CHAPTER 3: Strangers, Apparently?
1262 Words
“Anong pangalan mo?”
I looked at him.
He was sitting across from me, casually eating his lunch as if asking someone's name for the fourth time was a completely normal thing to do.
“Hindi mo pa rin nakakalimutan?”
“No.”
“Three days na.”
“Exactly.”
“Obsessive.”
“Curious.”
“Same thing.”
“Hindi.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Bakit ba importante sa'yo?”
He shrugged.
“Wala lang.”
“Then forget it.”
“Hindi pwede.”
“Why?”
“Kasi ang weird naman na may kausap akong tao araw-araw tapos ‘Miss Galit’ lang tawag ko.”
“Hindi naman kita pinipilit kausapin ako araw-araw.”
He paused.
“True.”
Tumango ako.
“Exactly.”
“But here I am.”
Napatingin ako sa kanya.
He smiled.
“Annoying, right?”
“Very.”
“Good.”
I stared at him.
“Bakit good?”
“Kasi at least memorable ako.”
I didn't answer.
Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako o maiinis.
So kumain na lang ako.
---
Hindi ko alam kung paano niya nagawa.
Pero simula nang unang araw na nagpakilala siya sa akin, parang naging routine na ang paglitaw niya.
Minsan sa hallway.
Minsan sa cafeteria.
Minsan sa labas ng building.
At minsan, wala naman talaga siyang dahilan para nandiyan.
“Bakit nandito ka?”
“Waiting.”
“For what?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you waiting?”
“Hindi ko alam.”
At iyon ang pinakanakakainis sa kanya.
Wala siyang malinaw na dahilan.
Pero laging nandiyan.
---
“May exam tayo bukas.”
I said it without looking at him.
“So?”
“So mag-review ka.”
“I don't need to.”
“Confident.”
“Prepared.”
“Same thing?”
“No.”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
He looked at me.
I immediately looked away.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Tumawa ka.”
“Hindi.”
“Tumawa ka talaga.”
“Baka may mali lang sa pandinig mo.”
He grinned.
“Okay.”
Hindi na siya nangulit.
Surprisingly.
---
After lunch, nagpunta ako sa library.
Kailangan kong tapusin ang isang report bago matapos ang araw.
Tahimik doon.
I liked it.
Walang nagtatanong.
Walang tumatawag.
Walang problema.
Just books, computers, and silence.
Exactly what I needed.
I had been working for almost an hour when someone dropped a book on the chair beside me.
Thud.
Napatingin ako.
Siya.
“Seriously?”
“Hi.”
“Library ito.”
“I know.”
“Bawal maingay.”
“I didn't make a sound.”
“Yung book mo.”
“Sorry.”
Umupo siya.
I stared at him.
“Anong ginagawa mo?”
“Studying.”
“Here?”
“Yes.”
“Sa dami ng upuan?”
“Yes.”
“Bakit dito?”
He looked at the empty chair beside me.
“May tao ba?”
I sighed.
“Wala.”
“Then okay.”
I went back to my laptop.
After a few minutes, tahimik lang siya.
No jokes.
No questions.
No annoying comments.
I almost forgot he was there.
Until—
“Anong ibig sabihin ng ‘feasibility’?”
I slowly turned my head.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Google.”
“Baka mali ang Google.”
“Hindi.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Tahimik ulit.
Five minutes later—
“Anong ibig sabihin ng—”
“Google.”
“Okay.”
Ten minutes later—
“Do you have a pen?”
I handed him one without looking.
“Thanks.”
Another five minutes.
“May eraser ka?”
I stopped typing.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
I opened my pencil case and handed him one.
“Thanks.”
“Anything else?”
He thought for a moment.
“Food?”
I stared at him.
He smiled.
“Joke lang.”
“Good.”
---
By four in the afternoon, tapos na ako.
I packed my things.
“Uuwi ka na?”
“Yes.”
“May susundo sa'yo?”
“No.”
“Hatid kita.”
“No.”
“Bakit?”
“Because I said no.”
“Okay.”
I stood up.
He stood up too.
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I walked away.
Hindi na ako lumingon.
Hindi ko alam kung sumunod ba siya o hindi.
At honestly, wala akong pakialam.
Or at least, iyon ang sinabi ko sa sarili ko.
---
Paglabas ko ng gate, umuulan.
Malakas.
“Great.”
Wala akong payong.
I checked my phone.
No messages.
I considered waiting.
Pero may kailangan pa akong bilhin bago umuwi.
So I ran.
“Hoy!”
Napalingon ako.
Siya.
May hawak na payong.
“You're going to get sick.”
“Okay lang.”
“Hindi okay.”
“Hindi naman ako gawa sa papel.”
“Hindi rin ako.”
“Then?”
He opened the umbrella.
“Come here.”
“Hindi.”
“Why?”
“Hindi kita kailangan.”
Tumigil siya.
For a second, wala siyang sinabi.
Then he nodded.
“Okay.”
He lowered the umbrella.
“Then don't.”
And he walked away.
I stood there.
Nakatitig sa likod niya.
Hindi siya nangulit.
Hindi niya ako pinilit.
Hindi niya sinabi na “Pero gusto ko.”
Wala.
He simply accepted my answer.
I looked at the rain.
Then at him.
“Wait.”
He stopped.
I walked toward him.
“Hatid mo na ako.”
He looked at me.
Then smiled.
“Okay.”
We walked under the same umbrella.
Walang usapan.
Walang jokes.
Walang awkward attempts na magpatawa.
Just silence.
And somehow, it wasn't uncomfortable.
---
Pagdating sa kanto, huminto ako.
“Dito na.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
I stepped away from the umbrella.
“Thanks.”
He nodded.
“Welcome.”
I turned around.
“By the way…”
He looked at me.
“Hmm?”
I hesitated.
Then finally—
“I'm not always angry.”
He smiled.
“I know.”
“How?”
“Hindi ka naman talaga galit.”
“Then bakit mo ako tinatawag na Miss Galit?”
“Because you make funny faces when you're annoyed.”
I stared at him.
“That's rude.”
“Probably.”
I shook my head.
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I walked away.
This time, I didn't look back.
But I heard him call out.
“Miss!”
I turned.
He raised the umbrella.
“Don't forget this.”
I looked down.
He had somehow slipped the umbrella into my hand.
“Wait, what about you?”
“I'll be fine.”
“It's raining.”
“I know.”
“Then—”
He was already walking away.
I stood there holding his umbrella.
For a few seconds, I just watched him disappear into the rain.
Then I looked at the umbrella in my hand.
“Ang kulit talaga.”
I wasn't smiling.
At least, I don't think I was.
---
That night, I placed the umbrella beside my door.
I could have returned it the next day.
I could have left it somewhere.
I could have simply forgotten about it.
But I didn't.
Not because it meant anything.
It was just an umbrella.
And he was just a guy I happened to know.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
At least, that's what I thought.
For now.
- Writer
