"What are you doing here?" He Tian asked when he's face to face with his brother who was eating pork n beans straight from the can. He's wearing house clothes and he even brought his own slippers, looking like he just got out of bed.
"I'm in town," He Cheng answered, licking the red sauce from his lips.
"So? You could've just checked in at a hotel back in the city. You didn't even tell me you were coming and you just barged in here like you own my place."
"The door's unlocked. And you're not answering your phone."
He Tian glared at the big guy right in front of him. He indeed hid his phone to avoid disturbances from everybody else but it's still kept on to receive his agent's messages and order details. And the unlocked door was his fault. He didn't expect that they'd be staying over at Rica's parents' house and he's confident about the safety of this place. Families had survived for generations with nothing but wooden locks or a huge nail used for a deadbolt.
"Now that you know I'm doing fine, please leave."
"Where is your. . .ward? I want to meet him before I go."
"He's none of your business," He Tian stated grimly.
"That's where you're wrong. If any of this blows up, I'm going to be the one with the shit on his face."
"Then just pretend that he doesn't exist."
"He wouldn't, if you're not cooped up in the middle of nowhere with him. Once you're out of here, then people will start forgetting about the rumor."
"What rumor?" He Tian asked through clenched teeth, but he already knew about it. He'd been expecting things to go haywire once people stopped seeing him around all of a sudden. But he already told his agent that if anyone asked, just supply them with lies, like him being stuck in a rut or something. Artists will always get away with the use of weird and eccentric lifestyles as an excuse.
"You know, that you're obsessed with a. . .porn star."
"He is not a porn star. He's a victim."
He Cheng crushed the empty can with his bare hand and turned his back on him so he could wash his spoon in the sink.
"One more thing."
"What?"
"A virus broke out in China for several months now. Other countries immediately halted in-bound flights, but Philippines was stupid enough to believe it's a serious threat."
He Tian's heart sank, waiting for the news that he surely wouldn't like.
"Just before they decided to finally close the country, we managed to transfer our center of operations here in Cebu. The family's all here."
Fuck it. One nuisance after the other. Just when Mo Guan Shan has finally shown progress and slowly opens up to him. If his family started pestering them with unwanted visits, Mo Guan Shan might clam up again, out of his reach.
"Are you sure you're not carrying that virus with you?" He Tian finally asked while watching He Cheng drink from the tap. "And stop touching my stuff."
"I don't have a virus."
He Tian groaned and started kicking the armrest of his sofa. Discontented, he nimbly crossed the room and closed the gap between them with one clenched fist aimed at the other's jaw. He Cheng blew air and slapped away his fist like it meant nothing and landed a clean punch on He Tian's gut. The smaller guy folded and fell on the floor, groaning in pain and irritation.
"Just. Fucking. Leave!"
"You know your tantrums won't work on me," He Cheng said with a fleeting glint in his eyes that might have been a smile. But after a split-second, no trace of it remained on his stoic mask.
He Tian grumbled as he prepared bottles of soft drinks, junk food and assorted packs of biscuits and stuffed the lot inside his backpack. He Cheng changed into a tank top and hawaiian shorts before going out to stretch and jog around the house. When He Tian finally came out, He Cheng tagged along uninvited.
Good thing Mo Guan Shan didn't seem to mind He Cheng's sudden appearance. He even looked amused and the camera was like a brand-new toy to keep his thoughts off from fabricating stories that could drive him to paranoia. He Tian's apprehension slowly subsided as he cast occasional glances at Mo Guan Shan, admiring his smile from a distance, like a love drunk teenager.
He Cheng politely regarded Rico and Daniella, thanking them for taking He Tian and Mo Guan Shan under their wings. He even agreed when Rico jokingly asked him to treat them to a bottle of expensive liquor one of these days.
After his brother caught the eels, he went to the deepest part of the river for a swim and the teenage boys followed him like they suddenly found their Master. He was offered a homemade pana by one of Nato's friends, watching their demonstration intently while they taught him how to use it. Nato, who could dive underwater the longest, trailed behind him and they marched on to hunt for more freshwater creatures.
After several dives, He Cheng and Nato bought over fat freshwater crabs and shrimps. There were even a couple of catfish from downriver.
~~~
"They're like, an awesome survivalist duo," Mo Guan Shan whispered to He Tian while they ate rice and grilled eel on banana leaves. No utensils, they ate with their fingers. "I thought he's not good with people, looking so high and mighty with his poker face."
"He Cheng went to a strict boarding school, run military-style. And he served for five years, assigned in some jungle, got injured and retired, before setting up a security agency," He Tian glanced at He Cheng who was eating with the older folks who heard about the new foreigner and came down to the river to meet him.
"Ooh, hardcore. The boys already worship him," Mo Guan Shan noted with a chuckle.
"And you?"
"I don't care about him."
He Tian stared at him.
"Wait," Mo Guan Shan said and fumbled with his wet pocket bulging with his equally wet underpants. When he got it, he handed it to He Tian who frowned, puzzled by this weird turn of events. "Here."
"What am I gonna do with this?" he asked, staring at the white lump of wet cloth in his hand.
"I'm yours," Mo Guan Shan whispered with a wide smile and a wink.
That made him smile. Mo Guan Shan seemed to be in a really good mood. That improved his mood too.
"What are you guys whispering about?" Rica whispered when she sat with them so they formed a circle, closing any space for outsiders.
"We're bashing He Cheng and his shiny pecs," Mo Guan Shan answered. Rica laughed like a happy hyena.
"Oh gods, he's totally winning everyone over with his big, reliable daddy act."
"You wanna lick his armpit or something?" He Tian asked, humorless, as he carefully removed fishbones and stacked them on a separate leaf.
"Eww. How can you eat while thinking about licking armpits?"
He Tian shrugged, popping a piece of white flesh in his mouth before chewing, eyes still fixed on Rica and her disgusted reaction.
"Besides, look at that. Look."
He Tian and Mo Guan Shan looked over the direction Rica was pointing and their eyes went wide, holding in their breaths to keep themselves from choking with rice. It's bound to hurt, once rice comes up your nose after snorting mid-swallow.
"Totally smitten."
"Nooooo," Mo Guan Shan said in disbelief.
"Come on, he's just amazed. Don't assume things, Rica, just because you're into that kind of stuff."
Rica giggled and said nothing, but she's having her own version of entertainment. Containers of tuba came pouring in, followed by women with boiled bananas, sweet potatoes, taro and there was even a whole jackfruit for everyone to share with. All were contributions from different residents who wanted to join the fun.
And then some offered chickens to grill, and when they acquired the intestines, Rico, He Cheng and Nato went downstream to hunt for more eels.
Rica reminded everyone to never litter so Mo Guan Shan, He Tian and the smaller kids who wanted to show how good boys and girls they were, went around to collect plastic bottles and non-biodegradable trash.
"Coz if we just let them be, these people wouldn't bat an eye at the garbage all around the riverbank. Ugh, if I were the president, I would give everyone jobs so we wouldn't have to buy small portions of everything! Shampoos, detergents! All in plastic sachets!" she ranted, turning over rocks and picking up cigarette butts.
"Hmm, do your best, Rica," Mo Guan Shan said, patting her shoulder. "It's going to be a hard battle."
"Hey! Don't throw that in the water!" she barked at a girl about to throw away a junk food wrapper. "Ugh, these damn teenagers."
"Great. You're sounding so much like a grandmother," He Tian teased before smiling at a group of girls who managed to find some plastic garbage to put in his plastic trash bag. Mo Guan Shan elbowed him, wriggling his brows. "No competition at all, Little Mo."
Mo Guan Shan felt good. It was indeed a really long day and he's having fun with everyone, even with the language barrier. People are so accommodating and the grilled sweet potatoes really hit the spot.
Daniella told them that it was the best cookout they've ever had in that place. She's feeding everyone and calling newcomers to dig in. Some relatives helped her cook the food and the older men managed the grill as they drank tuba and ate raw fish soaked in vinegar called Kinilaw. Mo Guan Shan loved it and He Tian agreed with him.
After a whole day of swimming, they looked considerably tanner, and spent. Swimming in a river was way more taxing than swimming on the beach.
"So, are you going to stay in the Big House?" Rica asked He Cheng when they finally packed up. The group looked like a caravan on their way to another city. No wonder everybody knows everybody in that place. People socialize a lot and usually eat together, so it felt like being in a big, happy family.
"No," He Tian butted in. "He'll go back to the city tonight."
"Oh, but you must be tired, right?" Rica said, looking up at He Cheng with hopeful eyes. He Tian wanted to whack her so she'd snap out of her act.
"No. I'm not tired."
Rica pursed her lips, looking annoyed.
"But I didn't bring a car."
"Oh, shoot! No buses until tomorrow!" she immediately lit up, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Why don't you stay in Shan's house? It's kinda far from the Big House but Nato can stay with you as a runner, for like, if you need stuff. Right, Nat-Nat?"
Nato's face was unreadable but he was shooting daggers at Rica.
"No need. I can manage," He Cheng answered after taking a glance at the lanky kid walking right beside him. He's chewing on the tip of an amorseco, his shirt slung over his sunburnt shoulder.
"Oh, that's too bad," Rica pouted again and winked at He Tian and Mo Guan Shan before smiling like an idiot.
"He Cheng can take care of himself," He Tian said, suppressing an eyeroll. He held Mo Guan Shan's hand and squeezed it tightly before letting out a yawn. All the tuba and Tanduay offered to them finally took effect and all he wanted to do was sleep on his bed with Little Mo.
And that's what they did after He Cheng took his travel bag from the big house and followed Nato to Mo Guan Shan's nipa hut.
* * *
Notes:
Pana - homemade spear gun made with wood and spokes from a broken umbrella.
Kinilaw - raw seafood dish.