"Diyos ko, Raphaella Morales! Saan ka nanggaling? Paggising namin ng papa mo wala ka sa kuwarto mo!" bungad ng mama ni Ella sa kaniya nang makauwi na siya sa kaniyang tahanan.
"Pasensya na po, ma. Masyado ata akong natuwa ngayong araw at napag-desisyunan kong mag-ehersisyo sa umaga. Nakalimutan ko pong mag-iwan ng sulat o magsabi lamang sa inyo. Hindi ko na po uulitin ito muli sa susunod," magalang na tugon ni Ella. Napayuko pa siya sa kaniyang mga magulang dahil sa sagasang aksyon niyang ginawa. Making them worry was the least thing she wanted them to feel. Lalo na at kakagaling niya lang sa isang sitwasyon na mapanganib. For sure their worries were 10 times the usual worry.
"Huwag mo na talagang uulitin 'yon, Raphaella! Naiintindihan namin ang kagustuhan mong mag-ehersisyo sa umaga. However, going out and not saying anything to us makes us worried about you! There are so many bad people out there and unexpected circumstances happen once in a while. Hind
After the encounter Ella had with her student, Lily, she went to the Principal's office. Hindi malayo ang opisina ng kanilang Head mula sa entrance. A few walk would suffice. Nasa may bandang unahan na gusali kasi ito kaya di na kailangan pang maglakad nang masyadong mahaba.Ella knocked three times on the door before she went in. Their Head Principal, Mrs. Lumasan, wasn't surprised to see her. She was expected to come because of the resignation letter she sent early in the morning."Good afternoon po, Mrs. Lumasan," paunang bati ni Ella. She sat on the chair in front of the Principal and smiled at her. Pinagmasdan niya si Mrs. Lumasan at nahinuha niya na mukhang may pinagdadaanan ito. The aura she was giving off was heavy. Medyo haggard din kung tingnan ito at halatang-halata ang wrinkles niya. Mrs. Lumasan was already old but her wrinkles before wasn't this evident. She wondered what might have happened."Good afternoon din, Ms. Ella. Hindi na ako
"Ella!"Mabilis na umupo si Anne mula sa kaniyang pagkakahiga sa kama. She sprung forward like a slinky toy towards Ella who was sitting on the side of the bed. Dinamba niya ang kaibigan at binigyan ng isang mahigpit na yakap."Ella! Bakit ka naman absent?! Nag-alala tuloy ako sa iyo!"Nahihimigan ni Ella ang pag-aalala ni Anne sa tono ng boses nito. She was touched that her friend cared about her deeply."Pasensya na Anne. Biglaan lang nang napag-desisyunan ko kanina na lumiban muna ng klase." Ella returned her friend's hug. Binigyan din nito ng isang mahigpit na yakap ang kaibigan."Eh kainis ka naman Anne eh. Ilang taon na tayo magkaibigan tapos ung tipong bibigyan mo lang ako ng tawag o isang text message na hindi ka papasok, hindi mo pa nagawa. Bihira ka lang naman kasi lumiban ng klase. Noong mga nakaraang panahon, sinasabihan mo pa ako kung kumusta ka. Ngayong nagtatrabaho na tayo, hindi na. Nakakatampo ka ha!" Sinunt
"I found the solution to your problem, babe!"Anne looked as if she had won a lottery. Kumikinang ang mga ito at ang ngiti sa labi ay halos abutin na rin ang kaniyang mga mata. On the contrary, Ella was perplexed because of Anne's sudden change."Huh? What do you mean by that?" tanong ni Ella."Exactly what I meant by it! That I found the solution to your problem!""So what's the deal? Huwag mo nang patagalin, kinakabahan ako sa iyo eh," sabi ni Ella. Pabiro niyang sinabi nang naiinip.Pero kahit ganoon pa man, kinakabahan talaga siya sa sasabihin ng kaniyang kaibigan. Kilala kasi nito si Anne. Kadalasan ang mga naiisip nito ay sobra-sobra. Iyong tipong hindi mo talaga aasahan at kapag nagdesisyon ito na iyon ang gagawin, hindi mo na siya mapipigilan.Tumawa si Anne bago sumagot. "Alam ko na kung sino ang prefect fit for you!""May I ask who this person might be?""Of course, none other than Peter himself!"&nb
Ella was aware of the cold hand placed on top of her right shoulder. The hand was big since it was able to cover more than enough space around her right shoulder. She didn't want to look back. She was too afraid to witness a scene that was disconcerting which could affect her mental state for the rest of her life. Base kasi sa mga horror films na napanood niya, kadalasang nakakatagpo ang taong mag-isa sa isang creepy na lugar ng mga nilalang na kampon ng kadiliman. Dahil walang lakas ng loob si Ella kahit na sa pagsigaw sa takot, hindi na lang siya kumilos at gumawa ng kahit na ano. She stood on the ground and stayed frozen on the spot. "Ms?" It was a man's voice. Not too deep and not a high-pitched voice either. His voice was in the middle. For sure, he didn't sound old though. He was somewhat in between his 20s or 30s. Huminga nang malalim si Ella. She realized that was the most crucial time in every horror scene. The interaction and confrontation of th
The breakfast of the Morales family plus Anne ended quite fast. This was because Mr. and Mrs. Morales had set a meeting for their employees regarding the business they handle. Sasha woke up late and had to be driven by her parents to school. When the two best friends were left alone, they prepared for the meet-up with Peter."Ella, what do you think will be your outfit for today?" asked Anne to Ella who was sitting on her bed. They were inside Ella's bedroom and Anne appointed herself as her friend's godmother on the upcoming date."Uhh, a casual outfit, probably?" Ella has never dressed grand for some meet-up in a mall. She has always dressed simply; she has always preferred minimal shirts paired with jeans or simple dresses when going out. It was more comfortable for her that way.Ipinag-krus ni Anne ang kaniyang mga kamay. She was a self-proclaimed beauty guru and Ella's choice of clothes was far from the top-tier clothes to wear durin
"Tamang-tama ang pagbaba niyong dalawa. Kakauwi lang namin at nadatnan namin si Peter sa labas ng gate. May balak ba kayong puntahan? Saan kayo gagala?" intriga ni Mrs. Morales sa tatlo na kakalabas lang ng kotse. Si Mr. Morales ay nasa loob pa habang inaayos ang posisyon ng kotse sa kanilang garahe.Alanganing sumagot si Peter dahil nakanganga pa rin ang dalawang dalaga sa kanilang harap. He was unsure what to say, whether it was because of the date or something else. He decided it would be best to be honest in front of Ella's mother."Uhm, actually po Mrs. Morales, napag-isipan kong maagang pumunta rito upang ipagpaalam si Ella," sabi ni Peter at bumaling sa direksyon nina Ella.Doon lang nagising si Ella sa reyalidad na kinalalagyan nila. She heard what Peter said and she very much knew what will he say next. It was about their date which was set by Anne.Before Peter could speak again, Ella swiftly interrupted the flow of her m
"Ang tagal niyo naman sa labas. Ano pa ang ginawa niyo ron? Kanina pa kami naghihintay ng Papa mo rito Ella. Si Anne din ay hindi pa nakakakain. Ganoon ba kaimportante ang ginawa niyo sa labas?" masungit na bungad ni Mrs. Morales kanila Ella at Peter nang makapasok ang dalawa.Anne, on the other hand, was seating in the dining table, with a sly smile on her face. Hindi niya ito ipinahala sa lahat. Nandoon siya habang iniisip na sana ay naibigay ni Peter ang mga bulaklak na ni-request niya rito. Yes. She was the promoter of the whole ordeal. Sa tingin niya ay isa ito sa mga ginagawa ng mga lalaki sa tuwing may date na kung saan mas lalong nakaka-akit sa mga babae. As a woman herself, she liked flowers. Especially when they are big bouquet of flowers. She particularly liked red roses as well or blue roses if there were any available in the flower stores. Minsan niya nang natanong si Ella kung may paborito itong klase ng mga bulaklak ngunit wala siyang nakuhang direktong sagot m
Natapos ang tanghalian nila nang masaya. It was livelier because Peter was there and he kept on exchanging ideas with Ella's parents. He kept on entertaining Anne as well. Laging may mga itinatapon na tanong si Anne kay Peter sa buong panahon ng kanilang tanghalian. Mga tanong na siya lang ang natutuwa dahil ang mga tanong ay tungkol sa kanilang relasyon ni Ella. Ang halimbawa ng mga katanungan na kaniyang tinanong ay ang mga sumusunod:Gaano na ulit kayo katagal na magkakilala ni Ella, Peter?Diba parehas kayong mahilig sa pakikinig ng music ni Ella? Yayain mo naman siya minsan.Anong pinag-usapan niyo kanina sa labas umuna na akong pumasok sa loob? Baka importante, gusto ko lang malaman.Sa buong panahon na nagtatanong si Anne kay Peter habang kumakain sila, palihis na sinasagot ni Peter ang mga sagot. He was hoping the entire time that Anne would stop whatever she was talking about. He was too embarrassed about th