Keep running!!!
That thought kept on echoing inside Ricardo‟s mind. He was a mixture of confusion and fear, but he heeded that echo and continued to run as fast as he can. He was being chased, but by whom he does not know, all he knows is that he needs to escape, for whoever was chasing him was intent on killing him, the reason of it is also unknown to him. Only an hour ago, he was sleeping soundly in his bed, with the gentle slosh of the ocean just nearby as his lullaby when all of a sudden a loud, crashing sound awakened him with a start. Then he heard voices, angry voices down below and that‟s when he realized that someone has broken into the house.
His grogginess from sleep abruptly vanished and he scrambled out of bed to check out who might be trying to break in. Careful not to make any sound, Ricardo opened his bedroom door just enough to allow him a glimpse from outside. The darkness inside the room has provided him some advantage for it prevented the people outside from knowing his presence. What he saw made his hackles rise but it also made him wonder. There were several people below, both men and women, he wasn‟t able to get the exact headcount but basing on the exchange of angry voices, he surmised that there were at least five or six of them, however, one thing that puzzled him the most
was that all of them were naked, just a red bandana or red arm tie serves as their only clothing and each carried a long and sharp bolo, a type of sword that local Samarnon normally use.
“Patay gud ha? (Make sure he‟s dead, huh?)”, one of them, a long-haired guy with wild eyes commanded.
“Ngansi kinahanglan naton magkuha parte sa kanya lawas para mahipaimod sa kanra…(Then we have to take a part of his body to show to them)” the woman added.
Ricardo‟s eyes widened in horror, they were obviously talking about him. There was no one else in this house but him. He felt more than saw the others agree and then they started moving, this time, they were already headed towards the stairs and in a matter of seconds they‟ll be in his room for sure. Ricardo didn‟t waste any more time, still carefully shutting the door, he ran towards the balcony and without thinking twice, he jumped and started running. He thought he was already safe, but here he was still being chased. When his killers realized what he did, they all jumped through the balcony as well; with as much more grace than he did and started running after him, their bolos waving frantically above them.
In panic, Ricardo kept running, but he felt like he couldn‟t run fast enough for the soft sand underneath him seemed to slow him down, still, he could hear the slosh of the ocean near him as he ran along the shoreline, it was dark with only the pale moon light as his guide, but even that seemed to not favor Ricardo for yes, it provided him light, but the same goes with his assailants, they can easily see him and they were still after him. Ahead of him, he saw the
dark, huge rock formation, the Goto, of Onay beach, behind it is what the locals call the sanctuary. Left with no other place to go, Ricardo kept running towards the rock, once he reached that he can at least hide from his assailants for a bit or even swim a bit further into the ocean until, hopefully someone, a fisherman might happen to see him.
Finally, he reached it! He tried, as hard as he could to climb up the rock, but right before he could run across it towards the other side, a sharp, heavy and painful object pierced his back. He grimaced with the pain and the air left his lungs, with the exertion from his run and the pain from his back, Ricardo felt his knees gave in and in a moment, he found himself falling forward, he stumbled, from the rock all the way down to the other side with a thug and like a thin, imaginary picture, the sanctuary engulfed him and he was transported into a different world entirely, hiding him from the people chasing after him. Lying face-down upon the damp ground, Ricardo pulled half of his body up using his arms, sweat, blood and sea water dripping all over him, even his back felt like it‟s being pulled apart but he was more concerned with the place he was currently in.
In wide-eyed astonishment, Ricardo roamed his eyes around him. This place doesn‟t look like the sanctuary in Onay. The trees were huge and dense; the ground felt like mud and even the air smelled of fresh morning leaves, the ocean breeze gone completely. If his observation was right, he seemed to be in a virgin forest, but how could there be a forest as dense as this in Onay, especially in the sanctuary? The voices behind him interrupted Ricardo‟s thoughts, with a sharp gasp, he turned and in horror, he watched as the naked people jumped off from the big
rock. Oh God! They‟re going to find me! He thought in both panic and despair.
“Hain na? (Where is he?),” asked the bald guy.
Ricardo held his breath, any seconds from now, they would definitely see him, he was just a few inches away from them and the moon light was enough to illuminate his location.
“Diin dinalagan? (Where did he run?),” the woman asked again. All of them were roaming their narrowed eyes around them, even passed on the ground where Ricardo was lying down.
“They can‟t see me!?” Ricardo thought in disbelief.
As if answering his silent question, his assailants started to move to search the area. They didn‟t see him! Dumb-founded, Ricardo howled himself up on his feet, the pain left him without air but he forced himself to stand his ground. He needs to get away but if he come out now, they still might see him and with his condition, he isn‟t sure if he still has enough strength to outrun them. Feeling temporarily safe, Ricardo once again turned his attention to the place he was in. This is the first time he‟d seen this, yes, there were some forestry in Onay, but not this dense and it definitely doesn‟t over power the ocean breeze, now, if not for the view of the ocean by the shore, he would think that he was not at the beach side at all!
Cautiously, he pivoted but his eyes still scanned the entire area, outside, the angry voices of his killers resounded loud, cutting through the serenity of the night also giving him a warning to remain where he is. Once again, the question of the peculiar people who were trying to kill him hunted his mind. Tonight was
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the first time he has ever seen their kind, they were like a tribe, and he wasn‟t even aware that such tribe still exists here in Northern Samar. This may still be considered a province but it has progressed quite rapidly in the last couple of years. Regardless of that however, why are they trying to kill him and who were they referring to when they said that they need to take a part of his body to show as a proof to that person? That only means that those people were ordered by someone else, but by whom, again he doesn‟t have a clue at all. He couldn‟t recall any enemies here, even in Manila. His business might have flourished and he might have created some enemies along the way but are they really capable of having him killed and worse, to have some of his own townsmen do the job for them?
Damn! He even forgot to grab his cellphone before he jumped from the balcony, he cursed silently. If he has it, he can give Anthony a call or even the local police to ask for help. His back was killing him and he can feel his blood trickling from his wound, pretty soon, he would need to have it tended or else he will lose more blood and it might even cause him death. A snarl from somewhere stopped the stream of his thoughts. Frantically he turned around, trying to find out where and from whom that snarl was. His heart setting up a in a new speed as a different type of fear crept through. There was something about that snarl, it made the hair on his body stand up and a hot, searing feeling started to flare within him. He stood still and remained listening, then a sound of a breaking twig made him jump, he gasped in surprise, and when he did, a distinct, foul odor invaded his nostrils.
It was something he‟d never smelled before, a combination of wet dog, fresh blood and something
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else, but he couldn‟t name it, it was too sweet, almost musky and very hard to ignore. Another snarl cut through the night and in wide-eyed paralysis, Ricardo slowly turned to his right and his fast beating heart stopped instantly as a loud wheezing sound seemed to echo from his ear. There, next to a large trunk of a tree, was the vilest creature he‟d ever set his eyes upon. At first glance, the creature may appear as a dog, a very large dog, but looking at it clearly made Ricardo realize that it‟s not just a normal animal. Its teeth were long and sharp, more so now that its lips were pulled back in a snarl, nose crinkled in hatred and its eyes were blood red. Its furs where shiny and black, but one look at it was enough to know that it doesn‟t contain the same furry softness of a normal dog, and its body was different, might even be deformed, his two front legs were shorter and instead of paws, it has four black sharp-nailed fingers, same goes with its other two back feet.
Ricardo was still frozen in fear as he observed the monster before him. He‟s heard of this creature before, his grandma used to tell them tales about it but he thought it nothing but a superstition or an old tale concocted by the elderly to make them listen. But now, here he was standing and probably becoming a meal to this mythical creature. This is a Sigbin! That realization only made it worse, for the creature seemed to have read his mind and it started to move towards him. Without waiting for anything else, Ricardo broke into a run, he ignored the strain from his legs and even the pain on his back, he continued to run even deeper into the forest and behind him, he can sense the creature gaining on him. His chest throbbed painfully and his breathing becoming shorter but still he didn‟t stop. As he ran, Ricardo turned to find out how far he was but only gave out a shriek when he realized that he was only a few inches away from it, he
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turned back ahead of him and doubled his efforts but before he could make another step, he bumped hard against something. In panic, Ricardo felt against the hard wall-like barrier, he check back on the creature, then he held his breath and pressed his back on the wall, the creature was standing directly in front of him, its smell dominating and its blood red eyes made Ricardo tremble in fear.
When the Sigbin opened its mouth intending to devour him, all that was left for Ricardo was to wait for those sharp teeth to pierce through his skin, and then he stopped. He caught something on his hand, he felt it again, it was like a button of sort, wide and rubbery, Ricardo gave it a press and automatically, the wall diminished behind him, making him stumble backwards. Ricardo watched, wide-eyed when the Sigbin and even the forest disappeared in a smoke-like fashion in front of him and what remained was a closed gray door. It took a couple of minutes for Ricardo to move, with horror still mirrored in his eyes, he continued to stare at the closed door, as if expecting it to open up and let the Sigbin in, then realizing that that is not so, pushed himself up and turned to look at the new place he was in, then again his eyes rounded, this time not in fear, but in wonder.
He was on a rooftop, a very high rooftop! With wobbly limbs, Ricardo walked towards the railings and his mouth dropped open. At this point, he was standing on the rooftop of the tallest building he has ever seen, in the middle of the grandest city he has ever beheld, the buildings surrounding it shimmered in silver and golden lights, making it gleam in the darkness of the night, way ahead, a magnificent and magnanimous bridge creates a passage from the city‟s edge towards another place covered in clouds. So tall was the building he was on that the images below
appeared to be like looking at a particle through a Microscope! What the hell is this place?!? Ricardo thought in wonder.

Six months earlier…
Six o‟clock. Raven Manila Terminal was swarmed with people, different sizes, ages and looks all come and go, crossing each other‟s path aimlessly as if they own it. The food stands and other restaurants all lined up around the terminal and Etrica Manila Mall sparkled with silver and golden lights as the night progressed and diners and shoppers crowded them, oblivious of the deepening dusk.
Taking a deep breath, Ricardo set his head back on the head rest of his Lazy Boy seat and continued to observe the world outside from the glass window of Raven bus. For seventeen years, this was the kind of world he‟d known, aside from his occasional visits to his beloved Northern Samar, Manila has been his constant cradle. Here was where he found his way to life, strived and eventually succeeded.
Now, however, marked the change he was making. After witnessing his brother‟s „magical‟ journey to find his true love, for the first time in his life, Ricardo looked back and stared at his own journey. And doing so made him realize what was missing. Ricardo have had almost everything that a man could ever asked for; success and recognition, a career he so love, wealth, looks and women who were more than willing to crawl into his bed for a single toss
under the sheets. But all these were meaningless now that he‟d seen what really makes up life, and that‟s love, undying and endless and filled with uncertainty. That‟s the real beauty of it all, not knowing what would come tomorrow but still be glad of today, in the arms of the one who matters to you the most---
Ricardo frowned at how his thoughts turned sentimental. Actually, yes, he envied his brother at that aspect, but he really does not want to end his bachelorhood yet, he was still far too free and he likes to keep it that way for as long as possible. But he did make a big change. Today will be his last day in Manila. Three years after his brother, Anthony, got married, Ricardo founded his own Construction Company and due to his hard work, it made a big impact and now soars high in the Construction Industry for the last two years. Etrica Manila Mall was one of his masterpieces, it was an idea that he formulated on his own and now it became one of the most popular and go-to malls in the city. And with the on-going construction of Etrica Catarman Mall, he can almost touch its success. His decision however, doesn‟t have anything to do with Etrica Mall. He was headed home to start the project of developing Caohagan Island into a first class Island Resort and creating the very first high-rise metropolitan strip of Northern Samar, Prima. Prima will be situated in Brgy. Paninirongan in Pambujan Northern Samar. The location was so strategic and prime that Ricardo didn‟t have a hard time creating its blue print and project plan. So naturally, he has to settle in Northern Samar to supervise and plan the massive project better. In search of a change himself, he found the idea more than to his liking. Manila, as a matter of fact, has its own treasures, but for seventeen years, Ricardo found it too bland for his taste already, now he wants something totally different and Northern Samar was just the place to be. A feigned cough from someone interrupted Ricardo‟s thoughts. Dragging his eyes from the window, he turned to where the sound came from and his brows shot up when he saw a man standing in front of him. Wearing a white long-sleeved polo, with red challeco on top paired with cloth pants of the same color, Ricardo realized that he was one of Raven Bus‟ crews. His brows furrowed, however, when he saw the nervous look of his eyes.
“What is it?”
“Err… Sir, w-we have a s-slight problem…” the crew started with a hesitant voice.
“Yeah?” he asked again, now more than puzzled at the reaction. What could possibly have gone wrong?
“T-there‟s been some m-mixed up with the b-booking. A g-guest was not l-listed p-properly and n-now we are full and don‟t h-have any a-available seats anymore…”
“And?” Ricardo asked when the crew stopped.
The crew looked at him nervously first then averted his eyes again, took a deep breath and started to speak. “W-we know t-hat this is a f-family bus, b-but, w-we were j-just thinking, m-maybe, the g-guest---,” the crew stuttered until Ricardo cut him off.
“Since I‟m all alone and this bus is big enough for twenty people, you wanted to know if the guest can ride with me,” he finished for the crew.
Ricardo almost laughed when the crew sagged in obvious relief, then the poor man nodded to confirm it. Rolling his eyes, Ricardo pretended to think about it for a minute, leaving the crew to wonder in suspense if he will relent or not.
“Alright, the guest can ride with me…” he said after a few moments, sending the crew on his heels without waiting for him to say anything else. One would think that the poor crew was afraid that he might change his mind.
He stared at the crew‟s back and smiled playfully before resting his head on the head rest again to wait for the guest. Raven Bus Line has been in the Transportation Industry for 7 years now and his brother, Anthony, founded it. Raven is the only luxury bus line that travels between Manila and Northern Samar. Most of Samarnons or people from Samar preferred it rather than riding on a plane due to the exclusivity that it provides. The terminals, both in Manila and Catarman has a „5 star hotel-like‟ receiving area and treatment, private lavish port in Sorsogon and Allen, Northern Samar and its „cruise‟ like ships, the passengers, or guest as they call them, feels pampered and were treated with utmost importance without them shelling out more money. So he perfectly understands the urgency of preventing an unsatisfied customer. That has always been the company‟s goal.
A slight rustle by the bus door caught his attention; he leaned to the side for a better view of what was happening. The same crew entered first and clumsily moved to the side with a wide smile to allow the guest to enter. Ricardo observed the whispered exchange and frowned when he saw the crew blushed. The guest must be a woman. Well, this won‟t be a boring trip after all then, he thought with a gleam in his eyes. He straightened back in his seat and acted nonchalant as the guest entered. In the corner of his eyes, he observed her; she was still facing the crew, allowing Ricardo to freely roam his eyes over her back. The woman looks „expensive‟, Ricardo noted incredulously, but he was more concerned with how delectable she looked. Her red coat and red pencil cut skirt that reached below her knees hugged her voluptuous body perfectly, leaving Ricardo dreaming of how she would look like without her clothes on. Her brown, long, wavy hair was tied up high behind her head, baring her long, creamy neck to Ricardo‟s eager perusal. Her shoes, however, made Ricardo grimaced silently, were not adequate for travelling, a three inches black, sleek shoes, but it made her feet and legs sexier, so Ricardo decided that it‟s not that bad after all.
Then she turned, and all of Ricardo‟s thoughts flew out the window. She was beautiful! It was pretty obvious that she‟s not wearing any make-up, but Ricardo was positive that if she ever decided to put on any, it will only ruin her natural beauty. Her eyes were remarkable, even if they appear to be too dark and a bit large compared to the normal eyeballs he was used to, she must be wearing contacts, and Ricardo felt a slight pang of disappointment that he won‟t be seeing her real eyes, but apart from that, her pert nose, and full shapely lips, which were smiling at him at the moment, triggering two deep dimples from each side of her cheeks were enough to leave him star-struck. Ricardo watched her walk across the center path and stand in front of him, stretching her hand to start a proper introduction. Absently, Ricardo met her hand and stiffened when he felt some kind of electricity that has coursed through him from their joined hands.
“Thank you for letting me hop in…” she spoke and Ricardo stared at her face, mesmerized not only by her face but also by the velvety sound of her voice.
The woman took her hand back and that awakened Ricardo from being dazed. Clearing his throat, he spoke, “Um… T-that‟s no problem at all…” he stuttered.
“Thank you still. Can I?” she inquired and waved her hand to indicate the seat across from him.
Still out of words to say, Ricardo just nodded. When the woman moved to settle herself on the seat, Ricardo cursed himself for what he was doing, he was acting like a stupid pup letting himself be tongue-tied as he was now! Quickly, Ricardo transformed into the playboy personality that he was positive, he still have, and flashed his most dazzling smile as he waited for the woman to face him again.
“So, what‟s a beautiful lady doing travelling by herself?” he started.
“What do you think? You tell me…” she replied mischievously.
Amusement automatically played in Ricardo‟s eyes, but he decided to play along. Truly an exciting trip, indeed, he thought again. Narrowing his eyes, he gave the woman a sensory look.
“Well, you don‟t look like a provincial kind of girl and you certainly don‟t sound like one…” said he.
“Do you?” countered the woman, a playful smile placed on her lips.
“What?”
“Sound like a provincial guy?”
Then a slow smile formed on his lips when what she meant dawned on him.
“No, I don‟t think so…” he answered.
“So the „you certainly don‟t sound like one‟ theory is now lost. C‟mon, you can do better than that…” she mocked with a slight laugh.
Ricardo also let go and joined in her merriment, he threw his head back and laughed heartily.
“Okay, I‟m up for the challenge, anyway,” he stated after a moment. “Let start over, shall we?”
The woman just dipped her head gracefully to the side.
“Well, you don‟t look like a provincial kind of girl and you don‟t look familiar either. I‟m a local, you know?” said he, then added, “Perhaps, if you give me your name, I‟d be able to figure it out…”
The woman burst out laughing and it sounded really good to Ricardo. His eyes darkened with admiration, he actually felt besotted at the moment.
“Nice try…” the woman said.
Still laughing, they stared at each other for a while, as if they were locked in a spell and no one seemed to want to break it. But the sudden jerk of the bus made them turn indicating that they were now about to exit the terminal. Two Raven crews appeared inside the bus, one of them occupied the seat next to the driver and the other one went to the very back of the bus, to where the employee bed was located behind a wall. Ricardo watched as the remote controlled gate moved to the side and the bus started out of the terminal. The moment that they were completely on the road, Ricardo turned back to the woman and saw her eyeing him with a mysterious gleam in her eyes.
“Now, going back…” he started again.
“You haven‟t guessed yet…” she countered.
“I know. I suppose this is not your first time to go to Northern Samar…”
“Why?”
“Because if it is, you‟ll not be travelling alone…” he pointed out with a smile.
“Yes, you‟re right. I‟ve been to Northern Samar many times before, though, this time the reason is different than before…”
Ricardo waited for her to elaborate her answer but when she didn't, he spoke, “You're not going to tell me, are you?”
The woman just shook her head and again, that mischievous smile was back.
“Very well, then I‟ll make my own assumption…”
“You‟re welcome to try…”
He smiled knowingly and continued, “Okay, so let‟s lay down all the facts so far. You‟re not a local but this is not your first time to go to Northern Samar. But this time, you have a very important reason for visiting…”
“You‟re right so far…” She acknowledged playfully.
“So now that leaves us with what could be the very important reason that would drive you to go to Northern Samar all of a sudden…” he continued.
“Go on…” the woman encouraged.
“Basing on how you look, there would only be two reasons for your visit. Either it‟s due to business or a man…” he stated and watched her reaction carefully. Though, he silently hoped that it‟s the former. It would be too bad if she‟s already attached, especially now that Ricardo finds her intriguing. More so than all the other women he had known.
The woman narrowed her eyes as she regarded him, though her smile never wavered, something tells him that he had somehow guessed right. And Ricardo tensed on which of the two, could it be.
“So, which is it?” he pressed.
After a moment, the woman answered, “It‟s actually both…”
The smile on Ricardo‟s lips was smothered by her answer, and he fought hard to hide the disappointment that stroked him.
“So what‟s the catch?” he asked lightly, but the gleam in his eyes was no longer there.
“Too personal…” she countered.
“Sorry…” he muttered and forced a smile to his lips.
“Now, it‟s my turn…” said the woman, interested and oblivious of Ricardo‟s current disposition.
“Yes, fire on…” he said playfully.
She narrowed her eyes and focused her gaze on Ricardo. Somehow, when her eyes fixed on him, he felt weak. He likes it when she looked at him this way, like she was trying to read him and all her attention was to him alone. But that thought, made Ricardo wonder. She was nothing but a stranger to him, and surely he was not an inexperienced lad when it comes to women for him to be acting like one.
“So you‟re a local, and I think you‟re a business man…” she started.
“Why?”
“Because you kind of have that kind of aura, a blue polo shirt and dark blue jeans, paired with black leather shoes cannot hide that fact…” she stated, too sure and serious that Ricardo smiled genuinely again.
“Go on…” he encouraged.
“You‟re also a „lady‟s man‟…” she added with humor in her eyes.
Ricardo scowled at her but that only made her giggle. “Oh yeah? How can you say that?”
“You don‟t look so young anymore, I‟m guessing, you‟re in your mid-thirties, but still no ring and the fact that you‟re very handsome…” she stated incredulously.
“You find me handsome?” Ricardo asked again, his irritation automatically forgotten and now he became suddenly interested.
“Of course!”
“Good” he said and smiled with satisfaction. “What else?”
The woman laughed at his reaction and once again eyed him up, then her eyes glinted mysteriously.
“And you are going back to Northern Samar because you got one of your conquests here in Manila pregnant and you‟re escaping from her father and six big brothers…” she stated playfully, her eyes shining with humor.
Ricardo threw his head back and laughed out loud, the woman also joined him, laughing at her own ridiculousness. When their merriment subsided a bit, Ricardo spoke again.
“Not quite…” he said, still struggling with his laughter.
“No?”
“No.”
“Aww” the woman feigned a disappointed look and they burst out laughing again.
“Or wait, this one‟s good. You‟re going to marry someone you‟re mom hooked you up with…” she added excitedly.
Again, that only made Ricardo laugh even harder.
“You‟re a wicked woman…” he jokingly accused and watched as the woman continued to laugh. She was really very beautiful, but it‟s not only her beauty that draws Ricardo to her, there was something about her that Ricardo find irresistible.
“I think, it‟s time I set it right. My reputation is now tattered into pieces…” he added and the woman struggled for a straight face.
“Okay…” she answered.
“I am Ricardo Samaniego and I am a Samarnon. I am also a businessman who is trying hard to follow my brother‟s footsteps, but I am also an engineer. Not married but certainly not a womanizer, I‟d say I am just charming…” he stated with much justification.
“Right…” the woman drawled.
“Anyways, I am going home because of a project that my brother and I want to work on. There, your turn…” he finished with a smile.
The woman blankly stared at him, “My turn what?”
“To tell me your story…”
“Was there a rule that after you stated your story, I should also state mine? I didn‟t see it though…” she answered wittily eliciting a burst of laughter from Ricardo.
“C‟mon, tell me just a glimpse. You owe me that…” he urged.
“Oh, so it‟s payback time then…” she countered, narrowing her eyes to him.
“Yeah, you can say that…”
The woman giggled softly before speaking, “Well, I am not a local, but I am also from Samar. I am headed there for both business and a man. But aside from that, I cannot disclose anything more. To be honest, I also don‟t really know. I was just summoned to go and that‟s it.”
“That‟s it?”
“Yes”
“I didn‟t hear you mention your name though. Did I just miss it or you really didn‟t say it?”
Again, the woman laughed at his taunts. “I think it‟s better if you just don‟t know my name. It‟s of no importance anyway…”
“Why is that?” this time, Ricardo turned serious, puzzled at what she said.
“Just…Because…” she hesitated.
But Ricardo wants to know the reason why. “Because?” he pressed.
“Because I think, it‟s not important. I am just a passenger on this bus and after tomorrow, we won‟t see each other again…”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just know…” she answered and the mysterious gleam of her eyes was back.
“But---,” Ricardo was about to press on the subject, but she cut him off.
“Tell you what, let it go for now. Then tomorrow, I will tell you my name before we part ways…” she said.
Ricardo eyed her first, trying to gauge her sincerity on the matter. This is all insane! He just couldn‟t grasp the reason for her hesitation. If he only knew her better and won‟t risk her turning from him, he would argue the matter away, but after a moment, he decided to let the matter go for now. But he shall demand for the answers tomorrow.
“Okay,” he finally agreed.
“Thanks!”
Then their conversation resumed, they talked about anything under the sun, not caring about anything or anyone else and even oblivious of the passing time. And Ricardo found this situation both peculiar and pleasant at the same time. Until one ofthe crew approached them, turning from each other, they both looked at the man.
“Sir, Ma‟am, we have already reached our first stop-over in Quezon. We‟ll stop here for thirty minutes…” the crew announced with a smile, then turned and took his leave without waiting for them to say another word.

Together, Ricardo and the woman turned back to each other.
“It seems the time passed by without me noticing it…” Ricardo stated.
“Right, how time flies…”
“I‟m going to dinner, come and join me.”
When the woman nodded, Ricardo stood up and extended his hand to assist her. She stared at it for a couple of seconds, then with a resigned smile, took it and together, they got off the bus to grab some food.
“Oh, Jocund‟s!” the woman exclaimed when they reached the entrance of the restaurant. She stopped and stared happily at the sign above the establishment.
“Yeah, you like it?” Ricardo asked as amusement played in his eyes. She looked rather adorable acting this way, she‟s like a delighted child.
“Like it?!” she asked in disbelief, turning her shining eyes to him, “I love it!”
Ricardo couldn‟t help but laugh at her. “Let‟s get inside then…”
“C‟mon!”
The restaurant was a little bit crowded with a lot of guests who we‟re riding on the other Raven buses, but Ricardo dragged the woman to the family table. He assisted her first to her seat before settling himself down on the chair across from her, then the waiter was before them automatically. They both placed their orders, which were Lechon (Roasted pig) and Menudo (Pork with tomato sauce), then turned back to each other as the waiter left to process it.
“You know, your garb is not really fit for travel,” Ricardo commented dryly, allowing his eyes to roam all over her.
“I know…” she responded simply.
“Then why wear them?”
“I need to look my best tomorrow…”
The smile on Ricardo‟s lips died abruptly when he realized that she was referring to her meeting with a certain man tomorrow. Not that it‟s not also about business, but it just eats him up to know that she actually took all these effort to make sure that she will look beautiful for the damned, but luckiest guy on earth.
“Oh yeah, for the man…” he drawled, unable to hide his annoyance.
“What‟s up with that tone?” she eyed him quizzically.
“Nothing…” he muttered.
“It‟s got to be more than just „nothing‟. You‟re certainly pissed…” she pressed on.
Taking a deep breath, Ricardo looked at her in the eye. “I just don‟t think he deserves you. Whoever he is…”
“Why?” the woman asked with a frown.
Ricardo was about to answer but the waiter was back with their orders and was now serving them their food. They stared at each other for a while, puzzled to pissed and waited until the waiter was gone.
“Well?” the woman started once they were left alone again.
“If he‟s good enough, he shouldn‟t have let you travel alone. The least he could have done was to fetch you himself in Manila and assist you going to Northern Samar. I mean, this is nearly a fifteen hour ride…” he reasoned out honestly, not trying to hide his annoyance anymore.
The woman stared at him, stunned by what he stated, and then to his greatest dismay, she started to giggle.
“Was there something funny about what I just said?” he asked sarcastically and a deep scowl formed on his lips, but she just laughed even harder.
Furious, Ricardo turned his attention to his food. Alright, so she found him funny for thinking of her welfare. Great! This trip was now a total disaster, for at the moment, he was fighting a battle within him, a battle that does not seem to have any hope for him to win at all. He was starting to feel something weird for this woman, and it certainly is the first for Ricardo. For Christ‟s sake! He was Ricardo, known as a playboy and one who does not want to end his bachelorhood yet, but look, here he was feeling like a protective dumb ass towards a woman who was a complete
stranger and who is already attached to some other man. What‟s happening to him? He thought irritably.
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I can definitely take care of myself…” the woman rasped in between guffaws of laughter.
Lifting his eyes from his food to glare at her, he spoke acidly, “I know that you can take care of yourself, you‟ve certainly managed to come along fine. But that‟s not the point!”
“What‟s the point then?” she asked, finally taking him seriously, well, he was serious.
“If I was him, I will never leave your side no matter what, because I would rather have a jet lag for riding on the bus with you for a complete 24 hours, than be comfortable on my own and wait for you to come to me!” he snapped.
The woman‟s eyes widened by what he said and silence reigned on them as they stared at each other again, both lost with words to say. One, trying to absorb what he said and the other trying to understand that he said what he just said. But after a moment, Ricardo doesn‟t care anymore, he will show her what he feels now regardless if she would welcome it or not, because for the first time in his life, he actually felt like he needed to fight for something far more important than his life. The woman averted her gaze and pretended to pick on her food but Ricardo didn‟t look away, he watched her and allowed his eyes to tell her what he feels.
“Thank you…” he heard the woman whispered without looking at him.
When she looked at him however, her eyes were filled with sincere gratitude that all of Ricardo‟s
irritation disappeared and all that was left was the peculiar emotion he was currently feeling for her.
“I know that, that was not the most romantic way to say it, but you have to know that…” he stated solemnly.
“No!” she strongly said, “I wouldn‟t have it any other way. But it cannot be…” she added in a whisper.
Ricardo clenched his teeth as her response felt like a knife pierced through his heart. Again, it made Ricardo wonder. This was going too fast, to be very honest, he thought grimly.
“We‟ll see…” he muttered.
The woman sighed and smiled at him sympathetically. “C‟mon, let‟s not ruin the night, please. I love your company and I‟d hate for this to come between us…”
Unable to speak for fear of showing more of his misery in his voice, Ricardo just nodded at her. Then he focused his attention on his food, not really tasting it but just a way for him to avoid talking and looking at her. It seemed as if the woman sensed his upset, she stayed silent as well as she finished her own food. They were still not talking until they returned back to the bus and they were back on the road again. The silence was already getting awkward and somehow, Ricardo longed to hear her voice again, watch her face lighten up with animation as they talk about almost a lot of nonsense things.
“How did you like the food?” he asked quietly, but the woman turned sharply to him. She stared at him first, as if trying to gauge his mood, then smiled brightly.
“It was divine…” she responded.
“It was my brother‟s restaurant…” he said gently, trying to get their conversation going.
“Really?” she asked in disbelief and that made Ricardo laugh.
“Yes. Unbelievable, huh?” he teased.
The woman laughed and Ricardo sighed in relief, she‟s back! It was just a couple of minutes, but he missed her already, her laugh and her voice and her wit.
“No, no, no! It‟s not that, it‟s just that, Jocund‟s is my favorite restaurant…” she explained.
“Really?” he countered, then added, “He‟ll be glad to hear it, he‟ll pick me up tomorrow once we reached Catarman, you can tell him then…”
Her laugh subsided abruptly and she shook her head slowly. Ricardo was silent again; he was really having a hard time controlling his own emotions at the moment.
“I want to ask you something…” Ricardo turned to her when she spoke.
“What?” he asked, but his mood still has not changed.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
Ricardo blinked at her, unable to comprehend what she meant by her question. “What am I looking for?”
“Yes, what are you looking for?” she repeated patiently.
“I don‟t understand…”
The woman sighed and looked at him deeply in the eyes. “You‟re a wanderer, I can see that. And I can also feel your heart and he is not at home. Why?”
He was taken aback by that; no one has ever said that to him before. Well, he was aware of it himself but no one really achieved the courage to confront him, even himself. But this woman, was brave enough to ask him that and calmly for that matter. It is true though, he met a lot of different people in his life, been to different places, bedded different kinds of woman, but he was still lost. But he never dared to admit it to himself, not even dared to think about it, because to be honest, he also doesn‟t have an answer to that question, he doesn‟t even know where he was headed. He turned to her and found her staring back, waiting for him to respond.
“I don‟t know. Maybe I just haven‟t found a home yet…” he answered honestly.
The woman smiled at him tenderly and shook her head. “Being at home doesn‟t mean you have to find it yourself. Sometimes, you‟ll just have to stand still and let someone in. Then together, you can be at home…”
Ricardo found himself tongue-tied, he felt as if he just bared his soul to this woman, for her to know something about him that he, himself, was not aware of. At the same time, he felt the wall he built around him, shatter into pieces and Ricardo was astonished, because, it actually felt good. Suddenly, Ricardo‟s eyes moved down to her mouth, he longed to kiss her now, to make her feel what he feels. When her lips parted slightly and her breath came in fast, Ricardo realized that he was not the only one who‟s feeling the same pull. Slowly, he leaned closer, meeting her face just inches apart.
“I want to kiss you…” he whispered.
The woman swallowed and her lips parted again, “You can‟t…” she whispered back, but her reaction says otherwise.
Softly, Ricardo chuckled; he clasped her face in his hands and then quickly crossed their distance. They both gasped the moment their lips touched. It felt like cold water in a lifetime of draught. Then Ricardo started to move his lips on her, gently coaxing her to open up for him. When she did, he thrust his tongue into her mouth, softly but firmly and caressed her mouth. A soft moan escaped her lips, she grasped Ricardo‟s forearm and started to respond to his kiss. She tentatively let her tongue slip into Ricardo‟s mouth, making him groan deep before meeting it with his, then it became a battle. Both of them were gasping and clinging to each other as if they couldn‟t get enough of each other. Ricardo deepened the kiss even more and she responded with the same fervor.
They savored the delicious task for a couple more moments, then Ricardo broke the kiss, lingeringly so then completely pulled away, but just enough for him to look at her in the eye. Both were dark with desire and limp with pleasure.
“Who are you?” he rasped, his eyes filled with emotions.
Ricardo watched the different emotions playing in her eyes, then hesitation flashed briefly but she admonished it by responding firmly, “I am nobody…”
Dismay played on Ricardo‟s face and again, the same anger he felt a while ago came back, but before he could say anything, the woman pulled his head and kissed him deeply. After a few stunned seconds, Ricardo took over and started to kiss the woman again. His anger forgotten and suddenly, Ricardo realized, it doesn‟t matter what her name was, what matters was that she was here with him tonight. He‟ll worry about everything tomorrow. With a groan, Ricardo savored their kiss even more, deepening it until he felt the woman shudder in response. Then finally, their lips parted, but just inches away from each other, their breaths mingling together as they struggled through their rapid breathing. After a moment of pure bliss, the woman spoke.
“Ricardo, knowing my name won‟t change the fact that we cannot be together. It is of no importance and please try to understand that I have my reasons for not telling you so. But believe me when I say that tonight is the happiest night of my entire life…”
Ricardo‟s heart constricted with a deep and peculiar emotion, his eyes shone with tenderness and joy exploded in his heart like no other. Compelled by the series of unfamiliar feelings, he left his chair quickly and transferred to the seat next to the woman. A wall behind them gave them enough privacy from the crews and the driver. Then Ricardo gathered her in his arms and when she went willingly, a satisfied sigh slipped his lips. Doing this just seemed so right, so good and so wonderful. Very new to Ricardo and somehow made him a little frightened, but he checked himself. This was what he has always dreamed of, a chance to experience this kind of emotion and now‟s not the best time to be a coward. This may all seem too soon but he wants it, yearns for it in his heart.
Now that he tasted bliss in the arms of a stranger, he doesn‟t want to feel alone and lost in the arms of those he holds dear to his heart. With a realization, as clear as water, Ricardo wants this woman in his world. To share everything he have and to hold her this way every day. To Ricardo, today, with this woman in his arms, he learned what life really was and he will have it no other way.