Pinwheels Under the Skies

Prologue

Prologue

A pinwheel is said to be a symbol of childhood — a healthy and happy childhood. Kapag binanggit mo siya, it automatically flashes a smile of a child, with joy and freedom.

It used to be like that, it used to be the way how I believed what childhood was.

Lumaki akong naguguluhan kung bakit sa tuwing nagiging masaya ako, sa tuwing ngumingiti ako, may kirot sa puso ko sa hindi ko malamang dahilan. I was too young to feel that way but I ended up experiencing it through my youth. Up until this moment, I had no idea why.

It's like there was something stopping me from smiling again.

But as far as I remembered, I never held on any grudge to anyone para maramdaman ko 'tong feeling na ito. For about 23 years already, I was just clueless, but it was painful and full of guilt.

Ano bang naging kasalanan ko? Perhaps, what did my past life do, for me to suffer like this in the present? Wala na dapat akong kinalaman diyan e, pero bakit ako pa? Ako lang?

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

I froze as I felt something like a leaf fell over my head. Agad ko itong kinuha at saka ikinompermang dahon nga ito. Napatingin naman ako sa humihingi ng pasensiya sa akin na mukhang nag-aalala pa masyado.

"I'm so, so sorry talaga," she said as she knelt, picking up the leaves beneath me. I was just too stunned to speak to respond back.

I never saw her face, but it gave me chills when she took a leaf over my shoe. Marahan na rin akong napaluhod upang tulungan siya sa pagpulot ng mga dahon. Inilagay niya ito sa isang kahon na bitbit niya yata. Gumaya nalang din ako.

"Sorry talaga ha, mahangin pala dito, sana tinakpan ko nalang 'yong box. Nakakaasar naman," she mumbled. She stopped and looked at me. "I'm sorry, are you ok?"

Matagal kaming nagtitigan for no good reason. I don't know why am I studying her face all of a sudden, like as if kilala ko siya, but no, maybe I did met her before, I couldn't just remember.

"Are... you ok?" she asked once again.

"I'm..." I started off with a murmur as I blinked twice before answering her back. "I'm Niccolai."

She got startled at first. "N-Niccolai...?" It was then silence not until she started giggling while covering her mouth. My forehead creased while observing her laughing at me. I'm kind of dumbfounded to understand what's funny about what happened. Bigla niya nalang pinalo 'yong braso ko na ikinalaki naman ng mga mata ko. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Ikaw naman kasi e! Boys will be boys talaga," she said shaking her head. Tumatawa pa rin ito habang patayo na bitbit ang kahon na may lamang dahon. "Thank you for the hand nga pala ha? Nice meeting you, Niccolai."

And after that, she left really quickly like a speed of a light. Everything went by so fast that she didn't even introduced herself. Maybe that's how we're meant to meet. Hindi na ako maga-assume na magkikita pa kami next time. I hope she gets to her destination safely.

"Leone Benjamin?"

I paused and started turning around. Whose voice was that?

Leone Benjamin? Who could that be? Is it perhaps... me?

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