Lesson
1374 Words
"Oli, does Melai know how to color her hair?" Melai is his sister.
He didn’t stop flipping the fish that had been thrown on the shore as I asked him. I saw his brother dye his mother's hair because she already had a lot of white hair.
"Ah? Yes, he can." Shrugging his shoulders. I just nodded and looked at them. I touched my hair and look at it looking at what I look like.
"Oh? Why? You want to dye your hair too?"
"Huh?" I was shocked to turn to him.
"Uhm, not really. But do you think it's okay with me if I apply color?"
I mentioned remembering how Ate Celest’s caramel like hair bounce into her shoulders. And also at the side of my thoughts, remembering how she use to brush her hair with her fingers while talking to Levi.
"Why are you coloring Cy? For me, your black hair is okay. You're natural and beautiful. You might look even more beautiful than that!" He exclaimed.
I winced and laughed as he joked with me. For how many days it bothered me. I don't know if I'm influenced by what I see in the magazine or if I'm just pushing Celest too much. Before going to the office, I spend more time brushing my hair.
It’s relaxed now even though what I normally do is just navel it because it seems to be a hindrance to me. I listen to our teacher so I know the word puberty, so maybe that's all I'm going through.
"You forgot to put an arch here." He corrected me. I followed his drawing on the part he corrected. I touched my hair falling in my shoulders. I saw him lift his head a bit and stopped from what he's doing but I didn't met his eyes and he just continue checking my work.
He still has a lot of corrections that I just listen to. My hair is a bit windy because of the open terrace here in the office. And the last time I fixed it Levi finally looked up at me.
"Is your hair bothering you? Should I close the door?" He concernly asked.
I was nervous about his question for reasons I don't know, so I couldn't answer right away.
"You didn't tie your hair today."
A pinch of joy in my heart suddenly get into me. I can’t even admit it to myself but it seems to be the reason why I did that. And another talk that he noticed my hair was loose now. I smiled at him and fixed my hair for the nth time. His lips rose looking at me.
"Is it okay? I noticed it's just as beautiful when relaxed as when my sister Celest."
I compared. To make him understand my point betterand I want to say. His lips twitched as he leaned on the table that was in between us. He didn’t answer my question so my mouth was unstoppable due to nervousness.
"Oli'ssister knows how to dye hair. I was planning to dye it too but I don't know if it's right for me." Raw laugh I said.
I was a bit startled when his hands made its way into the strands of my hair as he tucked it behind my ears.
"It's okay. I like it this way." He smiled.
My mind seemed confused and all I could hear was what I heard. In the brevity of what he said and in the same that Oli said I looked for a difference in why I felt differently when he said that to me.
Then I realize there was no difference on what they've said. The only difference is him.
It was Saturday and this afternoon was the day my groupmates would go to do the project. I preoccupied myself with household chores first because it was Saturday and there were no helpers today. The sun was not high when I woke up but when I finished my activities it was hot. It was almost ten in the morning when I decided to prepare my food. Brunch. After all, I am the only one here at home.
I feel so busy in the kitchen trying to cook something to fill my stomach.
"Pepper." I said to myself as I tasted my cooked adobo.
In my haste I forgot to put it. I tried to reach for the pepper container in the top cabinet but it knew I was hungry because it was bothering me.
"Arggh."
I moaned as I tried to reach it, I jumped on it but because my legs didn't have the strength I just sat down. Instead of standing up, I just buried my face in both palms.
I was about to get up to pick up the bar stool but I was shocked to see Sir Levi putting pepper on what I was cooking.
My two eyes widened at the sight. He put down the pepper container and held out his hand to me. None of myself accepted that and sent him standing up to me.
"Are you okay?"
He said and reached for the lid of the pan. He covered it and he turned to me.
I smiled at him, "I thought I didn't have anyone here at home. Fortunately, I cooked more than one serving."
Because I would have eaten that for dinner also.
"I went out for a jog."
He leaned against the counter behind him and drank the contents of the glass in front of him. I haven't even noticed that before. That explains why in the morning I knew I wasn't really involved.
"Y-you don't have a work today?"
I almost closed my mouth at what was said, as if I had lost myself for a moment. I noticed how his lips parted for a moment and after a few seconds he faced me with the left side of his body supporting.
I followed my gaze to his hand resting on it,
"I do have,"
He said, almost whispering.
"How about you? It's a good thing that you know how to rest."
I can't answer what he said because his gaze just seems to take me to another dimension. I bit my lip and took off my sight on him. I laughed raw so he wouldn't notice why I was stunned,
"We'll do the project today, and tomorrow."
I nodded and every second I looked back into his eyes that still follow my gaze and movements. I don't know what tor say next because he didn't say anything and he didn't move in his place.
"Let's eat. I'll prepare."
That's all and I immediately turned my back on him. The lunch was not as bad as I expected it to be, I repeatedly explained to him that I did not know how to cook social meals like he had served in the past. And he kept on convincing me that what I was cooking was delicious.
"How's your works by the way?"
"I can't continue. I don't have time."
I looked at my plate and I could hardly move it for no apparent reason. I used to be tired and hungry but now I feel nauseous when I eat it.
"Stop addressing me with your 'po.",
He immediately interrupted what I said.
"We have ... what? 7 years gap?"
He asked himself.
"s**t. That's seven years."
I didn’t hear the last thing he said but I saw how his brow turned into one line and his mouth filled with grim. So He's 24? And how did he know my age? Oh maybe because of my grade.
"Still, Levi would be good."
He sipped in his coffee he had brewed earlier. I nodded and was forced to say anything that would make him angry.
"What time will your friends be coming here?" He closes in silence.
"This afternoon-" I immediately looked up at him and swallowed,
"This afternoon ... this afternoon."
When I repeat.
"Then you rest, come to the office after, I'll teach you some lessons."
I looked up at him again and my eyes barely twinkled at what I heard from him
- Writer
