CHAPTER 12
Boys and Locked Doors
REN
It was raining and we were already on lights out. The silence of the road near the compound was calming my ringing ears which were caused by the ruckus Hans just pulled on me before I could get to the dinner table along with the other kids.
Hindi ko na lang pinansin pa ngunit hindi ko rin lubusang maialis sa isip ko kung bakit niya natanong sa akin ang, "Anong gagawin mo kapag hinalikan kita?"
Katabi ko si lolo sa pagtulog kung saan hiwalay kami sa silid ng iba pang mga bata. Hindi ako makatulog kaya naman panandalian akong tumayo upang magpunta sa kusina para uminom ng maligamgam na tubig, nagbabakasakaling antukin na ako pagkatapos. Iniiwan naman nilang nakasindi ang ilaw rito kaya naman hindi ko na kailangan pang maghanap ng tutuntungan para lang maabot ang switch.
Dali-dali na rin naman akong uminom at handa nang bumalik nang may bata akong nakasalubong. Nakasuot ito ng asul na pantulog at singkit ang mga mata.Matagal na rin siya rito ngunit hindi kasi talaga ako palakausap sa mga bata rito kaya wala akong kakilala.
Aalis na sana ako kaso siya ay nagsalita, "Sa susunod, ako na ang maghahatid ng tubig sayo."
And just like that, he walked away.
Sino siya?
Nagising ako nang maaga dahil Linggo, bagamat hindi ako nagsisimba, ang lolo ay relihiyoso kaya naman hindi ko hahayaang umalis siya nang walang kasama at walang almusal. Dumiretso kaagad ako sa lababo para magmumog at maghilamos nang marinig ko na lang ang tinig ni lolo mula sa sala. "Apo, saluhan mo na kami rito."
Nakakapanibago namang may nakahanda nang almusal sa umaga. Kadalasan ay kung hindi lugaw at sopas na binili sa tindahan sa tapat, ako ang nagluluto. Not that I mind though.
"Saglit lang Lo," sagot ko habang papunta sa ref at sinilip ang laman. Nagtungo rin ako sa aparador kung saan kami nagsa-stock ng mga dry goods para minsanan na ang aking paglilista. Pagkatapos ng pagsusuri ko ay sumalo na ako sa mesa.
"Masarap magluto itong si Knight, apo. Biruin mo, nakapaghanap pa siya ng mga sangkap dito sa bahay para makagawa rin ng puto?" masayang bati ng aking lolo sa aking pag-upo.
Tahimik lang na kumakain si Knight. Napansin ko ring nakaligo at nakapagbihis na siya pero nanibago ako dahil sa suot niya. Parang hindi siya ganoon manamit. Parang nakita ko na ang damit na suot niya, actually.
Nagsimula na akong kumain nang biglang nagsalita ulit si lolo, "Ren, nga pala. Pinagbihis ko si Knight kasi baka nakawan o kursunadahin siya sa labas sa mga dala niyang damit. Kinuha ko mua yung mga damit mong di mo masyadong nagagamit at saka ipinasuot sa kanya."
The piece of fried egg fell from my mouth as I stared at Knight, ignoring my cheerful grandpa, just to find him concealing his laughter maybe because of the free falling of food from my mouth. And just as when I though it couldn't even get worse, Lolo added, "Isa pa nga pala, kahit huwag mo na akong ihatid ngayon apo. Sasabay ako sa tricycle ni Mois papunta sa simbahan. Maaga silang umuwi, may mga kanya-kanyang lakad eh," sagot nito.
"Sasabay na ako Lo, mamamalengke po ako eh."
"Ah ganun ba. Ikaw, Knight, anong balak mo ngayong araw?"
"Nothing in particular po. You can tell me what to do."
And another piece of egg fell from my mouth. Really, this boy is a changed man when lolo is around. I might need to stick to lolo all the time.
Nagpatuloy na lang ako muli sa pagkain, ignoring the fact na sinabi lang naman ng Lolo kong samahan na lang niya ako sa pamamalengke para maipasyal ko siya sa bayan. Yey.
AND I THINK the boy doesn't like it that much either.
"Why do you have these clothes, anyway? They fit perfectly on me, but they are going to be two sizes larger to you."
Hindi ko siya pinansin habang nag-aabang ng dyip. Hinintay lang naming maunang umalis si lolo kanina bago kami sabay na lumabas. May sukbit akong backpack kung saan ko nilagay yung mga ecobag na bibitbitin namin mayamaya dala ang mga nabiling gamit. Hindi ko na rin naman hinayaang bigyan ako ng lolo ng pamalengke dahil nga binayaran na ako ni CJ kahapon. Hindi ko nga lang alam kung alam ni Knight. Kaso sa tingin ko, alam niya.
"Para!"
Nang huminto ang dyip ay kaagad akong nagtungo papunta sa pasukan pero naalala kong ay kasama pala ako kaya naman umatras ako para sana paunahin siya. However, this boy rolled his eyes and sassily said, "Stop stereotyping me. I know how to commute." And he climbed for a jeepney seat.
Sumakay na rin naman ako at medyo maluwang pa ang loob ngunit mapapansin mo talaga ang pagtungo ng mga ulo at mata ng mga nakasakay sa gwapong pasahero na nasa katapat kong upuan. Hindi naman ako hipokritang dahil lang sa hindi kami magkasundo dahil sa ugali niya eh hindi ko na i-a-acknowledge na may itsura talaga siya. Gwapo siya.
Hindi ko inasahan ang biglang paglipat niya sa tabi ko at saka dumikit na tila may ipinag-aalala.
"Ano?" tanong ko habang dumudukot sa bulsa ng backpack ng baryang ipambabayad.
"Did you lock the house out?"
Bigla naman akong napahinto sa tanong niya at pasaglit na napaisip. Mahina nga rin pala ako sa ganito. Ikinandado ko nga ba?
Samantala, bago pa ako makasagot, may bulong akong narinig sa matandang babaeng nasa malapit sa amin. "Naku, ang babata pa, nag-li-live in na."
That's when I realized, Knight spoke too loud. Wow, so much for the effort of moving from his seat.
Hindi ko na binalak pang patulan ang matanda pero nang ipinaabot ko na sa kanya ang bayad para sa ain ni Knight, nagpatay-malisya ito at hindi inabot ang bayad. Kaya naman napilitan pa akong umangat sa pagkakaupo at saka lumapit nang bahagya sa drayber bago muling bumalik sa pwesto.
"Ano, na-lock ba?"
At hindi ba talaga nakakaramdam ang isang ito? Ano bang importante doon at siya pa ang nababahala? Kunsabagay, mamahalin ang mga gamit niya.
"Oo, kinandado ko."
Nagkalkal na ako sa aking backpack para sa ecobags nang makababa kami ng sasakyan. Iniabot ko sa kanya ang isa at saka siya pinasunod sa bilihan ng bigas.
"We're gonna put the rice in here?" he asked as the vendor started scooping for the rice to be weighed.
"Oo, nakaseal naman eh at saka konti lang bibilhin natin. Ako na ang magbibitbit kung 'di mo kaya. Pagkatapos nito, sa grocery muna tayo. Kailangan ni lolo ng gatas at kung anu-ano."
I didn't notice him say or murmur a silent word but I think that's okay with me but not until the vendor handed me the rice that he actually took it and placed it inside the bag and started walking off to as if he knew where to go. And I actually ran to catch up with him and I found him waiting in front of the grocery establishment, handing over the baggage to the counter. Inihabol ko ang backpack ko, not forgetting to bring ecobags and began walking beside him.
And it took me for about five minutes to realize what this guy is actually doing this time. He was making me push this whole cart behind him as he casually just picks up stuff and tosses them into the cart and I was trying so hard to earn my voice and say, "Hold your horses, Satan. May listahan ako sa utak ko."
And I just said it out loud.
"Who cares, you're with me and you're eating a lot more from now on."
"I have no money to cover all those up!"
I never really cared to understand what he just said because all that's important t me is the virtual calculator in my mind, flashing digits I can't recognize.
"You have money. CJ paid you."
And that did it.
I can't argue with him. Everytime I get between him and the shelves, he just tells me, "If anything, there's a CCTV in there that would support me if I told everyone that you're forcing me to kiss you in public."
So what I have become for the last twenty minutes in here was a maid to push the cart and add up the numbers as he tossed new items in the cart. I'm not paying for this. What the actual fuck?
And then we reached the shelves for essentials and he began picking things for himself I think. Now that I realized, yeah malapit na rin akong datnan. At wala akong stock ngayon sa bahay. The pads are literally on my left, within arms' reach and just one quick toss for him not to see. And suddenly, he walked to the cart with the soap bars and shampoo bottles and in a swift motion, picked a couple set of ladies' pads and tossed it in the cart as if it's nothing.
And he decides to push the cart now for himself, leaving me in shock as if he knew that I need to recover from what just happened.
Damn, he picked the ones I use.
WERE WE'RE FINALLY waiting in line and two customers to go before our turn when I began searching for my pouch in my pockets. I started counting the bills that I got and mind-weaved the numbers the cart weighed until time ticked and I was up.
I was sulking as I started taking out the items from the cart, watching the cashier punch every bar code in the scanner. He was not even helping me until the last item.
Nakatayo lang siya sa tabi ko, at naghihintay na matapos na lahat.
I could not fathom the feelings I suddenly felt as the green digits appeared in total. I can afford it. However, I will never have enough money to afford the other items I was supposed to buy at the wet market later on.
However I want to get things done. Sisingilin ko na lang siya pagkatapos.
I was just about ready to place the money on the counter when a hand slid down the steel countertop and pushed a black card to the cashier. I looked up to him and yet he did not look back at me, as if trying to tell me off that I thought wrong and no one told me to pay for the stuff.
The cashier looked at the both of us though, and looked as if she's about to ask whether whoever between us is really going to pay. As if to get it easier on her, Knight decided to flick his card and gave his PIN out nonchalantly and walked out the store. Me and the cashier shrugged in confusion but can do nothing but get on with it so absolutely, I was left to take these out and his card so I could go on with the wet products without his credit card intervention. Which I need to discuss with him later.