Chapter 2: Chapter 1
The fate played her hard. She may be lucky to have that surname, for all the wealth and opportunities, but she never felt like that name represents a group called family.
She stays inside her room whenever she is in their house. Ayaw na ayaw niyang tinatawag na home ang bahay nila dahil ni minsan, hindi niya naramdamang home ang lugar na iyon.
Minsan din, natutuwa na lang siya kapag naiisip niya ang paglabas ng bahay subalit bigla lang siyang malulungkot kapag maaalalang papasok siya sa paaralan.
Ngayon, tila ba hindi siya makapagsulat ng isang tula na magsasabi ng tungkol sa naging araw niya. Asar na asar pa rin siya sa mga nangyari kanina sa university.
Katulad ng ibang mga araw, palagi siyang tampulan ng tukso ng mga kolehiyo. Apektadong-apektado pa rin siya sa mga naganap noong umaga hanggang kaninang hapon kung saan niya nadatnan na wala na naman ang kaniyang mga magulang.
It is her fate to be a Locquias. She should be thankful for that. They own a number of houses for construction supplies and building materials, which retailers purchase. They earn millions per day but to her, money cannot buy her parents' presence.
She got a notebook and drew a girl who seemed to look like her. A slender woman with a long hair that covers her entire back, broken eyeglasses and a grimace. She never wears a smile instead, a permanent frown. 'This life sucks,' she imagined.
Twenty-one years of existence, she often feels so alone. Wala rin namang nagagawa ang pagngawa niya kung ganoon. Higit niyang pinipili ang pananahimik at pagbuo ng sarili niyang mundo. Ito ang paraan niya upang matakasan ang katotohanan kung saan nagdudulot ito ng kalungkutan sa kaniyang sarili.
Bigla siyang napabangon nang may pumasok sa kaniyang isip. She thought of going to a club, her escape. Mabilis siyang nagbihis ng black na tee-shirt at simpleng jeans. She chose to wear rubber shoes with two-inch heels, based on her comfortability. Agad niyang kinuha ang pera at lumabas ng kanilang bahay sa pamamagitan ng pagdaan sa balkonahe.
She is not anti-social. People does not understand how she is and what she is. She is more like having her own world in a world with other people. She likes entering others world but she does not like people getting in her world.
Still, barriers cover her space. She does not even want to lose her privacy. She will have nothing left if that is so.
She drove her motorbike on her way to Club Lavine which is a few blocks away from their university. It is a great strategy though; putting a club few meters away from the university.
Anyway, she recklessly parked her vehicle near the club and she does it perfectly. Dahan-dahan niyang tinanggal ang helmet niya at duon dahan-dahang kumawala ang buhok niya. Her hair falls perfectly like every guy would love comb it with bare hands. Nakadagdag pa sa ganda nito ang natural na highlights niya sa buhok.
Pumasok siya sa loob na mula palang sa labas, dinig na dinig na ang bandang tumutugtog ng pamilyar na mga kanta. It was pure rock, which she prefers. Lalo siyang natuwa nang makita ang paligid ng club. Retro lights and darkness.
She chose to sit on the club and ordered a mojito for herself. Ayaw niyang masyadong maglasing lalo na't mag-isa lang siyang uuwi at magmamaneho. Doon, muling nakuha ng banda ang pansin niya. It was a band of five members, all boys. They were singing songs of rock bands but she is waiting for her favorite.
Titig na titig siya sa player ng synthesizer na tutok na tutok sa pagpindot dito. Dahil sa dilim ng paligid at sa pagkakayuko nito, she can barely see his face. He was tall and slender, wearing black long sleeved polo with white shirt inside and his faded jeans. Ito ang tipo niya.
She kept on watching the guy as the lights in the club go dancing. Kuntento na siyang nakatingin dito at nanonood. She does not want someone to get in her life that soon. Magpapa-impress pa siya sa mga magulang bago lumagay sa tahimik.
Her heart stomped as she heared the music played. It was her favorite punk rock song. Tumaas ang gilid ng kaniyang labi habang malarong tumutugtog ang banda. But she's into listening to the synth. For her, it is now her favorite instrument. She was suddenly struck by the way the guy plays it. The way he plays with the keys, it was so sexy that she even lick her lips out of nothing.
Natutuwa siyang marinig ang pagtugtog ng banda gayundin ang panonood niya sa lalaki. She was captured by everything that she sees on him. Then she thought of coming back again soon, maybe next week. Nabubuhayan siya kapag nakakarinig ng rock music at lalo pa ng ibang bersyon nito.
"Thank you, Vestigers!" anang bokalista ng banda na gwapo rin naman kung gayon. "Babalik kami in few minutes."
"We love you Vestige!" The crowd said in chorus.
She was amused with the name of the band. VESTIGE. Pinag-isipan nga naman nila. It means trace or mark. Maybe they want to leave a mark in their industry. They would definitely leave a mark with their craft.
Ilang segundo lamang siyang nalingat ay nawala na sa stage ang mga nag-perform. Like they have said, baka nagpahinga lang sila saglit kasi babalik sila matapos ang ilang minuto.
Patuloy naman si Charity sa pag-inom sa kaniyang Mojito. She also observes the people in the club. They were dancing in the dirty rhythm. Grinding, swaying and gliding with each other. Natatawa na lang siya sa tuwing iniisip na ginagawa niya yon. Though she will never do it. She is too immobile to do that.
"Seems like enjoying," a baritone, familiar voice had told her. It was too dark in the club that only few lights ignite the pathways. She cannot clearly see the face of the man who is talking. She shrugged.
"Tipid ng sagot," the man teased. She took a sip so as the guy. Few seconds had passed when the he talked again. "I'm Jacob," he said.
Charity had a strange feeling when she heard the name of this person. Hindi naman niya tinatanong ang pangalan nito subalit tila gusto ng binata na magkakilala sila. "Am I asking?" she rebut. Agad siyang bumaling, nakatalikod kay Jacob.
"Suplada." He chuckled. "Nakikipagkilala lang naman ako," dagdag pa nito.
"Whatever." She gulped her drink and eventually left the glass empty. Sumenyas siya sa bartender na agad namang kumilos at ginawa ang inumin. Then she focused watching the people though the person beside her still talks.
"Suplada na lang itatawag ko sayo." He chuckled once more and got her attention.
"Seriously?" she reacted. Nanatili siyang nakatingin sa mga tao sa club habang nakikipag-usap kay Jacob. "Nananahimik lang ako rito. I don't care about your presence ok. Don't call me 'Suplada' dahil hindi naman tayo close," she rebut.
"Then what should I call you? Mabait? Mabangis? Maganda na lang…"
"Pathetic you." That was the first time that somebody made her smirk. Wala siyang ibang emosyon maliban sa seryoso niyang mukha.
"Nice pet name for me," he said in civility. "But my name is Jacob, would you mind to use it?"
Tinitigan niya ito at nagpatalo na lang siya. "Fine, Jacob," she said with sarcasm.
"How about you?" He asked then chuckled. "You are being unfair to me," he said.
Hindi maalis ang konsentrasyon ng mga mata ni Charity sa mga tao sa club. She is into them, not to him. Wala siyang pakialam tungkol sa salitang pakikipagkaibigan. This is her night, her night only.
"If flirting is what you came for, back off," mataray niyang sabi. She is not into making friends mainly when she is stressed. Mabilis din magbago ang moods niya kahit wala naman siya ngayon.
"Judgements huh." He chuckled. This is him, the positive side, where protons are around him, anytime, anywhere.
Ilang minuto ang nakalipas at patuloy ang panunuod ni Charity sa mga tao sa club. She is definitely waiting for the band to play again. Masyado siyang natuwa kanina nang marinig ang paboritong musika niya. Though she is willing to wait, it is taking too long for them to come back and perform on stage and she is getting impatient.
"Seems like waiting for somebody else," he said.
"The band, probably." He shrugged and almost spilled the drink that he holds. Seriously, she is waiting for the band to come up on stage.
"Babalik din yun, few more minutes, Miss?" He took the opportunity to know her name even though he knows that she will not give it up. She is not that stupid to say anything about her to someone whom she had met in the club few minutes ago. She wants to make sure that he is beneficial to her in any means.
"Mia." At last, she said her name. Mia. She probably told Jacob her second name to avoid the corruption of her privacy. This might be the first and the last time that she will go here or probably more times because of the punk rock music.
"Bro, come on!" A guy from the band called Jacob.
He caught his attention and abruptly jumped out of the stool. He put down the glass of clear liquid that he was enjoying a while ago. Then he said goodbye to Mia Charity, "Adios, Mia, mi amiga!"
Naiwan na naman siyang mag-isa kung paano siya dumating dito. Sinundan niya ng tingin ang lalaking kausap kanina. Then, she saw that they were approaching the backstage of the club. Impossible, she said in her mind.
"He's probably…" she blurted, somehow loud enough for the bartender to hear.
"He's Jacob de Sevilla, the synth operator of the band," pangingialam nito.
"Oh my," she said a bit louder. She saw how the guy, wearing black long sleeved polo with white shirt inside and his faded jeans, looked at her and waved. Stupid, she told herself.
The crowd shouted Jacob's name. Nakita niyang kumaway ito sa kanya kahit na masyadong madilim ang club para makita ang mukha nito. Natulala na lamang siya sa panghihinayang nang maalalang tinarayan pa niya ang pinakapaboritong miyembro ng VESTIGE.
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