18. Garden of Peace

                                    

                                          
It was a fine morning in September. The warmth of the radiant sun kissed my skin. I went to my parents' house to join them for breakfast. I said hi to my Daddy and greeted my Mom good morning. And there's GT in his natural habitat. I prepared a cup of hot chocolate for myself and waited for a moment while savoring the aroma of the freshly made coffee. It's been a long time since I smelled the scent of mornings. The last time was before Kuya Pat left our house three years ago to work on a famous cruise ship. What a life, I thought. But then I realized . . .
"Putang ina!"
Napalingon agad ako sa likod at nakita silang tatlong gulat na gulat na napatingin sa 'kin.
"Eunice, bibig mong bata ka!"
Itinuro ko pa si GT habang pinandidilatan ko siya.
"Good morning, baby girl," he greeted, then he sipped his coffee before he smiled at me.
"Mom!" sigaw ko kay Mommy habang tinuturo si GT. "Ano 'yan! Bakit nandito 'yan!"
"Susunduin ka raw niya," sabi ni Mommy na parang okay na okay lang sa kanya ang sinabi niya. "Hindi ka raw kasi pumapasok sa trabaho. Minsan daw, late ka na."
Hindi ako nakaimik agad. Patuloy lang sa pagkain si Daddy ng egg salad niya. Si Mommy, ganoon din. 'Tapos itong abnormal na GT na 'to, kung makangiti, parang may napanalunang laro.
What the fuck is happening right now?


ACTUALLY, HINDI ko matandaan kung ano'ng mga sumunod na nangyari last night.
Nakahiga lang ako sa kama, nagtalukbong ako ng unan sa ulo kasi ang daldal talaga ni GT, at hindi talaga siya nagpahatak pauwi sa kanila. May sinasabi siya tungkol sa history ng Microsoft hanggang sa kung bakit walang number four ang electric fan button. At paggising ko, patay na ang computer, nakasara na ang pinto ng bahay ko, at naunahan ko nang seven minutes ang alarm ko ng alas-sais.
At dahil hindi ako nakaligo kagabi, I had no other choice but to take a bath early in the morning . . . again. At mukhang tama ang ginawa ko kasi talagang pinagtulungan na naman ako ng tatlo para umalis nang maaga.
Kung hindi si Justin ang kakampihan, ito ring si GT? Anak ba talaga ako ng mga magulang ko?
At iba rin ang kapal ng mukha ni GT, in all fairness to him. I really don't get why people can't say no to him like he's some kind of a force to be reckoned with.
Napatakip na lang ako ng mukha kasi ang dami pa rin niyang tanong kina Daddy. And not some usual questions na tinatanong ng kahit sinong tao.
"You love swords, Dad?" GT asked like he was a kid listening to fairy tales while my dad explained to him the connection between our family business and his katana collection in the house. 
"May lima siyang ginawa at sobrang proud siya roon," kuwento ni Mommy.
"We have a set of katanas sa bahay namin sa Antipolo, Dad," kuwento ni GT. "Binili ng uncle ko sa Rodriguez, Rizal. If you're familiar with Samurai Katana Sword PH, you can check their location, in case, interested kayo to buy and sell. If hindi kayo busy, we can visit their shop."
Justin has never dared to ask my parents about my dad's collection. Or even my mom's favorite movie. Or even the theme song of my parents on their wedding day. Ang odd naman kasing alamin. Like who the hell cares, di ba? Tanggap ko pa kung favorite flowers o kaya favorite color or food man lang, but no. At ngayon ko lang din nalaman ang mga weird info sa parents ko na never ko talagang babalaking itanong. Gaya ng kung bakit Eunice ang name ko kahit na ang gusto palang name ni Daddy ay Edgarda. Nagwala yata ako sa tiyan ni Mommy dahil ang old school ng Edgarda Riodova. Tunog masungit na lawyer na nagtatrabaho sa isang hacienda sa probinsiya. Mabuti na lang talaga at Eunice ang nasa birth certificate ko. Kaya ayun, I ended up listening to their story habang ini-interview sila ni GT.