Within the Walls

Chapter 12

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 Sepia-toned surroundings envelope my vision. A familiar hand extended with a smile on his face, but as I look up, his eyes and brows blacked out, his features unrecognizable. Yet, my heartbeat quickens and tears stream down my cheek. Suddenly, everything turns red, a bayonet piercing flesh from the person in front, his smile twisting into a silent scream.

~~~

 “Fu–”

 My body lurched forward, breathing hitched and my heart beating out of my chest. Gripping the sheets, I swing my head from side to side to survey my surroundings. Okay, I’m still here. Still here under the canopy bed where the sun from the open capiz windows seeping through the curtains. I wipe a bead of sweat that trickled down from my temple and drying my hands on my sequin–

 I’m still in my dress! But, to my surprise, I wasn’t a sweating mess as told by the dry thin sheets. Another but, I need to remove this since I can feel the material itching on the skin of my neck. I stood up and peered through the windows. A lovely image of the array of stone houses, some a Spanish colonial–considering I am in the Spanish colonial era. A lone, verdant branch with mangoes sprouting that looks ripe for the picking.

 “You can get one, no one’s eating from there anyway.” A mellow voice from behind me knocking me off my reverie.

 I turn around to see Aurelio, clad in his barong tagalog with filigree designs fashioned with sampaguitas, leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed. I veer back to the mangoes, snatching one of and smell its sweet scent.

 “Almusal? (Breakfast?)” A warm breath tickles my ear.

 Jesus!

 Aurelio laughs and steps back. Offering his hand, gesturing for me to place the mangoes on his hand, I hesitate but oblige. Suddenly, he pulls my other hand, bridging the gap between our bodies my head rests on his chest. Just like this morning, my heartbeat quickening, now not of horror, but this exhilarating feeling that brings an intense heat to my cheeks. I feel the rough texture of his clothes as well as his pumped-up pecs. My whole body clenching from this overwhelming feeling.

 He leans down to my ear. “Smell.” His breathe warm and I can feel a smile forming on his lips.

 “Hu-huh?” I stutter, trying to extricate myself but his hand firmly pressed behind me.

 “New perfume.”

 “Oh.” I didn’t even notice the scent until now.

 It has an earthy, musky scent. Like oak. It takes me into a forest with only mango trees growing in the area, which is exactly what the perfume smells like. Wood and fruit.

 “Amoy kahoy, and prutas (Smells like wood and fruits.)”

 “Mabuti (Great),” he lifts his hand from my back and I step back immediately, “salamat…kaibigan.” He smirks.

 “May mga damit diyan sa may aparador (There’s clothes in the dresser),” motioning his hand to varnished dresser with brass knobs, “pumili ka ng iyong gustong suotin. (Pick whatever you may like to wear.)” He turns his heel and walks away, leaving me alone.

 I walk to the dresser and open the first drawer, my eyes examine the assemblage of white blouses with half-oblong sleeves with a prominent brown filigree on each sides. I grab the one on the center, a blouse with a sampaguita at the end of each curving line. Next drawer was full of long skirts that felt like its fabric is teen, but the design was a patterned dark red, dark green, with black lines. I grabbed one and fitted all the clothes together. I move to the whole body mirror beside it to admire what I wore. But, I feel like I’m missing something. Oh! I went to the third drawer to grab a neckerchief that matched my long skirt and voila! My outfit is complete. I’ve always wanted to wear one of these, well Buwan ng Wika’s made us wear these but it didn’t match the surroundings. Unlike now, I’m inside a house during the 1800s! Where these dresses are worn. I feel a smile forming on my cheek and I twirl around to see the skirt flutter about.

 I walk to the feet of my bed and slip on the bakya, clacking to life as I head outside the doorway.

 “Good morning madam,”

 I jump from the sudden greeting, “F–”

 “Paumanhin binibini, ngunit nakahanda na ang iyong almusal. (I’m sorry madam, but your breakfast is waiting).”

 He walks away and I think I’m supposed to follow him, yeah maybe I should. My footwear clacks with every step that echoed around the wooden house, the open capiz windows at one side letting all the nourishing sun inside that made the varnished wooden everything much more orange. We reach to the dining table where Aurelio sits at the far end of the table with his chin resting on his raised intertwined fingers.

 “The mangoes,” he gestures, “as requested.”

 “Thank…you.”

 Screeching the chair, I daintily sit down. Grabbing a spoon on the plate, I take one mango and scraped off its fruit and feed it to my mouth. It was heavenly! The sweetest mango I’ve tasted since…well. It’s so sweet! I moan in delight and feel that my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Aurelio laughs and when he saw me eat the whole plate, he has a shocked expression on his face.

 I stood up from my chair to meet his approach.

 “Halina? (Shall we?).” Aurelio asks offering his shoulder with an inviting smile on his face.

 “Ye…yes.” Still off-putted by his actions, I hesitantly clip my arm around his and head on down the stairs.

 “See you again, Master Aurelio, keep safe.” He waved his hand goodbye.

 Aurelio nods in acknowledgement and we head on down the stairs, another man waiting by the double door. He opens it for us and I muttered a thank-you. Then, the bustling streets of Intramuros bathed by the warm, morning light. Aurelio puts on a black, snazzy hat that I didn’t see him with when he got out. Where did he get that? Vendors crowd the street and kalesas were frequenting the uneven bricks. I breathe in a large amount air, taking in the unpolluted surroundings. Forgetting the responsibilities I have at home, school? What’s that. Jobs? I don’t know that either. There’s something about this place that keeps me in a serene mood, perhaps, I might stay.