The Devil Who Danced At Midnight

thisbe

Hindi naman nya kamukha iyong sumundo, kaya paniguradong hindi iyon ang tatay nya. They rode a car, and smacked his head mentally as he remembered his mom's words. 'Wag kang sasama kung kani-kanino, Caius Arragon – naku sinasabi ko sa 'yo!

Ma. He'll try to pacify the situation. Si Lola lang naman ang nagpapakidnap sa akin palagi, right?

There goes the endless list why he shouldn't even come with his grandmother. Kesyo hindi raw malapit, blah, blah, Caius Arragon malilintikan ka sa akin, blah, blah. He loved seeing her mad, just because his mom's too adorable and cute when she is. He would just envelope her tiny frame in his arms and tell her repeatedly how he loves her. Ganoon sya kalambing sa Nanay nya.

Ngayon... hindi nya alam ang magiging reaction nya sa Tatay nya.

He knew he's too mature for his age. Dumaan din naman sya sa teenage angst and rebellion, pero for a short period only. He's too busy admiring his mom's sacrifices just to raise him that way he had forgotten her lapses as a mother.

When a man came into the view, around the age he calculated his father's at, time froze.

Kinailangan pa nga nitong lumapit sa kanya at ngumiti para lang magising ulit sya.

Para syang na-starstruck, nakakita ng idolong artista. He can't speak, he can't stop staring. Para syang nag-time travel because looking like his dad is an understatement.

He was his dad. Plus twenty-years. Ugh, ang awkward.

They ate in silence, just because he didn't know how to react. The air between them is heavy, and everything is uncomfortable. When he tore his gaze away from his face a while ago, he didn't know if he could look back.

He didn't even know if this decision's right.

Iyong lukso ng dugo sa teleserye? Hindi 'yon totoo.

Something small's familiar, aside from this face they shared, but other than that... none.

He was facing a stranger. A complete stranger in his life.

And there's this feeling... this empty feeling in his chest, asking his own subconscious if he was even allowed to hold his father's hand.

Or if he's even allowed to call him his father.

Caius, right? The man started talking, but still he can't look straight. He's back to being that shy boy in grade school, when they first went to Florida. Hi.

H-hello po.

The man's eyes went soft. You looked good. Your mother raised you well.

S-salamat po.

And a respectful young man, too. He looked proud, and for some reasons, Caius felt proud as well and thanked his mom mentally. You're eighteen?

Opo.

Halata 'yung foreign accent mo, ano. But still you know Tagalog words. Is Ezekiel and your Mom well?

Kilala nyo po si Paps? Wrong move. A flicker of pain passed the older man's eyes, and he immediately regretted his term. I mean, Tito Ezekiel.

Of course. He nodded. I owe him your mother's sanity.

Caius got what he meant. Ito na nga yata 'yung... father-and-son connection. They started talking a lot of things, and he finally got cozy. They shared some things: chess, books, science, love for celestial bodies, passion for debate, and he mentioned how his mother told him they had the same hatred towards... orange-colored food. Richard laughed loudly at that.