Will you say goodbye?

Prologue

The first thing I learned about moving to the big city?

Airports are stressful.

Especially when you're carrying two suitcases, one backpack, a coffee you haven't even finished, and absolutely no idea where you're supposed to go.

"Okay, Iya. Kaya mo 'to." Pag momotivate ko sa sarili ko. I took a deep breath and looked around the crowded airport.

New city.
New life.
New beginning.

For the first time, I was really on my own.
No family waiting for me at home. No familiar faces. No one to call when things went wrong.
Just me.

And apparently, two suitcases that suddenly felt like they were filled with bricks. I grabbed my luggage and started walking. Or at least, I tried to.
Because the next thing I knew—

BAM.

"Ow!" Pasigaw ko na angil, My coffee nearly flew out of my hand. "Are you serious?!"
Napabalikwas ako ng tingin, ready to complain, only to see a guy standing in front of me, looking equally annoyed.

"You bumped into me," singhal nya, I stared at him starting to get irritated.

"Excuse me? You walked into me."
"I was standing still."
"So was I!"

He glanced at my luggage trying to grasp the situation, kita kong tumaas ang kilay neto sabay binalik ang tingin saakin
"You're the one walking backward."
I looked down.

...

Oh.

I was, in fact, walking backward. Still, I wasn't about to admit that. "Okay, fine. Pero pwede ka naman din umilag eh bat kase nakatayo ka lang tsk."

He raised an eyebrow. Kung may itataas paba yang kilay nya jusko. "Why would I move if I was standing still?"

I stared at him. What an annoying person.
"Forget it." I turned around and started walking away. "Saglit! Teka lang." I stopped and faced him back again, halata sa itsura ko na iritado ako kaya napasinghal ako sakanya.

"What?" He pointed toward the floor. Napatingin ako dun, the moment I looked at the floor was the same time he spoke again "Your passport." My eyes widened. "Oh my gosh!" I quickly picked it up, clutching it against my chest.

"Thank you."
"No problem."

For a second, our eyes met. And something about his expression made me pause.

Not butterflies.
Not love at first sight.
Nothing dramatic like that.
Just a strange feeling that I couldn't explain.

Then he smiled. "Try not to lose yourself in the city mukhang lampa ka pa naman." Kumunot ang noo ko sabay sagot ng iritado sakanya "Don't worry. I won't."

He walked away. I watched him disappear into the crowd before shaking my head. Whatever. I had bigger things to worry about. I had a new life waiting for me. My life is just starting and I feel like hindi magiging madali ang buhay mag isa ko dito sa malaking city na to