nodding at him.

"Good." Tapos nagulat nalang ako nung bigla na naman niya akong binuhat. "Alam kong masakit pa rin ang katawan mo."

He smiled again. I couldn't help myself thiking... What if I were not feeling nervous about these things? Would he still say those words? What if I were not hurt? Would he ever do these things? Would he still carry me in different reason like...

We were a newly-wed couple and he was carrying me still in this bridal position because...

I was his bride.