Danilo Cardinal (Cardinal Bastards Series 6) - Chapter #2 - Free To Read

Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

D UMATING na ang pinakahihintay ni Alexandra. It was time for her bedtime story. Gabi-gabi, hinihintay niya iyon. Her mother was a wonderful storyteller. Mas magaling ito kaysa sa teacher niya sa school. She was eight years old. Nasa ikatlong eskuwelahan na siya. Una ay sa Cambodia, nang sumunod na taon ay sa India, at ngayon sa Pilipinas. Their life was an adventure! Tulad iyon ng mga kuwento ng kanyang ina.

Pumasok na ang kanyang mama sa kuwarto, hinagkan siya sa noo, saka nagtanong, “How is my little darling?”

“Great, Mama!”

“What did you learn today?”

“I learned that my classmates still don’t know long division.”

Ang lakas ng tawa nito. “Well, you can’t expect everyone to learn as fast as you do.”

“My teacher said I can get accelerated.”

“I know.” Hinaplos nito ang kanyang buhok. “You are much too smart for your age.”

“And different, Mama.” Hindi niya alam kung ikatutuwa iyon o hindi.

Noong una, ang sabi ng kanyang ina, maganda sa mundo ang diversity. Gusto raw nitong matuto siya niyon kahit ganoon kaaga pa lang. Iyon daw ang dahilan kung bakit sa iba’t ibang bansa sila tumitira.

“Will we go back to Italy, Mama?” tanong ni Alexandra. Doon siya ipinanganak, pero wala siyang masyadong naaalala tungkol sa lugar na iyon. All she remembered were them traveling together, in ships, in private cars, and holidays spent in front of fireplaces. Iba’t ibang mga lugar sa buong Europe. Ang huling naaalala niya sa London ay ang apartment nila, kung saan may malaking doll house siya. She missed the doll house the most.

“Hindi mo ba gusto dito sa Pilipinas?”

“I do love this place. I like the warmth. I’ve also made friends. But when are we going to get a new doll house, Mama?”

“Well, well, it just so happens that I have a little surprise for you.” Nakangiting inakay siya ng ina palabas ng kuwarto, papunta sa workshop kung saan ito madalas na nandoon. There, her mother did all of her art things. Iyon ang hobby nito—ang magpinta, gumawa ng sculpture, pottery, carpentry. Lahat alam nito, at kapag may hindi alam, siguradong pag-aaralan nito. Gusto rin ni Alexandra na matutuhan ang lahat ng iyon kaya kapag weekend, magkasama sila sa basement at tinuturuan siya nito.

Her mother was an editor for language books. Linguist ang kanyang ina. Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit hindi nito kailangang umalis ng bahay para sa trabaho. Ito ang naghahatid at sumusundo sa kanya sa school, kahit malayo iyon sa bahay nila. Nakatira sila sa Bulacan at ang kanyang eskuwelahan ay nasa Quezon City. Every morning, the drive to school was an adventure! Lahat ng bagay na ginagawa ni Alexandra, kasama ang ina, masaya.

“Tingnan mo kung ano ang nasa ilalim n’on.” Itinuro nito ang natatakpan ng isang puting kumot.

“Wow!” Agad siyang tumakbo papunta sa bagay na may talukbong at napanganga nang buksan iyon, saka napatingin sa kanyang mama. Hindi siya makapaniwala. Parang mas maganda pa iyon kaysa sa dollhouse na naaalala niya. Sa pagkakatanda ni Alexandra, hindi ganoon kalaki ang dollhouse niya dati. Halos kasintangkad na niya ang dollhouse na nakapatong sa isang mababang mesa. “Wow, Mama! Wow!”

Tumawa ang kanyang ina, hinaplos ang kanyang ulo. “I can see you like it.”

“I love it, Mama!” Nagmamadali niyang binuksan iyon. Nahahati sa gitna ang dollhouse at nabubuksan ang mismong bahay, ang isang side niyon mula bubong hanggang pader. Kapag binuksan, makikita sa loob ang ilang floors ng bahay. It was not a house, but a mansion! Kompleto ang mga gamit sa loob. Her mother loved creating miniature items. Mukhang ito ang gumawa ng mga gamit sa loob ng dollhouse—mula sa sofa, kitchen set, at grand piano. Mahigpit na niyakap ni Alexandra ang ina sa saya nang mapansin na may isang kuwarto sa dollhouse na walang laman. “This room is empty, Mama.”

“It’s for you to fill, make it your very own Alexandra room.”

“Thank you so much, Mama!”

“You’re such a grateful child and I love that about you.” Hinaplos nito ang kanyang pisngi. “Gratitude is a good thing. So is loyalty. But as with everything, you need to draw a line somewhere, remember that.”

“What do you mean, Mama?”

“Oh, nothing. Just musings of an old girl, I guess. Let’s put this in your room.”

“Can we carry it?!” Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Alexandra dahil talagang malaki ang dollhouse.

Ngiti lang ang isinagot ng kanyang ina. May gulong pala ang mesa. Nakangiti siya nang itulak nila ang mesa papunta sa kanyang kuwarto. Nang naroon na, isinaksak ng kanyang mama ang plug at nagkaroon ng ilaw sa loob ng dollhouse. It was the most perfect gift and it was not even her birthday yet!

“Can I play with it, Mama?”

“Not until tomorrow. You need to sleep.”

“But what about my bedtime story, `Ma?”

“Not tonight, honey.”

“Please? I want to hear about the city of gold.”

Parang saglit na nag-isip ang kanyang ina, saka siya niyayang mahiga na sa kama. Tinabihan siya nito. Hindi katulad ng iba, walang kailangang libro ang mama niya kapag nagkukuwento. Kung ang ibang mga kaklase niya alam ang Cinderella, Goldilocks, at iba pang fairy tales, siya, iba ang mga kuwentong inaabangan. Naikuwento rin sa kanya ng ina ang mga fairy tale, pero para sa kanya, ang pinakamaganda nitong kuwento ay ang tungkol sa city of gold.

Kahit ilang ulit niyang napakinggan ang kuwento, wala pa rin siyang sawang makinig. Sikreto ang kuwento, sabi ng kanyang ina, hindi puwedeng sabihin sa iba. Dahil matinding lihim daw ang tungkol doon, wala ni isang nakakaalam tungkol sa city of gold.

Nagsimula na ito. “Once upon a time, there lived a king named Wally. He lived in a city of gold. Everything in sight was made of gold. The dinnerwares, the pathwalks, jewelry, the houses had gold ornaments, even the curtains had jewels and gold in them.”

“It was probably hot there, Mama, in a city filled with gold.”

“On the contrary, it was probably cool. Wally’s kingdom, his city of gold, existed before skyscrapers, airplanes, buses, crowded cities, and the like. They lived near a jungle so rich with nature’s gifts that everything grew abundant and the temperature was cool.”

“Tell me about the trees, Mama,” hiling ni Alexandra.

“They were so tall that men standing next to them looked like Lilliputans.”

Natutuwa rin si Alexandra sa kuwento ni Gulliver at ng Lilliput, pero wala iyong panama sa kuwento ni Wally. Mahilig siya sa mga kuwentong adventure at fantasy at hindi nauubusan niyon ang kanyang ina. Noong mas bata pa si Alexandra, madalas siyang naglalaro at nagpapanggap bilang si Gulliver. Ang mga Lilliputan ay gummy bears o kaya ang mga paperdoll niyang may stand.

Nagpatuloy ang kanyang mama sa kuwento. “Wally had a brother who wanted to be king, too. They had been fighting for years and Wally was tired for he loved his brother so. It pained him that they were always fighting.”

“Why were they always fighting, Mama?”

“Because the brother wanted to be the king. Anyway, one day, Wally heard that there was a brave conqueror who traveled far and wide, crossed the deepest oceans, to take control of his city of gold.”

Sa puntong iyon, palaging nai-imagine ni Alexandra ang isang lalaki na tulad ni Ferdinand Magellan, habang si Wally ay isang tulad ni Lapu-Lapu.

“The brave conqueror did not expect to find so many warriors ready to fight for Wally—eighty thousand men, ready to defend their city. While the conqueror—”

“Pizza Man!” bulalas ni Alexandra, sabay tawa.

“Yes, Mister Pizza Man, the conqueror, only had a hundred and sixty-eight men.”

“I bet he was scared, Mama.”

“He probably was.” Ngumiti ito. They used several languages in the household, but they used mostly Filipino, English, French, and Italian. “Ang gusto ng mga sundalo ni Wally, talunin ang conqueror, pero may ibang plano si Wally. Gusto niyang matapos na ang gulo nila ng kapatid niya. So instead of tearing Pizza Man into pieces, which he could’ve done only too easily, Wally decided to use him to his advantage. Pinalabas niyang nahuli siya ni Pizza Man, kasama ang ilan niyang tauhan. While all his loved ones and people left their home and went deep into the recesses of the jungle they knew very well, having lived there all their lives.”

“Was it really a big jungle, Mama?”

“It was. Five point five million square kilometers.”

“How big is that, Mama?”

“Well, from our house to the gate of the subdivision is half a kilometer. A square kilometer is a square with all its sides measuring one kilometer. Can you imagine how big five point five million square kilometers is?”

“Mama, the Philippines only has over three hundred and forty-two thousand square kilometers. That jungle is so big! What happened after Wally’s family and people went to hide deep inside that jungle, Mama?”

“They built their new city of gold there, away from conquerors, traders who wanted their gold, and a brother who wanted the kingdom for himself. Ang sabi, twenty thousand na llama ang kinailangan para bitbitin ang ginto papasok sa jungle. Wala ni isang dayuhang nagtangkang pumasok sa loob ng kagubatan ang nakalabas nang buhay. At doon nga uli itinayo ni Wally ang kahariaan niya. Wally convinced the conqueror to make it seem like the conqueror won since they had new weapons that Wally’s men did not possess—rifles, cannons, and lightweight swords.”

“But, Mama, guns can kill a lot of people, right?”

“Yes, but during this time, there weren’t machine guns yet. Not even pistols.”

“Oh.” Tumango si Alexandra. May alam siya sa mga baril dahil nagta-target shooting silang mag-ina kung minsan. “What did they use, Mama?”

“They used the arquebus. It is a long piece, looks like a rifle. But it doesn’t load like the modern rifle. It takes thirty seconds to a minute to reload it. One must also use gunpowder. After a few shots, it will be hard to see your enemy because of all the smoke it produces. Aside from all that, during that time, a few wars were lost using the arquebus due to humidity. Humidity affects the condition of gun power. Do you have any idea how humid it is near a jungle that big?”

“So Pizza Man just sort of agreed to what Wally wanted?”

“I imagine he had no choice. Kapalit ng katahimikan, binigyan ni Wally ng gold at silver ang conquerors. Pizza Man was able to fill two rooms with silver and one room with gold. That’s more than three tons of silver, mon cheri , and one point five tons of gold.”

“That’s a lot,” patango-tangong sabi ni Alexandra. Marami siyang alam na unit of measurement, kasama iyon sa itinuro sa kanya ng ina noon pa man. Her mother had a passion for learning. She read all the time. Siguro dahil na rin sa trabaho nito. Lahat ng mga bagay na tulad ng sukat, pagko-compute, at iba pa, maaga niyang natutuhan. They used to have lessons on the road. Kapag nasa sasakyan sila, nasa barko, nasa eroplano, palaging may libro para sa kanya ang ina. Kapag hindi siya interesado sa isang bagay, gumagawa ito ng paraan para maging interesado siya roon. She was happy knowing things her classmates did not have any idea about. Kahit ang mga teacher, nagugulat kung paano niya nalaman ang mga alam niya.

“Oui, mon cheri. Today, that can buy you anything, anything you want.” Ngumiti ang kanyang ina. “Pizza Man took a portion of that fortune to his king. Wally, as a sign of goodwill and promise to the conqueror, gave him his favorite sister to marry. And to his sister, Wally gave the greatest gift of all—a symbol of family and a symbol of their sun god—in solid gold and diamonds and emeralds.”

“How much is that worth today, Mama?”

“Priceless.”

Patuloy na nagkuwento ang kanyang ina hanggang marinig ni Alexandra ang “Wally and his people lived happily ever after in their city of gold. The end.”

The story, like before, fascinated her. Alam niyang fiction iyon, likhang-isip ng kanyang ina, o siguro ibinase nito sa mga kuwentong pambata tulad ng Gulliver’s Travels o ng Rapunzel, pero amazed si Alexandra sa kuwento sa maraming dahilan. Una, para iyong totoo. Pangalawa, walang Prince Charming, walang kawawang prinsesang inaapi, walang mga fairy at magic. Napakalinaw sa isip niya ang isang city of gold at ang pagmamahal ng hari sa mga nasasakupan, ang natural nitong talino, ang tapang. She imagined Wally was like her own father.

Lumaki si Alexandra sa ina dahil namatay ang kanyang ama sa giyera bilang piloto ng isang fighter jet. Her father was an American named “Captain Fredrick Riggs” of the US Airforce. Sabi ng mama niya, dahil daw sa kanyang papa, malaki ang nakukuha nila mula sa gobyerno ng Amerika. It was the reason why they can afford to travel all the time. Her mother was half Filipino-half French. Alexandra was born in Italy though.

Hindi man niya naabutan ang sino man sa magulang ng kanyang mama, buhay ang alaala ng mga ito mula sa kuwento. Oh, how she adored her mother. Tuwing may kuwentuhan sa eskuwelahan at nagbibida ng trabaho at ari-arian ang kanyang mga kaklase, walang ibinibida si Alexandra kundi ang kanyang maganda at matalinong mama.

Sa pinapasukan niyang international school, madalas ikuwento ng isang kaklase ang ama nitong abogado sa malaking kompanya sa Amerika. “ Last summer we traveled with my father’s boss—CEO of a Fortune 1000 company!”

“We went to Sydney using my grandfather’s private jet,” pagbibida ng isa pa, apo ng kilalang politiko ng Pilipinas.

May isa ring nagbibida tungkol sa opinyon nito kung alin ang mas masayang puntahan, Disneyland o Universal Studios. Alexandra found them all boring. Kapag siya na ang tinanong ng mga kaklase kung saan siya nakarating nang magbakasyon, sinasabi niya, “Well, I became a blackbelt in karate, went diving in Sorsogon to see the whales, and I bet I wouldn’t be spending the whole semester learning German because I’ve learned to speak it a long time ago. Mama is fluent in it, you see.”

Madalas na hindi na siya pinapansin ng mga kaklase. Para sa mga ito, siya si Alexandra na hindi ka-level ng mga ito pagdating sa yaman. She knew because she heard them talk about her that way. Nabigla siya noong una dahil hindi siya kailanman tinuruan ng kanyang mama tungkol sa kahalagahan ng yaman. She was not fully aware of how money worked. Ni wala siyang baong malaking pera sa school, kundi twenty pesos na kailangan niyang tipirin dahil tinuturuan din siya ng ina ng money management. Mula nang marinig niya ang mga kaklase, nagtanong siya sa kanyang mama. Her mother seemed very annoyed and said, “Kids these days have turned into materialistic little brats like their parents. I will never want you to be like them. There is no shame in not having our own jet, or meeting famous people. There is no shame in that, Alexandra.”

Her classmates were such losers. Kung alam lang ng mga itong kulang ang mga araw para matutuhan niya ang lahat ng gusto. Laging sinasabi sa kanya ng ina na walang mas nakakalungkot sa mundo kaysa sa isang taong kayang mag-aral, pero mas pinili ang magpakatamad.

Alexandra’s mother indeed loved to study. Kung minsan, dumadayo pa ito sa kung saan-saang lugar para sa research. It was one of the things her mother loved. Nahahawa na siya rito. But her mother said, she was born with the same hunger she had—hunger for knowledge.

“You go to bed now, Alex,” sabi ng kanyang ina, hinagkan siya sa noo. “Don’t make me come back here and catch you reading.”

Napalabi siya. Madalas na nagbabasa siya kapag wala na ang ina. Mas gusto niyang gawin iyon kaysa matulog. There were so many stories to read about, so many things to dream about. Isa pa, sabi naman ng kanyang mama, maganda raw sa isang tao ang malawak ang imagination.

“But you said reading is always a good thing.”

“Not always, especially if it’s past your bedtime. There will be plenty of time, but not tonight, do you understand me, young lady?”

Tumango si Alexandra. “Mama?”

“Yes?”

“Did Papa love to read?”

Natigilan ito.

Napakagat sa labi si Alexandra. Hanggang maaari, iniiwasan niyang magtanong tungkol sa ama dahil nakikita niyang parang naaapektuhan ang ina. Kung minsan lang, gusto sana niyang mas makilala pa ang ama sa pamamagitan ng mga kuwento, pero pagdating sa kanyang papa, kakaunti ang kuwento ng kanyang mama.

“He loved reading just as much as I do.” Hinaplos nito ang kanyang pisngi. “As much as you do, too.”

“I bet if he were alive, he would’ve taken us flying, Mama.”

Ngumiti ito, isang matipid na ngiti. “Go to bed.”

Tumango si Alexandra at itinaas ang blanket hanggang sa ilalim ng baba. Pumikit siya at narinig na lumabas na ng pinto ang ina. Gusto sana niyang paglaruan ang dollhouse, pero nag-aalala siyang baka maging maingay iyon kaya kinuha na lang niya ang isang librong tinatapos basahin mula sa ilalim ng unan. Inilabas niya ang isang flashlight, nagtalukbong at nagsimulang magbasa.

Tungkol kay Amelia Earhart ang kanyang binabasa. Piloto rin ang babae, tulad ng kanyang ama. Pero misteryoso ito dahil hindi na nakita pa ang eroplanong sinakyan. Alexandra wondered about Amelia most of the time. Paano kaya kung ang nangyari sa kanyang ama, tulad din ng nangyari kay Amelia? Dahil wala ring nakuhang mga lab î ng kanyang ama. People just assumed he was dead.

Ayaw niyang sabihin sa ina ang mga iniisip tungkol sa kamatayan ng ama. Baka malungkot lang ito. Ipinagpatuloy niya ang pagbabasa tungkol kay Amelia Earhart, ginawang idolo ang babaeng napakaraming accomplishment noong panahon nito. Baka sa kanyang paglaki, gustuhin din niyang maging piloto. Ang dami niyang pangarap; sa dami, hindi na niya alam kung ano ang uunahin.

Nakatulugan na niya ang pagbabasa at nang magising, agad na itinago ang libro sa ilalim ng unan, saka lumabas ng kuwarto. Tahimik siya sa paglalakad, pero alam niya, naramdaman na siya ng ina. Kahit gaano siya kahina sa paglalakad, kahit tumiyad pa siya, alam agad nito kapag naroon siya sa paligid.

“Breakfast is ready,” sabi nito kahit nakatalikod sa dining area, nagbabasa ng diyaryo. “Come, sit here.” Tinapik nito ang katabing upuan.

“How do you always know I’m there, Mama? I never make a sound.”

“It’s just natural for me, being your mother. I know a lot of things about you. For example, I know that you didn’t immediately go to sleep last night like I told you to.”

Hindi nakaimik si Alexadra dahil hindi niya ugaling magsinungaling dito. Tahimik na lang niyang kinain ang almusal—omelette, bread, ham. Nang makapag-almusal, niyaya siya ng ina na mamasyal. Akala niya, sa malapit lang sila pupunta, pero nakahanda na ang dalawang maliliit na bag. Hindi pa nagtagal, naihatid na sila ng taxi sa airport. Soon, they were flying to Japan.

“Disneyland, Mama?”

“Yes. A little surprise for you.”

Ngiting-ngiti siya. Nakarating sila sa Tokyo at tumuloy sa Disneyland Hotel. Sa mataong lobby, tiningnan niya ang magandang disenyo ng lugar. Magtatanong sana siya sa ina nang mapansing isang mama ang mabilis na nagbaba ng bag sa tapat ng bag nila. The man left the bag he was carrying and took their bag. It was done so quickly and swiftly that Alexandra was not sure if it happened at all.

“Mama, the man—”

“Oh, it’s time to check in. It’s our turn.”

“But, Mama that man—” Hindi naituloy ni Alexandra ang sasabihin dahil binuksan ng kanyang ina ang bag na iniwan ng mama at nakita niya sa loob ang isa sa kanyang mga manyika. Naisip niya agad na nagkamali siya ng akala. No bags were exchanged because it was the same bag. Nandoon pa rin ang kanyang manyika.

“What were you saying, honey?”

“Nothing. I just thought… It’s very strange.”

“You’re in Disneyland! It’s supposed to be the happiest place on earth! Cheer up!”

Napangiti na si Alexandra. Tama ang ina.

Nag-check in na sila at nagpunta sa theme park. Marami pang oras para sa pagsakay sa rides. She had totally forgotten about the man and the bag...

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