“Deuce!” Umugong ang sigawan sa Center Court. Halos mabingi sa sigaw si Dashielle subalit di maaring mawala ang concentration niya. She rallied with her opponent for what seemed like forever. Dalawang magkasunod na points na lang at makukuha na niya ang Austalian Open. O maari ring matalo siya.
It was the best of three sets. Tig-dalawang set na ang napapanalunan nila ng kalabang Russia seeder. So the fifth set was a deciding round.
Mahigpit niyang hinawakan ang grip ng raketa. Pagod na rin siyang magtatakbo. Pinahirapan siya nang todo ni Irina Kasanov. She was the second seeder in the world. Ilang beses na rin silang nagkaharap sa court. At wala siyang plano na magpatalo dito.
Si Irina ang nag-serve. The ball was coming slower than usual. Pagod na rin ito tulad niya. A smile curved on her lips. She answered her serve with a forehand shot. Ngumiti si Ivana. Maybe she thought she got her. Dahil sa sumunod nitong tira ay napilitan siyang humabol sa right corner court.
She switched her left leg to right just on time. Kasabay ng paggalaw ng kamay niya, it created a powerful swing. Nang matamaan niya ang bola, gumawa iyon ng kurba na parang ahas.
“In! Advantage, receiver!” deklara ng umpire.
Umugong na naman ang sigawan sa loob ng court. Naningkit ang mata ni Irina. Di nito inaasahan na gagamit siya ng buggy whip shot. Alam niya na di ito magpapatalo. During their rally, she deliberately used a bait to make her use the buggy whip shot again. To everyone’s amazement, she answered with buggy whip shot as well. Di na siya nagtataka. Iba ang variation ng buggy whip shot nito sa kanya pero isa iyon sa mga tricks na ginagamit nito.
Natahimik ang stadium nang sunud-sunod na rally ng buggy whip shot ang naging labanan. Nararamdaman niya na nanghihina siya. Irina answered her with another buggy whip shot. She missed a step. Nanlaki ang mata niya nang sumabit ang bola sa ibabaw ng net.
Damn! Doon ba magtatapos ang Austalian Open? Just because of a stupid missed step. For a heart stopping moment, she thought that the ball would fall on her side. Sa panggigilalas niya ay nalaglag iyon sa kabilang side ng court.
“Game and the match won by Gomez!”
Kasunod niyon ay ang malakas na tilian ng mga tao. Matapos kamayan at yakapin si Irina ay hinalikan niya ang raketa at kumaway sa mga fans. Tumakbo siya sa kapamilya at kaibigan na sa courtside nakaupo. “Mom! I got it!”
“I know you will. We prayed for it,” anang Mommy niya na si Emily at ginagap ang kamay ng Lola Encar niya, ang ina ng namayapa niyang ama.
“Congratulations, cuz !” bati sa kanya ng pinsan niyang si Sapphire. At sunud-sunod na rin siyang niyakap ng iba pang miyembro ng pamilya Lizardo. Halos kumpleto ang pamilya Lizardo na wala pang isang buwan niyang nakikila.
“I am so proud of you, Dashielle,” anang Lolo Ramil niya. “I am sure your father would be proud of you.”
Mangiyak-ngiyak niya itong niyakap nang mahigpit. “Thanks, Lolo. I am really, really glad to hear those words from you.” Inilagay niya ang sun visor na suot sa ulo nito. “Dapat hindi ka lang number one fan ni Kuya Michael James sa taekwondo.” Isa kasing world champion sa taekwondo ang pinsan niya. “Simula ngayon dapat number one fan na rin kita.”
“Of course, hija. Of course.”
Dati ay hindi boto ang pamilya ng daddy niya sa mommy niya. Nang mamatay ang daddy niya, pinili ng mommy niya na lumayo na lang at pumunta sa London upang maging performing artist. Noon nito nalaman na buntis sa kanila ng kakambal niyang si Leonard. At di na nito ipinaalam ang tungkol sa kanila ng kapatid sa takot na ma-reject silang magkapatid o kaya ay ilayo dito.
Lumaki siyang ang mommy at ang kapatid lang niyang si Leonard ang kinilala niyang pamilya. Sa ampunan kasi lumaki ang mommy niya. Kaya naman gusto niyang malaman kung ano ang pakiramdam na maging bahagi ng isang malaking pamilya. Now that she had one, she enjoyed every minute of it. Nagagawa kasi niyang makapaglambing sa lolo at lola niya o makipagkulitan sa mga pinsan.
“Too bad! Wala dito si Leonard,” nanghihinayang na sabi ng Lola Encar niya.
“He called before my match and sent me his good luck. I know he is busy training the cultural performers with his girlfriend.” Nasa Sagada kasi ang kapatid niya at inaasikaso ang gaganaping play ng cultural group na binubuo ng mga kabataan sa Sagada. Sa Sagada namamayagpag ang pamilya Lizardo at doon din nakatira ang nobya nito na si Cindra na isa rin sa namamahala sa cultural group.
Maswerte nang makanood ng match niya ang mommy at Kuya Leonard niya. Tulad niya, madalas ding bumiyahe ang mga ito sa iba’t ibang bansa. Kaya naman sinasamantala nila na magkasama kapag may panahon sila.
“Tinawagan ka rin ba ni Wolf bago ang match mo?”
Awtomatiko siyang sumimangot nang makita ang nanunuksong ngiti sa labi ng mommy niya. “No, he didn’t! I told him not to.”
“But he told me that he’d love to watch your match here.”
“Mas mabuti na pong sa Arizona siya.”
Performing artist pa rin si Wolf at paikot-ikot sa buong mundo upang humanap ng mahirap subalit talented na mga bata. Kung tutuusin ay mas madalas pang manood ng match niya si Wolf kaysa sa kapamilya niya. Pero kapag nasa paligid ito ay di siya makahinga. He still had that powerful effect on her. Simpleng tingin lang nito, nasisira na ang sistema niya at nawawala ang focus niya sa paglalaro. Kaya humingi siya ng tulong sa mommy niya na bigyan ng assignment si Wolf at tiyaking di ito makakahabol sa match. She had to get her head on the game.
“Is Wolfe your love life?” tanong ng pinsan niyang si KC.
Pilit siyang ngumiti dito. “I have to leave for the press conference. I will see you later, okay?” At nagpaalam na sa mga kapamilya niya.
She felt like she was on top of the world. Malayo na siya sa batang babae na binabato ng bola ng mayayabang niyang kasamahan sa tennis club. After quitting the performing arts group, she concentrated on playing tennis. Nagawa niyang mag-top sa ranking ng interschool competition at nagawa niyang makuha ang scholarship para sa Tamwood International Tennis School sa London.
Naging professional tennis player siya sa edad na sixteen at nakuha niya ang unang Grand Slam title niya sa edad na nineteen. She kept on shocking the world with her tennis style. Wala siyang oras na makipagrelasyon sa kahit sinong lalaki dahil sobrang demanding ng propesyon niya. But there was also Wolf behind it. Maisip lang niya ito, nawawalan na siya ng interes sa ibang lalaki.
Kahit nga ang paglalaro niya ng tennis ay nasisira kapag nariyan na si Wold. He was her only downfall. At kapag nalaman iyon ng iba, tiyak na matatapos na ang career niya sa tennis. I must outgrow my feelings for him soon.
But she wondered how she could do that. She had been in love with him for years and it was growing stronger each day. Kahit pa nasa malayo ito.
Wyndham is six feet tall. But Wolf is taller. He is lightly tanned with a nice body. But Wolf’s color is naturally bronzed and he would always look like an Apache warrior. Wyndham has a nice smile. Di katulad ni Wolf na madalang ngumiti. Pero kapag ngumiti naman si Wolf, nanginginig na ang tuhod ko.
Naipilig ni Dashielle ang ulo nang matuklasan ang tinatakbo ng utak. It was her victory party and she was dancing with Wyndham Archer, the most eligible and most gorgeous bachelor in the party. He was a half-British, half-Filipino airline magnate. A very nice prospect to lighten up her boring love life.
Nangako siya bago pumunta sa victory party niya na susubukan na niyang pumansin ng ibang lalaki na nagpapalipad-hangin sa kanya. Dapat ay ito ang makatulong sa kanya para di na niya maisip pa si Wolf. Pero sa huli ay si Wolf pa rin ang naiisip niya. She felt so pathetic.
“Are you okay, Dashielle?”
“Yes.” Napatitig siya sa mata nito. “It’s your eyes.”
Napahawak ito sa mata. “What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“They are blue.” Wolf’s are bluer. As if it could suck in life out of me. Nakaka-hypnotize. And suddenly, she felt like staring into Wolf’s eyes instead of Wyndham’s.
Naibaba niya ang tingin. Wolf? Not again.
“Since you like my eyes, it means that you also like the idea of going out on a date with me, right?” There was a hint of excitement in his voice. Parang di nito alintana ang dilemma na pinagdadaanan niya.
Napatingala siya dito. “A date?”
“Yes. A date. I’ve been asking you to go out with me since the day I met you, Dashielle. I hope you won’t turn me down this time.”
“Pag-iisipan kong mabuti. Please give me time,” she said with a teasing smile. Ilang beses na kasi siya nito niyayang mag-date. But she didn’t want to be a part of his string of women. She preferred having him at a safe distance.
“How many years more? Naiinip na ako.”
She curled her lips. “Maybe if I win the Wimbledon and the French Open this year. Of course there’s the US Open. I want a perfect Grand Slam.”
Bumagsak ang balikat nito. “All you really care about is tennis. It’s just a date. It won’t take too much of your time.”
“But there are other girls you can date.” Di lingid sa kanya na maraming babaeng nakapila para makipag-date dito. He glossed the magazines with popular women who went out with him and expressed that they wanted to be his wife.
“You are the one I want. You are like crayons. You bring color to my life.”
Di niya mapigilang matawa sa linya nito. “Wyndham Archer, I never thought that you are corny. It is your Filipino blood taking over.”
“I can recite Shakespeare for you if you want.”
“For me, it is more corny. I am not a fan of Shakespeare.”
“Ibig sabihin mas okay ang corny lines ko. Makikipag-date ka na sa akin.”
Nawala ang ngiti niya nang mahagip ng mata ang isang lalaki na nakatayo sa gilid ng dance floor at nanonood lang sa mga nagsasayaw. He towered over the other guests. He was over six feet tall. Every inch of him was pure muscle and power. His bronze skin became soft with the soft light. And his blue eyes were almost black made her feel smaller and less significant.
Nahigit niya ang hininga at nawala ito sa paningin niya nang iikot siya ni Wyndham. It couldn’t be Wolf. He was in Arizona, visiting the horses he owned at the reservation while looking for talented children to be granted with scholarship. Her own mother vowed that he wouldn’t come to Australia.
Subalit nang tingnan niya ang lalaki ay naroon pa rin ito. And it wasn’t a mere eye trick. He was really Wolf. “Oh, no! He is here,” she whispered in a rasp voice.
His eyes were deep-set in that lean, dark face with its high cheekbones and straight nose and chin. His long black hair was tied on his nape.
Wala itong kangiti-ngiti habang nakahalukipkip at matiim na nakatitig sa kanya. And it looked like he was about to declare war with that intimidating pose of his. At kahit pa naka-formal blue gray suit ito, mas naiisip pa rin niya ito sa isang full Apache war regalia kasama ang mahabang feathered bonnet. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and she felt goose bumps on her skin. Kung makikipag-giyera ito, malamang ay siya ang gigiyerahin nito.
“Aw!” narinig niyang igik ni Wyndham.
She suddenly jumped when she realized that she stepped on his foot. “Jeez! I’m sorry, Wyndham. I wasn’t paying attention.” She suddenly held back her tongue. Muntik na niyang masabi na sa ibang lalaki siya nakatingin.
“Maybe you are just too tired or you hate my corny lines.” Napailing ito. Noon lang siguro ito naapakan ng babae sa dance floor. “I guess you should rest.”
“Thanks!” usal niya at sinubukang huwag tumingin sa direksiyon ni Wolf. Subalit nararamdaman pa rin niyang nakasunod ito nang tingin sa kanya. As always, Wolf’s effect on her never failed. Nadi-disorient pa rin siya kapag nasa paligid ito.
“And because you committed a grave mistake on my foot, you owe me big time, Miss Dashielle Gomez,” anang si Wyndham nang dalhin siya sa table niya. “Go out on a date with me.”
“What?” bulalas niya. “I already apologized…”
“And it is not enough. You already did a lot to my ego. Rest for now. I will fetch you tomorrow night on your hotel suite. You can’t say no this time.” He kissed the back of her hand. “Goodnight.”
Matapos magpaalam ni Wyndham sa ibang guest ay umalis na ito. Saka naman niya hinarap ang Mommy niya na busy sa pakikipag-kwentuhan sa manager niya. “Mom, where is Wolf?” tanong niya.
“Wolf?” Namutla ito at mukhang guilty. “Well, I…”
“I saw him alright! You don’t have to hide him.” Wolf made his self deliberately visible. “So where is he?”
“I saw him at the terrace,” sa wakas ay turo ng mommy niya. “But please be gentle on him. Hindi pa siya nagpapahinga mula sa biyahe.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I will just grind him into pieces.”
Pagdating sa terrace ay di naman pala nag-iisa si Wolf. There was a blonde guest who enjoyed toying with his tie. Kasalanan nito kung bakit natapakan niya si Wyndham kanina at mapipilitan tuloy siyang makipag-date. Tapos, heto at may iba naman pala itong babaeng kasama.
Bahagya siyang tumikhim para makuha ang atensiyon ni Wolf. “Dashielle!”
Tinaasan niya ng kilay ang babaeng kasama nito at saka lang ito binalingan ng tingin. “Wolf, looks like you are busy. I thought that you flew all the way from Arizona just to see me,” she said in a sultry voice.
Mabilis na nagpaalam ang blonde. “See you around, Wolfie.”
Of course, that blonde couldn’t compete with her since she was the star of the night. The party was held for her. She wouldn’t dare mess up with her.
“Hello, Dashielle!”
Ngumiti siya nang maasim. “Hello yourself, Wofie!” Siya naman ngayon ang humalukipkip. “What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in Arizona.”
“No. I am scheduled to come here. My flight was delayed so I wasn’t able to watch your match. The least I could do is come on your victory party.”
“You shouldn’t bother. You have work to do.”
“Mabuti nakarating ako. That playboy wanted to eat you alive.”
“We were just dancing. There is nothing wrong with that. And I can handle him just fine.” Until you came and ruined everything.
“Just fine?” anito sa mataas na boses. “You don’t know beans about men. Someone ought to protect you from him!”
Inikot niya ang mga mata. He didn’t really come to watch her match or celebrate her victory. Gusto lang siya nitong bantayan. “Knock it off, Wolf. I am not a kid anymore. Hindi mo kailangang sundan ang lahat ng kilos ko, kung sino ang kasama ko o kung ano ang gagawin ko.”
“That is what you think.” Tinitigan siya nito na parang isa siyang batang paslit. Magmumukha nga siyang bata kung kaharap ito. He was towering over her and he was using his height to intimidate her.
“For God’s sake! I am already twenty-five! You don’t have to stare at me as if I know nothing about the world. I am free to date whoever I want. And I don’t even need your consent, Wolf Anthony Allen.”
Naningkit ang mata nito. “You’ll go out on a date with that octopus?”
“He is not an octopus. His name is Wyndham.”
“Of all people, why him? He won’t take you seriously. He has a string of women after him. Once he had you, he’d throw you away. I won’t allow you to go out with him,” he voiced out.
Lalo siyang nagrebelde dahil dinidiktahan na naman siya nito. Daig pa nga nito ang Kuya Leonard niya na ipinagtutulakan na siyang makipag-date. “What makes you think that you can stop me?”
Inilapit nito ang mukha sa kanya. “Don’t try me.”
“Come on. Tell me. Will you tie me to a tree and feed me to the ants?”
“With that arrogance of yours, it sounds tempting. But you know that I won’t hurt you, Dashielle.” Inilapit pa lalo nito ang mukha sa kanya. “Perhaps I can be more persuasive in some other ways.”