Chapter 12
I did as what my mother told me. Iniwasan ko si Sage. I didn't know if he's aware that we're attending the same college but it didn't matter anymore. As much as I want to talk to him, mas mabuti nang sundin ko si Mama.
So here I am, walking home with my books against my chest. Mag-aalas kwatro pa lamang ng hapon ngayon. Hindi katulad noong high school pa ako na pwede ko pang gamitin ang shortcut sa gubat, sa highway na ako dumadaan ngayon.
The community college is not that far from our home. Sumasakay lang kami ni mama ng tricycle tuwing umaga kapag malilate na kami. Pero madalas ay naglalakad lang ako.
I passed the Monterio rice field again. Tearing my gaze away from their endless property, I stared ahead of me as I walked down.
"Mal?"
Nanigas ako sa kinatatayuan ko nang marinig ang pamilyar na boses ni Sage. Naghintay pa ako na tawagin niya akong muli bago ako tuluyang lumingon.
"Hey, Mal!" he smiled at me as he climbed out of his matte black wrangler jeep. Bumaba din dito ang kasama niya noong isang araw na lalaki. Both of them are wearing tattered jeans and blue thin long sleeves. The other guy gathered the prunes and scythes from the back of the jeep as Sage approached me.
"Going home?" he eyed my books.
"Ah, oo eh." By then, the guy had finished unloading the tools. Pinagpagan niya ang kanyang kamay at nilapitan ako.
"Whoa, man, who's this chick?" inakbayan niya si Sage at nginisihan ako. Malaki ang ngisi niya sa akin. Sage scowled.
"This is Mallory." Simpleng wika ni Sage.
"Mallory, Mallory!" he stepped out and took my hands, shaking it longer than necessary. "My name is Aaric." wika niya sa akin.
"That's enough." Sage frowned and grab his hands from me. I shot him a grateful look and secured my hands around my books. Bahagya din akong umatras mula sa kanila.
I glanced at the tools behind them. "Mag-aani kayo ng palay?"
"Yep! Wanna join us?" Malaki pa rin ang ngiti sa akin ni Aaric.
"Hindi na." I smiled at him. "Uuwi na ako eh."
"Oh, that's too bad. Or you can just sit there and motivate us." He whistled meaningfully.
"Just start the damn harvest, Aaric!" Sage barked. "All you ever think is flirting."
"Whoa, whoa." He held both his hands and stepped back from Sage. "I angered the boss." He whispered, directing his eyes to me. I chuckled and Sage's frown deepened.
"Umuwi ka na, Mal. Baka gabihin ka pa sa daan." He said, waving his hands in dismissal. Sage picked up a scythe and examined the sharp tool before he joined Aaric on the rice field.
Ilang minuto ko silang pinagmasdan dalawa. Mayamaya pa ay dumating na ang iba pang mga trabahante sa palayan. Umalis na kaagad ako bago pa man ako makita ni mama o ni Don Monterio na nakamasid sa kania.
Later that evening, while I am preparing the table for our dinner, my mother searched for my expression. Now that my stepfather is gone, our house had become a lot cleaner and peaceful. After a lot of convincing, I finally managed my mom na hiwalayan siya.
Bumuntong-hininga siya. "I know you're upset about not being friends with the young Monterio."
Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. Inilapag ko ang tinidor at kutsara bago ko siya hinarap. "Po?"
"It's just that... Mallory, Monterios are too dangerous. Ayaw ko lang mapahamak ka, anak." wika niya.
I nodded my head. "Alam ko po, ma."
"And you know from the start that I did not forbade you from having boyfriends. Ang akin lang ay huwag mong papabayaan ang pag-aaral mo. We can barely afford the school's tuition, Mallory. Lalo na ngayon na wala akong katulong dito."
My stepfather will not even bother to help you even if he has a job. I wanted to say but I keep my mouth shut. My mother pulled a wooden chair and sat across me.
"Sana huwag mong masamain ang pagbabawal ko sa iyo na makipagsalamuha sa mga Monterio. You know rich people like them would never settle for people like us."
Hindi po ganun si Sage, ma. I argued inwardly. Ni minsan ay hindi niya kinuwestiyon kung sino ako o anong estado ko sa buhay. He let me into his life without bothering to know if I came from a wealthy family or not.
Tumutulong pa nga siya sa pag-aani ng palay kanina! I wanted to protest but I clamp my mouth shut, pushing the food around my plate until we finished dinner.
---
Gusto kong umatras at lumiko nang makita ko si Sage na prenteng nakaupo sa kanyang desk. My classmates are eyeing him curiously. Girls are giggling and nudging at each other, hoping he'd give them at least one look.
I frowned. This is my last class today. Classmate ba kami sa Science Technology?
Pushing my thoughts aside, I dragged myself inside the room. Sage's gaze automatically landed on me. Nanigas ako saglit bago ko pinilit ang sarili ko na hanapin ang kinauupuan.
Setting my books on the desk, the professor barged in. Mrs. Gallera eyed all of us suspiciously before she settled on her desk. Clearing her throat for her usual announcement, her eyes landed on Sage.
Tumaas ang kilay nito. "Oh? A transferee?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Sage replied in a deep voice. He received a few giggles from the girls on the back. Kaagad silang sinamaan ng tingin ni Mrs. Gallera.
"What's your name, boy?"
"Christian Sage Monterio."
"Okay, Mr. Monterio—wait, Monterio?" bigla siyang namutla at napatitig kay Sage. "You're a Monterio?"
Sage averted his gaze, clearly uncomfortable. The growing pair of curious eyes landed on him. "Yes, Ma'am." He replied silently.
"Oh. Well, it's good to have you here. Great!" she said, nervously glancing at him. "Anyway, just tell me if you need something, alright? I'd be willing to help you."
Sage didn't reply. Nanatili lang siya sa kanyang kinauupuan. Mrs. Gallera fidgeted on her fingers. It took her a few minutes to gain back her composure and started the class.
I sneak a glance from Sage and heat crept up to my neck when I saw him already staring at me. Iniwas ko kaagad ang tingin ko at nag-focus sa sinusulat ni Mrs. Gallera sa harapan.
So being wealthy really have perks, huh. I wondered to myself while jotting down notes.
---
"What if I talk to the admin? Pwede naman siguro siyang ilipat." Ms. Cheng, a professor in her early twenty's whined. "All girls in my class are just ogling at him! Plus, it didn't help that the boy is naturally smart."
Tumawa ang kanyang kausap na si Mr. Lazorte. "Ayaw mo ba noon, Ma'am Cheng? May matalino kang estyudante."
"I'm getting nervous when he's around." She admitted, heaving a sigh. "Baka may magawa pa akong mali at matanggal ako sa trabaho ko."
Mr. Lazorte was about to answer when his head snapped into my direction. Napatayo tuloy ako nang tuwid at nag-iwas ng tingin. Ms. Cheng immediately clamped her mouth.
"Oh, Mallory! Ikaw pala. Hinanap mo ba ang nanay mo?"
I tightened my grip on the door knob of the faculty room. Tumango ako sa kanya. "Yes, sir."
"She's in a teacher's conference right now. Hindi ka ba niya nasabihan?" he circled to my mother's desk and grabbed the lunchbox. Iniabot niya ito sa akin. "I guess you'll be eating alone today, young woman."
"Thank you, Sir." I murmured while accepting the lunchbox. I nodded at Ms. Cheng in acknowledgement before I closed the door behind me.
Breathing in relief, I made my way on the large oak tree looming behind the Engineering department. Sierra is a Political Science student and barely have time to eat lunch outside. Nagkakasabay lang kami kapag umuuwi o kapag nakikita ko siya during vacant hours niya.
I sat on the large roots and placed my bag on the ground. Opening the lunchbox my mother had prepared, my thoughts wandered again to Sage. Alam kaya ng mga guro ang nangyari sa kanya noon? The news was all over the place. Sure enough, some of them must've heard of the young Monterio's death three years ago.
Chewing on the deviled eggs, I think of how Sage spat Jasmine's name that night. He's bitter, I thought inside of my head. Ano kayang nangyari sa kanilang dalawa ni Jasmine noong bumalik siya sa Manila?
"That looks great, Mal."
I almost choked on my food when I suddenly heard his voice. Glancing up, I saw Sage together with three boys. All of them are good-looking. I immediately recognized the one grinning widely as Aaric. Kumaway siya sa akin.
"Hi, Mallory!"
Ngumiti ako ng tipid sa kanila. The two of them sneered at me and dragged their gaze around the botanical garden at the back of the tree.
"Anong ginagawa niyo dito?" I mumbled.
"We're here to eat lunch." Sage sat next to me. Nagulat ako nang may lunchbox din siya sa kanyang bag. All three of them sat in front of me. Kanya-kanya din silang kuha ng kanilang mga lunchboxes.
"The cafeteria food is really bad." Sage started. I glanced at the building in front of us. Most of the girls have gathered to watch us now, making me feel uncomfortable in my own seat. "That's why I asked Manang Terry to prepare me a lunch and she gladly did."
"Swell." I mumbled.
Inilipat ko ang tingin sa tatlo pang mga lalaki na kaagad namang napansin ni Aaric. "Ngapala, Mallory. This is Davidson and this is Kennedy." He pointed them using his thumb. "They're the sons of Timothe Groston, the owner of Groston Pub in town. You've heard about it, right?"
Tumango ako sa kanya. I gave the two boys a small smile before dropping my gaze into my food. Pinagtitinginan na kami at pinag-uusapan ng mga estyudante.
"Why are you eating lunch alone?" tanong ni Sage sa akin. I peered into his lunchbox and saw a bacon sandwich wrap in a wax paper, roasted turkey, and an apple.
"Wala ang mama ko." Sagot ko. Binilisan ko ang pag-kain. I really want to get out of here as soon as I can. Sigurado akong ito ang magiging laman ng tsismisan mamayang hapon ng mga babaeng estyudante. The two Groston boys seemed uncomfortable as well. Maybe they're just following Sage and decided to have lunch here simply because he wants to.
"Your mother is my professor in classic literature." wika ni Sage na ikinagulat ko. He took a bite from his apple and chewed, his adams apple bobbing up and down. I struggled to drop my gaze again to my food. "Pero wala siya kanina. So I haven't meet her yet."
"That's... great." Labas sa ilong kong sagot. I'm sure my mother will give him a hard time. Hindi siya katulad ni Ms. Cheng o Ms. Gallera na matatakot sa apelyidong dala niya. Once he entered her classroom, he's just a normal student just like everyone else.
I sighed. I wondered what my mother will think about him once he'll start his classes with her?
"It's only my third day in class but I'm getting bored!" Aaric groaned. "Can't you convince your father not to send us to school anymore, Christian?"
Sage snorted. "As if he'll listen to me."
"You know how to run the brewery. Ano pa bang inaaksaya natin ng oras dito?"
Binalingan siya ni Sage. Hindi pa rin ako sanay na Christian ang tawag sa kanya ng ibang tao. "Even Zian has to get a master's degree just to maintain his position."
Tumawa si Aaric. "Christian, you're going to be the chairman of the company soon. It's clear that your father would want you to have it. Zian is managing it on your behalf because your Dad is slowly retiring."
"What about Zahra?" Kennedy spoke for the first time.
Sage rolled his eyes. "That little sister of mine will grow up to be a brat, you'll see."
Tumawang muli si Aaric sa sinabi ni Sage. "Oh, well, whatever." Tapos ay binalingan niya ako. "Ngapala, Mallory, we're going to Mati this weekend. Sama ka?"
"Ah—"
"She's not coming." Sage cut me off. Tinitigan niya nang masama si Aaric. "There's going to be a lot of beer and intoxicated men there."
Napatingin ako kay Sage. "Aw, heck, payagan mo na si Mallory, Christian!" Aaric moaned. "You're a fucking killjoy, man."
"I said she's not coming. That's final." Sage said, disclosing the conversation with another bite of his apple.