Strings Not Too Attached 04
Rave and I had agreed to head back to Manila together. Nag-alangan pa nga ako dahil naalala kong wala nga pala kaming napag-usapan kung anong oras eksakto kaming aalis. Plus, I didn’t have his number, and for some stubborn reason, I didn’t want to add him on Facebook — despite the fact that I had been quietly stalking him online.
Mabuti na lang at dumaan ito no'ng tanghali ng Linggo sa'min. Sinabi niyang kung pwede raw bang ala-singko na kami umalis, wala namang problema sa akin dahil mga alas-otso siguradong nasa dorm na ako.
Maaga pa rin 'yon para makapagpahinga. At gaya rin ng plano, nag-grab lang kami at naghati sa bayad.
The entire trip was filled with a thick layer of awkwardness, and I couldn’t tell if I was the only one feeling it.
But then Rave tried breaking the silence by opening a topic to talk about, and it motivated me to open up a bit. It helped ease the tension somewhat.
“Is this where you stay?” he asked.
I nodded, smiling. “That’s my dorm right there— see? 'Di ba malapit lang sa School?" sabay turo ng dorm namin.
Sinilip-silip nya pa iyon bago ibalik ang tingin sa akin. "Yeah, malapit nga."
"Ikaw? Malayo ka pa ba?"
He simply replied that he had a condo somewhere in Manila. I didn’t know exactly where, but I could guess it was somewhere pricey—the kind only someone with money like Rave could afford.
“Redwood,” he said. “Just a ten-minute walk from here.”
I couldn’t help but form a small ‘O’ with my mouth. It wasn’t really surprising — Rave came from a wealthy family. Not flashy rich, but well-off enough. His father was an Engineer, his mother a Professor at a well-known university.
"So....una na ako, ah?"
He nodded. “Thanks, Cadence. I guess we’ll see each other when classes start.”
“See you around,” I said softly, knowing it was more of a polite goodbye than a promise lalo kung kasama nating pareho ang mga barkada natin.
Siguradong gulo iyon.
"Salamat din. Ingat ka!" Bumaba na ako at kumaway pa sa paalis nang sasakyan.
Nang mawala na ito nang tuluyan sa paningin ko ay dumiretso na ako sa dorm ngunit wala pa ako sa main door nang magsalita na si TJ mula sa kung saan.
"May pakaway-kaway pa si Cadence, oh! Hindi ka sa Cavite umuwi 'no? Sa babae lang siguro 'yan," asar nya.
Binatukan ko sya agad. "Naabnoy ka na naman."
"Sus! Baka magka-part 2 ang scandal mo, ah? Pero this time sa sasakyan na."
Scandal amputa.
"Tangina mo talaga! " Napapailing na lang akong natatawa rito at sabay na kaming pumasok nang tuluyan sa loob.
Marami pa lang umuwi sa amin at ngayon lang din halos nagsipag balikan. It was like we hadn’t seen each other for a year, considering how intense the teasing wars had become led by Juds himself.
Alas nuwebe lang nang makatapos akong maligo at kumain. Sa wakas makakahiga na rin at presko pa. Natulog na rin ako.
Kinabukasan ay alas nuwebe na ako nagising dahil nag-cancel ng training si coach to give time sa enrollment pero kailangan ko rin makapunta ng alas diyes dahil siguradong marami ang tao ngayon dahil last day.
Ganoon naman ang mga pinoy, kung kailan last day saka mag-aasikaso tapos magrereklamo kapag ang daming kasabay at matagal. Siyempre kami na ng tropa ang great example para roon.
