Days passed.
The DNA results were coming.
And as we waited, I found myself watching David from afar. He smiled at children, helped a neighbor fix a broken fence, fed the horses gently. He was kind. Warm. But not Paul.
Or maybe, he just became someone else. And i have to accept that the past can’t always be brought back, no matter how hard you dig.
But still, I hope.
Because that hope… is the only thing keeping me alive.
-
The call came early morning.
Lucien stepped out of the room, holding his phone tightly. I knew.
From the way his shoulders fell, from the way Calix looked at me with his lips pressed tight, I already knew.
“It’s negative,” Lucien said, almost whispering. “He’s not Paul, Hindi siya ang anak ko.”
Parang may sumabog sa loob ng dibdib ko.
Ang tagal kong hindi huminga.
I stared at the cracked floor tiles of our rented room, and for a moment, I wanted to scream. But i didn’t. I just nodded.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Anak—” Lucien tried to reach for me.
Pero umatras ako.
“Wag. I just need air.”
Lumabas ako ng kwarto, dala lang ang suot kong oversized shirt at slippers. Wala akong pakialam kung anong itsura ko.
Davao was quiet in the morning.
People sweeping front yards.
Sunlight dripping down coconut trees.
Birds that didn’t care about broken hearts.
I walked straight to where David worked sa stable ng mga kabayo. That’s why he can draw Horses.
Nakita niya ako agad. “Oh, Aurora,” he smiled, wiping his hands on a rag. “Maaga ka ngayon.”
“I just wanted to talk,” I said, voice cracking.
He tilted his head. “Everything okay?”
I didn’t answer right away.
I just stared at him.
He looked like Paul. Still.
The shape of his mouth when he smiled.
The small scar sa ilalim ng mata niya.
Yung posture niya kapag natatawa, yung konting head tilt. But he wasn’t Paul.
Hindi siya ang batang iniwan ko sa likod ng sunog. Hindi siya ang batang tinatawag ko sa panaginip ko tuwing gabi.
“Do you… remember anything?” I asked, quietly again.
David wiped sweat off his brow. “Bits and pieces. I don’t know if they’re real.”
“Like what?”
“Sometimes,” he said slowly, “I remember a girl. Ka-age ko. I think kapatid ko siya. Her name was… Aurora.”
Parang binuhusan ako ng malamig na tubig.
“Are you sure?” I asked, half laughing, half crying.
He nodded. “Pero it’s blurry. I might be wrong. Parang… nananaginip lang ako.”
I forced a smile. “Maybe it’s true.”
“But even if it is,” David added, “I think i’m okay here. Masaya ako dito. I like my life now. I don’t know if i want to remember everything. Kasi baka masira lang ‘tong meron ako.”
Napakagat ako sa labi. “That makes sense.”
“Sorry kung… umasa ka.”
“No,” I shook my head quickly. “Wala kang kasalanan.”
Naglakad kami papunta sa maliit na kubo sa gilid ng ranch, kung saan kami unang nagkakilala.
Tahimik lang kami pareho.
No explanations needed.
I looked at him. “Can i hug you?”
He looked surprised, but smiled. “Sure.”
I wrapped my arms around him.
Slowly. Gently.
And in my head, I whispered a million things.
“I’m sorry, Paul. I’m sorry for not going back. I’m sorry i believed what they told me. I’m sorry i lived when you disappeared.”
David hugged me back.
No words. Just warmth.
Then i stepped away.
“Take care,” I said.
“You too,” he smiled.