His

"Happy birthday, Anak ko..." Ilang salita lang iyon, pero naramdaman ko agad ang bigat sa dibdib ko. Her long pause made it even heavier. Tumingin ako sa labas ng salamin. The waves rolled quietly against the shore, as the sun was about to leave. Her voice was full of longing... yet lonely. "Niluto ko ang paborito mong mga pagkain. Pasensiya ka na, Mommy wasn't able to visit you. They didn't allow us for some r-reason." Nanlabo agad ang mga mata ko nang marinig ko ang pagkabasag ng boses niya at ang mahina niyang pagsinghot. "Alam ko hindi mo 'to maririnig ngayon, pero paglabas mo... pakinggan mo 'to, ha? I wanted you to know na wala man ako riyan ngayon, I've always been here. Just here. I will always support you and love you." She sniffed again. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like seeing me cry, but I just feel awful that I'm not there right now. I feel bad that you might think nakalimutan kita... hindi. I will never, ever forget you, Anak... even the smallest things about you." The tears I had been trying so hard to hold back finally slipped down my cheeks. I missed her, a lot. "I blew out the candles for you. Hiniling ko na sana matupad ang lahat ng hiling mo. Laban lang, Anak. Laban ka lang diyan, dahil lumalaban pa rin ako para sa'yo. Mommy will never, ever get tired. I'm still looking forward to the day we'll dance to your favorite song." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Keep going, hmm? One day, you'll see another ocean... and its waves will carry you to the right place at the right time. I love you, Alon... my baby." It was her last voice recording. She passed away the following day. I still found myself coming back to it, listening to it over and over again no matter how much it hurts. There were days when all I wanted was to hear her voice because somehow, it reminded me that my life didn't end there. It reminded me that somewhere beyond all this... there was still an ocean waiting for me. Inubos ko ang wine at simple kong pinunasan ang mga luha gamit ang braso ko. I was about to call it a night pero biglang umalingawngaw ang tunog ng alarm sa buong bahay. I absentmindedly looked outside. It was already getting dark, but I could still make out a figure moving near the shore. I tried to calm myself, thinking it was just Ate. But that didn't make sense. She always turned off the alarm before coming here. And she would never be bold enough to walk across an open area knowing I wouldn't let her in. I had a bad feeling about it... Mabilis akong kumilos para kuhanin ang baril sa drawer. I made sure every door was locked before heading straight to the control room. I immediately grabbed the mouse and zoomed in on the CCTV footage. I was completely stunned... There was someone inside my property. Covered in blood. Kusang gumalaw ang daliri ko para pindutin pa ang zoom button. A woman. Half of her face was stained with blood. She was walking slowly, like she was so weak and helpless, but she was still trying to stay alive. Unti-unting kumabog ang dibdib ko. I immediately checked every security camera around the island, the north, south, even the dock, thinking I was under attack— but there was no one else. She was f*****g alone. Binalik ko ang tingin ko sa monitor kung nasaan ito. Just in time to see her collapsed onto the sand. Pakiramdam ko dumoble ang kalabog sa dibdib ko. I still tried to be calm because I knew I had to act on it. I quickly headed for the door. Binilisan ko nang binilisan ang hakbang ko papalapit sa kaniya. I knelt in front of her and immediately cupped her face. Damn. She was really wounded. Hindi ako nakagalaw sa ilang segundo, lalo na nang dumikit ang dugo niya sa mga kamay ko. My hands trembled. I started to hear ringing in my ears... But I had to shake that off. Still, I reached for her wrist to check her pulse. She was breathing... and I was f*****g relieved. Everything was happening so fast that my mind could barely keep up. I forced myself to lift her into my arms and carry her inside the house. I couldn't just leave her there. Maingat ko siyang binaba sa couch bago ko kuhanin ang first aid ko. I examined every visible wound first. There was a deep cut on the side of her head. Another across her shoulder. One on her arm. Several more on her legs... and burn marks. What the heck happened to her? I focused on the bigger wounds, the one on her head. Nangininig pa rin ang kamay ko, but I just swallowed all my fears. I had to clean all her wounds before I carried her to my bed. Tinawagan ko agad si Ethan— ang kaibigan ko sa bayan. Kanina pa ako pabalik-balik sa harap ng salamin, but he wasn't even answering the call. I let out a frustrated sigh and ended the call. I again shifted my gaze to the woman lying unconscious on my bed. Fuck. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with her. I lived alone on this island. No one ever dared to come here without informing me first, except my sister. And it wasn't like I could sue her for trespassing in her condition. I still couldn't imagine... a complete stranger ended up inside my property, badly injured, and now she was my responsibility whether I liked it or not. Who the hell knew if she'd even survive? I thought about calling Ate, pero naisip kong baka lalo niya lang pasakitin ang ulo ko knowing how tactless she was. She'd surely bombard me with a hundred questions before I could even explain what happened. Bayan na ang pinaka-malapit sa isla. If she came from there, maybe there had been an accident. Maybe someone was looking for her. I closed my eyes for a bit before looking at her again. Her clothes were still soaked. I hesitated. I knew I shouldn't. But leaving her in wet clothes all night could make her condition worse. And the last thing I needed... was a dead stranger inside my house. Halos ilang minuto rin akong nakikipagtalo sa sarili ko, before doing what I thought was the right thing to do. Maaga akong nagising kahit halos hindi na ako nakatulog. I absentmindedly reached for the button on the bedside table to turn off the sound of the waves, then pressed the other button for the voice messages. "Nicolo! Get the heck out of there even once! It's Daddy's birthday next week and he's finally getting his senior citizen card! Come on, don't miss it!" "You asshole! Answer my call!" "I will twist your head until you can't breathe—" I ended the recording before she could say another word. She was far worse than an alarm clock. Inaantok akong bumangon at did my usual routine. Comfort room. Wash my face. Brush my teeth. Shower. Then breakfast. I walked straight to the refrigerator and looked at the container sitting on the second shelf. Saturday. That was the label. Hindi ko man lang napansin na patapos na ang linggo. Kinuha ko ang meal ko at diretsong nilagay sa microwave. I then started making myself a cup of coffee. Halfway through... I froze. Noon ko lang naalala lahat ng nangyari kagabi. I almost forgot that I was catering a stranger inside my house. Nagsimula nang lumalim ang iniisip ko, but the microwave beeped, pulling me back to reality. Nawalan ako ng gana sa mga iniisip ko and I barely touched my food. Hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili kong isipin ang babaeng iyon. How did she end up here? And what the hell happened to her? Kinuha ko ang tasa ng kape at lumabas ako saglit para magpahangin. Sikat na ang araw pero malamig pa rin ang hangin na dumadampi sa balat ko. The sound of the waves echoed across the shore, just as they always did. I leaned against one of the chairs on the deck and took a slow sip of my coffee, still looking at the vast sea. Two years. I'd been staring at the same view for two years now. Yet somehow... it never got old. Ganoon pa rin kaganda ang mga malalaking rock formation, the endless white sand, the trees... swaying with the wind, the waves, and the blue sea. No people. No noise. No one but me. Until last night happened. Fuck. I let out a quiet sigh before standing up. I knew I had to face her the moment she woke up. No matter who she was, she couldn't stay here. Kinuha ko ang cellphone ko at sinubukang tawagan si Ethan. He finally answered it, but he sounded groggy. "Bro... what?" "I need medical things and I need you to come here." "What? Why? What happened?" Sunod-sunod na tanong nito na tila ba nagising na. "I'll message you about the things I need." Hindi ko na hinintay ang sagot niya and dropped the call. Bumalik ako sa loob ng bahay at kinuha ko muna ang mga gamot bago ako nagtungo sa silid ko. I hesitated to enter, but I still came in. She was still unconscious. I stood beside the bed for a few seconds, just looking at her. I didn't know what to feel. Part of me was annoyed. She had completely disrupted the routine I'd been living by for the past two years. But another part of me couldn't help feeling bad. No one deserved to end up in this condition. Ethan just followed my instructions. He was shocked as I was, but promised to help me take more information. I just hated that he wanted me to keep her in my house, while he was gathering all the details— for her safety. One day passed. Then another. Until I didn't even realize... it had already been four days. I finished changing her IV bag and adjusted the cannula on the back of her hand. Pansin ko na nagsisimula nang mag-fade ang mga bruises niya. The cuts were healing too, slowly. I was about to step away when I felt her fingers twitch. I immediately looked at her. Nagsimula na ring kumabog ang dibdib ko nang magsimula na ring gumalaw ang ulo niya against the pillow. Fuck... she was waking up. For some reason, my heartbeat suddenly tightened. But then, I stayed rooted beside the bed, watching every small movement she made. Medyo magaling na ang sugat sa ulo niya pero dumudugo pa rin. Halos nagsasara na rin ang cut sa gilid ng labi niya. She looked much better than she did four days ago. Slowly... her eyelashes fluttered. Then her eyes opened. She stared blankly at the ceiling, as if trying to make sense of where she was. And there I was... absentmindedly holding my breath. Damn... why was I even feeling nervous? Lalo akong hindi makahinga nang unti-unti siyang bumaling sa akin, until I met those eyes... They were confused... Empty. Almost lifeless. Yet for some reason... I couldn't look away. I didn't know how long we stayed like that, simply staring at each other, until her lips finally parted. "W-Where am I?" Ramdam ko ang panghihina sa tinig na iyon. Hindi ako nakasagot agad, like I suddenly couldn't even remember how to answer. A word just slipped my mouth. "...Home." Nanatili lang siyang nakatingin sa akin bago ko muling marinig ang mahinang boses niya. "Who... are you?" It was such a simple question. I'm Wave Nicolo Sarreal. That was supposed to be my answer. But as I looked into her eyes... lost, and vulnerable... I said something so unbelievably stupid that even I couldn't believe.