Dagger Series #7: Unbalanced

Chapter 25: Chaotic

Akmang kukuha pa ako ulit pero sa pagtataka ko ay inilayo niya iyon sa akin. I gave him a confused look, and he just grinned at me. "Inaagawan mo na ako ng trabaho," sabi niya.

"What do you mean?"

Kumuha siya ng isang pirasong popcorn at isinubo niya iyon sa akin. "My job is to feed you."

Sa kabila ng pag-iinit ng mukha ay pinaikot ko ang mga mata ko. "You're so silly." I looked at the food he's holding. "Hindi ba dapat nga masaya ka? I'm eating by myself. I don't need supervision anymore." Nakakatawa na sa edad kong ito ay daig ko pa ang bata na kinakailangan bantayan sa pagkain. "It's good to be independent. Especially if you're as old as me and you still can't feed yourself."

"There's nothing wrong with being independent." He fed me another piece of popcorn. "But I prefer that you depend on me."

Nilukutan ko siya ng ilong. My heart has never been given a break whenever Domino's around. Thankfully, he let me enjoy the movie after that without attempting to give me a reason to have a heart attack too much. Paminsan-minsan lang ay nararamdaman kong hinahalikan niya ang ulo ko, ang pisngi ko, o ang balikat ko na para bang hindi niya mapigilan iyon.

He probably has no interest in the movie. I mean, come on? It's a movie that has children as the target audience.

"It's amazing that that's her only wish,"I murmured. Hindi ako nag-angat ng tingin sa kaniya at sa halip ay nanatili lang akong nakatingin sa pinapanood namin.

"What do you think she could have wished for instead?" he asked.

"Freedom?"

"For someone like her who's been stuck in a tower for years, freedom is nothing but danger."

"She can fend for herself. She's been doing that for years. Bumibisita lang naman sa kaniya ang kinilala niyang ina kapag may kailangan sa kaniya. And you saw what happened when she went into that pub full of bad guys. She wasn't harmed," I said, defending Rapunzel.

"It was a pub full of rough-looking people who weren't given much opportunity but to be who they are. They weren't exactly bad. We can't say that the rest of the world is like them, who will feel protective of a golden-haired princess." Nagbaba siya ng tingin sa akin. "That's why she only wished for the lanterns. It was a dream that she would need to leave once she needed to go back to reality."

"That's sad. Not having much choice to only dream for something small because it's the only one attainable."

"She had her happy ending." Hinawi niya ang buhok ko na nililipad ng hangin. "She got exactly what she needed. Naging malaya din naman siya sa dulo."

"Because of a man."

May maliit na ngiti sa mga labi na umiling siya. "Through out the whole movie, I didn't see someone weak. She wasn't saved because of a man."

"But freedom is still a danger for her?"

"It is." Hinalikan niya ang tungki ng ilong ko. "But she saved herself. She fought her own fears. She's the one who took one step away from her prison, she trusted someone else even though it was difficult for her, and she fought for what she thought was right for her." As if he couldn't help himself, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. "The world is not safe for someone as precious as her. She has a castle, which is what she deserves. Where she could be just who she is without danger continuously looming over her."

"You know, a lot of feminists will hate you for what you said."

Nagkibit siya ng balikat. "It's different for everyone," he said, tipping his head to the movie. "She was stuck in a tower, right? She felt stuck and imprisoned. What do you think is the difference between being a princess where she will be behind towering walls and under the scrutiny of people?"