# 02: Coffee
"Oh crap!" Ninakaw niya ang cellphone ko?! Oh, no, no,no, no.
I don't want to judge someone but, what if she did? Geez, stop it Claude. Bumuntong-hininga na lang ako bago sumandal sa pintuan ng kotse. I closed my eyes and felt the cold breeze of air hugging my skin, a smile crept on my lips. Parang kanina lang eh ang lakas ng ulan, but now, all I can hear is the distant muffled voice of people having fun and the nostalgic joy in the air. Ramdan na ramdam ko ang diwa ng pasko, and it makes me grateful for the blessings that I have right now, and I hope everyone feels the same way too.
I sighed and tried remembering the girl earlier. She's pretty and fierce, really not my type. Mukhang suplada tapos assuming pa, ngi dele lang.
(Translation: ayoko lang/ hindi lang po/ No )
Okay, If I remember correctly, we bid goodbyes, then as I started maneuvering, I saw her waving with a phone on her hands while smirking at me. Oh, wait, wait, wait. What if phone ko yun? Tapos yung kwentuhan namin kanina eh modus lang niya para makapagnakaw? Pero wala pa naman akong narinig na balita tungkol sa ganiyang modus. Pero what if lang naman.
I shook my head in disagreement and massaged the bridge of my nose. Ano na bang nangyayari sa'kin? Judging someone was never right, Claude. We should at least give her the benefit of the doubt. Bumunot ako ng isang malalim na hininga bago pumasok sa loob nga bahay. Dad asked if I found my phone, and I answered no.
"I was thinking, what if the girl accidentally bought your phone?" Ate Micah said while eating spaghetti. I looked at her and pursed my lips.
"What if intentionally?" I voiced out my supposedly thought. Ate looked at me in disbelief, napahinto pa siya sa paglamon ng favorite food niya. She stared at my eyes with a serious expression.
"Were you raised to judge someone, Claude?" Tanong niya sa seryosong paraan. Natigilan ako at na-guilty sa sinabi. Bumuntong hininga ang Daddy na kanina pa pala dismayadong nakatingin sa'kin. Their expression is enough to knock some senses in my being.
"Sorry." Yumuko ako sa hiya at napagtantong mali talaga ang manghusga. We aren't raised by our parents like that. We were taught to give someone the benefit of the doubt, to forgive, to understand, to help, and to love. I took a deep breath as guilt started creeping in me.
"Don't be sorry to me, Claude." She replied, softly. "At least give her the benefit of the doubt. No matter how trustworthy or not the person looks like, you should not judge someone based on their appearance nor their first impression on you." She stated before smiling at me kindly.
Her words pierced through me, making me realize and remember that we should not judge a book by its cover.
"Buti na lang talaga tayo lang ng Ate mo ang nandito, kung hindi, naku, baka sermon abutin mo sa kanila." Ani ng Daddy habang tumatawa para pagaanin ang pakiramdam ko. I nodded in response as he pats my shoulder softly.
I looked back up at Ate Micah and saw her eating happily again. She's just like that, she can be so serious to the point that it may intimidate you, or she can be as calm and quiet that makes her look quite angelic. Never ko pa talaga siyang nakitang nagalit. She's the calmest among all of us, at ayoko ring makitang magalit siya sa'kin. Kung hindi lang talaga siya sumeseryoso ay aakalain mong anghel ngang tunay.
Nakatayo pa rin ako sa may pintuan nang tumunog ang teleponong nakakabit sa dingding namin. I was going to answer it but my Dad stopped me, siya na lang daw. After a minute he ended the call. Ngumiti siya sakin bago ginulo ang buhok ko.
"'Di naman, nagmumukha akong bata niyan eh." Reklamo ko na tinawanan niya lang. He then handed me my car keys. "Kunin mo na yung cellphone mo, nasa guard house daw." My eyes lit up and I plastered a smile. Nilingon ko si Ate MIcah pero tutok pa rin siya sa pagkain. Tinanguan lang ako ng Daddy para sabihing umalis na ako.
Dali-dali akong lumabas at pinaandar ang kotse. Malapit lang naman kami sa entrance ng subdivision namin kaya wala pang limang minuto ay nakarating na ako. I greeted the guard and thanked him. Tinanong ko rin kung sino ang nagbigay. Ang sabi eh babae raw na kasama ko kanina.
"Kanina pa po nakaalis?" tanong ko.
"Opo, sir. pero maabutan niyo pa po ata si ma'am, naglalakad lang eh. Naawa nga ako, mukhang nilakid niya lang din papaakyat dito. Naku-naku, madilim pa naman na." Lintaya ni Manong guard. I nodded and once again thanked him. Inimbita ko rin siyang mag noche buena sa bahay mamaya bago umalis. I drove away from our village and traced the road, baka maabutan ko pa siya.
A small grateful smile appeared on my face. My what ifs are not true, and I am thankful that she returned my phone back. Pero gabi na ah, nilakad niya lang talaga? I checked my phone and its already 11:30 pm. Malapit ng magpasko, I needed to find her in order to return before midnight. I really want to spend this christmas with my fam.
A minute or two have passed before I saw a silhouette of a girl walking alone mindlessly. I can feel the heaviness of her every step. I stopped the car besides her, pero nakatulala pa rin siya. I rolled my window down and saw her without any emotions on her face, it looks like she's dozing off.
I asked, "Are you okay?"
She looked at me, as soon as I said those words, like pulling the trigger, her tears started pouring down. Wala pa rin siyang sinasabi. Her eyes looks emotionless yet her tears are flowing. It made me speechless, I was frozen at my seat, head slightly turned towards her.
A simple question, ten letters, three words, yet it can have a hundred of impact.
She blinked her eyes a few time before looking at her surrounding, and when our eyes met, hers looks lost. Nagulat pa siya nang napagtantong umiiyak siya. In a spun of twenty seconds she composed her self almost immediately. She looked at me with confusion. "Anong ginagawa mo?" She asked.
"Uhm... I..." I can't process the right words to say. I looked away with contorted face. I pursed my lips, not knowing what to say.
"Mukha kang natatae na ewan, teh." Aniya. Napalingon ako sa direksiyo niya. What the heck did she said? Ang sungit talaga.
"Sungit mo po, mag-ooffer lang naman po sana ako if gusto mo po bang ihatid kita." Nakangusong saad ko. She stared at me with disgust and immediately nodded, making me widen my eyes in fraction. Hindi man lang siya nagdalawang-isip, ha!
"Sige, pero ang pangit mo pag nakanguso, beh." Saad nito. Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at nakasimangot na pinaandar ang sasakyan papaalis, bahala siya diyan, maglakad na lang kako siya ng mag-isa.
"HOY TAENA KA, JOKE LANG!" Sigaw niya habang tumatakbo. Mas binilisan ko pa ang pagpapatakbo ng kotse. I sighed before stopping the car. Nakasimangot pa 'rin akong lumabas sa kotse. I walked my way towards her with stomping feet. Hinihingal pa siyang huminto at galit na bumaling sa'kin. Silently, I escorted her towards the front seat and even opened the door for her, kahit na nakakainis siyang talaga. Sinabihan ba naman akong pangit? Bastos.
I went inside and handed her a bottled water before starting the car's engine. Tinanggap niya ito ng may mapanghusgang tingin. "Wala namang gayuma 'to, diba?" Tanong niya.
"Gayuma para bumait ka, meron", I said that in my mind. Ayokong magsayang ng laway sa kaniya. Pangit daw ako? Hindi naman ah. Wait, hindi ba? I quicly checked my reflection on the mirror. Cute naman ako ah? Gwapo 'rin. Bahala siya, mukhang may deperensya ata sa mata. Bilhan ko ba ng eyeglasses? Wag nalang, masasayang lang pera ko. Sino ba siya?
Nakanguso pa rin ako habang tahimik na nagmamaneho. I was going to drive her to the same place earlier.
"Akala ko kase cellphone ko 'yung cellphone mo eh, sorry." She stated in a soft voice. Hindi ko pa 'rin siya pinansin. I opened the radio on my car and played it randomly.
"Merry Christmas mga ka pag-ibig! We will take our listeners most requested song, Kathang-isip by Ben&Ben." The radio DJ/ host announced. The familiar melody once again entered my ears.
My brows furrowed. Kathang-isip na naman? Pangatlog beses ko nang narinig yan ngayon. Sabagay, baka marami lang talaga ang nagrerequest. Hindi ba sila naririndi? Baka coincidence lang ata. I heard her sighed, I think we're thinking the same thing.
"Diba nga ito ang iyong gusto?
O, ito'y lilisan na ako
Mga alaala'y ibabaon
Kalakip ang tamis ng kahapon"
The skies started pouring lightly, vehicles are moving fast, lights are shining brightly, making me smile and at the same time sad. I wonder, how can life be beautiful yet at the same time, a battlefield? I hope everyone can live their lives happily.
Pasensya ka na
Sa mga kathang isip kong ito
Wari'y dala lang ng pagmamahal sa iyo
Ako'y gigising na
Sa panaginip kong ito
At sa wakas ay kusang lalayo sa iyo (lalayo sa)
The radio is still blasting softly as I hear the muffled rain outside. The thought of not spending your Christmas or any holiday or celebration with your family pains me. Family is the most important aspect of my life, and I know not everyone does and feels the same way.
"Nakakalungkot isipin na imbis mag-celebrate kasama ang pamilya eh nagtratrabaho sila, 'no?" Ani ng katabi ko habang nakatitig sa mga fast food restaurants na nadadaanan namin. I just nodded quietly.
"They are the people who really don't have a choice. Kung hindi sila magtratrabaho ay wala silang kakainin." She once again stated before looking at my side, without turning my gaze to her, I can feel the sadness in her tone.
"Minsan, aabot tayo sa puntong gusto na nating sumuko pero hindi pwede. Is life supposed to be like this?" she asked.
"Everything happens for a reason." I answered before taking a quick look at her direction.
"I hope so." She mumbled.
I took a deep breath and spotted my favorite coffee shop nearby. I parked my car and turned towards her. She was giving me a confused look that I answered with a smile.
"Bakit?" tanong niya.
"Gutom ka na ba? Gusto mo ng kape?" I asked her. She raised a brow at me. "Libre mo?" she asked and I nodded in answer. She shrugged her shoulder before saying "Okay, libre mo eh."
I then checked if I bought my wallet with me. Good thing I did. I looked at the window beside me and noticed that the rain poured harder. "Wait lang," ani ko bago kinuha ang payong na nasa back seat at bumaba. The cold air greeted me as I walked towards the right side of the car and opened the door. She was looking at me with furrowed brows, na isiniwalang-bahala ko lang habang inaalalayan siya ng payong. Bumaba na siya habang kunot noong nakatitig sakin.
We walked a little bit before halting in front of the coffee shop's door. Inilagay ko sa lalagyan ang payong namin bago binuksan ang pintuan. She was still furrowing her brows in confusion as I let her in first. I roamed my eyes around. The store have this cozy yellow lights and oak woods vibe. Dimmed ang place pero nakakarelax, marami ring mga halaman dito na bagay sa aesthetic ng place. I can also vividly smell the aroma of coffee and pastries. Marami-rami pa rin ang costumers kahit mag-a-alasdose na.
I looked back at her and she was still staring at me like she wanted to tell me something yet she couldn't. I just asked her what coffee and pastry she wants, she answered, "ikaw bahala. Pera mo naman 'yan." I nodded my head in response before ordering two Caffè Americano and four chocolate donuts. Siya naman yung naatasang maghanap ng table. Nakuha ko naman agad ang order namin kaya pumunta na ako sa table namin at inilagay doon ang inorder.
She was spacing out again while staring pass through the window pane. Medyo tumitila na ang ulan. "Anele, right?" I asked. Nilingon niya ako at tumango. "Your name's Claude, diba? as in Cloud na Cloud or Claude na C l a u d e?" She asked me before taking her coffee. I nodded in response because i'm busy eating my donuts hehe.
"My name is Claude, as in c l a u d e, pero it is pronounced as cloud, as in ulap." I answered. she nodded before skeptically sipping her coffee. The familiar song is also playing softly at the shop we're in. Sikat nga ata ang kantang iyan, eh. Kathang-isip is such a melancholic song. It has deep meaning to whoever is listening.
My attention diverted at my phone when it suddenly beeped.
Dadi Pogi:
Claude, nasaan ka na? One minute na lang mag papasko na, 'nak.
sent at 11:59 pm
My eyes widen in shock. Oh crap! mag-aalasdose na pala, nakalimutan ko! Dali-dali kong nginuya ang kinakain at nilagok ang kape. Fudge. Bakit ba nawala 'yon sa isip ko?
I was busy panicking when I noticed Anele's state in front of me, namumutla ito. She was catching her breath while her eyes are blinking fast. Nakahawak siya sa dibdib niya at parang matutumba. Dali-dali ko siyang inalalayan. "Ayos ka lang?"
"Tanginaka mukha ba ako... ma..ayos?" Masungit na tugon nito kahit nahihirapan na siyang huminga. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin kaya humingi ako ng tulong, timing rin na nagri-ring ang phone ko, tumatawag ang Mommy. My mind went haywire. This is not the Christmas I've pictured out. I never thought that things will turn out like this, a disastrous event.
"I'm... allergic to ca...ffeine, idiot." The last words she said before passing out.