Dr. Almayrah Abbas Tiburon

Kata-o

[Fiction]
by Almayrah A. Tiburon

Go to: English Translation

“Mapiya i parangay so karoma ko. Masakaw go mapiya pen i kapakindodolona. Oo, totoong nakakasundo niya ang lahat ngunit bakit sa mabubuting tao pa nangyayari ang mga ito? Sa lahat ng tao, bakit si Yusoph pa?” Ito ang mga tanong ni Sahara sa sarili habang nakadungaw sa bintana’t nagmumuni-muni. Sinasariwa niya ang mga alaala ng mga unang araw nila ni Yusoph, noong hindi pa nagkakasakit ang asawa. Napakasaya nila.

Mabuting babae si Sahara. Ang lahat na yata ng kabutihan ng isang babae ay nasa kanya na kaya walang masabi sa kanya ang asawa dahil bukod dito, si Sahara ay mapagmahal din. Lumakisiya sa isang pamilyang binuklod ng pagmamahal.

Makalipas ang isang taong pagsasama nila ni Yusoph ay binigyan sila ng isang malusog na batang lalaki, si Khalid. Ngunit ang hindi mawari ni Sahara ay ang biglang pagkakasakit ng asawa.

Nakatayong umiinom ng kape si Yusoph nang umagang ‘yon sa sala. Biglang kumirot ang tiyan niya ngunit binalewala lamang ng lalaki ang naramdaman. Pero sa bawat paghigop nito ng kape ay nagsunod-sunod na ang pagkirot ng tiyan hanggang sa namimilipit na ito sa sobrang sakit.

“Ah…ah… Aydaw!”

Pakiramdam ni Yusoph ay pinipiga ang kanyang apdo. Naglaway siya hanggang sa siya ay sumuka. Hindi na siya nakatakbo sa banyo. Walang lumabas na pagkain sa kanyang bibig. Puro laway at tubig lang ang lumabas dito. Pinigil niya ang pagsuka, ngunit parang may iba pang bagay na nagnanais lumabas sa kanyang bibig.

Si Yusoph ay isang responsableng asawa’t ama. Minsan na siyang nagkamali kaya naman nag-ingat na siya na huwag mabahiran muli ng dungis ang kanyang reputasyon lalo na’t galing siya sa isang kilalang pamilyang Meranaw. Nag-iisa siyang anak na lalaki nina Ali at Saripe na kilala ring matataas ang maratabat (Kapag nasaktan o naapakan ang kanilang karapatan, dangal, at prinsipyo ay dahilan upang magkaroon o magresulta ng away.)

Matapos ang kasal nila ni Sahara ay nagsimula ang pananakit ng kanyang tiyan. Inilihim lamang niya ito sa asawa dahil inakala niyang karaniwang pananakit lamang iyon ng tiyan.

“Sa..ha..ra..Sahara! Sahara!” ang hirap na hirap na tawag ni Yusoph.

Natarantang lumabas galing ng kusina si Sahara. Nakita niyang nakahandusay na ang asawa at tila naliligo sa isinukang laway.

“Yusoph, antonaa i pekhagedam ka? Anotanaa i masakit r’ka?” Ang malakas niyang sigaw. Sinikap niyang ibangon si Yusoph, subalit may kabigatan ito. Ang agad na pumasok sa isip niya ay ang cellphone niya upang makontak ang pamilya. Taranta siyang nag-dial sa kapatid ngunit hindi niya ito makontak. Kung sino-sino ang sinubukan pa niyang tawagan.

“Ogopiya kong ka! Pumunta ka sa bahay! Ngayon na! May nangyari kay Yusoph,” mabilis na sabi niya sa kaibigan ni Yusoph.

Hinila ni Sahara papuntang sala si Yusoph. Kumuha siya ng damit nito para palitan ang basa ng damit. Iniayos niya ang pagkakasalagmak ni Yusoph hanggang sa ito ay mapaupo.

“Okey na okey na ako,” bulong ni Yusoph.

Nang makaramdam ng sandaling ginhawa sa pananakit ng tiyan ay isang anyo ng babae ang nakita ni Yusoph. Nakatalikod ito. Katabi niya si Sahara na pinupunasan pa rin siya ngunit parang wala itong nakikita. Siya lamang ang nakakakita sa babae sa kanyang tapat. Biglang dumating ang kanyang anak, nagtanong ito kung napaano siya.

“Kataya, miyapiya den a ginawa ko,”ang wika ni Yusoph sabay himas sa kanyang tiyan.

Nag-text siya sa kaibigan ni Yusoph na huwag ng tumuloy kasi okey na si Yusoph. Maayos na ang pakiramdam nito pagsapit ng gabi. Iniisip niya kung anong klaseng sakit ang mayroon siya. Baka kanser. Kaya mas mabuting huwag na lang niyang malaman kung anong sakit nga ito.

Masaya niyang pinagmasdan ang paglalaro ni Khalid. Bibong-bibong bata ang anak. Natutuwa sila ni Sahara kapag nagsasabi ito ng p’khababayaan ak’n skano ome ago abe.

“Mabuti pa’y magpatingin ka sa doktor,” mungkahi ni Sahara kay Yusoph. “Amay ka kowan na tona-i miyasowa aka. Di iyan simpleng sakit ng tiyan.”

“Alam mo namang takot ako sa doktor,” natatawang sagot ni Yusoph.

“Di nga!” natatawa ring reaksiyon ni Sahara. Pagkatapos ay niyakap nila nang buong higpit ang isa’t isa. Nakatulog nang mahimbing si Yusoph. Hindi na siya ginising ni Sahara pagtuntong ng alas-singko ng umaga. Ito ang oras ng gising ng asawa. Naisip niyang nasarapan ito sa pagtulog. Bumangon siya at nanalanging wala sanang sakit si Yusoph.

Hindi niya muna itinimpla ng kape si Yusoph. Alam niyang hindi ito makabubuti sa masakit at mahapding sikmura. Naglaga siya ng dilaw na luya. Paborito rin naman itong inumin ng asawa.

“Ba’t di mo ako ginising?” bungad ni Yusoph kay Sahara sa kusina.

“Ang sarap kaya ng tulog mo. O, eto naglaga ako ng luya. Inumin mo muna para mainitan ang tiyan mo. Mamaya pupunta tayo sa Iligan para makapagpa-check up ka.”

“May pupuntahan ako ngayon. May usapan kami ni Atty. Macasilao. Magkikita kami sa BIR.”

“Pa’no ‘yan? Kailan ka puwede? Baka balewalain mo ‘yang sakit mo.”

Sa pamomolong na lang kaya tayo pumunta? D’yan lang ‘yon sa kabilang kanto,” pabirong sabi ni Yusoph.

“Sige ka, tawanan mo ‘yang iniinda mong sakit. Akala mo biro ‘yan, ha?”

“Bakit? Manggagamot din naman ang mga albularyong Meranaw. Kaya marami pa rin ang pumupunta sa pamomolong.”

“Naniniwala ka do’n?”

“Oo, naman. Sa probinsiya ako lumaki, saka ‘yong lolo ng lolo ko’y pamomolong. Palibhasa kasi ay sa Maynila ka lumaki kaya ‘yang isip mo, moderno na.”

Nang papaalis na si Yusoph ay bahagyang kumirot ang kanyang tiyan. Hindi siya nagpahalata kay Sahara. Ang totoo, sa pamomolong  ang punta niya. Magpapasama siya sa kanyang kaibigan na si Hassan. May lahing manggagamot sina Yusoph. Naalala pa niya noong bata pa siya kung paanong manggamot ang isa niyang lolo, kapatid ng kanyang lolo. May mga dahon na pinapakuluan sa tubig, langis, asin, luya at may binabasa rito ang lolo niya kapag idinidikit sa masakit na parte ng katawan ng maysakit. Ginagawa lamang ito ng lolo niya tuwing umaga ng Martes at Huwebes. Bumabalik ang nagpapagamot sa lolo niya matapos ang ilang linggo upang magpasalamat dahil gumaling sila. At naalala pa niya ang kung ano-anong bitbit na pagkain para sa lolo niya bilang pasasalamat. Hindi siya nagbibiro kay Sahara. Pero kailangan niyang itago ang kanyang gagawin. Hindi pa niya tiyak kung anong sakit ang mayroon siya pero may nabubuong kongklusyon sa kanyang isipan.

Hindi siya magpapagamot sa bayan nila. Baka malaman ni Sahara. Hindi muna dapat malaman ng kanyang pamilya ang nangyayari sa kanya. Si Hassan ang magiging katuwang niya sa pakikibakang ito. Kilala na nila kung sino ang lalapitan nilang albularyo. Sa Lumba a Gorinao sila nagpunta na nirekomenda sa kanya ni Hassan.

Pumasok sila sa isang bahay na di kalakihan at ang kwarto at salas ay iisa. Doon ang receiving room, bedroom at iba pang rooms. May isang kama sa bandang kaliwa na maayos na nakatali ang kulambo sa ulunan nito. May isang mahabang bangko sa gilid ng pinto at may isa pang lumang bangko sa tabi ng bintana. May maliit na mesa naman sa bandang kanan na siyang hapagkainan ng pamilya.

Pinahiga si Yusoph sa kama roon at sinuri ni Madid, ang pamomolong, ang kanyang kalagayan. Nakasuot si Madid ng short sleeve na polo shirt at naka-malong, nagkakaedad ng animnapu’t lima hanggang pitumpo. May kapayatan at makikita sa mukha nito ang kaalaman niya sa panggagamot. Sinimulan ni Madid ang ritwal. Kumuha siya ng langis na nasa boteng may laman ding maliliit na ugat ng puno. Inihalo ito sa dinikdik na dahon ng bayabas, dahon ng sili, at talawatawa upang itapal sa tiyan ni Yusoph. Bumulong ito ng orasyon. Nagdasal muna ito saka umusal. Habang si Hassan ay nakatayo sa tabi ni Yusoph, pinagmamasdan si Yusoph at ipinaparamdam na kakayanin ni Yusoph ang pinagdadaanan nito. Nagulat si Madid nang mapakislot sa sakit si Yusoph. Nangitim ang tiyan at sumuka nang sumuka. Kinabahan ang matandang albularyo. Umiling siya.

“Di aken aya khagaga bulongan. May kakaibang espiritu ang gumagambala sa kanyang tiyan. Malakas. Makapangyarihan. Mabuti pa’y sumangguni kayo sa iba pang pamomolong.”

“Sigurado po ba kayo na hindi niyo na kaya?” nahintakutang tanong ni Hassan.  “Baka po may magawa pa kayo para sa kaibigan ko. Nakikiusap po kami, Kaka Madid.

“Naba ako di sablao. Pangimbenar kano raken. Magmadali na kayo. Huwag ninyong hintayin na mahuli na ang lahat.”

Wala nang nagawa pa si Hassan kundi makipag-ugnayan sa pamilya ni Yusoph dahil hindi niya kakayaning mag-isa at nakokonsensya siyang hindi malaman ng pamilya ni Yusoph ang tunay na kalagayan nito. Umiling si Yusoph kahit namimilipit na ito sa sakit. Hindi siya sinang-ayunan ni Hassan. Tumawag ito sa ina ni Yusoph.

Walang sinayang na sandali ang pamilya ni Yusoph. Agad silang nakipag-ugnayan sa ibang pamomolong para maisagawa ang ritwal sa lalong madaling panahon. Kailangan munang humugot ng lakas ng manggagamot na espiritista bago gawin ang orasyon. Malakas ang masamang espiritung gumagambala at nananakit kay Yusoph.

Hindi umuwi nang araw na ‘yon si Yusoph. Tumawag lang ang ina niya kay Sahara at nagsabing pupunta si Yusoph sa Cotabato kasama si Atty. Macasilao. Para sa katulad na trabaho ni Yusoph na Community Developer sa isang Non-Government Office (NGO) ay sanay na si Sahara sa pagbiyahe ni Yusoph sa malalayong lugar kaya hindi ito nabahala. Minsan ay agaran pa ang pag-alis ng asawa. Hindi na ito nakakapagpaalam pa. Tumatawag na lang ito sa kanyang cellphone.

Nagdahilan na lamang ang ina ni Yusoph na nawala ang cellphone ng anak at pansamantalang hindi makakakontak dito si Sahara. Kampante naman ang babae sa sinabi ng biyenan. Maganda ang relasyon niya sa kanyang mga biyenan at sa buong angkan ni Yusoph. Magkasundong-magkasundo ang kanilang pamilya.

Ginamitan ng matinding kata-o si Yusoph. Ito ang natuklasan ng pamomolong sa Poona a Makasilay. Kailangang masuri kung sino ang gumawa nito kay Yusoph. Isasagawa na ang ritwal ng panggagamot gamit ang mabisang orasyon.

Nagkakilala sina Yusoph at Akmilah sa kolehiyo. Si Akmilah ay lumaki sa isang magulong pamilya. Ang ama nito ay Meranaw ngunit ang ina ay kalahating Kristiyano at kalahating Maguindanaon. May sariling mundo si Akmilah. Pakiramdam niya ay walang nag-uukol ng pagmamahal sa kanya. Kaya wala siyang muwang sa salitang pag-ibig. Nagbago ang lahat nang makilala niya si Yusoph.

Mula noon ay natuto siyang umibig. Nagtiwala siya at agad na nagbago ang pananaw niya sa buhay. Dama niyang naging ganap ang sariling pagkatao at pagkababae nang ipamalas sa kanya ni Yusoph ang pagmamahal nito.

Sigurado si Akmilah na si Yusoph ang lalaking aangkin sa kanya. Ang apat na taong relasyon nila ay labis na upang hindi niya isuko rito ang iniingatang puri. Ang munting parihabang bintana at ang maliit na silid ang naging piping saksi sa ginawa nila. Maalab ang simbuyo ng damdamin ng dalawang nilalang na ito.

“Akmilah, phanalamatangko s’ka ka, ikaw lang ang babaeng nagdulot sa’kin ng ganitong kaligayahan. Mahal kita.”

“Mahal na mahal din kita, Yusoph. Sekabo i mama a para rak’n,” ang wika ni Akmilah nang may ngiti sa labi.

Nasundan pa ang pag-aalab ng kanilang damdamin hanggang isang umaga ay nagising na lamang si Akmilah na nagduruwal. Nabahala si Yusoph. Sinamahan niya ang nobya sa doktor. Sa pagsusuri sa ihi ng babae ay napag-alamang buntis ito. Walang kibo si Yusoph. Masaya si Akmilah. Wala siyang pakialam sa sasabihin ng kanyang pamilya. Ngunit naisip niyang kasiraan ito sa iniingatang pangalan ng pamilya. Ipaglalaban niya ang kanyang katwiran, higit sa lahat ang kanyang damdamin at ang bata sa kanyang sinapupunan.

“Pakibobosen ka a wata anan,” sabi ni Yusoph sa mahinang tinig.

“Ano? Akala ko’y matutuwa ka. Ba’t mo nasabing ipalaglag ko ito? Umaatras ka ba? Naduduwag ka?” Sunod-sunod na tanong ni Akmilah. Ipinaparamdam niya ang matinding galit kay Yusoph.

Bigla siyang iniwan ni Yusoph sa ganoong sitwasyon. Hindi na ito nagpakita sa kanya. Walang text o tawag. Walang paramdam kahit sa kaninong kilala nila.

Nag-iisang hinarap ni Akmilah ang sariling pamilya. Lahat ay galit sa kanya. Kahihiyan ang kanyang idinulot sa angkan. Mabuti pang mamatay na lang siya o ipapatay. Bago pa man makalabit ng kanyang ama ang gatilyo ng baril ay mabilis siyang nakatakbo papalabas ng bahay.Wala siyang dalang kahit ano, kahit man lang sapin sa paa.

“Da ka den maya! Opama na da kaming ka den pamikira? Nagdala ka ng kahihiyan sa pamilyang ito!” Patuloy na umaalingawngaw iyon sa isip ni Akmilah habang tumatakbo siya palayo.

Hindi pa naglalaon mula nang mangyari ito kay Akmilah, nabalitaan niyang nag-dialaga na si Yusoph sa babaeng gusto ng pamilya ni Yusoph para ditto, engaged na si Yusoph.

“Bakit niya nagawa sa ‘kin ito?”

Hindi niya isusuko nang gayon na lamang ang pag-ibig niya kay Yusoph. Naisip niyang napilitan lamang ang nobyo. Naiintindihan niya ang kasunduan. Subalit, may panahon pa para hindi  maganap ang kasal. Kailangang sumuway si Yusoph sa gusto ng pamilya. Ito ang naiisip niyang dapat gawin ng lalaking minamahal.

Ipinaabot niya kay Yusoph na magkita sila sa kanilang tagpuan, sa isang abandonang kubong may mga pananim na gulay sa likod at sa harap ay may punong mangga. Nadiskubre nila ito noong nasa kolehiyo pa sila at napadalas ang pagbisita nila sa lugar na ito – nililinis  nila’t sa katunayan ay may ilang gamit sila rito kasama ng gamit pangkusina gaya ng plato’t baso, maliit na kaldero na para lamang silang bagong kasal noon na nagsisimula sa buhay. Ang kubong ito ang nagbigkis sa kanilang pagmamahalan.

Pumayag itong makipag-usap sa kanya. Alas-nuwebe ang usapan, pero malapit nang magtanghali ay wala pa rin ang lalaki. Kumain siya sandali dahil humihilab na ang kanyang tiyan. Naisip niya ang batang bunga ng magandang pag-iibigan nila ni Yusoph. Kaya’t naghintay pa siya. Ngunit sumapit na ang gabi, wala pa rin ang lalaki. Pinilit na siya ng kaibigan na kasama niya sa araw na ‘yon, si Maida, sa paghaharap nila ni Yusoph na kalimutan na ang pakikipagkita kay Yusoph ngunit hindi siya nakinig. Mabuti’t may kaibigang tapat si Akmilah sa kanya. Sinamahan siya nito sa kanyang mga lakad. Sa katunayan ay si Maida na ang tumawag kay Yusoph at siya ang nakiusap sa lalaki. Kinabukasan ang napagkasunduang pagkikita.

Sabik na sabik si Akmilah sa muli nilang pagkikita ni Yusoph. Hihimukin niya itong magsama na sila. Magpapakalayo-layo silang dalawa.

“Yusoph, nakikiusap ako,” pagmamakaawa ni Akmilah.  “Dingka raken aya kidiya-an. Huwag mo akong iwan, maawa ka sa ‘kin at sa magiging anak natin. Nakahanda ako sa dowaya, kahit makihati ako sa magiging asawa mo, basta’t huwag mo lang kaming iwan,” dugtong pa nito habang umiiyak at nakaluhod sa harap ni Yusoph.

“Naiintindihan mo naman siguro ang kasunduan ng mga Meranaw sa pag-aasawa. Nakapag-dialaga na kami, Akmilah, engaged na ako. Mahal kita pero hindi ko puwedeng suwayin ang mga magulang ko. Malapit na ang kasal ko.”

“Tindegen akong ka. Ipaglaban mo ang pagmamahalan natin, ang magiging anak natin. Nagmamakaawa ako.”

“Di ko kayang suwayin sina Ama’t Ina. Kung nagawa mo ‘yon sa pamilya mo, ako, hindi ko kaya. Iniingatan ko ang pangalan ng pamilya ko.”

“A, gano’n ba? Ako pa ngayon ang masamang anak? Naging masama ako dahil mahal kita. Sa tingin mo pala ay masama ang aking ginawa!”

“Makakahanap ka rin ng karapat-dapat na lalaki para sa iyo.”

Napangiti nang mapait si Akmilah. “Sino pa’ng Meranaw ang iibig sa’kin? Sa ganitong sitwasyon ko? Sinong angkan ang tatanggap sa ‘kin?”

Tumalikod na si Yusoph at hindi na siya nilingon pa. Saka napaisip si Akmilah. Dapat sana’y pinigilan niya si Yusoph. Hindi sana nangyari ang gayong tagpo. Hindi ganon ang kanyang plano, pero wala na uli ang lalaking pinakamamahal niya. Nagkamali siya. Ngunit sa isang banda, may nagsasabi sa kanyang isip na “Tama ang ginawa mo. Palayain mo na ang lalaking ‘yon.”

Inalo siya ni Maida na tunay at tapat na kaibigang kumupkop sa kanya. “Magparaya ka na,” bulong ng kaibigan kay Akmilah.

Dumating na ang araw ng kasal nina Yusoph at Sahara. Sabado. Ala-una ng hapon. Abalang-abala sa bahay nina Yusoph.

“Yusoph, imanto a phangaroma ka den na piya-piya ka,” payo ng kanyang ama. “Obang ka den phaparomani a makiilay sa babai oto. Di seka niyan khapakay sa pamilya tano. Mapiya angkaya a babai go so manga maphapanogangan ka,” ang payo ng ama kay Yusoph. “Basta, ayaw ko ng muling magkaproblema at mula ngayon ay magpakatino ka na,” ang dugtong pa ng ama nito.

Tumango lamang si Yusoph. Bigla niyang naalala si Akmilah, ang masaya nilang pagsasama noon sa kubo, sabay na kumakain sa kantina ng eskwelahan nila, ang pagsama sa kanya ni Akmilah sa pagte-tennis nito, at ang kalagayan ni Akmilah ngayon. Hindi alam ng mga magulang niya na nagdadalantao ang babae. Kung alam lang nila ay maaaring maging maaliw sila rito kahit man lang para sa bata. Walang kamuwang-muwang ang bata sa nangyari sa kanyang magulang.

Sa araw na rin na ‘yon ay nakaramdam ng matinding pananakit ng tiyan si Akmilah. Mabilis ang labas ng dugo mula sa kanyang puwerta. Buo-buo ang dugo. Pulang-pula.

“Ano ito? Ang anak ko! Ang anak ko!”Sumisigaw siya, humahagulgol. Sunod-sunod ang patak ng kanyang luha.

Mabilis na sumaklolo ang kaibigan. Agad siyang dinala nito sa ospital. Niraspa siya. Wala na ang bata.

Sa kabila ng pagtakwil sa kanya ng pamilya ay hindi niya itinago kaninuman ang kalagayan.

Ginawa niya ang gayong kapangahasan kaya haharapin niya ang lahat ng ibinunga nito. Ngunit, wala na ang batang dapat niyang pangalagaan. Wala na ang amang naduwag sa pananagutan dahil lang sa kasunduan.

Naghinagpis siya, nagluksa. Wala sa plano niya ang pagtalikod kay Yusoph. Wala sa hinagap niya ang gagawing mga hakbang laban sa lalaki.

Umuwi siya ng Cotabato. Tutuloy siya sa bayan ng Tulunan, sa pinsan niya sa ina. Hindi lahat ng kapamilya ay tuluyan ang pagtalikod sa kanya. Mabilis nilang tinahak ang makipot na daan na may mataas na pader tila nag-aanyaya’t nagsasabing magmadali sila. Natagpuan nila ang kanilang hinahanap sa isang maliit na bahay na may matandang nakatira. Kilala ito sa lugar na ‘yon. Kinatatakutan ng iba ngunit iginagalang ng marami.  Pumasok sila sa isang maliit na silid, bahagya lang itong nasisinagan ng liwanag. Ang naroon lang ay isang maliit na bombilyang nakukulayan ng pula.

Isang sungay ng kalabaw ang nakatusok sa dingding. May mga boteng nakasabit sa iba pang pako sa dingding. May laman ang mga bote.  Sa isang mesa ay nakapatong ang iba’t ibang klase ng ugat ng puno na nakabigkis nang maayos. Sa isang sulok nama’y nakalapag ang tatlong maliit na manikang gawa sa puting tela. Nakaturok ang mga karayom sa katawan ng mga manikang ito.

“Kailangan mo akong tulungan,” matatag na sabi ni Akmilah sa matanda.

“Alam ko na ang lahat. Sinabi na sa ‘kin ni Digo. Matinding kata-o ang ipapataw natin sa kanya. Ako ang bahala. Sundin mo lang ang lahat ng sasabihin ko at magtiwala ka sa kakayahang ito,” ang wika ng matandang mangkukulam.

Agad niyang iniabot sa matanda ang isang supot na plastik. Sa loob nito ay ang mga damit niyang may bahid ng dugo mula sa kanyang sinapupunan. Ibinigay rin niya ang larawan ni Yusoph sa matanda. Nang maihanda na ang lahat ng kailangan, nagsimula na ang ritwal.

Ipinulupot ng matanda sa katawan ni Akmilah ang mga damit ni Akmilah na may bahid na dugo habang sa paanan nito’y naroroon ang isang boteng may nakasilid na nakabigkis na ugat ng puno at sa ilalim ng unan nito’y ang larawan ni Yusoph. Binasahaan niya ito ng ritwal at mga salitang hindi maunawaan habang nanlilisik ang mga mata na tila sinasapian at kung sino-sino ang tinatawag. Nagtagal ng mahigit dalawang oras ang ritwal at pagkatapos ay mahigpit ang bilin sa kanya ng matanda tungkol sa bote na may lamang punit na damit na may bahid ng dugo at larawan ni Yusoph kasama ang mga ugat ng punong nakabigkis. “Gawan mo ng paraan na mailibing ito sa bakuran nina Yusoph o kaya sa mga lugar na dinadaanan niya. Kapag natapakan niya ang lupang pinagbabaunan nito ay magsisimulang sumakit ang kanyang tiyan. Habang tumatagal ay titindi ang pananakit na kanyang madarama.”

Pinauwi na sila ng matanda at kinabukasan na raw ang kanilang balik.

Naisip ni Akmilah na madalas pumunta si Yusoph sa tennis court. Tumatambay ito sa damuhan pagkatapos maglaro. Iyon ang pinakamabuting lugar na paglilibingan niyang botelyang may piraso ng kanyang duguang damit.

Mabilis na naisakatuparan ni Akmilah ang bilin sa kanya. Agad na tumalab ito kay Yusoph base sa kuwento sa kanya ni Maida.

Ngunit natanto niyang sa buong buhay niya ay ito na ang pinakamasamang bagay na kanyang nagawa. Makakaligtas siya sa mga mata ng tao ngunit hindi sa mga mata ni ALLAH.

Sinisi niya ang sarili. Paano niya babawiin ang kata-o? Tinawagan niya ang pinsan niya para malaman kung paano labanan ang kata-o.

“Parang awa mo na… ano’ng gagawin ko?”

“Di ba’t sinabi sa ‘yo ng matanda na sa’yo mababaling ang kata-o? Dugo n’yo ang nakalagay sa bote. Laman n’yong dalawa ni Yusoph.”

“Di na bale. Ililigtas ko si Yusoph,” agad na tugon ni Akmilah.

“Huwag mong gawin ‘yan. Di mo alam kung pa’no lalabanan ang… ”pigil ni Digo sa kanya.

Di na pinakinggan ni Akmilah ang sasabihin ng pinsan. Pinatay na niya ang cellphone.

Di dapat magdusa si Yusoph. Sapat nang malaman niyang siya ang mahal ng lalaki. Si Yusoph ay isa lamang anak na nagmamahal sa mga magulang. Sa pag-aasawa ng anak, ang pasya ng magulang ang nasusunod. Dali-dali niyang pinuntahan ang pinagbabaunan ng bote at binungkal niya agad ito.

Nang mga oras na ‘yon ay malala na ang sakit ni Yusoph. Lahat ay nagsasabing wala na itong lunas. Dasal na lamang ang nakikitang pag-asa. Lumaki ang tiyan ni Yusoph, halos di na mabuhat ng kanyang nangayayat na katawan ang sarili. Alam na ni Sahara ang sinapit ng asawa. Walang araw na hindi ito umiyak. Kung sino-sino na ang tinatanong na manggagamot para lamang gumaling si Yusoph.

“Salamat sa pagmamahal mo, Sahara,” sa mahinang tinig ni Yusoph. “May ipagtatapat sana ako sa ‘yo. Tungkol ito sa babaeng …”

“Alam ko na ang tungkol doon.”

“Ihingi mo ako ng tawad sa kanya. May anak kami. Wala akong balita kung nasaan siya ngayon.”

“Gusto mo bang makita ang anak ninyo?”

Hirap nang huminga si Yusoph. Hindi na ito sumagot. Agad na tinawag ni Sahara ang mga kamag-anak na nasa labas ng silid. Pumasok din ang Imam. Lumapit ito kay Yusoph.

“Yusoph, pakinggan mo ako. Subukan mong ulitin ang sasabihin ko. Lailahailallah. Lailahailallah. Lailahaillah,” ang paulit-ulit na ibinulong ng Imam sa tainga nito.

Samantala ay balisang-balisa naman si Akmilah. Gusto niyang makibalita sa nangyayari kay Yusoph ngunit di pa tumatawag ang kaibigan. Pinakikiramdaman niya ang kanyang sarili kung may kakaibang nangyayari sa kanya. Gusto niyang makaramdam ng pananakit ng kanyang tiyan o saanmang bahagi ng katawan. Hinihintay niyang tumalab ang kata-o sa kanya.

Yakap-yakap niya ang bote. Ililibing niya itong muli ngunit hindi upang umusal ng isa pang sumpa. Ililibing niya ang dugo upang matahimik ang nabuong laman na dumikit sa damit.  Isa lang ang alam niyang pipigil sa kata-o na ito – ang taimtim na pag-Salaah. Nang nananalangin na siya ay humingi siya ng tawad sa anak. Humingi rin siya ng tawad sa Panginoong ALLAH.

Ilang saglit pa’y umaalingawngaw ang sirena ng ambulansiya. Dumaan sa tapat ng bahay nina Maida habang nasa kwarto si Akmilah na kinakabahan, tinutop niya ang tapat ng puso’t naramdaman ang mabilis na pagtibok nito, “Si Yusoph na ‘yon,” bulong niyasa sarili at tuluyan na siyang napahagulgol habang naririnig ang sirena ng ambulansya.

Samantala, hawak-hawak ni Sahara ang malamig na kanang kamay ni Yusoph habang lumuluha. Naramdaman niyang biglang kumilos ito, pinisil ang kanyang kamay at napayakap si Sahara kay Yusoph.

English Translation

Kata-o
Almayrah A. Tiburon

Translated from Filipino by John Bengan

“Mapiya i parangay so karoma ko — my husband is good man. Warm and kind to other people. Masakaw go mapiya pen i kapakindodolona. Yes, it’s true, he relates well to others, but why do these things happen to good people? Of all people, why does it have to be Yusoph?” Immersed in her thoughts, Sahara asked herself these questions while peering from the window. She recalled the early days with Yusoph, when her husband hadn’t yet gotten sick. They were so happy.

Sahara was a good woman. She had all the good qualities a woman should have, which was why her husband need not ask for more, and apart from this, Sahara was also affectionate. She grew up in a family bound by love.

A year after she and Yusoph had lived together, they were blessed with a healthy baby boy, Khalid. But what Sahara couldn’t understand was the sudden affliction that had befallen her husband.

That morning, Yusoph was standing in the living room, having coffee. He felt a sudden pain in his stomach though he didn’t think much of it. But as he sipped his coffee, a wave of aches wracked his stomach until he twisted from too much pain.

“Ah…ah… Aydaw!”

Yusoph felt as though something was wringing his bladder. Saliva flooded his mouth until he vomited. He wasn’t able to run to the bathroom. No food came out of his mouth. Only spit and water poured out. He tried to stop vomiting, but it was as if something was trying to climb out of his mouth.

Yusoph was a good husband and father. He had made a mistake once and so he was careful not to besmirch his name again especially since he was from a prominent Meranaw family. He was the only son of Ali and Saripe who were known to have high maratabat. (When their rights, honor, and principles were harmed or trampled on, it would end or result in a dispute.)

After his wedding to Sahara, the pain in his stomach began. He kept it from his wife because he thought it was just an upset stomach.

“Sa..ha..ra..Sahara! Sahara!” Yusoph struggled.

Sahara left the kitchen in a panic. She saw her husband on the floor, as though bathed in saliva he’d vomited.

“Yusoph, antonaa i pekhagedam ka? Anotanaa i masakit r’ka?” she screamed, asking her husband what he felt, what it was that caused such pain. She tried to pull Yusoph up, but he was too heavy. The first thing she thought of was her cellular phone so that she could call family. In haste, she dialed her sibling’s number, but the call wouldn’t come through. She tried to call many people.

“Ogopiya kong ka!—help me! Come to the house! Now! Something happened to Yusoph,” she hurriedly told a friend of Yusoph’s.

Sahara dragged Yusoph to the living room. She took fresh clothes so he could change. She helped Yusoph so that he could sit up.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” whispered Yusoph.

After felling momentary comfort from the pain in his stomach, the image of a woman appeared before Yusoph. She had her back turned on him. She was beside Sahara who was still wiping him over but didn’t see anything else. Only he could see the woman before him. His son arrived, and asked what had happened to him.

“Kataya, miyapiya den a ginawa ko,” said Yusoph, feeling better and rubbing his belly.

Sahara sent a text message to Yusoph’s friend to tell him not to come anymore since Yusoph’s condition had improved. By evening, he was feeling better. He thought about what illness he might have. Maybe cancer. It might be best not to know what sort of disease it was.

He was happily observing Khalid play. His son was a lively boy. He and Sahara were both happy when the boy would say p’khababayaan ak’n skano ome ago abe—I love you so much Ome and Abe. 

“You should see a doctor,” Sahara told Yusoph. “Amay ka kowan na tona-i miyasowa aka. It’s not a simple pain in the stomach.”

“You know that doctors scare me,” Yusoph said, laughing a little.

“Oh really!” Sahara said. Then they held each other tight. Yusoph slept soundly. Sahara didn’t wake him up anymore at five in the morning. It was the usual time her husband woke up. She thought that he was deep in sleep. She got up and began to pray for Yusoph’s health.

She didn’t make Yusoph coffee anymore. She knew it would only worsen a bad and aching stomach. She boiled some yellow ginger. Her husband liked to drink it after all.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Yusoph greeted his wife in the kitchen.

“You looked like you were having a good sleep. Here, I made some ginger tea. Have some to warm your stomach. Later we’re going to Iligan to have you checked up.”

“I have something to attend to. Atty. Macasilao and I agreed to meet. We’ll meet at the Bureau of Internal Revenue.”

“Is that so? When are you free? Don’t play down your illness.”

“Why don’t we go to the pamomolong instead? It’s just right around the corner,” Yusoph quipped.

“Go ahead, laugh at your illness. You think it’s joke?”

“What? Meranaw herbalists are also healers. That’s why a lot people still go to the pamomolong.”

“You believe in those?”

“Of course. I grew up in the province, and the grandfather of my grandfather was a pamomolong. Just because you grew up in Manila, you think in that modern way.”

When Yusoph was about to leave, his stomach began to hurt a little. He didn’t show Sahara any hint. In truth, he was going to the pamomolong. He was going there with his friend Hassan. Yusoph came from a family of healers. He remembered when he was a kid and how one of his granduncles practiced healing, the brother of his grandfather. Leaves were brought to boil in water, oil, salt, and ginger and his granduncle read something when he plastered the leaves on the ailing parts of the sick. His granduncle only healed on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Patients returned the following week to thank his granduncle for healing them. He also remembered the food they brought to express their gratitude for his granduncle.  He wasn’t being flippant when he spoke to Sahara. But he had to hide what he was about to do. He wasn’t quite sure yet what sickness he had but a conclusion was already forming in his mind.

He wouldn’t go to a healer in their town. Sahara might find out. His family shouldn’t yet know what was happening to him. Hassan would be his companion in this struggle. They already knew which healer to go to. Upon Hassan’s recommendation, they went to Lumba a Gorinao.

They went into a small house where the living room and bedroom were the same space. The area was also the receiving room, bedroom, and other rooms. There was a bed on the left corner over which a mosquito net had been hung. There was a long wooden bench next to the door and another old chair by the window. On the right, there was a small table where the family dined.

Yusoph was told to lie on the bed while Madid, the pamomolong, examined his condition. Around sixty-five to seventy years old, Madid wore a shirt with short sleeves and a malong. He was of slight built but one could glimpse on his face his knowledge in healing. Madid began the ritual. He took a bottle of oil which also contained a small root. He mixed it with the pulverized leaves of chili, guava, and tawa tawa herb and plastered the concoction on Yusoph’s belly. The healer whispered a prayer. He prayed and sighed. Hassan stood beside Yusoph, observing and telling him that he would overcome the ordeal. Madid was alarmed when Yusoph suddenly winced in pain. His belly darkened and he vomited and vomited. The old healer was nervous. He shook his head.

“Di aken aya khagaga bulongan—I can’t help him. There is strange spirit troubling his stomach. Strong. And powerful. Maybe it would be best if you go to another pamomolong.”

“Are you sure you can’t do it?” Hassan asked in dread. “Maybe you could still help my friend. We beg you, Kaka Madid.”

“I am serious. You have to believe me. You better hurry. Don’t wait before it’s too late.”

Hassan couldn’t do anything but to inform Yusoph’s family since he couldn’t do it anymore by himself, his conscience telling him that Yusoph’s kin should know about his condition. Yusoph shook his head even when he was already squirming in pain. Hassan didn’t agree with him. He called Yusoph’s mother.

Yusoph’s family wasted no time. They immediately got in touch with another pamomolong so that the ritual would be done at the soonest time possible. The spiritual healer needed to charge his energies before performing the rites. The spirit besetting and harming Yusoph was a powerful one.

Yusoph didn’t come home that day. His mother called Sahara and told her that Yusoph went to Cotabato with Atty. Macasilao. Knowing the nature of Yusoph work as community developer for a non-government organization, Sahara was used to such trips to faraway places and so she didn’t worry. It was often that her husband would leave abruptly to go somewhere. He wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to her. He would just call on her mobile phone.

Yusoph’s mother made up a story about Yusoph’s phone that had gone missing, which was why he couldn’t call Sahara. She believed what her mother-in-law had told her. She had good relations with her in-laws and Yusoph’s entire clan. Their families got along very well.

An intense kata-o had been meted out upon Yusoph. This was what the pamomolong in Poona a Makasilay discovered. Whoever had done this to Yusoph had to be found. The ritual of healing would have to be done using a powerful spell.

Yusoph and Akmilah met at the university. Akmilah grew up in a chaotic family. Her father was a Meranaw but her mother was part Christian and part Maguindanao. Akmilah was alone in her own world. She felt that nobody had ever loved her.  She knew nothing about the word “love.” Everything changed when she met Yusoph.

Since then she learned how to love. She immediately gave her trust, and her perspective on life changed. She felt that her being and womanhood became whole when Yusoph showed her his love. A small rectangular window and the small room were the silent witnesses to their deed.

Akmilah was certain that Yusoph was the man who would claim her. The four years they spent together were more than enough for her to surrender the honor she protected. The small rectangular window and the tiny room silently witnessed what they had done. A burning passion consumed these two beings.

“Akmilah, phanalamatangko s’ka ka. Thank you—you are the only woman who has brought me such joy. I love you.”

“I love you too, Yusoph. Sekabo i mama a para rak’n,” said Akmilah, her lips forming a smile.

Their desires continued to burn until one morning, Akmilah woke up sick. Yusoph was worried. He took his girlfriend to the doctor. A urine test revealed that she was pregnant.

Yusoph was silent. Akmilah was pleased. She didn’t mind what her family would say. However, she knew that it had tarnished the good name of her family. She would reason, she would fight for what was in heart, she would fight for the child in her womb.

“Pakibobosen ka a wata anan,” Yusoph said in a low voice. He told her to get rid of it.

“What? I thought you’d be happy. How could you say that I should get rid of it? Are you turning your back on me? Are you scared?” Akmilah asked. She saw to it that he would feel her anger.

Yusoph left her hanging. He disappeared. No calls, no messages. Not a word even to people they knew.

Akmilah had to face her family by herself. Everyone was upset with her. She had brought shame upon her family. Better if she died or was put to death. Before her father could pull the trigger himself, she was able to run out of the house. She brought nothing, not even her shoes.

“Da ka den maya! Opama na da kaming ka den pamikira? Aren’t you shamed? Didn’t you think of us? You brought shame upon this house!” These words echoed in Akmilah’s mind as she ran away. Not long after this had happened to Akmilah, she got word that Yusoph met with the woman his family wanted for him, and soon he was engaged.

“How could he do this to me?”

She wouldn’t easily give up her love for Yusoph. She thought her boyfriend had been made to act against his wishes. She understood the agreement. But there was still time to stop the wedding. Yusoph would have to defy his family’s will. The man she loved, she thought, should do this.

She sent a Yusoph a message to meet her in their usual place, an abandoned hut that stood admit vegetables and a mango tree in front of it. They’d found the place when they were still in college and they’d gone there often — they cleaned the surroundings and left tools and utensils, plates and cups, a small pot as though they were newlyweds who were about to begin a life together. The hut had girdled their loved.

He agreed to talk to her. They agreed to meet at nine in the morning, but noon came and he still hadn’t come. Her stomach ached and so she had to have lunch first. She thought of Yusoph and their love. So she waited. But night came, he still hadn’t come. Maida, a friend who had accompanied her that day, asked that she forget about seeing Yusoph again, but she didn’t listen. Good thing she had a friend she could trust. Maida stayed by her side wherever she went. Maida called on Yusoph and pleaded with him. The day after, Yusoph agreed to meet Akmilah.

Akmilah was so eager to see Yusoph again. She would try to convince him to be with her. The two of them would run away together.

“Yusoph, I’m begging you,” said Akmilah. “Dingka raken aya kidiya-an —
don’t do this to me. Don’t leave me, please I beg you, for our child. I’m prepared for the dowaya, even if I have to share with your wife, just please don’t leave us,” she continued, in tears and on her knees before Yusoph.

“You do understand the agreement among Meranaw when it comes to marriage. We already had dialaga, Akmilah. I’m engaged. I love you but I can’t go against my parents. I’m getting married soon.”

“Tindegen akong ka—stand up for me. I will fight for us, our child. I’m begging you.”

“I can’t defy Ama and Ina. If you can do that to your family, I can’t do it to my own. I honor the family’s name.”

“Really? I’m now the bad daughter? I turned out this way because I love you. So you think I did a disgraceful thing!”

“You will find another man worthy of you.”

Akmilah smiled bitterly. “What Meranaw man will still love me? In my situation? What family would accept me?”

Yusoph turned away from her, never looking back. Akmilah was thinking. She would have stopped Yusoph. That scene would not have taken place. This was not what she had planned, but the man she loved was gone. She made a mistake. But a part of her said, “You did the right thing. Let that man go.”

Maida, her loyal friend, comforted her and made her stay at her place. “Let it be,” her friend whispered to her.

The day of Yusoph and Sahara’s wedding came. A Saturday. One in the afternoon. Yusoph’s household bustled with activity.

“Yusoph, now that you are engaged,” his father said, “don’t ever see that woman again. She’s not right for our family. Your betrothed and future in-laws are good people. I don’t want you to have any more problems. Get it together.”

Yusoph could only nod. He suddenly thought of Akmilah, staying happily in the hut, eating together at the university cafeteria, playing tennis, then he thought of Akmilah’s present situation. His parents didn’t know that he had gotten her pregnant. If they’d know perhaps the baby would console them. The child knew nothing.

That same day, Akmilah felt an excruciating pain in her stomach. Blood flowed from her groin. Thick, congealed blood. A deep red.

“What is this? My child! My child!” she screamed, bawling. She wept.

Her friend came to her aide. She brought her to the hospital. They scraped her uterus. The child was gone.

Despite the fact that her family had spurned her, she didn’t anymore hide what happened to her. She had made the risk and she would have to face the consequences head-on.

But, the child she would care for was gone. The father who cowered from his responsibility because of an agreement was gone.

She lamented, she grieved.   She didn’t expect Yusoph would leave her. She didn’t know what else to do against the man.

She returned to Cotabato. She would go to the town of Tulunan, to a cousin on her mother’s side. Not everyone in her family had turned their backs on her. They hurried down the narrow road lined with high walls that seemed to goad and tell them to push on. They found what they were looking for in an old woman living in a small house. The woman was known in the place. Feared by others but respected by many. They went into a small room, scarcely touched by light. There was only a small, red-colored bulb.

A carabao horn jutted from the wall. There were bottles hung on nails. They were filled with something. Different kinds of roots had been tied in bundles on the table. Three small dolls made from white cloth lay in a corner. Needles pricked the dolls’ bodies.

“You need to help me,” Akmilah said firmly to the old woman.

“I know everything. Digo told me. We will inflict a powerful kata-o on him. Leave it to me. Follow everything I tell you and trust this ability,” the old witchdoctor said.

She handed the old woman a plastic bag. Inside the bag were Akmilah’s blood-stained clothes from when she had miscarried. She also gave the woman Yusoph’s picture. When everything had been prepared, the ritual commenced.

The woman wrapped Akmilah with the soiled clothes she’d brought while on her feet lay a bottle containing a root of a tree, and under the pillow, a photograph of Yusoph. The woman began to recite obscure words and her eyes flashed, as though she were calling for someone. The ritual lasted for more than two hours, afterward the woman told Akmilah to keep a bottle that contained a piece of fabric from her bloodied clothes, Yusoph’s picture, and roots. “Try to bury this in Yusoph’s yard or somewhere he would set foot on. If he steps on the earth where you buried the bottle, his stomach will begin to ache. As time goes by, he will feel more pain.”

The woman told them to leave and return the next day.

Akmilah recalled that Yusoph frequented the tennis court. He stayed on the grassy field after playing. It was the best place to bury the bottle with a piece of her blood-stained clothes.

Akmilah completed the task right away. According to Maida, the curse worked quickly on Yusoph.

But it occurred to her that in all her life this was the most wicked thing she had done. She could escape the scrutiny of people but not the eyes of Allah.

She blamed herself. How could she reverse the kata-o? She called her cousin Digo to help her fight the curse.

“Help me please…what should I do?”

“Didn’t the woman tell you that the curse will be on you instead? It’s both your blood that’s in the bottle. Your flesh and Yusoph’s.

“I don’t care. I will save Yusoph,” Akmilah said.

“Don’t do such a thing. You don’t know how to fight the….” Digo was telling her.

Akmilah didn’t anymore listen to what her cousin was going to say. She turned off the cellphone.

Yusoph shouldn’t suffer. It was enough to know that she was the one he loved. Yusoph was only a son who loved his parents. In a child’s marriage, the parents’ wishes need to be fulfilled. She hurried to the place where she’d buried the bottle and dug it out.

At that very hour, Yusoph was in so much pain. Everyone said that there was no cure for it. The only last hope were prayers. Yusoph’s stomach had swollen, until his shrunken body could hardly carry himself anymore. By then, Sahara knew what had happened to her husband. There was not a day that she didn’t cry over it. She sought the advice of different healers just to heal Yusoph.

“Thank you for your love, Sahara,” Yusoph faintly said. “I have something to tell you. It’s about the woman…”

“I know all about it.”

“Ask her forgiveness for me. We have a child. I don’t know where she is now.”

“Do you want to see your child with her?”

Yusoph was struggling to breathe. He didn’t anymore answer. Sahara called for the relatives who were staying outside the room. The Imam also came in. He approached Yusoph.

“Yusoph, listen to me. Try to repeat what I’m about to say. Lailahailallah. Lailahailallah. Lailahaillah,” the Imam whispered over and over into Yusoph’s ear.

Meanwhile, Akmilah was troubled. She wanted to know what was happening to Yusoph but her friend hadn’t called her yet. She was observing whether something was happening to her. She wanted to feel pain in her stomach or anywhere in her body. She was waiting for the kata-o to work on her.

She hugged the bottle. She would bury it again not to exact another curse. She would bury the blood to quiet the flesh that had clung on the fabric. The only thing that could stop the kata-o, she thought — a sincere Salaah. While praying, she asked forgiveness from her child. She also asked Allah’s forgiveness.

Soon the sound of siren from an ambulance rang. The vehicle passed by Maida’s place while Akmilah was restless inside a room; she put her hand on her heart and felt its rapid beating. “That was Yusoph,” she whispered to herself until she wept, listening to the ambulance’s wail.

Sahara held Yusoph’s cool hand. She felt a sudden movement, his hand pressing hers, until Sahara embraced Yusoph.

[box]Si Dr. Almayrah Abbas Tiburon ay guro sa Mindanao State University, Marawi city. Bilang manunulat, ibig niyang ipakilala sa ibang tribo na ang mga Meranaw ay may makulay, dakila, at makasaysayang kultura’t tradisyon.

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[box]John Bengan teaches writing and literature at the University of the Philippines in Mindanao. His stories have appeared in Likhaan, Kritika Kultura, Asian Cha, and BooksActually’s Gold Standard, an anthology of Asian fiction from Math Paper Press. His translations of Elizabeth Joy Serrano-Quijano’s fiction have appeared in Words Without Borders, LIT, Anomaly, World Literature Today, and Shenandoah. He co-edited the anthology Ulirát: Best Contemporary Stories in Translation from the Philippines (Gaudy Boy Translates, 2021).[/box]