Ystoria.Tk January 2005

dagupan

written by Lexan B. Orantes

9.

          Jisan was only sixteen then and was beautiful. She and her sister, Mary Anne, first lived in Pampanga, their mother’s home province, and went to an all girls catholic school before moving in Dagupan, their father’s, and go to a co-ed high school. This was on Jisan’s last year in high school and Mary Anne has two more.

          As I said, Jisan, or Isa, is beautiful, with big deep-set eyes and luscious pouting lips. She too has beautiful long hair and a voluptuous body. And though she gives an air of confidence and liberal disposition in life, she was a virgin. Many doubts it but she was then and don’t care what other people thinks. Upon entry to the school, she gained instant popularity specially amongst boys—smitten by her beauty or, most of the times, want to know if really she is or not.

          She was a virgin, not ever having a boyfriend before in Pampanga. All she had was a girlfriend, one girlfriend. Well, it was in an all-girl school. And even if she did have a lesbian lover, she said they never did something. I know, hard to believe but we are really the liberal crowd, “why would I deny it to you guys if ever?”

          She had many suitors but two guys utterly stand out: Toshi and Sharie (I’m not making out this names, it really is their name). Actually, we thought Toshi had no chances on her as we all know he already have a child to some woman before he even celebrated his fifteenth birthday. But Toshi is a cool guy and started hanging out with us. Sharie is the front-runner really, or so we thought. He was handsome with his Middle Eastern features and was very much single. But then, to our surprise, Jisan chose Toshi over Sharie.

          Yah, she all got her by surprise as this was during the final days of the semester and we were all squabbling for finals. “Why him? He have a kid!” we all asked. She just shrugged and said, “So, it’s not like I’m marrying him?”—Implying that the only reason she was having the relationship was for the sake of having.

          Well, Jisan is a smart girl, confident and sophisticated. She had managed to keep her virginity all through out those times even in the company of non-virgins. So, we have to give it to her… we trusted her… we should have known better…

          Three months later, Jisan hardly see us and started logging off school. And another month later, Mary Anne told me that Toshi was abusing Jisan.

          “What do you mean abusing?”

          “There is this house at Zamora Street…” Mary Anne started.

          “Whose house?” I asked. She didn’t answer. I asked again. “Aaron…” she said.

          Aaron was Mary Anne’s boyfriend, whose both parents are working abroad.

          “We hang there now,” she continued. No wonder I don’t see them around much. It didn’t let it bother me that much then not seeing them around at school because I was busy. “So, what happened?”

          “Toshi, spanked ate one time in front of us…”

          “Spanked? As in right across the face and it’s nothing sexual?” She nodded.

          “And the fights get worst each time…”

          “They fight much?”

          “Ever since Toshi got the mother of his kid pregnant again…”

          “Toshi is having another kid via the same woman?”

          “Toshi once have ate in the room, locked the door and started hitting ate… we were begging Toshi to stop and open the door but he won’t. We could hear ate crying, screaming…”

“You were there and it’s only now that you tell me this?”

“Ate said not to tell…”

“Mary Anne!”

“And she too is pregnant…”

“Mary Anne!”

“What are we to do…?”

“Where is that house!?”

“At Zamora…”

“You are taking me there!”

 

Once there, there was protest both from Toshi and more from Jisan. Toshi wasn’t able to protest much as he knows what I can do to him. Daddy, Melody’s father, is one of the founding members of the foremost and most powerful, therefore notorious, fraternity in Dagupan—lay a finger on me and you’re dead. So I have no problem with Toshi, Aaron and the rest of the guys that were there. They all just backed off and Toshi just stood silent even when I hit his face telling him, “You have no right to hit her!” Jisan didn’t want to go, Mary Anne and I have to drag her out, kicking and screaming.

          Their father was furious when he learned that Jisan was pregnant. That was all Mary Anne told him, as she knows their father would go ballistic if she told him about the physical abuse. After lots of cussing, Jisan was sent back to Pampanga.

But three days later, Jisan sneaked back in Dagupan and went to see Toshi again with a bag containing all her clothes. Thinking Toshi loved her and that he would go away with her. She was wrong.

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written and web-layout by Lexan B. Orantes for Ystoria.tk for Story Tellers Manila

28 Golden Grove St. Bartville Subd. Dela Paz, Pasig City 1600 Philippines

p: +63(2)4574973/+63(917)7476901 e: lexan@ystoria.tk