Glimpse

II

"I... Talk to the rain, you know?" He began, smiling at himself.

The rain continued pouring outside, but aside from its sound and the van's tires, silence ensued. The guy silently waits beside him.

The teacher shifts on his seat uncomfortably, with reluctance swallowing him if he should continue with his story. He gulps and stops for a minute, but then sighs and closes his eyes.

"I tell it everything. Every feeling that I had at that moment. Lahat ng bagay na gumugulo sa akin… frustrations ko… hinanakit ko sa mundo… galit ko - ulan ang sumasalo." He explained, and the guy beside him stared at him with curiosity.

"The best thing is, it never said anything back. No judgment. No invalidation. No nonsensical advice. It was just there, pouring outside..." He sighed and looked away from the rain, breathing steadily through the silence.

"But, you know, right? Friends always have something they hate from each other. Do you know what I hate about the rain?" He smiled at the guy, who shook his head slowly after thinking for a mere few seconds.

The teacher heaved a tired sigh, looking away. He looked at the rain falling heavily outside.

It took him a matter of seconds before speaking again in a low, melancholic voice, as the guy waited patiently, never looking away from him.

"It never said anything back." The teacher says, heavily.

The guy's eyes widened in realization.

"No words of comfort. No warmth. No pat on the shoulder. No hug. Just pure... coldness." He sighs.

"Will you believe me if I said na ito ang unang beses na kinwento ko 'to sa isang tunay na tao?" He asks with a tired smile.

The van stops moving. The two of them become distracted.

As they look outside, surprise dawns on them. There's heavy traffic ahead. Trucks, cars, motorcycles, and other vans are clumped in the road.

He sees the driver pick up his phone. He dials a number and puts the phone on a loud speaker.

"Hello, pre. Ano'ng nangyari dini sa Tayabas at yanong traffic? Kaulanan ay hindi na makausad ang sasakyan!" He ranted.

"Ay, pre, may aksidente diyan kanina! Nabangga yung lola ng sasakyan. Nahuli naman na yung may gawa, ay kaso ay hindi naman daw sinadya. Maulan nga din naman diyan sa Tayabas, hindi makita ang tumatawid. Ay ayun, patay yung matanda." The two adults in the back hears the conversation, and looks at one another in shock. The driver frowns from the information.

"Aa, yano yaan... Kawawa naman." He sighs gravely. "Sige na, pare, salamat. Ingat ka din. Yanong ulan yaan!" He protests.

"Sige, pare. Mag-ingat at basa ang kalsada!" The guy on the phone replies as he ends the call.

The silence that came back inside the van was intolerable. The snores of the passengers, the whistling of the driver, and the teacher's and the guy's breathing could only be heard.

The rain in Tayabas is indeed heavier than it is in Lucban. Most of all, it's almost night now, and the darkness is slowly sipping in through the road. They can also hear the wind whistle around them.

After processing what they’ve heard, the two look at each other directly. Neither said a word to the other, until the guy spoke.

"Sabi nga nila, maikli ang buhay ng tao... Mabuti na yung nailabas mo yan kahit sa di mo kakilala, kaysa mamatay kang dala-dala mo pa rin yan, diba?" He cracks a small smile.

Silence ensues once more, as the teacher's eyes widen a bit.

"You're... right." The teacher nods after processing what he heard.

The guy looks in another direction and sighs. He smiles at himself as the teacher quietly stares at him, wondering why he looks so youthful. After several minutes, he shifts again from his seat, in an attempt to converse once more.

"Sabi mo, sir, mukha akong 'sunshine person', at marami ding nakapagsabi niyam... Pero, masiyado ata akong nakakapaso..." he said while scratching his head.

"What do you mean?" The teacher frowns at him.

"Lagi kong tina-try pumasok sa relationships, pero ni isa sa halos isang dosenang nakarelasyon ko, palyado, sir!" He laughs bitterly. "Partida, parehong babae at lalaki ang dinidate ko... Pero wala eh..." He shakes his head. "At alam mo ba kung ano lagi ang dahilan nila?" He looks at the teacher.

"Lagi nilang sinasabi na sumusobra daw ako." He grins as he say that. The teacher blinks at him.

"Hindi ko ma-gets kung paanong sumusobra ako..." He bitterly says. "Ang ginawa ko lang naman ay magtanong kung nasaan sila, kung anong ginagawa nila, mag-update ng mga ginagawa at pinupuntahan ko, mag-initiate lagi na mag-date, at paliguan sila ng compliments sa mga bagay na ginagawa nila." He says while frowning.

"Alin dun ang sobra?" He looks at the teacher, but the latter seems perplexed. He doesn't know what to say.

"U-uh... I-I don't really know... I didn't get to experience a love like that..." He shakes his head swiftly. The guy giggles at that, and out of the spur of the moment, said:

"Gusto mong i-try, sir?" He grins. The teacher's eyes widened in shock, pulling back from the guy.

"H-ha?!" He struggles.

The guy grins at him, his teeth contrasting the darkness that engulfs the van. He shifts from his seat, breaking the eye contact shared between them.

"Joke lang, sir..." He laughs heartily.

But the teacher already let the words sink through his mind, deep beneath the cracks of himself he never felt the need to address his whole life.

The guy looks in front. He feels good after opening up to this stranger - especially since the teacher opened up first about his life. He thought it was only right to share some parts of himself.

They're strangers, anyway.