2nd term will end in a few days. I finished my last term exam just before lunchtime. We had our last game for this year last Wednesday… and thank God our team standing has remained unblemished… yey!!! Coach just announced that we will have a week-long break from practice. This is what I call heaven!
I decided not to go home to Pampanga... yet. We will have our team’s Christmas Party on Friday night, December 23. Yung iba kasi sa team will still have an exam that morning. That is why we can’t have it earlier. If I go home taoday, aksaya lang sa pamasahe.
Anyways, this year, the Lady Spikers will have a COSPLAY-themed party. The Bullies decided to bring our Harry Potter Addiction a notch higher, so we will cosplay as HP characters. Camille will be Mad-Eye Moody. Cienne decided she will be Tonks. Carol will be Professor Trelawney. Ate Kim (I don’t know how she plans to pull this though) wants to be the nose-less and hairless Lord Voldemort. Mika will be Bellatrix Lestrange. I will be my favorite character Professor Severus Snape. Come to think of it, none of us will be coming in as the lead trio (Harry, Hermione, and Ron). Not that we dislike them. We adore them. it is just that we decided to pick the most outrageous characters in the septology. Compared to them, I am expecting that mine would be the tamest costume. I was tempted to do Dumbledore with beard and the works but I just love Snape to bits. So keber kung boring ang costume nya. I am so excited. We even ordered wand replicas from Noble Collection for this event. Di naman obvious na addict ano?
Anyhoo, ate Kim and I were asked to prepare a surprise number. Duet sana ulit gagawin namin. Kaso di magpanagpo sked namin to rehearse. Kaya it was decided na kanya kanya na lang na kanta. Si ate Abby, ate Chepot at kami lang ni Ate Kim ang may alam nito. Haha! Ano kaya ang kakantahin ko? Hmmm....
It just dawned on me, wala pala akong gagawin for 2 whole days. Hala! Ano kaya ang magawa? Nakakatamad mag-mall. Tiyak ¾ ng population ng Metro Manila nasa mall doing their last minute Christmas shopping. Amusement park kaya? Tiyak madami ding tao dun. During seasons like this, madaming budget ang mga bagets and most of them will spend it sa mga rides doon. I hate large crowds. Don't get me wrong. I’m not a snob. It’s just that ayaw ko sa masyadong maingay at masikip na mga lugar. Nawiwindang ang utak ko.
Naputol ang pagmumuni ko ng…
“Ei Tomsy, may gagawin ka ba tomorrow?”, tanong ni Mika
“Daks, wala po. Ng-iisip nga ako ng pwedeng magawa eh. Last exam ko na yung sa Comm2 kanina. Ayaw ko naman umuwi ng maaga sa Pampanga at may party pa nga sa Friday. Gastos lang sa pamasahe if uuwi ako then babalik din kaagad.”, sagot ko naman.
“Samahan mo na lang ako tom. Sige na. Please, Tomsy ko”, aba’t nagpacute pa ang ale. Sige lang. Effective naman eh.
“Basta Daks, hindi sa mall ang lakad mo ha. Ayaw ko makipagsiksikan sa mga nagChristmas rush”
“Di po sa mall. Scout’s honor!”, sagot nyang may pagtaas pa ng 3 fingers nya na parang nag-oath sa girl scout.
“Saan ka ba pupunta bukas?” Mabuti ng malaman ko no. Baka mapasubo ako. Mahirap na.
“Special place, Tomsy. Bukas mo na malalaman. For now, secret muna ha. Hehe”. Wish ko lang walang iniisip na kalolohan to.
“Parang nagdalawang isip tuloy akong sumama”, of course I was just joking. Kahit naman saan pupunta tong si Daks eh sasamahan ko naman talaga sya.
“Eh Tomsy, wala ng bawian. You said yes already”, sabi nya sabay pout. Awww. She is so cute when she does that.
“Eh bakit di si Aiko ang yayain mo. Di ba sya naman ang lagi mong kasama. O kaya si Stick” Stick is her BFF from high school, Jessey De Leon, who plays for UST Lady Tigers. I’ve met her several times already and have gone out with them a couple of times na rin.
“Di po makakaluwas si Aiko kasi may family reunion sila. Si BFF naman po eh may party na aattendan tomorrow. Kaya naman, Tomsy, kaw na lang pag-asa ko. Please!!!”,sabay beautiful eyes pa. Kakagigil. Sarap halik… ooopsss erase. Victornara, behave!
“Hala. Last option lang pala talaga ako. Naku, Daks, ayaw ko na talaga”,sabi kong nagkunwaring nagtatampo pa. Biglang nalungkot ang kanyang mga mata. Ang bad mo talaga, Ara. Tsk!
“Tomsy, please. This is very important to me. And don’t think na last option ka. Importante ka kaya sa akin.” sabi nyang nangingilid na ang mga luha nya sa mata. Kinabahan akong baka umiyak si Mika kaya, binawi ko ang biro.
“O wag, ng umiyak. Di ako nagtatampo. Biro lang. Sasamahan naman talaga kita bukas. Wala talaga akong gagawin at kanina pa nag-iisip ng lakad. Buti nga at nagyaya ka eh”. I gave her a hug and a sweet smile.
“Yey! Sabi ko na nga at di ako kayang tiiisin ng Tomsy ko eh”. Aba’t kung maka Tomsy Ko. Pagaari lang ako? Haha! Bipolar talaga ‘tong babaeng Ito. Ambilis magbago ng mood. Naalala ko tuloy yung 1st last game namin with the Lady Tamaraws.
[FLASHBACK]
Minsan ang hirap ding ispellingin nitong si Daks eh. She was ok when we left La Salle around after lunch. Nakikipagharutan pa nga sa akin sa bus on the way here. Tapos biglang nagbago mood when she introduced her friend to us… Aiko daw ang name. Future Lady Bulldog daw. Tamo tong si Cienne. Nagpapatawa. Eh ano kung sya makakaharap ko next year? Eh ano kung mas mataas sya at mas malaki ang katawan? Wala yan sa taas at laki ng katawan. Kayang kaya ko yan. Tsss…
Nagyakapan, nagbuhatan na’t lahat ngayon naman ayaw mag bitaw ng kamay. Kakaselos na ha! Opppssss. What I meant is nakakainis. Kasi imbes na magfocus sa pagwarm up for the game, wala ng ginawa kundi ang makipaglandian sa friend nya. Naku naman talaga, Reyes. Namumuro ka na. Friend nya lang kaya yan? Sobrang clingy kasi. Hayst! Ikaw kaya magfocus sa ginagawa mo, Victonara.
“Excuse me!”, sabi ko sabay hawi sa paghoholding hands nila.
“Selos!”, paubong sabi ni ate Kim sabay tawa. I glared at her. Muka namang nasindak at nagbigay ng peace sign ang over-cooked naming setter.
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We won 1st and 2nd set. Kaso humabol ang FEU to get sets 3 and 4. We’re on our 5th set. May 2 hours na din kaming naglalaro. Halos wala akong pahinga. Pagod na pero I can’t let my team down. Score: 13-11.
Service ni Daks. For sure kabado ‘to. Naka ilang service error na kasi sya kanina. I want to give her assurance that she can do it. Pero she is not looking at me. I saw Aiko standing up giving her a thumbs up. Hey, that should be me cheering her. Hayst. Focus on the game, Ara.
Good serve. Ball was received by Agno. Sy gave a set to Morada who dropped the ball. Good thing ate Cha digged it. Kim made eye contact with me. I gave her a nod. Set by ate Kim. I jumped at parang lahat ng inis ko at binuhos ko sa bola. Bogsh! Down the line!. Score: 14-11. The crowd went wild. Matchpoint na. Mika went to the service line. Just before the ref’s whistle blow. Nagtime-out ang FEU…
“Mika, just make sure the ball will be in, ok? Blockers, be ready. Paloob ang block para di lalabas at maging score nila. Aby, lituhin mo ang blockers sa kabila. Ara, if magdrop ball sa zone5. They are expecting lalakasan mo ang palo kaya aatras yang mga yan”, coach Ramil instructed us.
ANIMO!!!
Mika gave an overhead serve after the whistle sounded. Everybody thought it was going out including FEU libero Agno. But it hit the line. ACE!!!
Final score: 15-11
Daks, dropped to her knees. We all run to her. We were all happy. Umblemished team standing, baby! I gave her a smile and offered her my hand. She took it and stood up. We embraced. Once again, I felt the electricity flowing to my core. Dahil pa rin ba sa pagod ito? Our other teammates joined in the hug.
We took our position to shook hands with the other team. I smiled at our opponents. They gave us a good game. Nang matapat ako sa setter nila na si ate Gyzel Sy, agad koi tong yinakap. She was my former team mate sa Central Luzon team sa Palarong Pambansa. Tubong Angeles din sya. Nakasama ko pa nga sa isang double date ng minsan. Yes, she is also a lez. Pero di kami talo. Haha! Bigla akong siniko ni Mika na nasa likod ko.
I was named POG. On my way to the dugout after my interview, I saw Daks with Aiko.
“Congratulations, Yeye. You we’re so wonderful out there. You were POG for me”. Aba’t ang bata marunong dumamoves.
“Paano ba ‘yan. Ako lilibre mo. Kami ang nanalo”, kelangan talaga may pakindat kindat pa ha,Daks?
“OO ba. Saan mo gusto?”, sagot nung mukang alien.
Naiinis na talaga ako. Kaya nakayuko ko silang dinaanan. Mahirap na baka di ako makapagpigil at masapok ko pa yung alien na ito.
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Pagkatapos magshower at magpalit ng damit, akalain mo hindi ako pinapansin ni Daks.
Ikaw pa talaga ang may ganang mangdead-ma ha, Mika Aereen Reyes. Hayst!!!! Ang sakit mo sa bangs.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
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Kinabukasan. Maaga akong ginising ni Daks. This is something new. Normally it’ll be me who would wake up first at manggigising sa kanya.
“Tomsy, gising na po. Kailangan nating umalis ng maaga at marami pa tayong dadaanan”.
Whatever we are doing today, mukang super special nga sa kanya. Her eyes have extra glow this morning. Mas lalo syang gumanda... mas naging kaakit-akit
“Heto na po at babangon na”, sagot ko as I got up and went to the bathroom to take my bath. Tama! Ililigo ko na lang ito.
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Mika’s dad lend her their CRV. So magdradrive si kolokay ngayon. We passed by Jollibee infront of PGH. 2 crews assisted us in loading boxes of food packs. May mga toys ding isinakay sa kotse. Saan kaya ang destination namin ng babaeng ‘to? Hanggang ngayon kasi ay ayaw sabihin kung ano ang gagawin namin. We made another stop infront of Masagana along Kalaw and Taft Avenue where we were met by another person. This time balloons were loaded sa sasakyan. Hmmm…. Children’s party ang peg? Intriguing! We made a right turn after Sta. Isabel College and head for Ayala Bridge. We made another right turn in a small alley in the middle of the bridge. I did not know may daan dito. We reached the end of the street. The signage reads HOSPICIO DE SAN JOSE. We made a stop at the gate. The guard seems to know Mika. He gave her a salute and opened the gates for us.
Bumaba kami ng sasakyan. Daks held my hands and motioned me to enter the lobby. We were greeted by a nun and another girl.
‘Good morning, Sr. Carrie, this is Ara Galang po, a team mate and a friend.Sya po ang tutulong sa akin today. Tomsy, si Sr. Carrie yung administrator dito sa hospicio”, pagpapakilala ni Mika sa amin. I took Sr. Carries hand at nagmano.
“God Bless you. It is good that you can join us today, Ara. The kids are so excited. This is Dr. Argie nga pala. She is one of the 3 pediatricians who volunteers to check on the kids. They come here once or twice a week”. Akalain mo duktor pala sya. Paano naka t-shirt, jeans at vans lang. Kala ko bata lang. Haha.
“I’ve met Mika na, Sr. Nice of you to join us today, Ara. The kids are so hyper. Sa sobrang excitement, walang may sakit today. Haha!”, Dr. Argie kidded.
Simula pa lang ng pumasok kami ni Daks. Di na matanggal ang ngiti ko. The place gives me a soothing, friendly vibe. I like it here.
“Actually po, Mika did not tell me we were going here. So surprised din ako. Pero I am so glad, I came. I am an only child kaya mahilig ako sa bata.”
“Sa Holy Angel Dormitory na lang tayo Mika. Mas malawak kasi dun. Papuntahin na lang natin dun ang mga pre-schoolers. Pakukuha ko na lang kina Richard yung mga dala nyo.”, suggest ni Sr. Corrie.
‘Sige po, sister”, sagot naman ni Mika who went back to the car to open it. Sr. Carrie and Doc Argie led me to HAD.
There were around a hundred of kids, mostly toddlers and pre-schoolers na sumali sa aming munting party. Meron ding mga 8mos to 1 year olds na binubuhat ng mga care givers. We played games. Nag-strory telling din si Daks ng tagalog version ng Hope for the Flowers. Miss Ana, their in-house nurse lent me her guitar and I led the kids to singing some nursery rhymes and children songs. Game na game din si Dr. Argie sa pagtuturo ng nga action songs.
How time flies pag sobrang nag-eenjoy ka. Di namin namalayan na lunch time na. We served the kids their food courtesy of Jollibee. Buti na lang endorser si Daks ng nasabing foodchain kaya’t agad nagrant yung request nya to have them sponsor our food. Yung mga sobrang food pinadala nila Sr. Carrie sa ibang dormitory. The kids gave us a hug ng magpaalam kami. They have to get their afternoon naps din kasi. Awww.... they are sooo cute. They look like littel angels.
Dr. Argie gave us a quick tour of the institution after naming mag-imis. Di lang pala kids ang inaalagaan nila dito. May mga elderly din na nakahouse dito. Yung iba nagbabayad daw. Mga dating patrons ng institution at nang tumanda na decided to spent their remaining years here. They also have bar and medicine board takers who rent rooms. Very condusive to studying kasi yung lugar. Tahimik. Malinis. Safe. Pwede ka pang mag-mass everyday cause they have their own chapel.
Our last stop was at Rendou where kids with special needs are housed. They introduced me to ate Weng, Rendous’ housemother. My eyes swelled up when I was introduced to Jenny. She is a 12 year old na pinanganak na walang mga braso’t kamay. I was told the birth mother took abortificient drugs kasi narape lang ito. She was brought to Hospicio after her mother left her sa hospital. Hindi na sya binalikan nito. There was no bitterness sa mata ng bata. She taught herself to paint using her mouth and feet. At sobrang gaganda ng mga obra nya. Feeling ko nanliit ako sa harap nya. Here I was, kumpleto sa body parts, nakakapag-aral sa isang magandang unibersidad, able to do what I love doing but still feels so empty inside.
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That night…
“Thank you, Daks for this wonderful day. This has been one of the best days of my life”, I said as we were about to sleep. I gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.
“Wala yun, Tomsy. And Thank you din sa pagsama sa akin. The kids loved you. Sana hindi una't huling pagsama mo ito sa akin sa Hospicio ”, she smiled back and wrapped her arms around my waist.
This girl in my arms is so special.
She brings out the best in me.
Have I found my new angel?....