"Mainit to Astrid, ingat sa paghawak at baka matapunan ka" pagpapaalala ni Faren nang iabot nito sakin yung taho.
"Thank you Faren" at magiliw ko yun na inabot mula sa pagkakaupo ko. Dahil walang mga benches malapit sa may gate ay dito nalang namin naisipan na maupo sa isa sa mga tree boxes.
"Ang saya mo na ah. Am glad you are feeling better" wika nito habang papaupo sa tabi ko. Ayaw pa niya dito maupo noong una kasi baka daw may higad. She had to shake the tree before she was convinced na wala talaga
"You made me feel better" I replied sweetly and moved closer to her. She gave a little chuckle to what I did and also moved closer until our shoulders are touching
"Okay lang sayo na ganito ako kalapit?" she politely asked
"I wouldn't want it any other way" I replied contentedly as I began to sip my taho. She chuckled a little louder in reply
We were once more in a comfortable silence habang pinapanood yung mga dumadaan. I was quietly savoring my morning treat nang mapansin ko na parang wala pa atang bawas yung basong hawak ni Faren. Nakatitig lang din to dito habang sapo-sapo niya ito
"I thought you're hungry?"
"Huh?" Faren replied as she turned her head to look at me. Bewilderment evident in her voice
I smiled amusingly as I speak "Ang sabi ko, akala ko gutom ka. You hardly touched your taho. Mukhang nakarating ka na din sa Antartica sa lalim nang iniisip mo. Is there something wrong?"
She smiled sheepishly as she scratched her cheek "Sorry. Ang totoo hindi ako gutom, gusto ko lang lumabas at para na akong nasusuffocate sa loob. Kinakabahan kasi ako Astrid, so I went out to stroll for a bit nang makita ninyo ako ni Mei Lei"
My tone shifted to a more understanding one "That's okay. This is your first competition afterall, so normal lang yan. I bet Gavin was also like that when he was in his"
"Not like this. Hindi siya actually mapakali the day before the competition. Dribble siya ng dribble ng bola or kung anong mahawakan niya, tinatap niya sa kung saan saan" She then laughed "Naalala ko pa, sa rindi ni Ve sakaniya ay ginapos niya to sa silya at binusalan, tapos pinapanood ng Teletubbies buong maghapon"
"Velle seriously did that?" I replied as I joined Faren in laughter
"Oo. We were in 6th grade at that time. It was worse than torture. Mga 1 buwan din ata na natrauma si Gavin sa primary colors. Kaya I made sure to be as calm and composed as I can at ayaw kong matulad sakaniya"
"Well you are doing a great job Faren. Hindi ka mukhang kinakabahan"
"I try. Baka mabaliw na kasi ako kapag nakita ko pa sina Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa at Po" she shuddered a bit in response "Que Horror Astrid. Que Horror"
"I am amazed that you even know their names" and I laughed a bit more
"Nako Astrid. They will be forever ingrained in my memory. It's like an unforgettable nightmare. I had my 30 minutes share ng takteng palabas na yan, kasi sabi ni Ve bantayan ko si Gavin at baka daw tumakas. Grabe lang, I almost lost it. Gusto ko nang magpatiwakal noon"
I was continuously laughing habang nagkwekwento si Faren. I can imagine yung mga ichura nila, as I myself hate that show.
"Nga pala, maiba ako. Thank you pala dito sa binigay mong t-shirt. Suot suot ko siya ngayon as an undershirt" at bahagya niyang tinaas yung dobok niya para ipakita to sa akin "It's really nice and I like the design"
BINABASA MO ANG
Looking Up Into Heaven (Chapter 15 Under Revision)
Random"Part of me aches at the thought of her being so close yet untouchable, but her story and mine are different now. I have been inlove with her since we were eleven and it wasn't easy for me to accept this simple truth, because there was a time when o...
