“A TE, KUMUSTA?”
“Okay naman. Ikaw? Mukhang tumaba ka.” Napangiti si Blanca habang kausap ang kapatid. Dinalaw niya ito sa Bilibid. Kung noon, payat na payat si Mitchell, ngayon naman ay tumaba.
“May nag-aalaga, eh.”
Bigla siyang kinabahan. Nasa loob ng kulungan ang kapatid niya. Sino ang mag-aalaga rito kundi lalaki rin? “Mitchell—”
“May nakilala ako, Ate.”
“Is it a woman? Tell me honestly, have you been raped in here?”
Ang lakas ng tawa ni Mitchell. “Si Ate. I thank God that I have always been protected by His good grace inside this prison. I’m inside, but I have never felt more free.”
Gustong magduda ni Blanca dahil nasanay siyang pagdudahan ang karamihan ng mga tao sa kanyang paligid—kabilang na si Mitchell dahil sa mga nagawa nito noon. Pero hindi niya mahanapan ng dahilan para magduda ngayon sa kapatid. He seemed happy, he looked healthy. May kung anong glow sa mga mata nito na noon lang niya nakita. Kapag nagsasalita ito ay parang carefree, hindi tulad noon na parang palaging may itinatago.
“You look… good, actually. I’m glad to see you like this. Sino naman itong sinasabi mong nagpapasaya sa `yo?”
“I met her a few years ago. Noon pa man, pinapa-attend na nila ako sa Bible study. At first, I was making fun of it, raising my hand, mocking those who attend because half of them only want free food. One day, I was sitting there and she sang a song. She was the instrument sent to me by the Lord.”
Gustong mapaiyak ni Blanca dahil kahit anong pagdududa, wala siyang makapa sa sarili at kilala niya ang kapatid. Kaya nitong magpanggap sa ibang tao, kayang magsinungaling sa iba, pero isang salita pa lang, alam na niya kung nagsasabi ito ng totoo o hindi. If there was one thing about Mitchell that she took advantage of, it was his inability to lie to her for long. Parang hindi nito iyon magawa sa kanya. Maybe out of respect, or out of love.
At ngayon, nakikita ni Blanca na totoo ang sinasabi ng kapatid. Masaya siya para doon. “What’s her name?”
“Angeline. Simple lang siya, Ate. May anak siya, pero walang asawa. Church worker siya. Bago `yon, nagkaproblema rin siya. She used to be a rebel. That’s why she got pregnant, she said. But it all changed when she accepted Christ, praise God,” pagkukuwento ni Mitchell.
“You’re a changed man.”
“Only through Christ.”
Kahit kailan, hindi naisip ni Blanca na maririnig ang mga salitang iyon mula sa kapatid. Kahit kailan, hindi sila naging palasimba. Kahit ang mga magulang nila. She prayed, yes, but she never was a regular churchgoer.
“Minsan, sana dumalaw ka dito kapag schedule nila. Gusto kong makilala mo siya.”
“Of course.”
“And how about you? Met anyone lately?”
Gusto sanang ikuwento ni Blanca si Daniel, pero naisip niyang saka na lang. Baka gustuhin ni Mitchell na makilala si Daniel. Hindi niya alam kung paano yayayain doon ang lalaki. Hindi pa naman sila mag-boyfriend. Masaya siya na parang tanggap naman ni Daniel ang kalagayan ni Mitchell. Hindi lahat ng lalaki, kayang tanggapin agad iyon. Ang huling lalaking nagkainteres sa kanya bago si Daniel, biglang naglahong parang bula nang sabihin niyang nasa Bilibid ang kanyang kapatid. May stigma hindi lang sa convict kundi pati sa pamilya ng convict. Na kung sakaling nagnakaw ang isang kapatid, ibig sabihin, magnanakaw na rin ang lahat ng pamilya, o may potensiyal na maging malikot ang kamay. May iniisip agad ang mga tao na kasalanan ng pamilya.
“Mitchell, I’m taking out a loan. Nabanggit ko sa `yo noong nakaraan. I’m doing it. I’m actually doing it. I don’t want to make promises anymore about the business. Alam kong ilang ulit na akong nangako sa `yo—”
“Ate, alam nating dalawa na nawala ang business dahil sa akin. Please, do whatever you need to. That business is yours. My share has long been wasted on terrible decisions. Wala rin akong naitulong sa `yo kahit kailan. Please.”
Napabuntong-hininga na lang si Blanca. Totoong malaki ang nawala sa negosyo nang dahil kay Mitchell, pero siyempre, sa kanilang dalawa pa rin iyon dahil mula iyon sa kanilang mga magulang. She wanted to share it with him anyway.
“Kapag nakalabas ka, hati pa rin tayo. That’s if I don’t mess it up.”
“I’m the screw up here.” Tumawa si Mitchell. “But I’m hoping not anymore, with the help of the Lord.”
Amen , sa isip-isip ni Blanca.
Umuwi siyang baon ang saya sa puso. Sino ba namang kapatid ang hindi matutuwa na ang nag-iisang kapatid niyang walang ginawa noon kundi magreklamo sa buhay at sa sitwasyon sa kulungan, masaya na ngayon? Hindi lang natanggap ni Mitchell ang sitwasyon, nagbago pa ang perspective sa buhay. That was something else.
Habang pauwi ay nakatanggap siya ng tawag mula kay Daniel. “Good afternoon,” sagot niya.
“Someone is happy.”
Biglang natawa si Blanca. “I am. How are you?”
“Glad that you’re happy. What’s up?”
“Wala naman. Galing ako sa kapatid ko. He found a girlfriend.”
“Inside prison?”
“You know, that was my exact same thought at first and I was terrified. But no, the girl is not from the inside, of course.”
“Some guys have all the luck.”
Natigilan si Blanca. Iba ang tono ni Daniel. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m sorry. Someone came inside my office. I will call you back in a bit.” Nawala na ito sa linya.
Bahagyang nagtaka si Blanca at nag-alala rin, pero makaraan ang ilang minuto, muling tumawag ang lalaki. “Sorry about that. Just some urgent matters. Sometimes, it’s very hard to find efficient employees.”
“OH. SORRY to hear. It can be a pain to find good employees.”
Naisip ni Daniel na mali sigurong tinawagan niya agad si Blanca. He was still mad. Madalas, gusto niyang magtanong sa babae tungkol sa kapatid nito, pero tuwing gagawin niya, may nabubuong galit sa kanyang sistema. He was slowly realizing how mad he still was. With Mitchell, with Blanca as well. Hindi lang niya kayang ipaliwang kung bakit may mga sandaling nalilimot niya ang galit para kay Blanca sa harap nito. Maybe it was meant to feel that way because naturally, one can’t expect an enemy to be terrible all the time. The woman was charming when she wanted to. Pero hindi pa rin malilimutan ni Daniel ang boses ng babae, parang nakabaon sa kanyang memorya. Noong sinabihan ni Blanca ang kapatid na maging maingat sa susunod, matapos siyang pagnakawan ng pera.
She was that same woman. He needed to remember that. At ngayon, sa pagkukuwento nito, parang lumalabas na nasa magandang kalagayan na si Mitchell. Was it for show? Probably. Noong una, nang akala ni Blanca na hindi niya alam ang tungkol kay Mitchell, parang nag-alangan ang babae na sabihin kung nasaan ang kapatid. She probably would lie about it if information was scarce. Pero isang search lang sa Google, lalabas na ang balita tungkol sa lalaki. Mitchell stole millions from a company over a course of three years. May mga kasabwat na tauhan ang lalaki, pero ito ang mastermind. Once a thief, always a thief. Noon, siya ang pinagnanakawan nito at nang makapagtrabaho, ang kompanya namang pinasukan.
Ngayon, sa pagkukuwento ni Blanca, lumalabas na parang petty crime lang ang ginawa ni Mitchell at masaya sa loob ng kulungan ang lalaki. She had created a pretty good picture of Mitchell—if Daniel did not know any better. It was as if that bully had been rehabilitated and was sorry for what he did. Bullshit.
“How’s the employee you seemed bothered about?” tanong ng babae sa kabilang linya.
“He’s okay. I apologize, Blanca,” sabi niya.
“It’s all right. We all have bad days.”
“Or bad years,” sabi ni Daniel bago pa napigil ang sarili. Kung minsan, hindi niya maiwasang magsalita nang ganoon. He wondered what Blanca was going to do if what happened to his mother happened to Mitchell. Would she have done something as well? He bet. He was not a fool not to figure out that the only reason why Mitchell was in jail was because they did not have any money to bribe officials. That and the fact that the company wanted to see justice done. Mahirap kalaban ang ganoon kalaking kompanya. Would Blanca have sold the only property she had left for Mitchell? Baka hindi rin. Baka iyon ang totoong pinakamalaking dahilan. How people like her still had the gall to pretend they were good people was beyond him. That was not to say that he needed to constantly remind himself that Blanca was the enemy here. He must always remember that. May nakahanda siyang plano at may nakahandang buhay. May babae siyang babalikan at pakakasalan, tulad ng kanyang pangako.
“Or bad decades.”
Hindi maiwasan ni Daniel na matawa, ayaw man niya. The irony of it. Of course, she was having bad decades. Kung sana noon pa, naturuan ni Blanca nang tama ang kapatid. But she was an enabler. Kung sakaling walang naalalang kahit na ano si Sharon sa paggising, malamang nabulok na siya sa kulungan. Blanca would never have given him a time of day. Ni hindi nga siya nito nakilala ngayon. Granted, he looked very different from the old nerd boy that he was, still, she saw him one time before. There was absolutely no recognition on her face. Kahit noon, hindi nag-abala si Blanca na kilalanin siya; kilalanin ang teenager na pinagnakawan ng kapatid nito. Get to know the boy that her brother terrorized for a year. To see him as a human being who was drugged and left for dead. He could visualize her, giving orders to Mitchell and whoever the hell he was with that night, telling them to dump his unconscious body in a motel room, leave it there with a dying girl, plant drugs to frame him up. This was the kind of person she was. Kung sakaling na-overdose siya at namatay, wala ring pakialam si Blanca dahil ang mahalaga lang dito noon ay ang mailigtas ang kapatid na kayang gumawa ng mga ganoong bagay. It was much easier for her to save that spoiled evil man-child than to let him and Sharon die. He went to prison for a few days. Salamat at may pondo ang kanyang ina kaya naging mabilis ang bail hearing. And of course, when Sharon regained consciousness, the charges were dropped. But make no mistake, Blanca was ready to have him waste his life inside prison for a crime he did not commit. Now, her brother was in jail. And she was having a bad, bad decade.
“Hey, I’m making dinner tonight. May I invite you to come over?” sabi ni Blanca.
“Better yet, let me take you someplace tonight,” sagot ni Daniel.
“Where?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you wouldn’t notice I have no plans yet.”
Tumawa ang babae. “You don’t want to try my chicken imbento?”
He laughed. The woman had a sense of humor, he had to give her that. “Is it any good? I’m very interested, actually. Tell you what, pack it and let’s have a picnic. How does that sound? I’ll pick you up around five?”
“I’ll be ready.”
Tinapos na ni Daniel ang tawag at tinawag ang assistant. He only hired five people for his “office.” He had, as a matter of fact, started a business as well. Higit sa negosyo, gusto niyang makatulong sa mga magsasaka. He hoped that in time, he would be able to modernize agriculture in the country. Naging madali sa kanya ang pagsisimula dahil na rin sa ilang kakilala. Iba nga lang ang tanim sa bansang tulad ng Pilipinas, pero ang produkto, hindi mawawalan kailanman ng bibili. He knew people from big companies. Sa ngayon, agri equipment ang pina-prioritize niya. He was planning on sticking to it. Blame his restlessness for that. Hindi niya kayang maghintay lang nang walang ginagawa. It proved to be a very profitable market. When he was done with Blanca and Mitchell? He was not leaving. He would probably go back to the States for Miranda, but he was going to build an empire in the Philippines. Who knows, maybe Miranda would enjoy the tropical weather. Their children could grow up in a farm, like they planned, and then send them to the States for college.
“Sir, here’s the revised version,” sabi ni Carlo, ang assistant ni Daniel, iniabot sa kanya ang isang printout. Carlo was a young fellow who reminded Daniel of his young self. May suot itong makapal na salamin sa mga mata, maganda ang credentials. Hindi nito trabaho ang gumawa ng love letter para sa kanya, pero kailangan. He would never write Blanca a love letter he wrote himself. Iyon lang, madalas na kailangan niyang i-revise ang mga sulat na gawa ni Carlo, kahit pa ito ang pinapa-revise niya kung minsan. Tulad na lang ngayon. “I think that is less dramatic.”
Tumango si Daniel. “I apologize for making you do this. I know this is not what you signed up for.”
“No, Sir, I actually enjoy writing it.”
“Yeah?” Bahagyang kumunot ang kanyang noo.
“Well, I...” Napakamot sa ulo si Carlo. “I’m making a long one for the girl I like. This is practice for me.”
Natawa si Daniel. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m just amused. Tell me about her.”
Parang kinakabahang tumawa si Carlo at nagsimulang magkuwento. Malapit si Daniel sa mga tauhan. He had always made sure his employees were well-compensated and were like his family. Kahit ang mga tauhan na kinukuha niya kapag anihan at taniman sa Amerika, parang pamilya na niya. Nakakatuwang makinig kay Carlo at naalala na naman niya ang sarili rito, noong panahong si Sharon ang laman ng kanyang isip. Hindi na niya mabilang kung ilang ulit niyang hinanap ang babae. Noon pa man, nakita na niya ito sa social media. Ilang ulit niyang ginustong kumustahin si Sharon, pero palaging naiisip ni Daniel na ayaw niyang maging instrumento para maalala ng babae ang isang insidenteng naging traumatic dito. Who was he to remind her of that near-death experience?
Pinayuhan niya si Carlo at nagkakuwentuhan sila tungkol sa mga plano nito sa first date, sakaling pagbigyan ito ng sinusulatan.
Mayamaya, binasa na rin ni Daniel ang sulat na gawa nito. Tulad ng dati, sinundan niya ang pattern, pero sa huli ay ni-revise iyon. Another love letter for Blanca. It was evil to play with her emotions like this, but who could tell if she had no intention of playing him? As far as he was concerned, she was evil. She was probably planning of taking advantage of him anyway.
Hindi nagbabago ang kulay ng isang tao. Ilang ulit bang nangako si Johnny noon sa kanyang ina? Kapag nananalo sa sugal ang lalaki, uuwing masaya at nagkataong natuwa sa niluto ng kanyang ina, sasabihin nito, “Well, you’re not all bad. Maybe I’ll buy you a nice gift.” The gift never came, or was totally different from being nice. Dahil kadalasan, suntok at sipa iyon.
Kailangang aminin ni Daniel na may mga pagkakataong nakokonsiyensiya siya. Tulad ngayon. A part of him wanted to call this quits and just finish his second mission—to meet his father. But how could his life move forward by letting Blanca and Mitchell go? He would take away what was left of their money and leave. Kulang pa iyon. Kulang na kulang. But he was not as evil as them. He only wanted justice and without justice, he would never have peace. They had stolen his mother’s life and his as well. Hindi niya hahayaang magpatuloy na nakawin ng mga ito ang kanyang buhay. He would have his peace of mind. Soon.