The Man in Strings

XIV. Rejections

Maine's prettiest features are her eyes; I know. They're sometimes low, when she's hungry or bored, or when her mind's completely blank of her usual weird thoughts, but oftentimes, they are bright and promising, just like her whole self, despite her beautiful strangeness.

But there's really something divine about watching her sleep next to me. These mornings were candid; the calm up-and-down manner of her breathing chest under the mattress crept up to me. Para syang batang walang muwang sa mundo - which is what she is, most of the times, when she doesn't want to kiss my weirdest body places - and despite her bravery to face the evils of the world, she's still my favorite kid.

I stole a soft kiss from my girl. Can't help it. Masyado syang maganda sa umaga. Palagi naman syang maganda kahit kakagising nya lang at nagtatayuan sa lahat ng direksyon 'yung buhok nya o kahit natulog lang sya buong araw dahil nagpuyat na naman at maabutan kong hindi pa sya ligo kahit alas-siyete na ng gabi. She will always be that delicate angel who chose never to fly away, even if I don't deserve her.

I watched her eyelashes flutter. I've never slept next to Maine like this before... but one thing's for sure: it takes her a lot of time before she really 'wakes' up. Magbubukas lang 'yung mata nya and you can ask her yes or no questions but it ends at that. It takes her around five to ten minutes to actually jump from dreamland to reality.

"Good sleep?"

She nodded her head slowly, but her eyes were still dropping. Ang cute. I felt like I could die from just her cuteness alone. And I quote Agnes, her favorite character (and please don't judge me - she watches it at least once a week on TV): "She's so fluffy I'm gonna die."

"Nanaginip ka?"

Maine dreams often, and she talks about them in the morning. Nawi-weirduhan sya sa sarili nya kapag hindi sya nanaginip; pakiramdam nya tinakasan lang sya ng oras habang nakapikit.

Tumango ulit sya ng marahan, and her eyes slowly closed. She scooped herself closer to me and hugged my middle. "Bakit nagsasalita 'yung minion ko..." she mumbled softly, and I chuckled upon the realization that she must have thought that she's in her room and I am that huge minion stuffed toy she's always hugging. Can't blame her, I'm dressed in yellow.

Two minutes after, Maine sat up straight, her eyes almost escaping their sockets, with her hand clamped over her mouth. "Hindi ako nanaginip?!"

Umupo na rin ako at umiling. "Hindi." Kumunot iyong noo ko. "Bakit nakatakip 'yung bibig mo sa kamay mo?"

She shook her head madly. "Baka mabaho hininga ko!"

I playfully held her wrists, pulled them away from her mouth, and kissed her on the lips. She looked mortified, although still adorable, and ran away from my room. I was left on the bed, happy and contented. Why did I wait for three years for mornings like these?

//

Twenty minutes later, she's on the table, waiting for my fried rice. I've taken responsibility for cooking... or else I'd go home to a house without a kitchen. Maine volunteered to clean, although her desk had always been a mess. Well... ganu'n lang talaga siguro ang mga writer... or sya lang. I don't know. Writers are always weird, anyway. In their own ways.

"Sorry talaga," she started talking, and I groaned. How many times would I tell her its okay?

Kagabi kasi... well, I'm not a saint. And I had an obvious boner - of course I have to take a cold shower. The ever great Maine Mendoza, patron of tease and innocence combined, stayed outside the bathroom and asked me several times if I'm okay or if she did something wrong. I had to endure it all in and kept my groans low. Itinanong pa nga nya kung may gamot du'n at bibili sya. Mukha bang sakit 'tong nararamdaman ko?