War in Katipunan

Kabanata 19

KABANATA 19.

War.

PAGKAPASOK namin sa bistro ay nakita ko agad ang mga manonood na nakaupo sa lapag. Lahat ng mga lamesa at upuan ay nakalagay sa gilid at nakaupo ang lahat sa lapag. Wala ring suot na sapatos ang mga guest na andito. They are all bare footed!

I excitedly took off my shoes and placed it on the shoe rack. Agad akong naupo sa lapag kasama ang ibang guest. The lights are dim and the atmosphere is light. May mga lalaking nag-aayos ng mga istrumento sa mini-stage sa harap namin. I glanced at my side when Luthor sat beside me. He was holding his camera. Kumunot ang nook o nang abutan niya ako ng lighter.

“What’s this for?” I asked, confused on why he gave me a lighter.

“We’ll light it up when the band starts performing.” My mouth formed an O. I didn’t expect that the guests on midnight gigs do this too. I’ve been to outdoor concerts of my favorite bands and lighting a lighter is normal when it’s dark. I just didn’t expect that they do that indoors too.

“Ilang banda ba ang magp-perform ngayon?” I asked while playing the lighter in my hand.

“Five? Four? I don’t know. It’s a Christmas special so I think five or more bands are playing.” Tumango-tango nalang ako. Ngayon lang ako nakapunta sa isang gig ng madaling araw kaya hindi ko alam ang ginagawa rito. But I’m excited to experience it though. Thanks to Luthor, I’ll be experiencing this sooner than I imagined.

Luthor took a picture of the stage when the crew finished settling up. Moments later, a band greeted us a ‘Merry Christmas’. And imagine my shock when I saw Ben&Ben on the stage! They’re performing on midnight gigs? How come I didn’t know about this? I feel like a fake fan!

I looked at Luthor when he chuckled. Halatang natatawa siya sa reaksyon ko. sino naman ang hindi mabibigla? I just saw one on my favorite bands on a midnight gig! I didn’t expect to see them, really.

“Hey, heads up, you’re missing their opening.” Natauhan ako nang magsalita ulit si Luthor. Doon ko napagtanto na magsisimula na palang mag-perform ang banda. I immediately recognized the song. It’s called, War. It’s not my favorite song of them. Pero parang na-LSS ata ako sa kanta. The way they sang it, it was really magical.

When the chorus came, people started lighting up their lighters. Nakigaya rin ako at binuksan ang lighter ko. I smiled while singing along and swaying the lighter in the air. Nilingon ko si Luthor pero nakita ko lamang siyang nakatingin saakin habang hawak ang camera niya. To the thought that he’s taking pictures, I smiled at the camera which made him smile too.

Nagpatuloy na mag-perform ang iba’t ibang banda. There are six bands in total but my mind was still stucked on Ben&Ben’s War. I love that song already.

Luthor took pictures from time to time but he also enjoyed listening to the bands that were performing. Luckily, we had a picture together taken by a nice couple in front of us. Napagkamalan pa kaming mag-jowa pero sabay din kaming tumanggi ni Luthor.

After all the performances, we decided to go home. Sinuwerte pa kami ni Luthor at nakasabay naming sa parking lot ‘yong ibang bandang nag-perform kaya nakapagpa-picture ako. Ako lang dahil si Luthor ang taga-picture. Halos yakapin ko na rin si Luthor nang makapagpa-picture kami sa Ben&Ben!

“Thanks for today, Luthor. Thanks for the whole Christmas vacation. Thanks for spending it with me.” I said when he parked his car in front of the tower where my condo is located. Hindi na siya tutuloy sa taas dahil uuwi na rin siya sa bahay nila. Uuwi na sa isang araw ang parents niya para dito mag-celebrate ng New Year.

“Like I said before, I want to spend my Christmas with you. No regrets, seeing you smile was the best reward.” Natawa ako dahil sa sinabi niya. I ignored the tingling on my stomach and tapped Luthor’s shoulder to bid him.

“’Till next time, Luthor.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you again on the New Year’s Eve.” Kumunot ang nook o sa sinabi niya pero hindi na rin ako nakapag-tanong kung ano ang ibig niyang sabihin dahil tumalikod na siya at sumakay na ulit sa kotse niya. Pinanood ko ang kotse niya na umalis hanggang sa mawala ito sa paningin ko.

I let out a sigh before entering the tower.