Chapter 49 The Promise Made in the Morgue
Isaac stood outside the airport arrival area with his two big bags at his feet.
Paulit?ulit niyang tinitingnan ang cellphone niya, checking messages and time, then looking back at every car that passed by.
He was starting to shift his weight and feel restless when suddenly a car stopped right in front of him.
The driver's window rolled down, and there was Yana.
Agad na lumabas ang malaking ngiti sa mukha ni Isaac nang makita siya.
Yana stepped out quickly and walked straight toward him. She hugged him so tight, parang ayaw na pakawalan. Isaac wrapped both arms around her and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"How's your flight?" Yana asked, pulling back a little to look at his face.
"It was good, smooth all the way," Isaac answered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "How are you? And where's Aria? I thought you'd bring her here."
Yana's smile faded a bit. "Ah... She's with Zarya."
Kita naman agad ang gulat sa mukha ni Issac. "Your sister? She's here? I thought—"
"She already knew everything. Don't worry, okay? She's the one who insisted to stay and watch her. Yana cut him off fast.
"Okay... good then. C'mon, let's go home. I can't wait to finally see my daughter." Parang nabunutan din ng tinik ang pakiramdam ng lalake.
Sabay silang naglakad pabalik sa sasakyan. Isaac lifted his bags and inayos lahat sa loob ng trunk habang si Yana naman umikot at sumakay sa passenger seat. Then Isaac slid into the driver's seat, started the engine, and pulled out onto the highway.
Ilang minuto na ang nakalipas sa biyahe nang sumandal si Yana sa bintana, then turned to him with a soft look. "I missed you."
"I missed you more, love. I miss both of you so bad."
Isaac smiled, pero nanatili ang kaniyang tingin sa daan.
"So, how's Aria?" Isaac asked.
"She's so loud, you know?" Yana said, grinning. "She cries so loud when she's hungry. Like every minute I had to give her milk. But she's good, she's healthy."
Isaac chuckled. "Really? That sounds like me. She must be strong already."
"Very," Yana agreed. "When she was still in my womb, she kicks so hard. Sometimes I just stare at her and think... I hope she grows up just like Zarya."
"Zarya?" Isaac glanced sideways.
"Yeah," Yana said, voice softer now. "Strong, independent, wise. Not like me... I feel so messed up sometimes, l don't know what to do when I'm alone."
Isaac reached over and held her hand tight. "You will be a good mother, I know it. But honestly... I am not sure if I will be a good father."
Biglang bumigat ang pakiramdam sa loob ng sasakyan. The light mood shifted instantly.
"Isaac... I don't want our daughter to grow up without her father." Yana looked at him seriously.
"I don't want that too. That's why I am here, right?"Isaac squeezed her hand gently.
"But you will leave soon, aren't you?" Yana asked quietly.
Biglang naging seryoso ang mukha ni Isaac, pero the guilt is obvious. "Love, you know it's not easy for me—"
"And do you think it's easy for me?" she interrupted. "Do you think it's easy raising her and hiding everything?"
"It's not like that," Isaac said softly. "It's just... I still have to find ways. I will constantly check on both of you, send help, call, visit... until we can finally be together properly. Okay?"
Yana let out a long sigh and leaned back, pilit na nilabanan ang tampo. "Okay. At least Zarya is here for us now."
Isaac lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
_____
Ilang sasakyan ang nasa likuran nila, kasama ang isang kotse na tahimik na sumusunod simula pa noong umalis sila sa airport. Inside, a man sat in the back passenger seat. Suot niya ang itim na damit at hood, nakatakip ang mukha kaya walang makikita sa kaniya.
He rested a rifle on his lap, dahan?dahang ibinaba ang baril palabas sa kaunti sa bintana.
He looks tensed, then his driver spoke. "The order is clear, shoot the stomach."
Tumango naman ang lalaking may hawak na baril, and immediately fixed his posture.
He adjusted his grip, lined up the sight, and breathed slow and steady.
But just as he squeezed the trigger, biglang may kung ano silang nadaanan. That distraction ruined his aim to the target.
The shot went off with a loud crack, he missed the target completely and hit the rear tire instead.
"You Idiot!" Sigaw ng shooter sa driver, kitang kita ang inis at kaba nito.
"I didn't know there was a bump!—"
"Go! let's change route" Sigaw ulit ng shooter sa driver at agad na niligpit ang mga gamit at tinago sa likod ng sasakyan.
Agad na pinabilis ng driver ang takbo, at mabilis silang umalis palayo, naglaho sa dilim.
Sa unahan, sabay nagulat sina Isaac at Yana sa malakas na putok. Before they could even react, the car lurched hard to one side. At tuloyan nang nawalan ng control si Isaac sa sasakyan.
"Isaac!" Yana screamed, grabbing the door handle.
"Calm down — FUCK! What's happening?!" Mas humigpit ang kapit ni Isaac sa steering wheel ng sasakyan, habang sinusubukan na kontrolin ito.
Yana pointed forward, her eyes wide in horror. "Isaac, there's a car ahead!"
Agad na napunit ang gulong ng sasakyan, at malakas na natanggal ang rubber while the metal rim scraped roughly against the road. It caused loud noises on the road, at parang nag may mga nagliliparang apoy dahil sa metal rim.
The whole vehicle shook violently, wiggling side to side na parang mawawala sa kontrol. Isaac tried to brake hard and steer away, but the car is hard to control. It swerved straight into the lane of oncoming traffic.
Itinaas agad ni Yana ang kanyang mga kamay at itinakip sa mukha. Then next second, bumangga sila nang malakas sa gilid ng isa pang sasakyan, at may sumunod pang nakabangga sa kanila sa likod.
basag ang bintana at nagkalat ang bubog sa daan. The impact sent them spinning across the road, rolling over once, twice, before slamming hard against the concrete barrier.
Everything went silent. May mga usok na pumapaligid sa daan, galing sa mga sasakyan na nagkabanggaan. Sa paligid ay nagkalat ang mga sirang piyesa at bubog. Inside, Isaac and Yana lay still, slumped against their seats, no sound coming from them anymore.
_____
"PUTANG INA! What did I do to deserve this?!"
Tears kept running down my cheeks while I held Aria tight against my chest. Hindi ko talaga alam kung maniniwala ba ako sa narinig ko. Ate Yana... is dead? And now here's her baby, left alone in my arms like I'm suddenly the only one she has.
I wanted to scream, gusto kong isigaw lahat. Gusto kong magwala, pero nandiyan si Aria. She looked up at me with those big, innocent eyes, completely unaware that she already lost her mother.
Sinusubukan kong ikontrol ang galit ko, hugged her even closer, buried my face against her soft arms so she wouldn't see how broken I was.
"Babalik si mommy mo 'di ba? She will come back with your dad... right, Aria?" I whispered, kahit alam kong hindi niya ako naiintindihan.
Pero imbis na gumaan ang pakiramdam ko, it shattered me even more. Mas lalo lang bumilis ang pagtulo ng luha ko.
Then she gave me this tiny, sweet smile the kind that melts your heart even when you're falling apart. I tried to smile back, pero habang pinipilit ko 'yun, tears just kept falling and falling.
"Don't worry, baby," I told her softly, wiping my face roughly with my sleeve. "Nandito ako, okay? I won't leave you behind... hindi kita papabayaan, promise."
I closed my eyes for a moment. Ang bigat?bigat ng nararamdaman ko, sobrang bigat.
The officer gave me the exact address of the morgue, and deep down I knew I had to go there right away. Pero kahit gaano ko sinusubukan paniwalaan sa utak ko, parang ayaw pa rin maniwala ng puso ko. I stood there frozen, hindi ko alam kung ano ang uunahin kong gagawin.
Paano ko sasabihin kila Papa at mommy? Paano ko maitatago si Aria sa mga Valenti? I was so sure, this wasn't just a bad accident. Lahat 'to, may tao sa likod nito. Someone planned it. But right now, the only thing that matters is making sure Ate Yana is properly taken care of.
But how can I go if Aria is with me? I can't bring her there, and I have no one else I can trust to watch her.
Hindi ko talaga alam saan ako magsisimula, gusto ko nalang takbuhan lahat dahil sa sakit.
I looked around, ate Yana's house. Dito siya nagpatayo ng bahay malayo sa amin, because she thought this would be as peaceful as she thought. Ngayon, parang wala ng silbi ang lahat.
Tinitigan ko ang mga frames na naka display sa bahay niya, she looked so happy. She looked so full of life, all of them. Mga baby pictures niya, mga pictures namin noong bata pa kami. Pictures kung saan sobrang saya niya.
I walked towards that one exact picture habang hawak hawak si Aria. Kinuha ko ito, this was the picture of us together. Sobrang bata pa kami dito, sa gitna namin ay si Ate Sela. The one who witnessed us grow, at nagsilbing ina na rin namin.
Ate Sela....
She's been with us since I was a kid, the maid who practically raised me, like family. Should I call her? sa kaniya ba ako hihingi ng tulong?
I hesitated at first, thinking she might be busy or it's too sudden, pero wala na akong choice. My fingers were shaking hard as I pressed her number.
Hindi na rin nagtagal at sinagot niya rin nag tawag ko.
"Hello, Zarya? Napatawag po kayo?" she answered in her usual gentle tone.
"Ate... punta ka po dito sa bahay ni Ate Yana now," pilit kong magsalita kahit parang may tinik na sa lalamunan ko.
"Nandiyan ka sa ate mo? Okay ka lang ba? Bakit parang umiiyak ka?" she asked immediately, halata ang pag aalala sa boses niya.
"Pumunta na lang po dito... please," I repeated, I couldn't find more words anymore.
"Oh sige, pupunta na ako agad," she said without asking further.
"Mag?ingat po kayo sa biyahe,"
"Oo nga, anak... may malalang aksidente daw kanina sa highway eh. Hindi ko pa alam ang detalye pero kinabahan din ako bigla nung narinig ko," she replied.
I didn't answer her anymore. Just dropped the call, let my hand fall limp at my side, and finally let myself break. Mas lalo pang tumulo ang mga luha ko ng makitang tahimik lang si Aria sa hawak ko. Parang sinusubukan niyang pagaanin ang nararamdaman ko.
_____
"Kanina ko pa tinatanong, Zar... kaninong baby 'to?" she asked again.
Ate Sela gently took Aria from my arms, the moment na dumating siya dito. Kitang kita na sobrang nagtataka na siya bakit may bata dito sa bahay ni Ate, at kung bakit namamaga na ang mga mata ko. She rocked the baby slowly, glancing back and forth between me and the little one.
I just looked away, couldn't answer. My throat felt tight, parang may nakabara.
"Nasaan si Yana? Bakit hindi mo kasama?" Then she pressed again, nag-aalala na ang tono niya.
I took a shaky breath, hands curling into fists at my sides. "Ibalik niyo po muna si Aria sa crib niya, Ate."
She didn't argue. Sumunod naman agad siya, walked carefully to the crib and laid Aria down soft and slow. When she turned back to me, her face was already full of fear.
"Zarya, anak... kanina pa ako kinakabahan sa'yo ha," she said, stepping closer. "Ano ba talaga ang nangyayari? Bakit wala si Yana dito? At hindi mo pa rin ako sinasagot kung kaninong bata 'to?"
My chest heaved, parang hirap na hirap huminga. I looked at her, eyes blurring fast. "Ate... 'yung aksidente kanina... it was Ate Yana."
Her knees almost gave out. Halos matumba siya sa kinatatayuan niya. Napaupo siya sa sofa, na parang hindi makapaniwala sa sinabi ko.
That was it, I couldn't hold back anymore. Tears broke free and ran hard down my face, hindi ko na napigilan.
"Hindi, Zar... umayos ka," she said, voice shaking, trying to sound firm but failing. "Hindi magandang biro 'yan. Huwag mo akong takutin nang ganyan."
She kept shaking her head, denying it, eyes wide and terrified. I swallowed hard, parang naiipit ang bawat salita, but I forced it out, loud and broken.
"Wala na si Ate Yana..."
The second I said it, everything inside me crumpled.
Ate Sela stood up fast and pulled me into a tight hug, holding me so hard like she wanted to shield me from the pain. "Paano? Zarya... anong nangyari? Diyos ko... paano nangyari 'yon?"
I looked at Ate Sela, at tinignan ng bahagya si Aria na tahimik na natutulog sa crib niya.
"Anak niya si Aria..."
Tumahimik ang buong paligid. Nanigas si Ate Sela habang nakayakap pa rin sa akin. Bahagya siyang lumayo at tinitigan ako na parang hindi siya makapaniwala sa narinig niya, nanlaki ang mga mata niya sa gulat.
"Ano?? May anak... may anak si Yana?" Ate Sela repeated, halos ayaw maniwala.
I wiped my face hard with the back of my hand, sinusubukan magsalita ng maayos. "Mahabang kwento po eh... sa susunod na lang natin pag?usapan Ate... Kailangan ko munang ayusin si Ate Yana, Di ko pa alam paano ko sasabihin kila Papa at mommy... hindi ko pa alam paano."
I looked straight at her, desperate. "Ate Sela... pwede bang dito ka muna? Ikaw munang bahala kay Aria? Pupuntahan ko si Ate... kailangan kong siguraduhin na siya talaga. Baka kasi mali lang sila, baka hindi siya 'yun."
"Zarya... kaya mo ba? Kaya mo bang pumunta doon mag?isa? Sasama kami ni Aria, ako na bahala magbantay sa kanya dun." Inabot ni Ate Sela ang mga kamay ko at mahigpit na hinawakan ang mga ito, habang walang tigil na tumutulo ang luha sa kanyang mukha.
"Hindi... hindi pwede, Ate Sela. Walang pwedeng makaalam na may anak si Ate. Dito lang kayo sa bahay, kahit si Papa, kahit si Mommy... walang makakaalam nito. Please... please lang, alagaan mo muna si Aria habang inaayos ko si Ate. Habang inaasikaso ko siya."
She was crying harder now, shoulders shaking as she nodded slowly. "Sige... sige Zarya. Mag?ingat ka palagi ha. Balitaan mo agad ako kung si Yana ba talaga 'yun. Diyos ko... sana nagkamali lang sila. Sana hindi si Yana 'yun... sana."
"Sana nga po... kasi hindi ko kaya, Ate. Tingin ko hindi ko kaya 'to. Parang hindi ko matanggap na wala na siya... ang hirap?hirap tanggapin. Kailangan ko lang siyang makita... kailangan kong mas makasigurado. Para man lang... alam ko na kung paano ko sisimulan 'to.
_____
The air inside the morgue was freezing, parang tumatagos hanggang sa buto. Several officers stood around, their faces tight and tense. When Zarya walked in, every eye followed her step by step, no one speaking, all waiting quietly.
In the middle lay two bodies side by side, covered in clean white cloth. One officer stepped forward and pointed respectfully. "Quello è il signor Walter... e questo qui è la signora De Luca."
(That one is Mr. Walter...and this one here is Ms. De Luca.)
Zarya didn't even glance toward Isaac's side. She didn't care about him at all, her whole focus was only on her sister. She walked straight to the second table, hands shaking so badly she almost couldn't grip the edge of the cloth. Slowly, she pulled it back.
There is Yana in stainless bed, skin pale and drained of all color, still beautiful yet terrifyingly cold and motionless. No light in her eyes, every trace of life was gone.
"che diavolo è successo davvero?!" Napasigaw si Zarya nang malakas when she saw her sister, that screamed echoed through the room.
(What the fuck did really happened?!)
"Ate....ATE! gumising ka!" She leaned over the table, umiiyak nang sobra at paulit?ulit na sumisigaw, her voice cracking and so raw na halos wala nang tunog.
"Che diavolo è successo?! Ditemi — che cosa gli è successo?" She spun around fast to face the officers, basang?basa ng luha ang mukha, fists clenched tight at her sides, so aggressive and desperate.
(What the fuck happened?! Tell me — what happened to them)
The senior officer shifted uneasily, cleared his throat, and spoke carefully.
"Sulla base delle informazioni raccolte, alcuni testimoni hanno sentito uno sparo.
Dalle nostre indagini risulta che uno pneumatico è stato colpito — ecco perché l'auto ha perso il controllo ed è andata a sbattere.
Stiamo ancora aspettando i risultati completi, ma per ora la causa iniziale della morte è un grave sanguinamento interno e traumi causati dall'impatto. "
(Based on the information we gathered, witnesses heard a gunshot. Our investigation shows their tire was shot — that's why the car lost control and crashed. We are still waiting for the full results, but right now initial cause of death is severe internal bleeding and trauma from impact.")
"Colpita? La loro macchina è stata colpita?! Chi diavolo l'avrebbe fatto? L'avete già preso?!" Zarya demanded, stepping closer, voice rising sharp and angry.
(Shot? Their car was shot?! Who the fuck would do that?)
The officer lowered his head a little, tone careful and apologetic.
"Purtroppo... non eravamo sul posto quando è successo.
Ma ci stiamo lavorando — facciamo del nostro meglio per rintracciare e catturare chiunque sia il sospetto.
"
(Unfortunately... we were not at the scene when it happened.
But we are working on it — trying our best to find and catch whoever the suspect is)
"Trying your best?!" Zarya repeated, loud and bitter, tears spilling faster. "Allora perché siete tutti qui?! Eh?!"
(Then why are you all here, hmm?)
The officer shifted his stance and answered calmly "Siamo qui perché dobbiamo raccogliere ulteriori dettagli su di loro, qualsiasi cosa possa fornirci una pista per trovare il sospetto.
Se sa qualcosa, anche una sola cosa, potrebbe aiutarci a rendere giustizia a sua sorella...
e anche a suo cognato."
(We are here because we need to gather more details about them, anything that might give us a lead to find the suspect.
If you know anything at all, you could help us give justice to your sister... and your brother in law too.)
But Zarya didn't respond. She turned away from him and looked back at Yana's still, pale face.
Her knees almost gave out. Yumuko siya at niyakap nang mahigpit ang Ate niya, trying to give her warmth.
She buried her face against Yana's cold shoulder and cried so hard na nanginginig ang buong katawan niya.
"I promise you, Ate...magbabayad ang sino man may gawa nito sa'yo. I would tore every part of them into pieces, hinding hindi ko sila mapapatawad." She whispered to her sister's ears na parang kinakausap niya ito.
" 'Wag mo na isipin si Aria, I will protect her. I will make sure she won't forget your name and face."
.