The Paintbrush Deal

CHAPTER 17

Elio's POV

"Hey, we're heading out today."

Si Skyler agad ang bumungad sa 'kin paglingon ko. I immediately muted the television before frowning at him. Umagang-umaga kaya naman naalibadbaran agad ako pagkarinig ko sa boses niya.

"Can't you see that I'm watching my favorite show?" I snapped at him. "Besides, I thought you already know how to properly choose your grocery? Off you go. Shoo."

"We're not grocery shopping today. I need you to come with me. Also, I'm still the one paying all the bills here, so if you want to at least be able to touch the TV remote for the remainder of your stay here in my house, you are going to come with me," said Skyler.

I just growled at him irately as I scratched my head. "Where the hell are we heading today, mister?"

"May pupuntahan akong art workshop. I'm going to teach a bunch of kids. The school's paying me, so we need to get there in time. Ngayon mo lang naman ako sasamahan dahil kailangan kong dalhin ang ilang mga gamit ko. I'll be teaching there for a week," Skyler said.

"Kailangan pala na on-time tayo, so bakit ngayon mo lang sinabi sa 'kin na kailangan mo pala ang tulong ko?" sabad ko naman.

Skyler raised his hands. "In my defense, I was busy working last night. Late ka na rin na umuwi kagabi. After lunch naman tayo aalis today. You need to dress up properly, though," sabi niya.

"Is Kelly coming, too?" I asked.

"Yes. In fact, siya ang nag-aasikaso ng mga request para sa ganitong mga trabaho. I usually do this kind of thing every summer," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'm coming with you. Now get the hell out of my sight. I don't want to ruin my day this early. Get lost," I replied before turning my attention back to the television.

Skyler lightly slapped the top of my head as he headed towards the kitchen to eat his breakfast.

Hindi na nga kami masyadong nagkita ni Skyler buong umaga. Nagkulong lang siya doon sa workroom niya hanggang tanghali. Pagkatapos kong magluto ng pananghalian namin ay saka lang siya lumabas na may dala nang mga nakakahon na painting supplies.

"Hey, help me," tawag niya sa 'kin. "Please bring this box to the garage."

Napansin ko na nakasiwang nang bahagya ang pinto ng workroom niya. As I bent down to lift the cardboard box, pasimple naman akong tumitig sa loob ng kwarto. Unfortunately, tila napansin ni Skyler ang ginawa ko kaya agad niyang isinara ang pinto.

"Mabigat ba? Ba't hindi ka na makagalaw diyan?" tanong niya.

Agad naman akong tumayo. "Hindi makapaghintay? Nag-iingat lang ako't baka may barbell kang nilagay rito. Ayokong mabalian ng likod," sagot ko.

"Stop exaggerating. Just bring that box to the garage already," he said as he nudged me to go ahead first. Hindi naman ako tanga para hindi mapansin ang overprotective behavior ni Skyler sa kwarto niya kaya hindi na lang ako umimik pa para iwas gulo.

Sakto naman na pagkalabas ko sa garahe ay dumating na si Kelly.

"Sorry I'm late," bungad niya sa 'min. "May mga bubuhatin pa ba kayo? Let me do it."

"We're done," Skyler said, exiting the door. "Wala naman akong masyadong dadalhin. Maliligo na muna kami ni Elio—"

Kelly threw confused glances between me and Skyler. "Maliligo kayo?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. I was just about to take a bath when this jerk asked for my help," sabi ko naman agad.

Kelly just smiled slyly as he raised his hands. "Relax. I was just asking kung maliligo na kayo para makapaghanda na ako ng lunch natin. Pambawi ko man lang dahil late ako. May sinabi po ba ako na sabay kayong maliligo?" tanong niya.

Apparently, Kelly isn't exactly a pure, taintless angel.

"I just can't deal with this right now," I said while massaging my head. "I'm heading inside and taking a bath. You two can keep arguing here like idiots. See you later."

●●●

"I can't believe you're wearing that, sir. It's the middle of summer! Besides, it's only a workshop. You don't have to dress up like you're attending an international art convention," Kelly said while we're on our way. Ala-una ng hapon ang unang klase ni Skyler ngayong araw. Half-past twelve na.

He's currently lamenting over Skyler's pullover and coat. Truth be told, his attire made him look like a real teacher in some prestigious university. Nakadagdag pa doon ang eyeglasses niya at maayos na buhok.

"Do I look bad?" baling naman sa 'kin ni Skyler na katabi ko sa front seat.

Pansin ko rin kanina na nagmadaling maunang makapasok si Kelly sa kotse noong paalis na kami. Tatabi sana ako sa kanya pero puno na rin ang backseat ng mga gamit ni Skyler, kaya sa unahan na lang ako umupo.

"No. . . Not really," I said. "You kinda overdressed, though."

"They have AC there. Besides, I can always take my coat off. My pullover's pretty breathable," Skyler said.

I stared at him for several moments. "Have you ever considered teaching full-time? I'm pretty sure there are schools out there that will hire you in an instant, considering your calibre," I said.

"I do receive offers to teach in various schools here in the country and abroad," Skyler replied. "I don't feel like teaching, though. Not yet, anyway. Sa ngayon, gusto ko na munang gawin ang bagay na pinakagusto ko, and that is painting. Just painting. Maybe I'll teach when I'm older."

"Actually, Sir Skyler just hates dealing with adults," Kelly chimed in from the backseat. "If it were an art school for kids, he would've accepted the offer without a second thought. That's the reason why he accepts offers for summer workshops. He usually teaches children and teenagers."

Skyler chuckled. "True. Adults just drive me mad, while children are cute and lovable and squishy," he said.

I almost laughed after hearing him say 'squishy.' Good thing I was able to stop myself right away.

We arrived at our destination with fifteen minutes to spare. Sa isang eskwelahan naman pala talaga ang workshop. Mukhang college campus pa 'to. Malawak ang grounds at halatang mahal ang tuition. May mga tao naman sa paligid maliban sa 'min.

"You two wait here," baling sa 'min ni Skyler pagkapasok namin sa isang hallway. "Pupunta lang ako sa faculty room. Ibaba niyo na muna 'yang mga dala niyo."

As he headed towards the opposite end of the hallway, bumaling naman ako kay Kelly. "Parati niya ba 'tong ginagawa kapag may free time siya?" tanong ko.

"Of course. Last year lang siya nagsimula, though. Mahal ang rate ni sir, I'm telling you. Next month ay may isang linggo rin siyang naka-schedule para sa isa na namang workshop," sagot niya.

"To be honest, I'm quite surprised that your boss has a stable source of income. At first I thought he was just a beggar exploiting rich people's weird tastes for art," I said.

Tumawa na lang si Kelly. "Marami naman po talaga kasing sources of income si Sir Skyler. May shares din po siya sa kumpanya. Nag-invest din siya sa mga restaurant ni Mico. In fact, Mico was able to expand his chain of restaurants because of Sir Skyler. Innate kay sir ang pagiging matipid, kaya malaking tulong din 'yun," sagot niya.

I rolled my eyes. "That bastard's just too talented."

"I couldn't agree more," replied Kelly.

Sakto naman na lumitaw na si Skyler kaya natahimik kami ni Kelly mula sa panlilibak sa kanya.

"You two look guilty," Skyler said as he approached us, his eyes narrowing. "I should check my back for knives."

"Don't be silly. Napakaraming pwedeng pag-usapan sa mundong 'to. Not everything in the world is about you," pagsisinungaling ko naman.

"Whatever. My first class is just upstairs. Tara na. May mga assistant na rin doon na tutulong sa 'kin, so you don't need to help me," sabi niya.

"Can we go home already?" I asked as we carried the boxes and followed him. "Baka dumiretso na rin ako sa mall para magpalipas ng oras."

Skyler stared at me flatly for several seconds. "We are going to go home together. Tatlong batch ang tuturuan ko, so uuwi tayo mamayang alas-kwatro. We can do whatever you want that time. Kung gusto mong kumain sa labas, then we'll go; but you have to stay here until I'm done working," he said.

I stared back at him in utter disbelief. "Ano naman ang gagawin ko rito? Mag-aral? Tumunganga? Why can't I just leave?" sabad ko.

"Gusto mo bang ipaalala ko sa 'yo ang deal natin?" tanong niya.

Agad naman akong natahimik. Skyler and I just stared daggers at each other as we ascended the stairs. Pumagitna naman sa 'ming dalawa si Kelly, his face bright and beaming.

"Sasamahan na lang kita, Elio," he said. "We can explore around if you like. Mukhang malawak naman 'tong school. Hindi niyo naman kailangan na magpatayan nito ni sir."

Natapos lang ang stare down battle namin ni Skyler nang matapat na kami sa room assignment niya.

Murmurs rippled across the room as we entered, with most of the people looking at Skyler. Hindi na ako nagtaka dahil mga teenager at ka-edad ko ang nasa loob ng room. Skyler just pushed his eyeglasses higher up his nose as we lowered the boxes on the floor, his face flat and expressionless.

"I'll see you two later," he said to us as we headed out of the room. "Have fun."

"Good luck, sir!" bulong naman ni Kelly habang nasa hallway na kami. "See you later!"

Skyler turned his eyes to me as if he's expecting me to say the same thing. My lips immediately curved into a wide and menacing grin as I raised a hand and gave him the classic middle finger salute. Wala naman ako sa view ng mga estudiyante niya sa loob.

Skyler's eyebrow twitched, and he nearly kicked the door shut in response. Kinaladkad naman ako ni Kelly palayo sa room.

"You two are like kids, seriously."

●●●

Kagaya ng ipinangako ni Kelly ay naglibot-libot kami sa campus para naman malibang kami. It was nice walking around, lalo't makahoy at presko ang paligid. Dahil bakasyon, halos wala kaming nabilhan ng pagkain ni Kelly. Kinailangan pa naming lumabas ng campus para lang makakain.

Malapit na mag-alas tres ng hapon nang mapagod na kami sa kalalakad. Bumalik kaming dalawa sa building at naupo sa isa sa mga bench na nasa labas.

"Kapag talaga ako nainis, iiwan ko ang kulot na 'yan," sabi ko pagbaling ko sa relo ko. "I can't believe na kailangan kong ngumanga rito, knowing na nakahilata sana ako ngayon sa kwarto at kumakain ng ice cream."

"Ganyan talaga si sir. A little bit clingy, pero kapag magkasama kayo, gusto talaga niya na sabay kayong aalis at uuwi," sagot ni Kelly.

He stared at me for several moments.

"I'm glad to see that you two are getting along so much better now," Kelly said.

"Getting along? Kami? Kailan pa?" sabad ko naman agad.

"Well, compared naman kasi sa unang interactions niyo, 'di hamak na mas maayos na ang samahan niyong dalawa ngayon. Aso't pusa pa rin naman kayo sa isa't-isa, but it's nice to see that you two can already engage in casual talks without sending each other insult missiles every three seconds," Kelly said.

Huminga ako nang malalim. "I guess you're telling the truth. I just heeded your advice that I should treat Skyler casually. Nakakapagod din naman kasi kung parati na lang kaming nag-aaway. As a waiter, I've met a lot of toxic people, and I don't want to become like them. I don't want to make things difficult for the two of us. I just need to do my very best until our deal is finally over," sabi ko naman.

"Good to hear that," Kelly replied with a nod.

"Your advice also helped a lot," I added. "I just realized that I haven't even thanked you for being so kind and helpful to me since the day we met. Thank you so much, Kelly. I really hope that we can become friends despite my garbage behavior."

"First and foremost, you don't have a garbage behavior. You're just being yourself. You are not trash. Every single person is precious, and that includes you. Also, we're already friends the moment Sir Skyler took you in," Kelly said.

I smiled. "Thanks."

He suddenly stood up after checking his watch. "Actually, I need to go to the bathroom. Naparami yata ako ng inom ng s**o't gulaman. Stay here. I'll be quick," Kelly said before running away.

Bumaling na lang ako sa phone ko bilang pampalipas-oras. Maya-maya pa ay nakarinig ako ng mga yabag na papalapit sa 'kin. I looked behind me expecting to see Kelly. Instead, si Skyler ang bumungad sa 'kin. Nakasaklay sa balikat niya ang coat niya.

"What are you doing here?" tanong ko agad sa kanya.

"I have a thirty-minute break before my next class. I was about to eat something, pero bakasyon nga pala at sarado ang cafeteria nila," sagot niya.

"I see. I don't care," sabad ko naman.

Skyler stared at me for several seconds. After closing his eyes for a moment, he let out a sigh before offering his hand to me.

"Do you want to eat with me outside? My treat."