*Note this story is in Ilocano
Ti Babai a Nakamangisit
“Saanmo a pulos a maala dagitoy agingga a dika agsimbeng,” kinuna ni Mimi kabayatan ti panangalana iti tulbekko.
Kanayonko nga ibaga kaniada nga nasayaatakon; nagbyaheak metten iti nakarkaro pay a kasasaad; ket ti balayko sangapulo a minutos laeng ti kaadayona; kaskarina met a madisgrasyaak. Saanda a dumngeg ket adda bassit a parte ti bagik ti agyaman gapu iti kaadda ti gagayyemko a kas kaniada, ngem dakdakkel ti parte ti bagik ti masuron gapu ta masapul a magnaak nga agawid iti katengngaan ti rabii.
Indiaya da Jherick ken Deng ti panangkuyogda kaniak sumagmamano a bloke agingga iti balayko, ngem ti nabartek a pasetko ti mangibaga nga umatrasda laengen, nupay iti nalawlawag a wagas. Diak ammo no apay a kastoyak, diak koma idurduron nga umadayo dagiti pagayamko nangnangruna ita.
Manipud idi nagsinakami kenni Grace, kanayonnakon nga umin-inom ken maysaak a napeklan a langgong iti sinuman nga aggandat a makisarita kaniak. Kayatdak a tulungan ngem saan a maikari ti lalaki a kas kaniak a laplapdanna ti pannakipagayamda.
Nangnangruna kenni Mimi, ti nasam-it, napintas a Mimi.
Manipud iti suli ti matak, nakitak manen isuna. Siguro nabartekak la ngamin. Ti babai a nakamangisit ket mangbuybuya iti amin a kinadaksanggasatko, kasla koma naindaniwan ngem makapasuron unay.
“Naragsak ka kadi itan? Maragsakanka a mangbuybuya ti panagsagsagabak?”
Ti al-alia ket nakamattider iti sirok ti poste ti silaw, saan nga aggargaraw. Awanen ti sabali pay a namnamaek. Manipud idi nakisinaak, kadarato a makitak isuna iti naladaw a rabii, iti batog ti maysa a poste ti silaw.
Iti daytoy a kanito, nabartekak unayen tapno mangikankanoak pay, timmaraynak iti ayanna a makalulua.
“Apay nga pinanawannak isuna?”
Ginammatak ti nangisit a badona ket nagsanod. Daytoy ti umuna a reaksion a naalak kaniana. Pagammuan ta agtakder ti atiddog a buokna. Napasanudak ket dagus a namunawanak.
Ania ti pampanunotek? No aniaman daytoy ket saan a mannakigayyem. Inurnongko amin a riknak saak impan ti amin a kabaelak a tumaray iti adayo. Nabaelak ti makaadayo a dagus idi madlawko nga awan sumursurot kaniak.
Adda laeng a nakatakder a mangmatmatmat kaniak.
No aniaman isuna ket awan kaipapananna. Ad-adu ti importante a panunotek. Nagawidak ket nakaturog a mangtagtagainep kadagiti babbai iti biagko.
Mimi. Grace. Ti Babai a nakamangisit
Nagbalinda a maymaysa a ladawan a kayatko a gaw-aten ngem adayo unay.
Nagkuringring ti alarm ko ken nariknak a kasla bumtak ti ulok. Napanak iti banyo tapno agdiram-os ket nalagipko nga adda gayam kenni Mimi ti tulbek ko.
Uray ta adda rason tapno makasaritak isuna.
Rimmuarak iti balayko ket uraynak la nakariaw. Nasikkarodko ti sintas ti sapatosko ket naidaramudomak iti daga.
Adda pay laeng ti babai a nakamangisit.
Kasla saan nga aggargaraw, ket manipud idi rabii, diak gagaran ti makiringgor kaniana iti mabiit. Linissiak ti mangmatmat kaniana ket nagluganak iti dyip a mapan iti balay ni Mimi.
Pinagunik ti doorbell ni Mimi saak kimmita iti arubayan. Adda ti babai a nakamangisit a mangsursurot kaniak. Adda isuna iti bangir a kalsada a mangkitkita kaniak. Diak ammo no ania ti kayatna ngem ad-adu ti banag a pakaseknak.
Kasapulan a maammuan ni Mimi ti kaririknak.
Inlukatna ti ridaw, dagiti naalumanay nga imana ken ti naragsak nga isemna ti nangkablaaw kaniak.
Ney, adda met gayam nakapanunot a bumangon,” kinunana. Isalakannak ti Dios iti dayta nga isem.
“Mimi, mabalinta ti agsarita?
“No maipanggep iti tulbek, intedko kenni Jherick. Umayna koma idagas didiay balaymo inton pangngaldaw.
“Saan a dayta ti gapuna. Mabalinak a sumrek?” Nangrugi nga agling-et ti dakulapko ken umirteng ti panagangesko, ngem naladawen nga agsanudak pay.
Sige, ania kadi dayta? Inturongnakami iti naulimek a parte ti balayda ket imbagakon ti amin.
No kasano a saanak pay a nakaam-ammo ti maysa a balasang a kas katan-ok na. No kasano nga uray no addaak iti denna ni Grace , isuna ti pampanunotek ket pagpagarupen dagiti ania koma. No kasano nga ita ta agpadakamin a single ket mabalin nga ikkan ti bagimi ti gundaway.
Kasla nakigtot ngem saan a nasdaaw.
“Ron, addan kasarsarakko.”
Iti dayta a kanito, narba ti lubongko. Imbagak kaniana nga nasyaatak, ken no mabalin ket saanen a madakdakamat pay daydiay.
“Sapay koma ta naragsak kayo a dua,” nabaelak nga imbaga iti baet dagiti luak.
“Ni Jherick.”
Kasla naipana ti saem a nangsarut iti pusok. Saan pay kadi nga umanay a ti babai nga ay-ayatek ket saan a mabalin a makadennak, ngem isuna ket kaddua ti nasinged a pagayamko? Kasla nadagsen unayen.
Dinarasko ti rimmuar iti balay nga saan a timmaltaliaw. Nakakitaak ti naulimek nga eskinita nga nangipennekak ti nagsangit ngem nakitak manen isuna.
Ti babai a nakamangisit.
Siguro ket nagbuybuya lattan. Sige, no pagragsakanna ti mabuyana. Daytoy ti biagko itan, nasugatan a puso nga aggandat nga agpakalalaki.
Saan. Saan koma a kastoy ti pagpatinggaan ti amin.
Nagtakderak ket inummongko ti amin a tured. Agsubliak ket kasaritak ni Mimi.Siguro, makaibalikasak iti makapagbalbaliw iti kapanunutanna. Masapul nga adda wagas tapno dakami ti agkatuluyan.
Dinarasko ti nanglasat iti kalsada a mapan iti balayna.
Nalabit, no naan-annadak, napakadaak koma ti kotse a sumabet kaniak.
Ti maudi a nakitak ket ti babai a nakamangisit, umis -isem.
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English Version
Jherick and Deng offer to walk me a few blocks to my house but the drunk in me tells them to back off, though in a more explicit way. I don’t know why I’m like this, I shouldn’t be pushing my friends away especially now.
Ever since Grace and I broke up all I’ve been doing is drinking and being a complete ass to anyone that tried to talk to me. Everyone’s been so supportive and they don’t deserve a guy like me fighting off their friendship.
Especially Mimi, sweet, beautiful Mimi.
Out of the corner of my eye I see her again. I guess I’m just that drunk. The lady in black watching over all my misfortune, it would be poetic if it wasn’t so damn annoying.
“Are you happy now?! Do you enjoy watching me suffer?!”
The apparition stands still under the light post, unmoving. I didn’t expect anything more. Ever since my breakup I’ve been seeing her late at night, always under some sort of lamp post.
This time I’m too drunk to care, I run up to her with tears in my eyes.
“Why did she have to leave me?!”
I grab her black dress and she steps back. The first reaction I’ve ever gotten from her. Suddenly her long hair stands on end. I instinctively back away and in that moment I sober up.
What was I thinking? Whatever this is can’t be friendly. I gather my senses and run as far away as I possibly can. I manage to get a running start before I notice that I’m not being followed.
She’s just standing there looking at me.
Whatever she is it doesn’t matter. I have more important things to think about. I head home and fall asleep dreaming of the women in my life.
Mimi. Grace. The Woman in Black.
All of them form into one figure that I try to reach, but she’s so far away.
My alarm rings and my head is splitting from the hangover. I go to the bathroom to wash my face and remember that Mimi still has my keys.
At least I’ll have a reason to talk to her.
I walk outside my house and almost shout. I trip on my own shoelaces and fall to the ground.
The woman in black is still there.
She doesn’t seem to be moving and after last night I don’t think I’ll be confronting her anytime soon. I avoid looking at her and make my way to the jeep to go to Mimi’s house.
I ring Mimi’s doorbell and look around. The lady in black is following me. She’s a street away and staring in my direction. I don’t know what she wants but right now there are more pressing matters.
Mimi needs to know how I feel about her.
She opens the door, her gentle hands and radiant smile greeting me.
“Well it looks like someone finally got up,” she says. God save me from that smile.
“Mimi, can we talk?”
“If it’s about your keys I gave them to Jherick. He’s supposed to drop them by your house at lunch time.”
“No it’s not about that. Can I go in?” My palms start to sweat and it gets hard to breathe, but it’s too late to go back now.
“Of course, what is it?” She leads us to a quiet place in their house and I tell her everything.
How I’ve never met any girl as amazing as her. How even when I was with Grace I would think about her and wonder what if. How now that we’re both single maybe we could give it a chance.
She looks shocked but not surprised.
“Ron, I’m seeing someone.”
And in that moment my universe collapsed. I tell her it’s fine, to just not mention it anymore.
“I hope you two are happy,” I manage to say in between my tears.
“It’s Jherick.”
A shooting pain goes through my heart. It wasn’t enough that the girl I loved couldn’t be with me, but her together with my best friend? It was almost too much.
I rush out of the house without looking back. I find a quiet alleyway to let my tears loose and I see her.
The lady in black.
She was probably watching the whole time. Well she can enjoy the show. This is my life now, a broken heart trying to be a man.
No. This can’t be how it ends.
I stand and muster all the courage I have to go back and talk to Mimi. Maybe I can say something that would change her mind. There has to be a way we could be together.
I rush through the streets to her house.
Maybe if I was more careful I would have seen the car coming towards me.
The last thing I see is the lady in black, smiling.
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*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Inspired by a story told by Harold Juab
Illustration by likhatsining
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