“ Are you alright?” tanong ni Matthew ng makita niyang nakatulala ako sa loob ng tent. I wasn’t really thinking of anything aside from what his ex-girlfriend said earlier. Pinipilit kong patatagin ang loob ko at ngumiti kay Matthew but then I saw the woman walking towards our direction smirking at me pero ng lumingon si Matthew ay agad iyong napalitan ng mala-anghel na ngiti.
“ I didn’t know you’re here Matt!” she sound like a conservative angel malayong malayo sa paraan ng pananalita niya kanina. Matthew held my hand and she looked at it, hindi maitago ang pait na nararamdaman but a minute later she smile again like nothing happened.
“ Yeah,” maikling sagot ni Matthew still looking at me and not minding her presence pero ng tinawag sila na pinakahead ng community service ay walang choice si Matthew kung hindi sumabay sa kanya. She seems to be having a hard time scoring a real conversation with Matthew pero hindi siya nagtatagumpay dahil hindi man lang siya tapunan n
One week have passed and then another long week and another week without Matthew. I’ve waited almost everyday but he didn’t call nor sent me any messages about our argument and just like that I’ve accepted our fate that maybe that was the last time that I will saw him and I will be happy with him. It’s like a borrowed time…a borrowed moment and I didn’t realized it until I am here crying and hurting because of him. “ You know what?! Fuck him! Don’t destroy yourself like this!” sigaw ni Stefan matapos akong panoorin na umiinom nanaman sa bar niya. It is our summer break pero lagi akong nakatambay dito at nagpapakalango sa alak buti nalang ay dito lang din nagtrabaho si Stefan kaya libre akong pumunta dito kahit tanghaling tapat. “ Do you believe in fate?” tipsy, I asked him and looked directly at his eyes. He looks tired and pained watching me like this pero anong magagawa niya if this is the only way I know to stop the pain that I am feeling. “ Maybe it’s not
“ So how do you wanna start this?” nakangiti kong tanong kay Stefan ng makapunta kami sa gitna ng dance floor ng club. My arm is clinging into his neck while we are dancing in the middle of the crowd dahil nagsimulang magpatugtog ang dj ng slow songs. I laughed when he smirk at me and get his phone out of his suit. Pinanood ko siyang magpindot pindot doon until he looked upstairs kung nasaan ang station ng dj, the dj assigned then winked at him and quickly change the music into a party mix. Sobrang naglundagan ang mga tao at umugong ang tunog ng hiyawan sa buong lugar. Tinawanan ko si Stefan ng igiya niya ako sa pinakagitna ang nakapamaywang na hinamon ako ng sayaw and just like before I put my hands in air and dance wildly as if I didn’t mind anything that is beside me. Mas lalong lumakas ang hiyawan ng magseductive dance ako at hilahin ang isang lalaki bago mag-grind dito. I watch how he catches his breathe at mabilis din na lumayo ng magsimula na siyang humawak sa baywang
“Do you think I like good on this? Parang masyadong maikli naman!” Radia pouted while looking at herself in the mirror, umikot pa siya doon pero hindi talaga niya gusto kung gaano kaikli ang suot niyang dress. Stefan who is playing mobile games in her bed looked at her in disbelief and scoffed because of what he heard. “Look at these,” he said before doing something in his phone and showing it to her. Her face looked shocked because of what she is wearing in that picture hanggang sa tinignan niya ang lahat ng nakasave doon and they are all in same length. “ Halla!” she said and laughed at herself before looking in the mirror dahil mukhang mas disente pang tignan ang suot niya ngayon kaysa sa mga suot niya sa mga larawan na ipinakita ni Stefan. “ Hindi ako kumportable,” nasabi niya sa sarili bago pumasok ulit sa kanyang walk-in-closet at magpalit ng simpleng damit. Stefan scoffed and looked irritated again ng makita niya kung ano ang ipinalit k
“ Hello po! Nakakuha na ba iyong mga bata doon sa isang table?” tanong ko sa kasamahan ko na nagpapafeeding ngayon dito sa isang orphanage. I’ve been visiting different orphanage kahit busy ako sa school at sa thesis. I’m in my senior year and I am really stressed about it so I need some refreshments but unlike before I didn’t chose to go to bars and drink until I get wasted kundi naghanap ako ng mga charity at orphanage na pwede kong matulungan. My parents is so happy about these activities that they support me and funded my projects. Nakangiti kong pinanood ang mga batang masayang kumakain sa inihanda naming maliit na meryenda. We organize a children party for them to enjoy and have fun. “ Ate! Ate!” Umupo ako para pumantay ang paningin ko sa batang lalaki na hinihila ang pantalon ko. “ Hi! Bakit?” I said before looking at him. He looks like his just 6 years old at nakakaawa ang kondisyon ng balat niya. Marami siyang pantal-pantal at
"How come you can’t do anything right?” I looked at Stefan bago siya batuhin ng board eraser na hawak ko. He is my thesis partner and we are currently discussing our concept design. May ipinapa-revise kasi ang professor namin at hindi kami magkasundo pagdating sa design. “ Magulo ka kasing kausap!” I told him bago inagaw ang white board marker at nagsimulang mag-drawing sa nakasabi na board sa harapan namin. We are in his condo unit at dito na ata kami naglalaging dalawa just to finish this thesis. “ Eto nga kasi wala sa standards! Hindi ka kasi nakinig noong diniscuss iyong national code sa mga buildings!” galit kong ipinunto ang mga bagay na iyon habang nanlilisik na tumingin sa kanya. It’s 3 in the morning and we are debating, parehong ayaw magpatalo. “ Pangit ngang tignan kung may column na ilalagay diyan! Tignan mo yang concept natin tapos lalagyan mo ng poste?! Sige saan ka nakakita ng ganyan hah?!” papilit niya sa sinasabi habang idinuduro ang i-
“ Alfonso, Radia Yvette. Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Cum laude.” I smiled at everyone habang tinatanggap ko ang aking diploma. I never imagined myself graduating with flying colors dahil pangarap ko lang naman ang maging arkitekto, but then looking back I saw how I struggled to get a perfect score. I sleep late at night just to finish a plate or I skip meals just so I have more spare time.Sobrang daming paghihirap pero kapag nandito na pala ay tsaka mo lang maaapreciate lahat ng paghihirap na iyon. I know that may board exam pa at marami pa akong pagdadaanan but I am so proud that I made it! I really made it at kaunting kembot nalang ay malapit na akong maging isang ganap na arkitekto. All of those hardships are worth something and I am worth of something. Nakangiti din akong pumalakpak ng tinawag si Stefan. I shouted that I am so proud of him when he accepted his diploma of being magna cumlaude, he is the top of the class and that was something. Ang
“ So what did he say?” tsismosong tanong ni Stefan habang nasa kama ko siya at naglalaro ng mobile games. I told him everything about Matthew and how I asked if he is ready to talk with me about what happened. “ Hulaan mo,” I teased him before I just found a pillow landing straight to my face. Inis kong kinuha iyon at ibinato pabalik sa kanya. “ Stupid!” I said before dragging the box out of my bedroom. Kanina pa ako nag-aayos ng mga gamit at libro dahil graduate na ako, naks! Pero sa totoo lang ay ipapaayos kasi ang kwarto ko dahil sa ilang bitak sa gilid kaya inaayos ko ang ilan sa mga kalat and Stefan is supposed to help me pero as expected ay wala talaga siyang pakinabang. “ Ikaw ang stupid! Marupok ka!” he said hurting my feelings. It wasn’t true! Dahil kung marupok ako ay sana hindi ko na tinanong si Matthew at basta bastang nalang nakipag-ayos sa kanya. “ No, I wasn’t!” I told him before running in his directions and getting a fistful of his ha
Kung gaano ako nawindang dahil sa narealize ko ay ganoon din ang hitsura ni Matthew. I saw how his eyes widened and how he looked at me like I just betrayed the shit out of him. “ After everything?! You’re gay?!” gulat ko pading tanong sa kanya bago uminom sa kape sa harapan ko. Agad ko lang din iyong nabitawan dahil napaso ang dila ko. Fuck! I didn’t even think that the coffee would be hot at basta ko nalang ininom iyon. “ Shit! Are you okay?” nag-aalalang tanong ni Matthew bago lumapit sa akin. My mind cannot process everything lalo na ng hawakan niya ang baba ko at pilit iharap sa kanya. “ Patingin nga ako ng dila mo.” “ Heh?” I asked him pero inilabas ko padin ang napasong dila. I am just looking at him, worried about my tongue, when suddenly he leaned down and kiss the tip of it. Agad akong napalayo dahil sa ginawa niya at tumingin sa paligid dahil sobra akong naeskandalo. He just kissed the tip of my tongue! Matthew did that in a public place!