War Has Begun (War Series #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Birthday

Jadon and I got closer as time passed by. Parati kaming magka-usap at halos parati na ring magkasama. We would talk about a lot of things--even the most random of things. Hindi ko rin akalain na tatagal kaming magka-usap. Ilang buwan na rin at linggo, na halos hindi ko na nga naramdaman ang bilis ng paglipas ng panahon.

I got to know him better especially that he didn't really hide anything from me. We shared a lot of things about each other. Kahit ano ang itanong ko, sinasagot n'ya.

"I witnessed how my Dad slowly left my Mom," he said.

Agad akong nakaramdam ng kunsensya at nakaramdam ng lungkot. I knew that his parents are separated and that he doesn't really have the perfect family people expect him to have. Pero ngayong ikinukuwento n'ya sa'kin 'yon, parang ngayon ko lang mas napagtanto ang estado ng pamilya n'ya.

It must've been hard to have a broken family. Hindi ko alam ang pakiramdam dahil maayos naman ang pamilya ko... pero iniisip ko pa lang, nararamdaman ko na ang sakit sa dibdib ko. Pakiramdam ko, hindi ko 'yon kakayanin.

Pero kahit ikinukuwento ni Jadon ang masakit at mabigat na bagay na 'yon, parang sanay na s'ya at wala na 'yong epekto sa kan'ya. O baka 'yon lang ang ipinakikita n'ya pero hindi naman talaga gano'n ang totoong nararamdaman.

I asked him why he got offended with what I said when he first met me and this is what he answered. I didn't expect it to be the main reason why he got mad at me that day.

"She worked hard earning the position she's currently in right now," he glanced at me as he drove his car. 

Marami kaming nadadaanang mga establisyimento pero hindi ko napagmamasdan ang mga 'yon dahil nasa kan'ya ang atensyon ko. May tumutugtog na isang R&B na kanta sa stereo pero mahina at hindi ko na rin napagtutuonan ng pansin dahil mas interesado ako sa sinasabi ni Jadon. The sky is clear and the afternoon sun is making everything feel healthy despite the light traffic in the metro.

"She tried hard for St. Agatha. I was a witness of her struggles."

Nagtama ang mga tingin naming dalawa at gumuhit ang maliit na ngiti sa mga labi n'ya nang makita siguro ang ekspresyon ko. Kinuha n'ya ang box ng tissue na nasa compartment ng sasakyan, hindi inaalis ang tingin sa kalsada at inilagay 'yon sa ibabaw ng mga hita ko.

Agad akong napamura sa isipan, inaalala ang mga sinabi ko no'ng araw na 'yon. 

Tanga ka talaga, Azariah! Hindi ka kasi nag-iisip bago nagsasalita.

His mother must've really worked hard for St. Agatha University. Jadon must really love his mother, too for him to get mad because of what I said. 

"I easily get irritated. So when I heard you, I couldn't help but get mad," he smiled as he calmly spoke. "I was thinking that you don't even know all of the students from St. Agatha. I asked myself if that's really how people are--judging people that easily."

"Sorry," simangot ko. "I didn't know."

Sumulyap sa akin si Jadon at bumaba ang tingin n'ya sa simangot ko bago naaaliw na napangiti at ibinalik ang tingin sa kalsada.

"I apologize too," he chuckled. "We both had mistakes."

He adjusted his hold on the steering wheel and I saw the veins on his arms.