Ocean of Feathers

Chapter 99

The short story is dedicated to Vergilyn Barnes. Thank you for helping me during the muting days!

Chapter 99

We're in love since high school. Most of my friends kept on telling me that we were not good for each other, why? Because he was that typical bad boy with his famous image in our school, and I was that model student who was always ace in class.

Akala ko noon ay sa mga nababasa ko lang na online romance stories lang nangyayari ang bagay na iyon.

Like, what would I be attracted sa bad boy? If I could find someone better with pleasing personality. Kaya sa tuwing naririnig ko ang mga classmate ko na nag-uusap tungkol sa mga bad boy na nababasa nila, napapailing na lang ako.

But life is really full of surprises, ilang beses ko nang sinabi na hindi ako basta-basta ma-a-attract sa lalaki lalo na kung sa hitsura lang naman ang pagbabasehan, but Nigen made me break my rules.

He was just standing there, near our classroom door, waiting for his friend to lend him his calculator, I could remember how he craned his neck to look for his friend who was absent. At kilala ko ang teacher niya sa subject na paggagamitan niya ng calculator, she was a terror, at sigurado akong mapapagalitan siya kapag wala siyang dala. I didn't know what happened that day, I just found myself walking at the door with my calculator.

I lend him mine, and I told him to bring it back after his class.

Doon na nagsimula ang pakikipag-usap ko kay Nigen at ang paulit-ulit niyang paghiram sa akin ng calculator. He was part of the lower section, since he's too lazy to study his subjects.

Until he asked me to be his girlfriend. Everything was blissful with him. He might be the known bad boy in our school, but once that I got to know him more, I realized how good he was. He's family oriented and very responsible with his tasks at home.

Hindi pa nga ako makapaniwala na sakristan siya. How did he get that bad boy image? Was it because of his circle?

Our relationship until college was almost perfect. My family's already aware of our relationship, pero ang siyang problema namin ay ang pamilya niya. His mother's too strict to allow him to have a girlfriend, kaya hanggang college kami ay hindi alam sa kanila na girlfriend niya ako.

I told him that it was okay. I can still wait for him.

"I am sorry, Vergilyn, nagiging unfair na ako sa 'yo. Nahihiya na rin ako sa pamilya ko. Alam mo ang sitwasyon ko at gusto kong respetuhin ang nanay ko sa gusto niya. Nagiging unfair na ako sa 'yo na itinatago kita. . . I am not good for you."

Napatitig lang ako kay Nigen. Ang tagal kong tiniis ang ganoong setup namin, hindi ako nagreklamo sa kanya at tanggap ko ang sitwasyon namin. I could still wait for him and his mother to accept that her son has a girlfriend.

Pero bakit siya agad bumitaw?

Hindi na ako sumagot sa kanya at tumango na lamang ako. And that was the last day I talked to him after our six years of relationship.

***

Akala ko ay hindi na kami magkikita, but here we are attending the wedding of our mutual friend. Nagkangitian na lang kaming dalawa at sabay kaming nag-angat ng aming isang kamay— showing our wedding rings.

Yes, he was my first love, but never my last love.