“Lahat ba ng bagay sinasabi sa’yo ni Andreau?”
Roldan shrugged nonchalantly. “Nah. Kesh asked me if I could fetch you on Friday. Tinatamad daw kayong magcommute. Is that right?”
Wala naman akong sinabing ganun! Si Kesh talaga! “Uhh.. yeah right. So.. is Kuya Lee coming?”
Agad na napasimangot si Roldan nang marinig ang pangalan ni Kuya Lee. Ang last na balita namin sa kanya? Ayun, nagtuturo raw ng Creative Writing sa high school somewhere sa South. Akala ko nga nagbibiro lang si Andreau nung sinabi niya sa’kin yon. I wasn’t expecting na mapupunta si Kuya Lee sa teaching. Sure, he’s a good writer pero.. really? Sir Leandro Abarquez? It sounds so.. weird.
“Nah. He’s been dodging our calls,” he tried to sound unaffected but his eyes were pretty much sad. “Wag na raw pilitin sabi ni Dreau. Baka lalo raw magtago si Lee.”
“Eh si Ate Anya?”
He shook his head. “Zero. No one knows where she is. I tried talking to Rei.. ayaw rin magsalita. Hirap din talagang intindihin ng mga Casabueno. Hay.”
Wala sa lugar na malungkot ka ngayon, Zade. Kahit ano pang gawin mo, break na talaga silang dalawa. Kahit ano pang panghihinayang mo, hindi na sila babalik.
“Well.. that sucks,” I mumbled, also shaking my head. “Wait.. what time nga pala sa Friday? I forgot to ask Andreau.”
“10 PM. I’ll pick you up at around.. quarter to ten? Okay?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
“So.. may regalo ka na ba para kay Andreau?”
“Wala pa. Bahala na sa Friday.” I saw his eyes widened for a second. “Oh knock it off, Roldan. Lahat na lang ba ng reaction ko sa Andreau-related things bibigyan mo ng meaning?”
He smiled innocently. Hah, akala niya maloloko niya ako dyan! “Wala akong binibigay na meaning, Zades! If you’re having a hard time, I could help you.”
“No. I appreciate your concern but.. no. Kaya kong maghanap ng regalo for him.”
“Fine. But for your information.. wala namang pakialam si Andreau sa kung gaano kamahal or kaganda yung regalo. He’s a simple guy. A kid, actually. Bigyan mo lang ng kung ano yun, matutuwa siya. The thought matters so much to him than the actual gift.”
Thanks Roldan, dahil dyan mas napressure ako sa ireregalo ko kay Andreau.
-A&Z-
JUNE 20
“For the nth time guys, I’m not telling you,” I pretended to zip my lips and throw away the key outside the car window. Two pairs of eyes shot me a disapproving look. Hay life, pwede talagang maging magbest friend ‘tong sina Roldan at Kesh.
Nagdadalawang isip ako kung good call bang dito ako umupo sa backseat ng sasakyan ni Roldan. Hindi ko kinaya ang probing powers nilang dalawa, lalo na nasa shotgun seat si Kesh. Kanina pa nila ako tinatanong kung anong laman ng box na dala-dala ko. Ayaw makuntento ng dalawa sa sagot ko na regalo nga for Andreau, gusto nilang malaman kung anong nasa loob.
“You’re no fun,” Kesh scowled as she checked her watch. “Ilang minute na lang nasa Prive na tayo oh! Share ka naman!”
“Hindi naman kayo yung may birthday.”
“I’m Andreau’s best friend,” Roldan butted in. “Baka hindi niya magus—“
“Whatever, Roldan. Sabi mo kahit anong regalo matatanggap niya, di ba? Trust me on this one.”
[19] Gift-giving For Dummies
Start from the beginning
