Wind and Sail

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Dayn's PoV

It's Saturday, seven am at ibig sabihin mamaya-maya ay oras na para mamili. Nakatulog naman ako nang matiwasay sa awa ng seven archons of Genshin. Clint always plays that whenever I see him holding his phone. I noticed that I have been mentioning his name repeatedly. I’m going to call him later when I come back.

May narinig akong kumatok sa pinto. "Come in! Gising na ang mahal na prinsesa!" sigaw ko. Bumukas ang pinto at sumalubong sa akin ang tatawa-tawang si Manang."Good Morning Manang! Why are you laughing?"

"Wala naman Celestina, mukhang maganda ang araw mo, ha,” nakangiti niyang banggit. Lumapit siya sa kurtina para hawiin iyon at tumagos ang liwanag sa kuwarto.

She's calling me Celestina, tagalog ata iyon ng Celestine. Iyon ang nakasanayan niya na itawag sa akin. Itinuturing niya kaming magkakapatid na parang totoong anak. Siya ang nag-aalaga at nagbabantay sa amin ni Ate at Clint noong maliliit pa kami, ngayon ay si Liquor naman ang dadaan sa kamay niya. We love her very much, I don't think I can live without her, like my mom. I cannot imagine myself living a world where the people I cherish the most are gone.

"Araw lang Manang? Araw lang ba ang maganda sa umagang 'to?" Singhal ko habang nakaturo sa bintana kung saan nanggagaling ang sinag ng araw.

"Ikaw talagang bata ka. Siyempre naman mas maganda ang aking alaga," sabi niya. Lumapit siya sa akin at sinuklay ang buhok ko gamit ang kaniyang mga daliri.

Napangiti ako at niyakap siya. Ang lambing-lambing talaga ni Manang. Wala naman akong sama ng loob kila Mama, naiintindihan ko naman na ang lahat, siguro.

"As usual Manang. Ready na po ba ang breakfast?" Tumango lang siya bilang sagot. "Sige ho, bababa na rin po ako, aayusin ko lang po ang sarili ko." 

Nakangiti niya akong tinanguan at lumabas na ng aking kuwarto.

Palabas na ako nang nag-vibrate ang cellphone ko.

Sxan:

Rise and Shine, pretty girl! Don't forget 10 am sa Caydenn ha, this time magpahatid ka na lang.

Mga pambobola niya talaga ay hindi kumukupas. Tingnan na’tin kung hanggang saan ang itatagal mo, Sxan.

Ako:

Yeah, I was thinking about that too. Don't worry for the lunch, we'll use the school fund, like we did the last time.

I thought that he wouldn’t reply but he did. My phone vibrated again.

Sxan:

Yeah, got it. You know what, I’ll just pick you up then drop you off home para hindi mo na kailangan pang pumunta sa school.

Oh, hell no. Wala ngang chismosang kapitbahay kasi nasa loob mismo ng sarili naming bahay ang chismosa.

Ako:

Kung ano-ano pumapasok bigla sa utak mo, wala atang laman iyan e. No, Sxan. I think that’s one horrible idea.

Sxan:

Meron kayang laman ito, ikaw. Yie, I bet my future you’re smiling, look. Hahaha.

Sumilay ang ngisi sa bibig ko, hindi dahil sa unang sentence na sinabi niya kundi dahil sa pangalawa.

Ako:

Oo, naka-smile ako habang iniisip kung paano ka murder-in nang hindi ako nahuhuli. Hindi pa nga nagsisimula araw ko, sinisira mo na.

Pressed sent. I think his humor is growing and leveling up. Napapaisip tuloy ako kung ano ba talagang ugali nito.

Sxan:

Aga-aga nga galit ka agad. Sa harap na lang ng village niyo kita sunduin? How’s that?

Ako:

Hah! Still a BIG NO! Edi nagmukha naman akong may ka-secret relationship non diba? Sa school tayo magkikita, end of conversation!

Akala ko magrereply pa siya, naghintay pa ako ng ilang minuto pero wala naman. Bwisit talaga. Napagtanto ka na lang kinalaunan kung bakit ko pa ba siya hinihintay, hindi ba't sinabi ko ‘end of conversation’ na?

I put everything in my bag and went downstairs to eat breakfast. I am wearing a white blouse paired with a neutral earth-toned trouser, white Airforce, and accessorized the outfit with gold square earrings. The breakfast on the table is fried rice, a variety of fried dried fish, eggs, and steamed tomato as dipping sauce.

It was nine forty-five in the morning when I arrived, and 'til now, he's still not showing his face! Everybody knew that I hate waiting. Why am I complaining so much about being late when I was the one who arrived earlier to our agreed meeting time? But hey, I have been waiting for what, like twenty-minutes? Yeah, twenty long minutes of my f*****g life.

Oh my geez, why am I so grumpy?

Halos humiwalay ang kaluluwa ko sa katawan ko nang may bumusinang sasakyan sa likuran ko. Magpapahatid na lang sana ako, pero occupied silang lahat kaya wala akong choice kundi ipag-drive ang sarili ko rito. Wala namang problema sa akin tutal malaki na rin naman ako at kaya ko naman na siguro ang sarili ko. Kaya nga ako may motor, hindi ba? Easy singit, full speed takas, and convenient, especially kapag hindi maulan. Medyo nababawasan angas kapag naka-kapote ka habang nagmamaneho, hindi ba?

Alam ko naman na parking lot ito, pero ang dami-daming vacant space na pwedeng pag-parking-an, dito pa talaga sa tabi ko? Kahit parallel park pa ang gusto niyang gawain, kayang kaya naman. At saka nasa motorcycle parking area ang motor ko.

“Sira-ulo itong gagong ‘to, ha.” Susugurin ko na sana pero nakita ko na ibinaba niya ang bintana niya.

Sa inis ko ay hindi ko na siya pinansin, agad-agad na akong nagtungo sa sasakyan. Bababa pa sana siya para siguro’y pagbuksan ako ng pintuan, pero hindi na kailangan dahil nakasakay na ako.

“Hello,” bati ni Sxan sa akin pagkasakay ko ng sasakyan niya. Ito rin ang gamit naming last time kaya familiar.

I forced a brisk smile and didn’t pay attention to him while we’re hitting the road. He just glances at me with that confused look occasionally. I just knew that he has something to say.

“Why do you keep glancing at me? Just say what you have to goddamn say,” I called him out.

He stopped before a pedestrian then looked at me. “Why are you so sungit today?” he asks.

“Tahimik lang masungit na agad.” Kinuha ko ang cellphone ko at ikinonekta iyon sa speakers. Love Celestine pa rin ang pangalan ng Bluetooth niya.

Strawberries and Cigarettes by Troy Sivan is playing right now.

He didn’t respond to what I said. Silence grew but I don’t feel any awkwardness at all.

“Have you ever done that?” He asked out of nowhere, pertaining to the lyrics of the song that talks about lying to your mom, sneaking out late just to meet your boyfriend type of stuff.

“That? Nah, though lying and sneaking out late at night is a big red painted yes. But just so I can meet with my then boyfriend? Nah. Never,” I answered.

I didn’t even know why I said ‘my then boyfriend’ when I had no boyfriend at all. No boyfriend since birth, but a lot of flings, you know, like senior students who plays varsity in their school, stupid, full of themselves guys, yeah. Had gone through a lot of talking stage, ligawan stage, pinakilala sa family kahit hindi pa sila stage.

“Then whom did you do those for?”

“Parties, and to meet a friend.”

Napatingin siya sa akin dahil siguro sa huling sinabi ko. Yes, to meet my friend, Luke. Sneaking out late at night so we can go to a night drive or walk in the empty park or go to parties. Luke is my partner in crime and so am I to him.

“Oh, a friend,” he says, nodding his head slowly. It’s like he was not convinced by what I said.

“Yup, what about you?”

“Of course, I think everybody had done that once or more in their life.”

I agreed with what he said. Sometimes we all do the same thing, we just have different reasons, and results may vary.