Liyab's Timeout
2553 Words
Skipping down the kalesa after a long ride, I am back in the market. There are quite a few alleys which I didn’t get the chance to see yesterday. Each alley offers astonishingly range of merchandises or services. One store, standing in the center of several arrays of shops, piques my interest. It is lavishly laden with books that can be seen by peeking through its large transparent window. Kulit, pats my face with its long tail when I enter the store.
“I’ll make it quick, promise,” I whisper while looking around me. Of course it can’t respond, many eyeballs might take notice.
My feet glide on the shiny grey floor as they race against each other towards the rough-looking wooden bookshelves. The books are arranged in an organized manner and my hand randomly picks one. The compulsive scent of the book brings a surge of joy in me as I turn every page on. On one page is a photo of an animal which looks like a fusion of a deer and a mouse. Its pupils are horizontal and it has a black and brown coat with white stripes on its throat and chest. On the next page is a picture of what seems like a squirrel with wings. It has a wide head with large eyes. Its body is long and slender and its limbs and tail are connected by broad folds of skin. Kulit keeps on gently slapping its tail on my cheek but I dismiss it and continue to appreciate the following pictures. Kulit’s mood loosens up and its action exhibits keenness as soon as I flip the next leaf on. I tease it by attempting to close the book but it immediately jumps onto its pages. My lips display a tiny upward curve as I look at Kulit – it’s staring at the image of an exact replica of its kind.
I trace the wordings at the bottom of the picture with my fingertips. “It says that you’re a tarsier.”
It doesn’t take its eyes off the picture. “What else?”
“Hn,” I glance across the store for an available seat but all are occupied. Some are just sitting on the chairs but not holding or reading a book. Suddenly, the thought of Lola Uda giving me extra aryas as a reward for taking the responsibility of buying some textiles crosses my mind.
“Textiles!” I murmur.
Kulit jumps back onto my shoulder. “Yeah, let’s get going,” it says. His voice has a small somber tone to it which is unusual.
“His pet talks!” a toddler says, pointing at Kulit.
I bite my lower lip while tapping the tips of my fingers on the edge of the shelf. “It’s me. I always talk to my pet.”
The toddler shakes her head from side to side. “No! I really saw it opens its mouth and then…”
“There you are! I told you not to leave my side,” a middle age man says while scooping the child in his arms.
“Papa, his pet…”
“Now, now, let’s not keep your mama waiting,” interrupts the man.
“But…” The toddler surrenders and isn't able to finish her sentence though her eyes are still affixed to our direction.
Other people who are standing behind us don’t pay attention to the child since they are busy scanning books on the other shelves. Kulit and I look at each other then a breath of relief comes out of my mouth when both the toddler and her father is out of my sight. I close the book but don’t return it, spending a little more time walking around without removing my eyes off the shelves. After a couple of more searching and browsing, I finally decide what book I would get.
Heading to the counter which is near the store’s entrance, I lay the books on the tabletop then take my money out of my pocket. “How much?”
“Twelve aryas,” the storekeeper replies.
Spreading my palm, I realize that my money isn’t enough for the two books. My shoulders slump and my eyelids lower down. “I’ll take this,” pointing to the animal related book. “And I’ll return this,” pushing the other book to the side of the countertop.
“How much do you have?” the storekeeper asks.
“I’m short of two aryas.”
“I’ll take your ten aryas then."
“Really?” His words pull out a thorn from my chest. “Thank you so much!”
I walk out of the store carrying both books wrapped in a brown paper. The bustling herds of the people and vendors with their large wagons filled with fruits and vegetables narrow the routes we’re passing through. A few pressing and cramming before we reach our next stop – it says ‘textile factory’ on a board that is suspended at the front of the roof.
Inside this huge shop are textiles with different textures, colors and patterns that hang on a string near the ceiling making them cover the entire walls. My eyes explore to find a certain type of fabric. As my feet continue to wander here and there, I bump into someone causing me to drop the stuff from my hands. The wrapper rips off the moment it lands on the floor uncovering the books inside.
“Sorry about that," I say while kneeling down. A pair of pale hands wearing familiar gold cuffs helps me pick the books up. I lift my face to confirm if my intuition serves me right. “Tala?”
She looks at me the moment I call her name. “Liyab! What a coincidence! What are you doing here?”
“Well,…textiles, I need some. And you?”
“I work here once in a while,” she says, standing up and returning the books to me.
“How many jobs do you have?”
“Just one. I’m not getting paid here. This is my mother’s business and I only help whenever I’m available.” She shifts her gaze to my books. “You love reading?”
“Sort of.”
She reads the title of one of the books out loud. "The adventures in travelling."
I hide them on my back and Kulit, this time, is pricking my ear with the tip of its tail. I try grabbing its tail but it’s too fast that I can’t even touch it.
“Oh! Would you look at that!” Tala’s eyes glisten while she moves closer to Kulit. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
I take a step back. “Yeah, it’s a…rare kind of pet.”
“Its name?”
“Kulit.”
“Can I?” she doesn’t wait for my response and gently takes Kulit from my shoulder. She caresses its head with her fingers then kisses its belly. Kulit seems to enjoy her company so I let her have it for the time being.
“Uhm. I’m actually looking for a certain type of fabric, can you help?”
“Sure! Follow me,” she says, putting Kulit between her chest and her hands while walking towards the room at the back of the shop.
Women of different ages are tirelessly combing colored fibers using a strange device in which a warp is stretched between two bars. The bar is strapped and tensioned around the weaver’s back.
“This is where we manufacture our products,” Tala says. “We have cloths that are made of pineapple skin, there are made of abaca or combination of both.” She turns around to meet my gaze. “So what are you looking for?”
“Something soft, unpatterned and white.”
“Cotton fabric might work,” she says. She returns Kulit to my shoulder then grabs a steel ladder, heaving herself up over a rack and pulls out a long heavy rolled textile then plops it to the floor. I pull it up with both arms and lean it against the racks.
“Cotton is pliable but sturdy,” she says as she jumps down from the ladder.
I rub my palm against the fabric, it's soft and smooth.
“If that’s not what you’re looking for, I can still show you some more options.”
“It’s fine. I’ll take this.”
“You sure you don’t wanna take a look for other…,” she pauses. “Never mind.”
We head to the middle of the room where long worktables are arranged perpendicularly with each other. People are surrounding the tables' edges as they measure and cut the textiles. Tala pulls a measuring tape and a blade from the drawer attached underneath one of the tables.
She stretches the measuring tape with her hands. “How much do you need?”
“300 yards.”
Her lips slightly part and her eyes stick on mine as if she wants me to confirm what she heard.
“I need 300.”
She nods, still perplex. Rolling out the fabrics on the table, she measures them to the desired length, carefully cuts and neatly folds them. It’s a mountain of fabrics that needs to be transported to the counter at the front part of the shop by a two-wheeled medium pushed by hands. It takes five people to successfully secure the textile with a cord.
“How much?”
“Four hundred eighty aryas,” the person handling the payments replies.
I take the money from my pocket and hand it to him. “Here.”
The hefty weight of the textile is too much for me to carry. I can’t even lift it, let alone travel with it back to Mt. Tago.
Tala chortles. “Do you need help? I can offer my service to you for free.”
As much as I need assistance, I can’t let anybody know where I live “No, I can manage.”
I lift the textile once more. A stinging sensation stirs from my hands to my arms then to my shoulders as I grit my teeth hard that they almost break. I plunge it back to the wheeled-tool then twist my shoulders in a circular motion causing Kulit to leap onto my head.
“You know what, I’ll let you borrow this cart,” she says while touching the handle of the wheeled-tool. “But you have to return it tomorrow.”
Kulit clasps its fingers and toes on the strands of my hair and gradually pulls them up. It then shoots its tail inside my shirt’s collar and wags it against my skin causing me to judder.
“I can’t promise tomorrow but I surely will return it to you.”
Tala puts her hands on her back and moderately sways her upper body without moving her feet from the floor. “I have actually a spare time tomorrow and plan to go to the book shop located two streets away from here. I am thinking that you might wanna come with me. But I guess not.” She then turns her back on me. “Return it whenever you can.”
“Wait!” As I step a foot forward, Kulit tugs my hair harder than before which sends an itchiness on my scalp. Tala looks at me over her shoulder. “I’ll try.”
She nods, smiling before walking back to the rear part of the shop.
The sultry late sun that is just about to depart the horizon pervades the impassable road. Though it takes sometime before I reach the forest, the sun is still partially visible. The squeal of the cart’s wheel disturbs the tranquility of the surroundings. Finally elapsing through the magical sanctuary, I am welcomed by a raw fortifying ambiance. The stuff I’m carrying hinders my ability to run fast to the fields where Lola Uda and the others are harvesting some crops.
I wave my hands as I walk closer to them. “I’m back!”
All of them turn their heads to my direction and wave back while Sinag runs towards me and helps push the cart.
“Ooh…this is heavy! You carried this all by yourself?” Sinag asks.
I remove my hands from the cart's handle then flex my muscles. “Don’t underestimate these.”
Sinag laughs. “I was worried that you’re taking too long. I thought you’re doing something unnecessary so I already prepared myself in scolding you.”
Kulit coughs. “Actually..,” it pauses when it notices my glare. “He…had a tough time but with his exceptional determination and skills, he did not squander a single second and live up to the expectation of Lola Uda in delivering the best textile there is.”
I smirk while exaggeratingly bobbing my head to everything Kulit says.
“And what are those?” Sinag asks, pointing to the books on top of the textile.
“Didn’t waste a single second uh?” he reiterates Kulit’s words.
Both Kulit and I look away then hum and pretend that we don’t hear him. Sinag tickles my torso and I do the same to him making us tumble to the grass. Our guffaws penetrate through the cool and fresh air. Kulit, who’s now on my forehead, has the most weirdest yet contagious laugh I’ve ever heard. The three of us lie down staring overhead as the sky changes its color from pink to purple.
“Hey, do you know what are these fabrics for?” Sinag asks.
“Nope.”
He sits up and stares at me. “Don’t you wanna know?”
“Could it be?” Kulit asks.
I raise the inner corners of my brows, waiting for Sinag to tell me more.
“For more blankets and pillows,” he says.
The curiosity that starts to build up in my head suddenly fluctuates. I sit up so I can see Sinag’s face properly. His expression conveys that he doesn’t mean for his statement to be a joke. But in all honesty, I don’t mind whatever they wanna do with the textile.
“In the next few days,” Sinag says. “They are coming here. Mother and father and the rest of our fellow Haribons will be here.”
He hugs me so tight that he almost shatters my bones, then a tear falls down on my cheek.
- Writer
