The Song of the Wolf and the Moon (Published Under PHR)

Chapter 13: The Art of Kissing

“The moon is at her full, and riding high, floods the calm fields with light. The airs that hover in the summer sky are all asleep tonight.”

~William C. Bryant

PAUL ANGELO WAS on fire. It was consuming him. This woman he despised before was making him stir up with desire. And he couldn’t control it any more. He looked calm but inside him, there was a beast waiting to devour her.

            “Are you ready?” he asked his bewildered wife.

            She nodded and inhaled. Parehas silang nakaupo sa gilid ng kama. Nakatungo ito at nakahawak ang naninigas nitong kamay sa hita. Na tila sa pamamagitan noon ay mawawala ang kabang nararamdaman nito.

            “Look at me. When I am lecturing I want all your presence. Understood?” he commanded.

            “Y-yeah,” she startled, charming her time to look at him.

            “Lesson One. Relax, okay? Put your presence with what we are doing. Calm your nerves and go with the flow. It’s not as if I will eat you.” But given the chance, I want to.

            “Okay,” she said sensually. She inhaled defiantly, mastering her first lesson.

            “Lesson number two. You should know how to give and read expressions. It is having communication with the gesture. Now, signal me that you want to be kissed,” he demanded.

            “O-okay, madali lang pala eh,” anito saka parang bata na pinatulis ang mga labi.

            He liberated a muttered laugh. How could she be so funny and fuckingly attractive at the same time? Imposibleng hindi ka tatawa kapag kasama ang babaeng ito.

            “Not that kind of signal. Let your expressions do all the talking. It should be subtle, not too direct, to leave a mystery, enough mystery for us to cross our lips and discover the ambiguity. It must start with your eyes. Think. Express. And act. Okay, let’s do it again. Give me that look, honey.”

            She hesitated at first but she focused afterwards. She gave him one unassured tempting look with a touch of innocence. Her full expressive eyes were intently digging up to his being. He was burning. He was smouldering. And his body became rigid. His hard-on was like a rock aching to his groin.

            Damn this lesson. I want her now.

            Unti-unti niyang inilapit ang mukha sa nakatikom na labi ni KM. He could hear her heartbeat chasing one another. Or it was his? And she smelled so sweet that it pained him inside. Lumapat ang mga labi niya rito. She closed her eyes. Huminto sa pag-ikot ang mundo kasama ang puso niyang pangalan nito ang minumutawi. Kissing her was good... fuckingly good. He slightly nipped her sweet lips, coaxed her. He was insatiable... he wanted more.

But he finished the kiss. Nagsalubong ang mga kilay nito, hinahabol ang hininga.

“Do not pucker up your lips. You do not want me to kiss a wall, honey. What’s lesson one?” he asked.

“R-relax,” she said.

“Right.”

“It’s like that I am having these elements on my body. Pakiramdam ko may helium sa katawan ko at lilipad ako, tapos may hydrogen, then water, fire... and fireworks. It came so fast that I can’t grasp the marvellous sensation,” she disconcerted.

What a description for a kiss, he silently mocked. “Lesson three. Come close to me.”

“G-gaano ka-close?”

“Close enough for you to be comfortable.”

“Okay,” anito at umusog palapit sa kanya.

“When I kiss you, slightly part your lips. That’s lesson number four.”

“Why?” she asked, confused.

“I’m an adventurer.” Inilapit niya ang mukha sa tenga nito. “I’m a tongue man, honey. I enjoy using it.”

“W-why,” namumulang saad nito

“I’m teaching you how to kiss, a real kiss.”

“A-are you sure? Y-you’ll... put your... tongue on me?” she asked bizarrely. “Isn’t that too carnal?”

He laughed mischievously. “Carnal? Wow for that word. Kissing is not just a meeting of two lips. It’s exploring, discovering, and capturing, KM. Ready?”

She jiggled. He kissed her again, slowly, taking his time. He could live his life for a day kissing her. He heard her moaning seductively. She responded to his kiss aggressively. Between kisses, he said, “Lesson five. Let me take the lead. It is okay to be aggressive but learn to dance the music. Learn the movements, my style. Kiss me softly and let me put the pressure,” he said as he kissed her again.

“O-okay,” she said, drowning to the sensation.

“Last lesson. Be intimate. Move your hands and put it on my shoulder. I want you to touch my nape, stroke my ears.”

He began exploring. He bit and sipped her lips. She learned fast. She responded to the intensity of his kiss. She was touching him the way he wanted it to. He dwelled his tongue to meet hers. The fire building in him was unbearable, so he touched her selfishly. He was so aroused.

He looked at her when they were done. “I...” she stopped, she stared with willing assurance, “I... want more.”

He smiled. He was more than willing to endow her longing.

~~o~~

PAUL HAD A distant childhood memory of a happy family. He was five at that time and his mother was serving them their dinner. His father and mother are laughing for something he can not comprehend. Bawat minutong kasama niya ang dalawa noong sandaling iyon, walang ibang gagawin ang mga ito kundi ang tumawa. They were a picture of a happy family. His father and mother are laughing... laughing... laughing.

            Iyon ang naalala niya ngayong tumatawa ang dalawang matanda habang kumakain sila ng tanghalian. He was not accustomed to having a happy family, maybe before, yes, but it was all in the past he couldn’t fairly remember it anymore. It was foreign for him seeing his grandparents smiling with each other. They were back to the ‘newly-weds stage.’

            They were eyeing them with mystification. Nasanay na silang hindi nagkakasundo ang dalawa sa loob ng anim na taon. Nagsama lamang ulit ang mga ito nang kailangan na ng mga ito na alagaan si Mayan at Anthony pagkatapos mamatay ang kanyang ina.

            “Ano payag ba kayo, Paul... KM?” tanong ng kanyang lolo. Alam niyang masayahin ang kanyang lolo ngunit iba ang tuwa sa mga mata nito ngayon.

            “Sigurado po ba kayo?” sagot niya.

            “Aba, oo naman. Pagkakataon na naming masolo ang isa’t isa. Hindi ba, irog ko?” nakangiting inakbayan ng kanyang lolo ang lola.

            Napangiwi siya nang gumanti ng ngiti si Lola Alicia. Parang biglang nawala ang masungit at istriktang lola niya. Iminungkahi ng mga ito na sa Zyrion muna tumira si Mayan at Anthony sa darating na bakasyon dahil gusto ng mga itong mag-pulot gata sa iba’t-ibang panig ng Pilipinas. Muli siyang napangiwi sa plano ng dalawa.

            “Oo naman po, Lo. Payag kami ni Paul na sa amin muna tumira si Mayan at Anthony. Mag-enjoy lang kayo sa honeymoon ninyo,” nakangiting saad ni KM.

            “Maraming salamat, apo,” ani Lola Alicia.

            “Wala pong kaso sa amin iyon, La. Kahit ilang buwan pa po kayong mag-honeymoon, okay lang po sa amin ni Paul.”

            “Aba’y masaya kung ganoon, apo,” magiliw na saad ng kanyang lola.

            Nagulat siya roon, iyon ang unang pagkakataon na tawagin nitong ‘apo’ si KM. Marahan niyang tinignan ang asawa. Sa maiksing panahon, nagawa itong mahalin ng kanyang pamilya. Ano’ng meron ito at nakasundo ang pasaway niyang kapatid na si Mayan. Dahil ba mahilig din ito sa mga kanta ng mga Koreano na hindi niya maintindihan? Ano ang meron ito para mabuhat nito ang mailap na si Anthony, para pasalamatan ito ng kanyang lola?

            Ano ang meron siya para gustuhin mo siyang halikan? Thinking her kissing him again made him hardened with desire. He was horny as hell. Damn hormones.

            “Kayong dalawa ba’y may balak magkaanak? Kailan niyo ba kami bibigyan ng mga apo sa tuhod?” tanong ni Lolo Domingo.

            Halos hindi niya malunok ang kinakain sa tanong na iyon. Nakangiting nakatingin sa kanya si KM.

            “Darating din po kami ni Paul doon, Lo. In-i-enjoy po muna namin ni Paul ang isa’t-isa,” sagot ni KM.

            “Aba’y bilisan ninyo at hindi na kayo bumabata mga apo. Excited na akong alagaan ang magiging apo ko sa tuhod,” ani Lola Alicia.

            Pinalipas niya ang oras sa kanilang kwarto pagkatapos kumain. Marami pa siyang report na babasahin. Lalo na ang bagong venture niya, he was planning to build a first-class leisure get-away. Two years ago, he bought an island from an associate in Maconacon, Isabela, one of the coastal areas of the province. He visited it last month, and it was perfection. They will develop it, put villas and mansions to the island. According to their feasibility study, eighty per cent of the respondents wanted to enter for a membership granting one villa for a member.

            They were at fifty per cent completion of the project. It was his first baby after Tropical Orient. They will call it ‘Puerto Azul.’ He was excited about the venture.

            He was busy reading reports from Zerlene when a melody suddenly materialized from the air. Nanlaki ang mga mata niya. Matagal nang walang gumagamit ng piano sa bahay nila. Matagal na simula nang pumanaw ang kanyang ama. At sigurado siyang wala sa kanyang pamilya ang kasing-galing ng tumutugtog ngayon. Pinuno ng mabining tugtog na iyon ang loob ng kabahayan at ayaw man niya ngunit natatangay siya.

            Mabilis siyang bumaba sa hagdan, kung saan nasa ibaba ang kanilang piano na natatakpan noon ng puting tela. Ngunit wala na ang tela at nakaupo na roon si KM habang buong pusong hinahaplos ng mga kamay nito ang tiklada ng grand piano.

            Malamyos ang tugtog. It was familiar to his ears. Para siyang dahon na tinatangay ng hangin pabalik sa kanyang nakaraan. Her music was like a persistent key trying to open his past. He had forgotten it yet here he was, listening to her music, made it back all – his father playing music, singing her mother... and they were laughing.

            “Life is like a piano, son. The white keys represent happiness and the black keys for sadness. All we want is happiness in life but no one can avoid sadness. Life would be too dull without its counterpart. Same as with music, you can not create beautiful music without the black keys.” That was what his father said to him when he was five.

            Masyado siyang nakulong sa kahapon at hindi niya namalayan na tapos na pala ang pagtugtog ni KM. Napansin niyang pinahid ng kanyang lola ang mga luha nito. Marahil ipinaalala ng musika ni KM ang kanyang ama sa kanyang lola. Makikita ang mangha sa mukha ng kanyang lolo at mga kapatid.

            “B-bakit hindi mo sinabing marunong kang tumugtog ng Piano?” nababaghang tanong ng kang lola.

            “Matagal na rin po akong hindi tumugtog nito,” sagot ni KM.

            “What’s the title... of that song?” he interrupted, lahat ay napalingon sa kanya.

            Gulat ang unang rumehistro sa mukha ni KM. He was adamant because, for a piece of music, he was crushed into pieces... again. He was angry with himself and to KM. How dare her to untangle his composed self, his emotions? How could he succumb to her music that easily?

            “The Song of the Wolf,” she said.

            Was it for me? he wanted to ask. But he said, “Why was that the title?”

            “Ang awit ng lobo ay para sa buwan dahil iniwan siya sa lupa. Bawat kabilugan ng buwan, kinakanta iyon ng mga lobo,” paliwanag ni KM.

            Tumango siya at agad na umakyat sa kwarto. Nalilito siya. Sinubukan niyang balikan ang trabaho ngunit ayaw gumana ng kanyang utak. Humiga siya at ipinikit ang mga mata. Ngunit parang pelikula na nagpapakita sa kanyang balintataw ang nakaraan. Ipinapaalala ni KM sa kanya ang mga bagay na dapat niyang kalimutan.