“He helps me while I’m studying pa,” kwento ni Caitlin habang nakaupo nang kampante, hawak ang mainit na tasa ng tsaa. “Bale, being his escort is a working job for me. Pangtustos sa pag-aaral. Sinamahan ko lang siya, ganun lang. Nothing else.”
Tahimik lang akong nakatingin sa kanya. Her voice was steady, matter-of-fact, almost clinical. Ramdam kong nagsasabi siya ng totoo. Walang bahid ng pagtatanggol, wala ring drama. Pero kahit na… it was hard to trust her. Hindi dahil may ginawa siyang mali sa akin kundi dahil may parte sa akin na alam kung gaano kalapit siya noon kay Atticus.
And yet, it felt like she didn’t even care if I believed her or not. Parang wala siyang kailangan patunayan. She wasn’t trying to please me, or earn my approval. Ginagawa lang niya ang ipinag-utos sa kanya ni At
