Our side trip to Tagaytay was rushed because when I saw how heavy the traffic was, I was afraid that we'd arrive at Enchanted Kingdom too late to enjoy the rides. And in my head, the rides were the highlight of our first official date.
"Balik tayo dito next week," I told Ia as we stockpiled all the pasalubong we had bought inside her car's trunk. "Before school starts."
"Basta h'wag weekend," my girlfriend replied. "Kasi kung weekend mo balak ay sasabihin ko sa'yong pasensya ka na pero hindi kita masasamahan at busy ako."
I laughed. "Sorry na kasi. Hindi ko naman alam na ganito kalala ang traffic dito. I haven't been to Tagaytay in ages."
"Oo na nga."
"Gusto mo bang kumain na muna?"
"Puno ang restaurants, diners, at fast food dito ngayon, Ai. Nagpunta kami ng blocmates ko rito last sem and we all regretted it."
"Hindi ba first-year lang may bloc?"
"Oo, but we all remained close. Kahit 'yung mga nag-shift ay nakakausap pa rin namin. From forty-one ay nineteen na lang kaming ga-graduate sa IE. More than half ang nag-shift, umalis, o na-kick-out."
"Ang dami. Natatakot tuloy ako na baka naman matanggal ako kaagad sa program," I said as I walked her to the passenger side. "Ayokong mapahiya sa'yo."
Ia turned to me. "Ai, gusto mo ba talaga 'yung Industrial Engineering o 'yun lang ang pinili mong kurso kasi 'yun ang kurso ko?"
I opened and then held the door for her. "Engineering talaga ang gusto ko. I was choosing between Electrical, Mechanical, and IE. And I am not going to lie, malaking factor sa choice ko ang dahil 'yun ang kurso mo. Sa isip ko, kahit isang taon lang kitang makasabay, 'di ba?"
"Matalino ka. Ga-graduate ka ba namang Valedictorian kung hindi? Alam kong petiks lang sa'yo 'yung IE. Kaya, h'wag ka nang kabahan. I'll show you the ropes. Lahat ng alam kong hacks, readings, at sample exams ay ipapamana ko sa'yo."
"Thank you, Ia," I sincerely said. "Thank you for making me the happiest person alive."
"Naku, gumagaling ka na talaga mambola. Baka naman tumalbog na ako n'yan?"
"Basta pa papunta sa akin ay okay lang," I replied with a grin.
Nearly two hours later, we were finally queueing to get inside Enchanted and I was busy fanning my girlfriend because the weather had gotten so hot that I could feel sweat running down my temples and my back.
"Akin na," she said before taking my fan off my hand then waving it at me. "Grabe ang init, ano? May dala ka bang bimpo d'yan para mailagay ko sa likod mo?" she asked. "Ayokong natutuyuan ka ng pawis."
I saw the woman ahead of us turn her head to look at me. She must have expected to find a toddler because she seemed surprised to find out that Ia was addressing me.
"Akin na nga 'yung bag mo—"
"Ia..." I whispered into her ear. "Others are giving us weird looks. Akala nila bata ang kausap mo."
"Eh, pake ko ba sa mga 'yan," she said although she smiled at me in understanding. "Sorry..." she mouthed.
When we got inside Enchanted, I was feeling hungry again so we made a beeline to one of the food stalls which was selling corn dogs.
"Ano ang gusto mong sakyan?" I asked.
"Magbihis na muna tayo kasi basang-basa ka na ng pawis. Seryoso ako baka ubuhin ka at mapapagalitan ako ng Mommy mo. Kabilin-bilinan pa man din n'un sa akin ay h'wag kang hayaang matuyuan ng pawis kapag magkasama tayo."
