"Salamat at natapos din," I tell myself, pleased as to how neat my bag is with clothes folded inside. It's just 4:30 in the morning, and Dylan is going to be here at any moment to come pick me up. "Akalin mo yun, nagkasya."
Okay, I'm not going to lie. Filipinos bring a lot of clothes even though we're just going to be staying for a day for vacation, trips, and etcetera. Filipinos tend to think the worse, like what if I get drenched out of nowhere and I don't have extra spare of clothes? What if I get dirtied on, and I don't have a spare underwear? Today, I decided to bring three underwear, three tops, and three pants. That's a lot considering that Dylan and I will stay for a day at a camping site.
After 30 minutes of packing, I grab my bag and head downstairs. Mom has just woken up, but since she had little time left to prepare for our breakfast, she just made us tuna sandwich. Bill, on the other hand, is still fast asleep.
"Magingat kayo dun, ha." My mom says as she hands me 15 tuna sandwiches. I'm perplexed. It's a lot, considering there's just two of us that's going on a trip. "Tatlong oras ang byahe papunta dun sa pupuntahan nyo, and magingat si Dylan kamo sa pagmamaneho. Daming gagu-gago sa daan."
"Opo, ma."
"Bueno, matutulog pa ko."
"Okay, ma."
A few moments later, I hear a car engine spurring just outside the house. When I look out the window, Dylan is there, sitting in his car with the window rolled open, waving at me. Mom looks through the window as well, and greets Dylan good morning. Dylan gets out of the car, and jogs to the house.
Mom goes back to the kitchen while I open the door for my friend. Dylan is all smiley. But his smile turns to a frown when Isaiah shows up, dressed as if he's coming with us. He also carries a bag with him. I narrow my eyes at him.
"So when are we leaving?" Isaiah asks nonchalantly.
"You're not coming with us," Dylan declares, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Hmm, I doubt." Isaiah shrugs. "Because if I'm not coming, then Chad is not coming as well." Dylan and I share a confused look. "Ask your mom, Dylan. Apparently, dad talked to Sarah about you having your first trip in the US. So they wanted to make sure that you'd be safe, and they asked me to come. So if I don't go, you won't go."
"There you are, Isaiah." Mom butts in. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Bill and I talked about your first trip today, and we wanted to make sure that you'd enjoy the trip while someone's looking for you, so we asked Isaiah if he could come with you guys. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"
I can literally see the smug look on Isaiah's face.
From the corner of my eyes, I see Dylan taking a deep breath. Who can't blame him? I mean, I feel him. He's placed on a position where he had to agree with my mother. Nice, my morning is going great so far. I see that my mom really loves me, and the Bill really cares for me. As for Isaiah, I think he only agreed to this because he wanted to piss Dylan off. Well, in this case, Isaiah got one point; Dylan, zero.
"No, Mrs. de Guzman, it's not a problem at all." He smiles at my mom.
"Thank you, and please just call me Sarah."
"Thanks, Sarah."
"Have a safe trip,"
With a smug look still plastered on his pretty face, Isaiah saunters too happily just to piss Dylan off. While my mom is still around, Dylan can't help but to just smile even though I know he's dying inside to yell at Isaiah. I kiss my mom's cheek before walking towards Dylan's car, waving over my shoulder.
Isaiah sits at the back while I sit on the passenger seat. Good thing Isaiah's brain works in the morning because if not, they'd just bicker throughout the entire ride. I mean, I know they're always going to bicker at each other. But if Isaiah is in the passenger seat, chances are, we'd up dead before we even arrive at our destination.
Dylan, as he climbs into the driver seat, glares at Isaiah but Isaiah is oblivious to it. Without saying much, he revs the engine. He turns on the radio and a song I don't recognize comes blasting off the speakers. I look at Isaiah through the rear-view mirror, and notice that he's just spacing out while looking through the window, but he bobs his head along the beat. Meanwhile, Dylan just drives ahead without saying anything.
Dylan and Isaiah in one place is a total disaster. Bad things happen if they are in the same place; a catastrophe waiting to happen. But at least, at the moment, they are caught up into their own world. That means I'm going to be safe.
Remembering that it's also Friday in the Philippines, around 6 in the afternoon, I decide to call Max. It rings for a minute before Max answers, then he requests for a video chat. I accept the request and grin once I see his face come into view.
"Hoy, puta ka." My best friend greets me as he grins widely. I put the phone on speaker and set the volume to medium so there wouldn't be too much noise. "Kumusta ang US, anong balita sayo?"
"Okay naman kami dito ni mama." I reply, aware that Dylan and Isaiah are both listening to my conversation with Max. But hey, if they can't understand it, I can freely speak. "Nag a-adjust pa rin kami, pero so far, okay naman. Ngayon nga, kasama ko yung bagong kaibigan pati na rin yung anak ng kinakasama ni mama. Pareho silang mga baliw. Pano ang hilig mag-away. Di magkasundo, bes. Lagi na lang nagbabangayan. Yung isa nagmamaneho, yung isa naman nasa likod ko, nakatunganga. Pero pareho silang nakikinig. Di nga lang nila maintindihan."
Max laughs out loud at my statement, shaking his head.
"Gusto ko silang ipakita sayo kaso lang baka sobra kang tumawa," By this time, I see Isaiah leaning forward from the corner of my eyes. "Tsaka bes, mga gwapo tong mga to. Baka ikamatay mo."
"Hoy, bakla ako, pero di ako ganon ka bakla." Max rolls his eyes playfully, grinning. I can see that he's outside, probably hanging out with his friends. "Tsaka kahit gwapo yang mga yan, di naman ako interesado. Alam mo naman kung kanino ako nababaliw ngayon."
"Tangina nito, siguraduhin mong maayos yan ah. Wag kang patol ng patol." I remind my best friend, who nods his head in agreement. Max knows that I deeply care for him, and I treat him as a brother. So any men who come into his life must go through me. Unfortunately, I'm in the US right now, which means I don't get to judge the guy who likes him. "Pakilala mo sakin yan. Kahit video chat. Tignan ko kung maayos."
"Wag na, baka takutin mo lang."
"Papunta kami ngayon sa Greensville. Magca-camping kami." Max seems more excited than me. "Send ko sayo mga pictures."
"Sige, abangan ko yan. Kelan ba kayo babalik ni tita dito?"
"Di ko rin alam eh. Siguro bago magpasko."
"Ah, okay. Sana dito kayo magpasko't bagong taon."
"Sana nga."
"Bueno, ibaba ka muna tong tawag." Max informs me as he smacks someone, laughing as he does so. "Kasama ko sila Pam and Rico. Pano gusto pumunta ng perya. Bandang Santa Ana."
"Sige, sige. Enjoy!"
"Sige na, babush."
Max ends the call. I turn to look at Dylan who casually gives me side glances, and once I catch him staring at me, I point to the road. He nods his head. Isaiah, on the other hand, resists the urge to smile. I can tell because the corner of his lips is twitching. But he remains quiet.
We make a few stops so we can relieve ourselves in the toilet, and so we can eat the tuna sandwiches my mom made us. Surprisingly, the two are not arguing. They are actually trying to be civilized (more civilized than what they displayed yesterday) at each other. It's also hard to speak with both of them at the same time. Dylan doesn't want to talk to Isaiah, so he only talks to me. Same goes with Isaiah. Sometimes, they open a topic at the same time and I have to respond. It's exhausting. But at least, they are not trying to kill each other. That's a progress.
Who knows? Maybe once this is all done, once we've camped and are ready to go back home, they'd be a couple of besties. But that's likely not going to happen soon. Hoping for that to happen is like hoping for me to be the greatest inventor.
Songs keep blasting off the radio, and most of the songs that are being played are either rap or RnB. I'm more of a pop guy, but okay. It's not my car, and I'm not going to make rules. It'd be better if it's Nicki Minaj's songs playing, but the songs are from rappers I don't know about. Man, Chun-Li and Good Form are a bop.
After three hours of being on the road, excluding the times we had to stop, we've arrived at our destination. Dylan parks the car on the parking lot in front of a two-story inn.
The design of the inn is just linear. Eight rooms are lined up on the ground, and there are another eight rooms on the second floor. The walls are wooden, and it's polished well. It has a red-ish roof, but overall, it's a great design. There are only ten cars parked – including Dylan's, which means all the rooms in the inn are not occupied. On the far corner, there's a wooden sign and a silhouetted image of a Moose, and below the image is the inn's name: Moose Mountain Inn. There's also a pool barricaded by a white fence. The inn is also near the lake, which is amazing, by the way.
Dylan turns off the engine and gets out of the car. Isaiah and I follow suit. Once I climb out, I immediately stretch my limbs and look around. This place is simply amazing. Honestly, you wouldn't see much of this in the Philippines. We don't have these sceneries, but what the Philippines offers is its majestic beauty of the beaches and naturally-made places like Palawan.
If you look over the inn, you would clearly see the mountain – and it's a better view already, and if you look behind you, you'd be greeted by the clear lake. Though the pool is in the view as well, but I don't mind.
"Judging from your expression, I see that you like the place."
I look at Dylan with a grin tugged on my lips, and nod my head rather aggressively, my head feels like it's about to be knocked off my body. Dylan seems impressed by himself for deciding to go here rather than the other choices he had.
Meanwhile, Isaiah looks bored. Based on his expression, I can tell that this isn't new to him. He has probably gone here several times with his friends. I don't know why, but seeing him not having the same excitement as me kinds of put me in a sad mood.
"Have you been here?" I ask Isaiah.
He removes the sunglasses I just noticed he's been wearing and shrugs. "Yeah, I've been here twice. First time was I was with my cousin, and the other time was with my dad. We trekked all the way to the mountain, and I swear it has a best view. Not really the best, but I'm sure you'll love it if you're a scenery guy, which I can tell by the way that you are."
I nod, grinning. I send my mom a quick text that we've arrived at our destination, and it appears that Dylan and Isaiah have the same idea as they take their phones out and begin typing rapidly.
A few moments later, I receive a text from mom telling me to have fun with Dylan and Isaiah. Of course, if these are not going to tear each other apart, then I'll consider my first trip in the US a success. On my Messenger application, I have also received a message and a picture from Max. They've actually gone to a perya and it seems like they had a lot of fun. Max was grinning, his smile almost reaching his ears, and Pam who used to have a crush on Max was leaning towards Rico, winking. Meanwhile, Rico was pouting. In the background, you can see the Ferris Wheel and the colorful banderitas.
"Do you miss them so much?"
I jump at how close Isaiah is. Damn it, I nearly dropped my phone. Isaiah looks at the phone in my head. I figured that he has seen the picture already. I nod slowly, lifting my phone to look at the picture again.
"Yes," I admit, smiling sadly. "I've been friends with Max since we were kids. We were never so far away from each other. I treat him as my brother, and it's just sad that I don't get to join him with his rendezvous trips anymore."
"You'll see him again in person someday," It sounds like a promise.
"He was actually asking early when I'm coming back home," I let out a sigh, as if the question is very complex. "I don't really know the answer. We have our life here, and I know that we'll come back again, I just don't know when."
Isaiah taps my forehead gently and smiles. "Don't think too much."
I roll my eyes playfully, and Isaiah slings his shoulder around my neck. He pulls me closer, which makes me stumble a bit. I have to hold onto his waist to balance myself. I look up and regret it almost immediately, as our noses are touching. With this proximity, I can clearly see the color of his eyes; they are a color of the sky, with flecks of grey surrounding the iris. His lashes are a bit long, and he sure does have a pointy nose.
For a moment, we just stay at this position, staring at each other. His hands are now resting on my waist, and my palms are placed on his chest. This is quite an awkward position, but none of us moves a single muscle. In the background, I can hear Dylan yelling to help him out unload our things, and that he needs to check in. Once the situation has fully synced in my head, I push him gently and laugh.
"Yeah, I'll take your advice then. Don't think too much. Got it."
But as the words slip from my mouth, images begin to fill my head. The image of his eyes, the position we're in, and definitely his hands on my waist. I try to shake off the images out my head, but every attempt I do keeps failing. I look over my shoulder and notice that Isaiah is staring at me, but I can't decipher the look he's giving me.
I run towards Dylan and helps him unload the stuff. He has brought a tent, and other camping stuff. Something tells me that Dylan was a member of boy scouts, considering how prepared he is. I'm not even sure if we're allowed to camp because I'm pretty sure I saw a sign stating that camping is no longer allowed.
The three of us head to our room.
As Dylan unlocks the door, Isaiah and I wait behind him, and I can feel Isaiah's gaze on me, which makes my heart race. I take a deep breath and scold myself internally.
"So I just realized that camping is no longer allowed," Dylan says as he enters the room. "And it looks like the three of us are sharing the same bed. Unless Isaiah wants to sleep on the ground."
"No, but if you want to sleep on the ground, you may."
"Shut up, both of you. Don't start. Mga basagulero." I glare at them.
"What does basagu- what?" Dylan asks.
"In Filipino, it means you're a bitch." Isaiah responds.
"How would you know?"
"Simple, I've been living with two Filipino people."
I let them bicker while I go straight in the bed, sprawling and I let out a sigh. Man, this is an awesome feeling. I shut my eyes and feel the bed dips. Both sides, actually. A leg is placed on my groin and an arm is suddenly placed on my chest.
"Hey!" I open my eyes and yell at them. I attempt to remove their limbs off me, but they put it back. Both Isaiah and Dylan laugh. Ah, finally, something they agreed on. "Mga tarantado. Madapa sana kayo habang bumaba kayo ng hagdan."
Without putting much argument, I let the two do whatever they want. Today is going to be a long day, but I'm sure I'll be having fun.