Photo credit: pinterest.com
OPQ Day 3 - Tuesday
Meng refused to get up and join the others for breakfast early that same morning. Diet siya, bakit ba? Masakit pa katawan niya. Madaling araw na siya nakatulog.
Excuses, excuses.
She tried to make sense of the words she heard while they were having breakfast in front of their hut but so far no discussion about her. She did not also heard his voice. He's either quiet or he was not also present. So far so good.
Around 10am, when she was sure everyone has gone off to wherever they need to go, Meng ventured outside of the room. She found items on the bamboo table: a rechargeable solar lamp that can also function as usb charger, Hapee toothpaste, mosquito repellent lotion, some medicine for fever, headache and body pain, and Neozep? Ah, para sa sipon. . Hmmm... bakit kaya walang soap at shampoo? Di pa kinumpleto?
(A/N: ok, pardon me for the product placements, can't resist)
Wait, if I'm not mistaken, this is the lamp he was holding last night. So sa kanya galing? Ano 'tong mga ito, peace offering?
She also learned from Kuya Poch before he went out that RJ was already up at the break of dawn constructing a makeshift toilet near their hut. Isang bagay, na ayon daw sa kanyang dalawang bubuwit ay ngayon lang daw ginawa ni RJ, kahit pa may kasama silang ibang social workers na babae sa ibang village na pinuntahan nila dati. Thus, making it appear that he did it for her. Eh ano ngayon? Pagkatapos niya kong inisin? Guilty, kaya bumabawi?
Dismissing her negative thoughts, she made sure that nobody is around outside the vicinity of the hut. She went out and saw the makeshift toilet, which, turned out sturdy and provided the much needed privacy.
Now, armed with her notebook and music from her freshly recharged phone, she explored the area looking for a quiet nook where she can just write and think about her decision-making problem.
Meng smiled as she passed by the Mangyans, men, women and children going on about their daily activities. After awhile, she found an elevated ground shaded by trees. It also afforded a view of the village below.
This is it! Peace and quiet at last!
She started weighing her options, writing in her notebook, pros and cons and all. Mahirap pala ito. Balik na lang kaya ako sa signs? But once in a while, her attention is drawn below where the three guys, with a group of Mangyans, are starting to work on a cleared ground. Observing from afar, they are trying to form what will look like a rectangular structure after it's built, judging by the string tied around short stakes buried at the four corners of the ground, marking the perimeter.
She has a good vantage point. Hidden by a tree and yet with a clear view of what's happening, and him.
She saw how competently he worked. Papers and plans in hand, she observed him giving instructions and demonstrating what should be done and actually taking part in the manual labor. Today, he's wearing a plain white shirt, khaki shorts and mountaineering shoes, thus, making his fair complex stand out among the natives.
The group soon disappeared into the forest and returned more than an hour later with logs of different sizes. Meng watched as they started cutting the logs into half using an ax. She laughed out loud when kuya Poch tried it and failed. Miserably.
Meng also saw that RJ would occasionally scan his surroundings as if looking for something or someone. Asa pa na siya ang hinahanap. 'Don't fall for me nga! Ang kulit!'
Pero, come to think of it, bakit kaya parang ang dami at lalim ng mga hugot niya?
She was so engrossed in watching the scene below that she did not notice that two native girls were close by observing her, wearing their native attire, indigo-dyed skirt and embroidered blouses. Kakanta ba sa choir ang mga ito at uniform ang suot?
"Gusto n'yo?" she smiled at them, offering the two girls the remaining power bars in her pocket, which they reluctantly accepted. She opened one to show them how it's eaten.
"Anong pangalan n'yo?"
"Ako po si Estella, siya si Rosella, ang aking kapatid. Kayo po?" they replied with shy smiles on their faces.
Hhmmm.... modern names for the kids.
"Tawagin n'yo na lang akong Ate Menggay". They giggled upon hearing her name. She giggled with them.
Meng spent the rest of the hour talking to the two girls, asking them questions about the village, once in a while glancing at the development below. Her eagle eyes always homing on her target.
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An hour later....
"Huy! baka matunaw!" shouted kuya Poch who came unannounced.
The two Mangyan girls had left a while ago and she was back watching the activities below.
"Ha? Ano bang pinagsasabi mo?" she asked innocently, immediately averting her eyes.
"Pustahan Menggay, palit iphone mo. Pag tiningnan ko yang line of sight mo kanina, alam ko kung ano, correction, kung SINO makikita ko. Tama ako no?" He sat down beside her at the exposed roots of the tree. "Pero girl, in fairness, nakita mo? Biceps pa lang ulam na no?"
She blushed at the thought and was not able to comment.
"O ano, speechless ka na! Impressed ka sa lolo mo? Artistahin, guwapo, matalino, matipuno at mukhang sanay sa hard labor. And to top it all, Sociologist pa!"
"Anong sabi mo? Sociologist? Siya?"
"Hindi mo alam?!?! Hello! Umamin ka nga! Ano talaga pinag-usapan n'yo papunta dito? Yes, Sociologist siya. And take note, almost finished with his PhD in Sociology. O isara mo na yang bibig mo. Baka pasukin ng insekto."
"Hindi ah!" she denied, reeling from that discovery. Wonders never cease. "Maghanap na lang tayo ng makakain. Gutom na ko. Power bar lang kinain ko for breakfast."
"Huwag mong ibahin ang usapan, sanay kang malipasan ng gutom. Ano, Meng, malay mo siya na ang forever mo?"
"Alam mo, hindi ko kayo maintindihan. Bakit ba kailangang ipares n'yo ako sa kanya? At bakit forever agad? Hindi ba puwedeng maging acquaintance lang natin siya? We're just two ships in the sea passing by each other in the night. Next week, we're practically strangers again."
"Eh kasi nga, aminin mo. May spark, may chemistry, may physics! At dahil social studies tayo ngayon among the Mangyans, malay mo magkaroon din kayo ng history."
"Ang corny mo kuya Paolo! May I remind you, nagpakahirap akong umakyat dito para mag-isip, hindi para maghanap ng panibagong problema. At yun ang ginagawa ko. Alam mo bang istorbo ka? Nag-iisip ako e."
"Habang pinapanood siya? O siya, sige! Ano ba kasi ang gumugulo sa isip mo girl? Come on, try me! Pag-usapan na yan so we can proceed to more exciting topics."
Meng told her cousin about her dilemma. The university application that she submitted on the same day that she uploaded the video that became viral and catapulted her into a social media star... and eventually a host/artist/commercial model and endorser.
"Problema nga 'yan! But on the bright side ha, isipin mo, bongga pareho ang results ng ginawa mo nung araw na yun. What did you eat that day ba? Baka naman, alam mo na... puwede ko ring gayahin. Who knows, baka madiscover din ako."
"Ay naku, kung alam mo lang kung paano torture magdecide ngayon."
"Hindi ba puwede pareho? Mag-aral ka sa Australia and still stay as a host/artist? I'm sure tatanggapin ka pa rin nila pagbalik mo."
"Hello! One year kaya yung masters program plus siyempre I need to practice it there for a while. Eh di saan na ko pupulutin pagbalik ko? Pero gusto ko ring mag-aral to improve my craft in Multimedia. Alam mo yun! And I want to feel that campus vibe outside of the country. Yung sunog-kilay ang peg among the people of different nations, ganon!"
"So what do you actually hope to accomplish by this peace and quiet thing? Bakit kailangan pa tayo lumayo at maglakbay ng pitong bundok? Sorry, hindi ko talaga makita ang connect. Ang layo, o!"
"Aside from clearing my mind, I want to feel how it is to be out of limelight even for a week. I was planning on just lurking in social media kung natuloy tayo sa farm, but it turned out even better. Malay ko bang ganito kalayo. Pero this is blessing in disguise. Walang signal. Total blackout, total silence. Makakayanan ko ba for a week? Will I miss my life in the city? Hahanap-hanapin ko ba yung trabaho ko at mga ginagawa ko? Yung presence ko at followers sa social media? I need to answer these questions. Kasi I think lahat yun mawawala sooner or later if I take up that masters program."
"So kumusta naman ang adjustment mo?"
"Surprisingly, I'm okay. Mukhang carry naman. Although technically, today is just the third day mula nung umalis tayo ng Manila. To be honest, sila nanay at tatay lang ang miss na miss ko, plus siyempre, sila ate nikki at matti. Social media, slight."
"At siyempre, magiging choosy pa ba? Aminin mo, may impact din sa adjustment mo na nakilala mo siya. May napagbalingan ka ng atensyon mo. Am I right or am I right?"
"Ayan ka na naman, wala nga! O bakit ganyan tingin mo?" Meng saw the raised eyebrows of her cousin. "Ok, fine! Aaminin ko. Cute siya!"
"Regine, whoooo! Eh di inamin mo rin! Crush mo no?"
"Sus, ano ba naman ang crush for a 22 year old like me? Maliit na bagay, malayo sa bituka 'te. Pag-alis natin dito, at nakakita ulit ako ng ibang cute, sorry na lang pero erased na siya."
"Sinong erased?" A sweaty Tisoy appeared from behind the tree.
A/N: Mamaya na po ang kilig, kailangang umusad ang decision-making problem.