Chapter 12 – Stalking Across the Miles (The Escape)

Note: Some words may not be suitable for Non-Visayan readers, lol!

“Come in Josh,” she told him when he knocks on their gate.

It was only 6 in the morning when he arrived while Andie is still reviewing her notes. She hasn’t slept the whole night so Josh offered to accompany her home coz her parents went to Cebu.

“How’s your lola? Josh asked.

“Dad said she’s not doing good, and she wanted to see all of us, but I’m here with my books.”

She was very depressed. She’s not the favorite granddaughter but she loved her lola so much (her dad’s mother), but she couldn’t come to visit her due to financial reasons (airfare or ship fare) and she’s already cramming for her upcoming exam.

“You had breakfast already?” she asked him.

“I just had a coffee.”

“Wait I’ll buy pandesal and egg.”

When Andie arrived with the pandesal, she saw Josh frying the hotdog and brewing the coffee beans.

“Hey I’ll do that,” she told him.

“It’s okay, I’m a great cook, just go back to your books or take a nap,” he interrupted her.

She just smiled and agreed upon his insistence. Andie transferred her books from her room to the living room so she can do her review and entertain Josh at the same time.

Josh set the table for breakfast and was about to call Andie to eat but she’s already down on her books sleeping.

“Poor baby,” he was shaking his head.

As he peered down the adjacent couch, he saw a folded white sheath, took it and wrapped it around Andie. After doing so, he knelt down behind her, leaned his face near her and kissed her head. He knew he could almost take advances on her but he had a great resistance. He felt she’s not the type who will give in and his respect for her is unwavering.

“Take these nasty thoughts off my mind!” he told himself while his hands were resting on his head.

“Sorry Andie, I won’t think about it anymore.” he secretly repented.

Josh turned on the TV in a low volume and sat on the couch opposite her. He was restless and constantly changing the channels from the remote control unsure of which station he’d like to watch. It bored him as the channels are only limited to basic stations.

“What the hell happened to the cable station?” he thought to himself still irately changing the channels and stealing a quick look on Andie’s direction.

He was asking himself what’s going on with him. Why is he irritated? Does it have to do with his mischief, his tantrum, or because when he met Andie he knew he should start running his life in a straight line?

“But why do you have to be faithful, she’s not your girlfriend yet?”

“If you really love her, you have to sacrifice your urges.”

There goes his devil and angel arguing again.

He was fed up. He stood up, turned off the TV and moved out of the house after checking everything was clear and Andie was okay. He didn’t wake Andie up so she could rest further. He was driving his truck with his rolled down window, resting his left elbow on it. He jolted when somebody honked. He was almost struck head-on if the van approaching didn’t swerve away from his truck.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?” the man shouted, rousing him up from a shock.

He ignored the man and continued to drive. He went straight to his appointment that day to keep himself busy. Later that afternoon, he received a call from his friend inviting him to drink. That friend he’s been constantly hiding from was able to convince him to come with him. It was already afternoon when Andie woke up. She was looking for Josh but what’s left was the cold meal he prepared neatly covered by plates.

“Hey man, long time!” Miggy greeted Josh after sitting on the vacant seat.

“Yeah!” he shook Miggy’s hand.

“What’s keeping you busy? I heard you’re already steadily dating?”

He just smiled at him.

“How’s she look like? Is she hot? Does she have a big front? Was that the reason why you’re hiding from us? Did she work well? When did you become selfish with your girls, man?” he relentlessly questioned him.

“Hey don’t ever say that!” he vigorously slid the Tequila glass on the table and heatedly answered him while their other friends were stilled on their seats.

“Keep it cool man!” their friends intervened.

The two stayed quiet and continued to drink the Tequila they ordered. It was almost 5 months since his abstinence from alcohol, gambling and girls, which was a progress for him and felt he’s not used to doing them anymore so he excused himself for home. Miggy was left curious and angry but still invited him for their next hop on the strip club the following night. He just agreed to satisfy him.

His other friend who hitched with him informed him that Miggy was stricken by a venereal disease some months ago. He got it from a stripper he hired from that strip club and was only cleared from the disease weeks ago. Josh was surprised and almost thanked himself for staying away from his group of friends. Of course, he fervently thanked the circumstance when he met Andie.

****

The man from the next house went out to check the person banging the gate of Andie’s house.

“No one’s home!” said the man who was obviously irritated by the noise he made.

“Where did Andie go?” he asked.

“She didn’t tell you?”

“I’ve been texting and calling her but she never answered.”

“Ah, she sold her cellphone to my daughter for her airfare to Cebu, her lola died.”

“What?” he was shocked, no, he was upset coz she didn’t tell him about it.

He was about to get on his truck when the man called him again. “Wait! Andie told me to give this address if somebody looked for her. Her cousin’s cellphone number is also written there.”

“Thanks Manong.” He turned to leave.

****

Cebu is only 55 minutes away from Manila by air but it felt so tiring for her when she got off the plane the other day. The house’s mood has become very gloomy when the funeral services were being served. All her cousins and relatives were obviously harassed from those sleepless nights in the hospital. Andie, being different from them as she graduated with a high degree made her feel so extraordinary. All of them looked up to her. Every time she speaks made them stop what they’re doing, turning their ears on her. They were surprised coz she doesn’t speak their dialect. She can understand a little but she can’t pronounce a single Visayan word. Sometimes her mom needs to translate every word for her and for them.

Her cousin whom she’s closest to finally arrived from Mactan, that’s Grace. Grace is a year older than her, but she only finished high school and started working as a cook for some restaurant after her graduation. She once lived with Andie’s family in Fairview that’s why they became close like sisters. She is an inch smaller than Andie but with a pretty face that will surely make guys do a second glance on her. No doubt that her cousin was surrounded by boys.

She comforted her cousin when she cried over their lola’s wake. She started to cry also when she sees Grace’s tears welled from her eyes.

The manually built porch and tents were then set outside the house to accommodate visitors from different areas.

Josh was trying to call the number written on the small sheet but he couldn’t get through. The prompter says it’s either unattended or out of coverage area. This irritates him more so he texted the number.

“this is josh,
is andrea der?” He sent it twice but no reply from the recipient.

Unfortunately, the cellphone was on her little cousins. They were actually playing it when it alerts.

“Manang Grace, na-a kang text,” said the little girl in a Visayan dialect.

“Pakibasa day,” Grace said.

“Ingles manang, Andrea kuno,” the little girl mumbled, confused about the words.

“Andrea?”

“Ka-ila nimo Andrea?” she added.

Grace just shook her head then commanded the girl to delete the texts.

He tried calling the number again but the signal is weak so he couldn’t reach them. They didn’t reply on any of his texts that time, so it prompted Josh to check the earliest available flight for Cebu the following day.

“Hello Josh,” Miggy on the other line. He was just silent.

“Wanna come with us tomorrow night at the club, my treat!” he apologetically told him but there’s no clue that Josh would agree.

“No, I’ll be out of town tomorrow.”

“Huh, where?”

“Cebu!” he was certain.

“Cebu?”

“Migs, I need to pack my things, bye.” He quickly turned off the phone then checked the Cebu Pacific site to reserve his flight for the following day, but only the last flight was not filled yet. He was hesitant to take the schedule but he doesn’t want his friends to catch him up at home so he just took it.

It was already on the fourth day of the wake, but the growing number of people is evident. There were different groups of mourners during the day and night. Closest and farthest relatives arrived to take a last glimpse on the old woman. There were poor and rich families united with one purpose; to pray for the repose of old the woman’s soul.

Visitors were flooded with served coffee, biscuits, sandwiches and other finger foods while different kinds of card games and gambles were played during the so called “lamay” in Cebu.

They have a huge clan on her father’s side; a combination of rich and poor families. The rich families are living in Beverly Hills Subd. in Cebu while the poor families are scattered around different rural areas of the province. Each family is greatly delineated by the number of children they have.

“Are these all our cousins?” Andie asked Grace brushing the heads of the kids when she saw those children of different ages running in and out of the house.

“Shhhh, ayaw pag-saba, masuko si lola,” Grace pushed the children out of the house.

“Yeah, think about what those poor children should go through because of our irresponsible relatives,” Grace commented but she suddenly laughed when she remembered she’s a product of irresponsible parents too.

“What’s the itinerary for tonight?” Andie asked.

“Let’s ask Auntie Mina.”

Auntie Mina is the wife of their uncle Jun (the youngest brother of her dad). She takes care of everything from their lola’s hospitalization until the funeral service and every details of the interment. She’s not the first-degree relative but all of them relied on her. She always makes sure that everything is arranged, everyone is well accommodated and the people were satisfied. That’s how she works.

“I really like Auntie Mina,” Andie remarked.

“Yes, she took care of lola, that’s why lola loved her so much,” Grace replied.

Andie admired that lady to a great extent because it depicts an unconditional love she’s giving her husband and the family. She wonders if she could ever do what her auntie did for other people considering they were not her own relatives.

“I guess I could do that to Manang,” she suddenly laughs about her thoughts. She’s thinking about Josh and Manang that minute.

“I wonder what’s happening to him, I haven’t seen him in almost 4 days,” she muttered.

“Hey any problem?” Grace tapped her shoulder.

“Nothing…..I’ll go check the visitors,” she pointed outside then went out of the house.

“Was he able to get my address or the number? Did he miss me?” she was thinking.

“If he comes after me, that’s when I’m certain he really likes me!”

“Asa ka pa!…Oh poor Andie!” her mind was challenging her but she’s not really confident that Josh would waste time, effort and money just to follow her in Cebu.

“Call me if problems arise, understood?”

“Yes boss!”

Josh dropped by his business first to check his worker and commanded them the correct protocols while he’s out for a couple or more days. He was already on his way to the domestic airport three hours before his flight with his driver. He is really serious about escaping from his friends. He instructed his driver to look after Manang while he’s out of town. The driver agreed then dropped him to the departure area of the airport.

“Take care boss!” he told Josh. He just waved at him.

After checking in and his baggage was scanned, he stayed at the corner seats while waiting for their flight to be called. Different passengers were patiently waiting for the delayed flights bound for Caticlan. He called the number again but couldn’t connect to it. He texted them for so many times but got no reply. He’s frowning when he noticed that the two girls were deliberately staring at him. He just turned away to hide his face, but the girls directly approached him. Looks like they want to hook him up.

“Hey are you boarding for Caticlan?” the first lady asked. He just looks at her and almost forgot that he was expert on digging girls before.

“I think you’re alone, wanna hang out with us?” the other lady asked while looking around if he has any companion.

“Oh, no, I’m heading for Cebu, my first time.”

“Cebu? Must be an interesting place, haven’t been there,” the first lady of a slimmer built continued.

He just smiled. He was hard to please that moment because of his exasperation that he couldn’t reach Andie. He then sat back and tried to converse with the ladies.

“So which hotel are you staying in Boracay?” he asked the ladies.

“How’d you know we’re going to Boracay?” the other lady asked.

“Miss, obviously you are,” he told the lady while looking at their outfits. They were wearing board shorts, colored shirt with Boracay print, a pair of flip-flop slippers and dark sunglasses.

“Oh yeah, you’re smart!” the lady was obviously amazed. Josh just rolled his eyes.

“So how do you find Cebu?”

“I said this is my first trip to Cebu,” he started to get annoyed but he doesn’t want to disrespect the girls so he just held his words. He remembered what Andie told him, to treat everyone with kindness even those who are rude to you, not because they aren’t nice but because you are nice. He just extends his patience.

There’s one test he’d like them to take. He wanted to discover if the girls’ IQ would level up to Andie, so he started to ask them a question in English.

“Hey miss, how many siblings you got?” he seriously asked the ladies.

“Uhhmm me?” the girl was thinking, she didn’t answer yet. Josh then turned to the other lady, asking her the same question.

“Hey I don’t have siblings yet, I’m still young you know, I’m not yet married!” the girl defensively answered.

“Oh shoot, bagsak!” he thought to himself, then he prepared to board on the plane when his flight was called.

“Hey wait, wait, before you go, tell us your name first! I’m Sachi and this is Faye!” shouted the first lady.

He just waved at them. He was shaking his head while pulling his baggage going toward the entrance. He realized that they’re really pretty but it doesn’t count to him anymore. They didn’t impress him and he didn’t even ask their names.

“Sure you are pretty and sexy, but your brain is unhealthy,” he started smirking by himself.

His seat was located next to the window. He had boarded the plane for many times but he was surprised he still has fears riding a plane so he tried to relax himself and diverted his thoughts. He suddenly laughs when he remembered the conversation he had with the ladies. It’s still clear to him when Andie first asked him that question. He fainted when he buckled that time, good thing he answered her correctly. Andie sarcastically told him that she thought he means a different thing about the word sibling; that he thought it refers to a son or a daughter (well, some basic words could make or break you, lol!).

But what’s more intriguing to him is the reason why he’s going to Cebu actually. Is it because he wants to run away from the effects of his friends or because he wants to be with Andie during her grief? That’s the thing he wants to find out himself.

“I’m going to the market,” Grace told Andie.

“Okay, I’ll take over,” she replied.

Andie just smiled at the people who greeted her though she can’t understand what they’re telling her. There were children playing inside the house again. Some of them haven’t changed their clothes yet since the time she arrived until that time she saw them again.

“Hey kids you want me to clean you up?” she told them. The kids just stared at her then they ran toward their parents.

“Ma, na-ay Tagala,” said the 6-year-old kid to her mom.

(Tagala** is the term used by Visayan pertaining to Manila inhabitant.)

The people were laughing but it upsets Andie, it just makes it obvious that she’s really different from them. She stayed on the room and checked the notes she’s supposed to review.

Already 3:30 p.m. when Josh arrived at Mactan airport. He’s really unsure where he’s going. He took out the paper with the address and then asked the guard for the direction.

He cleared his voice before he asks the guard, “Manong, do you know this place?”

“Carcar, Cebu City” the guard read the address then directed him to the cab driver who knew the place well.

“Thanks Manong.”

“You’re welcome dong!” said the guard in a Visayan accent.

Josh was having difficulty convincing the cab driver to drop him to the exact place, as they couldn’t understand each other. He took out his wallet and signaled the driver to rent his cab even if he’d pay for his whole boundary. This suddenly excites the driver and he thought he had fetched a jackpot passenger. Normally, the cab should only drop the passengers to the city then they’ll have another ride toward Carcar, but since he rented the cab, the driver agreed to drop him to the exact place.

On their way to Mactan bridge, Josh was amazed by the beauty of Cebu. He found out how civilization took place. He saw different spots from the urban with the towering hotels, establishments and malls. He had seen a lot of foreigners walking on the street enjoying their vacation. He knows he didn’t come there for a vacation but he wants to make the most out of it.

“Manong, are we getting there?” he asked the driver.

“Relax!” the driver replied.

He’s getting suspicious of the driver so he tried calling the number again.

Finally it rang. Grace looked at the cellphone where an unfamiliar number was calling her. The first cycle finished.

“Hello?” Grace hesitantly answered after two cycles of ring.

“Hello, this is Josh, I’m Andrea’s friend…I wonder…”

“Andrea?”

“Yup, Andrea, Andie, she gave me your number.”

“Yeah, Andie…she’s not here, I’m in the market right now.”

“I’d like to ask if you can pick me up…I mean, if you can wait for me, I’m heading toward your place but we couldn’t locate it.” He told Grace. He’s thankful that she can understand him.

“You mean, you’re here in Cebu right now?”

“Yes, so where should I stop? I’m riding a cab.”

“Where’s your location now?”

“The driver said we’ve passed the cathedral in Carcar already.

“Okay tell the driver to drive straight toward the Shell station, after passing that station drive slowly so you can see a small store on your right, I’ll be waiting there, got it?”

“Yes, thanks, thanks!” it was such a great relief for him, but he wonders why her cousin sounded like Andie.



Till the next entry…..