Chapter 80 #2
Gianna told her about the children who would confidently explain abstract paintings with complete conviction, only for the artists themselves to admit na mas gusto pa nila ang interpretation ng mga bata kaysa sa sarili nilang explanation.
She also talked about university students who insisted they understood modern art hanggang sa may magtanong sa kanila na ipaliwanag ito. In the end, aamin din pala silang nakikisabay lang sila sa sinasabi ng lahat.
Kairi laughed more than she expected she would, and before long, Gianna was laughing with her.
Hindi nila namalayan kung gaano na katagal ang lumipas hanggang sa tuluyan nang lumitaw sa harapan nila ang familiar na apartment building. Gianna slowed the car, maingat na huminto sa gilid ng kalsada, at inilagay ito sa park bago tumingin kay Kairi.
"We're here."
Kairi glanced out the window, then back at her, looking almost surprised. "That was fast."
"It was."
For a few moments, neither of them reached for the door. Kusang natapos ang conversation nila, leaving behind a silence that didn't feel uncomfortable enough to break.
Outside, light spilled from the apartment lobby onto the sidewalk and across the street someone walked a dog beneath the glow of the streetlamps.
Home had arrived sooner.
Kairi stepped out of the car and leaned down before closing the door para tingnan si Gianna.
"Thanks for dinner."
Gianna smiled.
"Thank your mom."
Napangiti si Kairi.
"I will."
She closed the door, gave a small wave, and headed toward the entrance. Gianna waited until she disappeared inside before pulling away.
Kairi stood outside the apartment for a second, her keys dangling loosely from one hand while the other held the eco bag containing the remaining food containers.
Alam na niya kung ano ang naghihintay sa kabilang side ng pinto.
Tatlong oras siyang nawala. There was absolutely no way na palalampasin lang iyon nina Zoe at Maya without asking questions.
Pagkabukas niya ng pinto, two pairs of eyes landed on her.
Zoe sat cross-legged on the sofa with one arm draped over the backrest na parang buong gabi na siyang naghihintay roon. Si Maya naman ay nakaupo sa sahig sa harap ng coffee table, bukas ang laptop at mukhang may lecture slides sa screen. Pero nang makita si Kairi, agad niyang itinaas ang tingin.
Walang nagsalita. They just stared at her.
Napabuntong-hininga si Kairi. "Hi."
Hindi man lang siya binati ni Zoe. Instead, she leaned forward slightly. "Where?"
Kairi slipped off her shoes. "Hello to you too."
"Where," ulit ni Zoe, sabay turo sa kanya na parang ini-interrogate na talaga siya. "Where have you been for the last three hours?"
Sumulyap si Maya sa wall clock bago siya nagsalita. "Three hours and seventeen minutes."
Kairi looked at her in disbelief. "You timed me?"
"I didn't." Maya returned her attention to the laptop. "The group chat did."
Napakunot-noo si Kairi bago niya kinuha ang phone mula sa bulsa at tiningnan ang notifications. Twelve unread messages stared back at her. Napatingin ulit siya sa dalawa.
"Grabe naman kayo."
"So, tell us," Zoe said, crossing her arms. "What happened?"
Dinala ni Kairi ang eco bag papunta sa dining table at maingat na inilapag doon.
"My mother sent me to bring food to Ella."
"Alam na namin 'yan," agad na sabi ni Zoe. "Then you disappeared. So our theories got progressively worse."
Napataas ang isang kilay ni Kairi. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
"The first theory," Maya started. "Was that Ella started lecturing you."
"The second," dagdag ni Zoe. "Nag-away kayo."
"And the third..." Sandaling tumigil si Zoe, tila pinipigilan ang sarili na tumawa. "Na accidentally mong naitulak si Ella sa balcony."
Kairi stared at her. "What?"
"I said accidentally."
"That doesn't make it better!"
"I was exploring all possibilities."
"There was absolutely no possibility na itinulak ko si Ella sa balcony!"
"You've been under a lot of emotional stress."
"And hindi ako nagiging homicidal kapag stressed ako."
Zoe only shrugged. "We hadn't heard from you."
Beside her, Maya smiled. "Sinabi ko na kay Zoe na you probably just forgot your phone existed."
Kairi slipped her phone back into her pocket, unable to stop the resigned smile tugging at her lips. "You were right."
Still shaking her head, she carried the remaining containers into the kitchen. Binuksan niya ang refrigerator at isa-isang inilagay ang mga iyon sa bakanteng shelf habang patuloy na nagsasalita si Zoe mula sa living room.
"So?" she called. "Ano ba talagang nangyari?"
Isinara ni Kairi ang refrigerator at sandaling nanatili ang isang kamay sa door bago siya bumalik sa living room.
"Ella wasn't home," she explained. "Nag-text lang siya na pumasok na lang ako kasi unlocked naman ang door."
"So you just waited for her?"
"I started putting the food away."
"And?"
Kairi glanced between the two of them before answering. "Miss Herrera was there."
The apartment fell quiet.
Zoe blinked once. "Miss Herrera was...where?"
"At Ella's condo."
Dahan-dahang isinara ni Maya ang laptop, this time giving Kairi her full attention. "She was there the whole time?"
Kairi nodded. "Yeah, Ella had to meet someone."
Maya's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zoe, meanwhile, slowly pointed at absolutely no one. "I'm starting to think your cousin enjoys setting people up."
Napatawa nang mahina si Kairi. "I had the exact same thought."
"So what happened?" Maya asked.
"We talked."
Kumunot ang noo ni Zoe. "Anong klaseng talk?"
Kairi smiled faintly. "Normal talk."
"You expect me to believe na nag-usap lang kayo nang normal?"
Kairi considered that before giving a small shrug. "It just became normal. We put the food away together. Tapos, we ended up having dinner."
Parehong napatingin sa kanya sina Zoe at Maya.
"Kayong dalawa lang?" Zoe asked.
Tumango si Kairi. "Ni-reheat namin pinadalang food ni Mama."
Maya tilted her head curiously. "How was it?"
Kairi thought about the question for a moment before smiling to herself. "Weird."
Zoe pointed triumphantly. "I knew it."
"But not in a bad way," mabilis na depensa ni Kairi. "It was...ordinary."
Neither Zoe nor Maya interrupted.
"We talked about random things," pagpapatuloy ni Kairi. "Her work. Mama's cooking. Iyong kitchen ni Ella na parang walang proper organization. And the car na gamit niya ngayon."
Biglang kumunot ang noo ni Zoe. "Wait. What about her car?"
Kairi shrugged. "I may have accused her of secretly being rich."
That made Maya laugh while Zoe tilted her head. "Based on what?"
"She's a director of an art gallery."
Maya's eyebrows lifted. "Really?"
"Really."
Zoe let out a low whistle. "So ang first conclusion mo agad was mayaman siya?"
"I was right."
"You don't actually know that."
Kairi crossed her arms with exaggerated confidence. "I know enough."
"That," Zoe declared, pointing at her. "That's not how evidence works."
"It is when I'm right."
The three of them burst into laughter, the sound filling the apartment before gradually fading into a comfortable silence.
Makalipas ang ilang sandali, muling tumingin si Maya kay Kairi.
"So..." she began gently. "Were you happy?"
Biglang natigilan si Kairi. She had expected them to ask about Gianna—what they had talked about, whether things had been awkward, whether they had both cried again.
She hadn't expected that.
Happy.
Dahan-dahang bumaba ang tingin niya sa mga kamay niya habang muling nagre-replay sa isip niya ang nangyari kanina.
Standing shoulder to shoulder in Ella's kitchen. Watching Gianna laugh over instant noodles. Sharing dinner. Letting Gianna drive her home without spending the entire ride wondering what to say next.
A smile appeared before she even realized it had.
"I think I was."
Maya was the first to smile. "I know."
Napatingin si Kairi sa kanya. "You do?"
"Kai, you've been smiling since you walked through the door."
Instinctively, Kairi lifted a hand to her face. "I have not."
"You have," Zoe said. "And you know what's even more annoying?"
"What?"
"You didn't even notice."
As if to prove her point, muling napangiti si Kairi.
"There!" agad na sigaw ni Zoe, sabay turo sa kanya. "See? She did it again."
Napatawa si Maya.
"I told you."
Kairi rolled her eyes, though there wasn't the slightest trace of irritation behind the gesture. "Both of you are impossible."
"Sure, Kai."
Another laughter filled the apartment, warm and familiar in a way that made the evening feel lighter than it had any right to.
And Kairi realized she wasn't replaying yesterday's conversation by the river. Hindi na niya iniisa-isa ang bawat sinabi ni Gianna. Hindi na iniisip kung tama ba ang naging desisyon niya. Hindi na tinatanong ang sarili kung ano ang mangyayari pagkatapos.
Tonight, the memory that stayed with her wasn't the confession or the tears. It was the simple things they shared together.