Seeking Serendipity

Kabanata 08

"Ang boring, Aleng. Suggest ka naman ng topic oh." pagrereklamo niya.

I arched my brows. "Anong topic naman?"

"Nagsa-suggest nga diba?" he sarcastically questioned me back.

Nag-isip naman ako ng magandang topic. I have a lot of questions in my life and I want these to be answer. Marami rin akong mga nakahiligan na gusto kong pag-uusapan namin ngayon. But I choose the topic by knowing him more.

"Bakit kayo lumpipat dito?" I asked.

Tumawa naman siya at nang-aasar na tumingin sakin. "Oyyy, interesado..."

Sinasabi ko na nga ba eh. "Ayaw mo edi wag. Walang topic." iritado kong sagot.

Mas lalo lang lumakas ang tawa niya. "Naku, Aleng. Don't be so serious."

I rolled my eyes.

"Pero sa totoo lang lumipat kami dito dahil dito na-assign si papa na  magtrabaho. He doesn't want to be separated from us.... Kaya ayun isinama niya rin kami." masaya niyang kwento.

The heaviness of my feeling is so hard to stop. Sooner or later their family will be leaving this town. All of this with this guy is just a temporary. Balang araw, iiwan niya rin ako ditong mag-isa.

"Natahimik ka?" may pag-aalala niyang tanong.

"Nothing." I paused. "By the way, anong trabaho ng papa mo?"

"Army."

Tumango ako. It'll be harder for him to stay stick in this place.

"Pang-ilang lipat niyo na ito?" tanong ko ulit.

"First. Unang beses namin to na lumipat sa ibang lugar. At siguro dito na rin kami titira."

The doubt from my heart were slowly fading. Nakahinga rin ako ng maluwag. There's a piece that I wanted him to live here forever. Nawala lang ang mga iniisip ko nang bigla siyang nagtanong.

"Aleng, Who's your favorite painter in Expressionism?" Laurence asked me in a usual tone.

"Madami. Pero para sa akin si Edvard Munch." sagot ko.

"Why?" tanong niya ulit.

I smiled a little. "I just find him different. Just imagine how his childhood overshadowed by illness but he still confident in bearing in the face of difficulties. Diba? Tapos yung mga ipininta niya nakakasilaw talaga pag titingnan at may mga malalalim na kahulugan yung nakaukit. Well, each paint consists of different deep meanings, pero kasi, iba yung impact sakin sa mga gawa ni  Edvard Munch."

My words went shiver down my spine. Lalo pa nang nakita kong titig na titig siya sa akin habang sinasabi ko iyon. Did I talked too much? Naiilang akong tumingin sa kaniya. For a brief moment, I think my heart went still.

"H-How about you? Who's your favorite painter in surrrealism?" I asked to ease the awkwardness.

"Andre Breton." he stated. "I owe him for his critical and theoretical works specially his plastic arts, that's kinda amazing!" he uttered with full of amazement.

Napangiti naman ako. Sinilip ko ang gawa niyang pagpinta at konting smudge nalang ay matatapos na ito.

"Wow," I whispered in myself.

It startled me that he really knows how to paint. It's a quite surprising. Akala ko talaga na hindi siya marunong magpinta, wala kasi sa mukha niya.

"Laurence," sambit ko sa pangalan niya.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you want to paint?" I asked.

He stopped from smudging and looked at me. "Well, It's a quite open ended statement." he paused. "But as far as I am concerned, I love to paint because it frees me from everyday worries. It is also a process of mental enjoyment. Siguro sapat na sagot na iyon kung bakit mahal na mahal ko ang sining."

His lips twisted into a boyish smile. "You? Bakit gusto mo ang pagpinta?" tanong niya.

Natigilan naman ako. I only love painting because of my bestfriend. She influenced and urged me to paint. Wala akong ibang rason kundi ang kaibigan ko lang. Naaawa ako sa sarili ko sa kadahilanang ang kasiyahan ko ay nakadepinde ito sa ibang tao. I suddenly felt like an empty can.

"Nagpinta ako dahil sa kaibigan ko." mahina kong tugon. "I don't have the exact reason to say." pahina ng pahina ang boses ko.

"Sooner or later you'll find the specific reason of it. Arts are natural desires of expressing through your unique interpretation of what your senses have collected throughout your lives. In other words, arts is like a way of expressing yourself." he confronted me.

I really like his wisdom. It never fails to amazed me. Napangiti naman ako dahil sa positibo niyang sagot.