SEVEN AND ARROW (Montana Series 2 | BXB)

45: Hiraeth

"No!" Arrow spat with embarrassed face.

"Dali na," sabi naman ni Maze. "Gusto rin naming marinig."

"Oo nga," gatong pa ni Colton. "Make me laugh before I travel."

"Go on, Arrow," I pushed. "Alam mo namang hindi ka patatahimikin ng mga 'yan."

"Okay, fine," Arrow said in a bored tone. He took a deep breath and said, "What do you call a pile of cats?"

"What?" We all asked in chorus, and we were surprised because our other classmates also spoke, waiting for Arrow's answer.

He was shocked with all the eyes he was getting, but he managed to drop the bomb. "It's called, Meowntain."

The classroom fell silent like five seconds, and then after that, laughs erupted in every corner. Maging ako ay hindi napigilan ang tumawa. It was a bad joke, but it still made us laugh. Arrow was laughing, looking satisfied with the reactions he got from our friends and classmates.

"That's a good one, huh," said Colton. "Because of that, you earn this." He dropped a coffee on Arrow's table, and I realized it was a caramel macchiato.

"For me?" Arrow asked.

"Unless, your table could drink that alone," Colton stated with a playful smile.

"Thanks!" expressed Arrow. "Said my table."

Colton tapped the table and said, "You're welcome, table."

They exchanged small laughter. The looks in their eyes testified that life might be twisted, but it's still beautiful. Nang makapagpaalam na sa'min si Colton ay umalis na siya para mag-byahe. Our teacher also came and we began the lesson.

Marami man ang nagbago sa buhay ni Arrow, ngunit masaya ako na hindi lang kami ni Tita Meryl ang gumagawa ng paraan para gumaan ang loob niya. My friends and our classmate were also doing their best by looking at Arrow without any pity and acting like he's normal like everyone of us. They see him as a classmate and friend, but not his disability.

"You saw Mr. Tor's face earlier when I tried walking to answer his question on the board?" asked Arrow. We're on our way home.

"He's so shocked," I responded and laughed. "Halos hindi niya maialis ang mata niya sa'yo habang sumasagot ka."

"Yeah. He's probably worried that I might fall anytime," he said with a smile.

I gave him a quick glance and drew back my eyes to the road. "Are you okay with it?"

"About the idea that he's worried?" he asked. "Well, it made me feel uncomfortable at first. Ganoon rin naman ako sa inyo ni Mom. Ayaw kong masyado kayong magalala dahil nanliliit ako. But I came to realize that being worried and feeling sorry for someone are two different things."

It made me smile, igniting the fire of hope inside me. Nagaalala ako na dahil sa mga tawa at ngiti niya ay baka may tinatago at iniinda siyang ibang bagay bukod sa sakit niya. My heart lifted knowing that my man might not be physically strong, but his heart and mind had an unyielding courage.

When we got home, we did our usual routine. We ate dinner with Tita Meryl and after that, he requested me to spent time in our three house. I guided him until we reached it, and we did random stuffs like writing songs, reading books, playing board games and doing our homework. It felt like the tree house became our new world. In that small wooden house, we found a kingdom where we ruled together, not thinking about the world outside.

Weeks had passed, until our Christmas break came. We had a closing program before our vacation, and everyone were all excited about it.

"So saan niyo na naman balak magbakasyon?" tanong ko kay Audrey at Maze.