The Basketball Jerk [Ongoing]

Chapter 4: Lub dub! Lub dub!

I’m holding his hand right now habang magkatabi na kaming nakaupo sa bench. Nagkasugat pala kasi ang kanang kamay niyang pinangsuntok niya doon sa poste kanina.

“Sigurado kang di na masakit ‘to?” tanong ko habang dahan-dahan kong hinihipan ang sugatan niyang kamay. Umiling lang siya at di nagsalita. I’m actually dying to know what’s wrong with him but then I know him enough not to do that. Si Harold kasi yung tipong tao na hindi mo mapipilit magsalita kung ayaw niya talaga. And so I just sat beside him, nakikiramdam lang.

And then my phone vibrated. It’s my mom calling.

 

“Ma, andiyan na ako,” nagagalit na kasi talaga si mama. Ayaw na ayaw niya kasing ginagabi ako eh. I turned off my phone and then I looked at him again. As much as I wanted to stay here with him, I cannot also make my mother worry so much kaya I decided to go home muna.

 

“My parents are separating Louise…” pero natigilan ako nang marinig ko yun. Hindi ko ma-explain ang mukha niya. Nakangisi siya pero galit at lungkot ang nakikita sa mga mata niya. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung anong sasabihin ko. Hindi ko rin naman kasi ini-expect na may ganito pala silang problema since the last time I saw his parents, they seem happy together.

 

“Harold…” and that’s just what came out of my mouth.

 

“He cheated,” ngumisi ulit siya as he clenched his fists. This time may nangingilid ulit na luha sa mga mata niya kaya nang di ko matiis eh muli akong lumapit sa kanya. I just held his face with both of my hands saka ko siya niyakap ulit. “Nakita ko sila nung Wednesday but I decided to keep my mouth shut kasi ayokong masaktan si mama,” Wednesday? That was that night when he came home late at nakitulog siya sa bahay. Kaya ba siya ginabi noon dahil ayaw niyang umuwi sa kanila? “But my mom knew all along, di lang siya nagsasalita. Until she couldn’t take it…” I waited for him to tell me more but he didn’t say a word afterwards.

 

“Sorry…” yun lang nasabi ko habang marahan kong hinahagod ang likod niya. I really wish I could make him feel better pero hindi ko din talaga kasi alam kung paano at kung anong dapat na sasabihin ko.

And then we stayed like that for minutes bago ko muling naramdamang nagvibrate ang phone ko. Si mama ulit.

 

“Ma kasama ko si Harold, I’ll be home in a minute,” at pagkarinig ni mama sa Harold lang eh agad naman siyang natahimik. I know my mom too well, as long as she knows Harold is with me, she’d stop worrying.

 

“Tara na,” nagulat pero ako nang magsalita siya at nauna na siyang tumayo.

 

“Okay ka na ba?” I asked him na naiwan pa rin akong nakaupo.

 

“Yeah,” mahinang sabi niya saka niya ako hinila patayo. And when I looked at his face again, he was trying to smile. “Unless, you want to spend your night here with me,” and this time he was trying to be funny again. Awww, naawa pa rin tuloy ako sa kanya. Nakikita ko kasing pilit niyang pinapatawa ang sarili.

 

“Ayoko nga!” kaya nagsungit-sungitan na lang ako kunwari uli at nagpatiuna na akong naglakad.