*Note this story is in Tagalog
Noong bata pa si Ida inayawan niya na ang pagiging panganay.
Ang pinakamaagang alaala niya ay nang siya ay 5 taong gulang pa lamang. Inaalagaan siya ng kaniyang Tito at naglalaro sila ng tagu-taguan sa damuhan. Nakakita siya ng magandang taguan at hindi siya makita ng kaniyang Tito dahil dito. Lumulubog na ang araw at doon lang napansin ni Ida na may kakaibang nangyayri.
Tumingin siya at napansin na nakadapa ang Tito niya malapit sa puno kung saan sila nagbibilang.
May usap-usapan sa burol na wala naman siyang sakit sa puso. Narinig ito ni Ida sa mga matatanda hanggang sa nalaman niya na hindi lang pala nag-iisa ang kaniyang Tito.
Ang kaniyang Tito Boy ay namatay sa edad na 45.
Ang Lolo Abe naman niya ay binawian ng buhay ng siya ay 65.
Ang pinsan niyang si Layla ay pumanaw ng siya ay 26 pa lamang.
Iyan ang mga pangalang pinag-uusapan sa araw na iyon.
Nang umabot si Ida sa edad na 12, kinausap siya ng mga magulang niya tungkol sa kasaysayan ng kanilang pamilya.
Sinabi ng nanay niya na may lahi sila ng sakit sa puso, at marami na rin siyang kamag-anak na nagkaroon ng ganoong klaseng sakit. Hindi naiintindihan ni Ida ang mismong sinasabi ng kaniyang nanay, pero ang payo lang kay Ida ay mag-ingat at kapag nakaramdam siya na may kakaiba sa kaniyang katawan ay huwag magdalawang-isip at magsabi kaagad.
Tuwing kinakapusan siya ng hininga o mahina ang tibok ng kaniyang puso, lagi niyang naaalala ang sinabi ng nanay niya na, “Mabuti pa ring magpatingin ka sa doktor, para hindi ka matulad sa iyong tito.”
Iba naman ang lahi ng sakit na kaniyang tatay. Marami-rami sa kamag-anak niya na may kaso ng katabaan at nagtataglay ng Type 2 Diabetes. Nagpaliwanag ang tatay niya kung bakit nito pinapasali sa iba’t ibang laro at pinapakain ng mabuti ang kaniyang anak.
At sa paglipas ng panahon, dumarami rin ang mga pagtitipon.
Maraming inaatake sa puso.
Marami ring nagkakaroon ng stroke.
At mayroon ding nagpapakamatay (Ito ang pinakamasakit sa lahat).
Lahat ito ininda ni Ida.
Gumigising siya araw-araw na may pag-asang mabubuhay ulit siya ng isang araw.
Masugid ang pagsunod niya sa kaniyang pamamaraan sa araw-araw: Iinom siya ng gamot, magpapawis, iinom ng protein shake, kakain ng prutas sa agahan, at babantayan ang sariling pangangatawan. Bibilangin ang calories, iiwasan ang mga matatamis, mga saturated fat, mga energy drink, paninigarilyo, at pag-inom ng alak.
Habang siya ay nabubuhay ayos lang sa kaniya ang ganitong gawain.
Hanggang sa, syempre nagising siya sa ospital.
Pangkaraniwang araw iyon at kakatapos lang ng pagtitipon kasama ng kaniyang mga katrabaho. Tanghalian na at kumain lang siya ng kaunti nang bigla siyang makaramdam ng hilo, bumagsak sa sahig at sumusuka ng dugo.
Mabuti na lang mayroong taong nakakita sa kaniya at nadala agad sa siya ospital.
Sa susunod na mga araw ay nababalot siya ng takot at pangamba.
Ang sinabi ng mga doktor na walang kinalaman ang kaniyang naramdaman sa lahing sakit ng mga magulang niya. Nakita nila na parang may sumisira sa lalamunan at iba pang lamanloob ni Ida.
Basang-basa ng luha ang kaniyang unan at nagtataka kung paano ito nangyari sa kaniya.
Ginawa naman niya ng tama ang lahat, at tinanggihan niya ang mga bagay na magbubunga sa sarili niyang kamatayan.
Bakit ito nangyayari sa kaniya?
Nang sumapit ang gabi habang natutulog si Ida, tumapat ang ilaw sa katawan niya na nagmumula sa kabilugan ng buwan. Biglang may lumabas na alupihan na may kasabay na sapot sa bibig niya.
Umakyat ang alupihan sa bintana para bumalik sa kaniyang amo, nakita ng lalaki na gumuguhit ng dugo ang kaniyang alaga, tanda na pinagtagumpayan nito ang tungkuling inatas dito.
Nababalot ng takot si Ida sa buong buhay niya na maaring siyang biglang mamatay, ng hindi man lang niya namamalayan ang mga nangyayari sa kaniyang paligid.
Hindi ang mga kaibigang nasa tabi niya.
O ang kaniyang mga naging kaaway.
Binulsa ng lalaki ang kaniyang alagang alupihan at lumapit sa isang sasakyan para tanggapin ang bayad niya. Makapal na pera ang kaniyang natanggap at doble mula sa kanilang unang pinag-usapan. Kinuha niya ito at umalis sa ospital.
Nagtataka siya kung ano ang nagawa ng taong iyon para kunin ang kaniyang serbisyo.
Kinalimutang kasintahan?
Nagseselos na katrabaho?
Para makaganti?
Kung ano man iyan, maganda ang bayad.
Sana kumalat pa ang balita sa kaniyang ginagawa.
Dahil kailangan niya ng maraming kliyente.
=————————————————=
English Version
Ever since Ida was young, she hated her birthright.
The earliest incident that she could remember was when she was five years old. Her tito was babysitting her and they were playing out in the grass. It was a game of hide and seek. Ida thought that she had found the best spot to hide in, her tito couldn’t find her at all. When it was sundown she knew something was wrong.
She didn’t have to look far. Her tito’s body was facedown by the tree where he was counting down.
At the funeral they said there was something wrong with his heart. Ida listened to the older members of her family and found out he wasn’t the only one.
Tito Boy dead at age 45.
Lolo Abe dead at age 65.
Cousin Layla dead at age 26.
And those were the ones that her family was willing to talk about.
When she was twelve her parents sat her down to talk about their family’s history.
Her mother explained that heart problems were common on her side with a lot of her relatives having something called ‘a weak heart’. Ida didn’t understand the specifics but her mother just told her to be careful and if Ida experienced any symptoms, she should tell her immediately.
And every time Ida would be out of breath or have short palpitations, she would remember her mother saying, “It’s always better to go to the doctor. You don’t want to end up like your tito.”
Her father’s side had a different set of problems. There were many in his family that were obese and suffered from Type 2 diabetes. It explained why he would push Ida to do sports and eat healthy.
And so the years passed, bringing her to more reunions.
More heart attacks.
More strokes.
And even a suicide (That one hurt the most).
Through all this Ida endured.
She woke up every morning determined to live another day.
Her routine gave her a sense of purpose: Take her medications, work out, have a protein shake, eat a breakfast of fruits and oats, and monitor everything. Count calories, no sweets, no saturated fats, avoid energy drinks, no smoking, no drinking were only a few of the things she would keep in mind.
That was her life and she was at peace with it.
Until she woke up in the hospital, of course.
It was a normal day, she had just finished a meeting with her associates and sat down to have lunch. She took a few bites and started to feel dizzy, crumpling to the floor and vomiting blood.
Thankfully someone had called an ambulance and rushed her to the emergency room.
What followed were days of uncertainty and fear.
The doctors said whatever Ida had wasn’t related to her hereditary issues. It looked like something had been ripping through her esophagus and organs.
Her pillow was soaked with tears. It wasn’t fair.
She had done everything right, denying herself even the smallest bit of pleasure just so she would know that she could see the next sunrise.
Why was this happening to her?
That evening, as the light of the full moon washed over her sleeping form, a small centipede with a gossamer thread crawled out of Ida’s mouth.
It made its way out the window towards its master, who, after seeing that the thread was red with her blood knew that his pet had done its duty.
Ida had spent her entire life with the shadow of death looming above her that she didn’t take the time to notice what was happening around her.
Not the friends by her side.
Or the enemies she had made.
The centipede’s master pocketed his pet and walked to the car where he would receive his payment. A fat roll of bills greeted him, double what they had agreed on. He took his spoils and left the hospital.
He wondered though what would anger a person so much that they would need his services?
A jilted lover?
A jealous workmate?
To settle a score?
Whatever it was, it paid well.
Hopefully word would spread.
He needed more clients.
=————————————————————-=
*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino
Inspired by the Mambabarang legends from Siquijor
Mambabarang Illustration by Megel Ramiterre
FB: https://www.facebook.com/the.scribbler.meg/
IG: @_megel
