Once Upon a Time in Citadel

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"Another letter?" tanong ni Liv habang nakatingin sa piraso ng papel na hawak ko. Someone left it in my locker.

I simply nodded.

"Nako, napaka-consistent naman niyang secret admirer mo! Isipin mo 'yon, laging may bouquet of flowers tuwing birthday mo, every day may letters, tapos may mga kung ano-ano pang small gifts minsan. For how many years nga kasi? Right, 3 years. Grabe, may ganun pa palang ka-loyal na tao? Ang swerte mo girl, ikaw na!" wika niya with matching hand gestures pa. "Makipagkita ka na kaya? Tapos, sagutin mo na agad para naman magka-boyfriend ka na. Pinapaalala ko lang sa'yo na bente ka n---"

"Liv," I cut her off at pabirong tinitigan siya nang masama.

"Oo na, oo na. Alam ko na 'yang isasagot mo," she said. "Love is a luxury I can't afford," panggagaya niya sa mga salitang lagi kong sinasabi, pati boses at tono ko ay kuha niya. Natawa lang naman ako.

"By the way," I heard her mutter at bigla akong hinawakan sa magkabilang balikat kaya napahinto ako sa paglalakad.

"Hmm?" simpleng tugon ko.

"Anong sabi sa letter?" kinikilig na tanong niya.

"Ang ganda ko raw," pabirong sagot ko naman, kaya napabitaw siya sa mga balikat ko.

Actually, the letter says:

I'll still look for you in our next lives. I won't ever get tired of loving you and waiting for you.

I'm not a fan of these cheesy lines, but he sounds sincere so I'm buying it.

"Psh," inis na wika niya. Tapos ay nagpatuloy na kami sa paglalakad. "By the way, Luna, are you okay? Nakatulog ka naman ba?" nag-aalalang tanong niya.

I just flashed a faint smile, at alam niya na kaagad ang ibig kong sabihin.

My feet hurt, may mga sugat dahil medyo masikip na ang mga sapatos ko. I feel dizzy dahil wala pa akong tulog, and hindi rin ako nakapag-almusal.

I work at a convenience store every weekend, graveyard shift, and I tutor high school students every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

"Magpahinga ka na muna kaya sa clinic? Baka himatayin ka," suggestion niya. "Luna naman, alagaan mo naman sarili mo."

"Don't worry about me. Sanay na ako." I faked a smile and tapped her shoulder.

Deep inside me, I'm not okay. I lied, hindi pa ako sanay. Never akong masasanay, but I need to endure everything.

Liv just sighed.

Pagdating namin sa classroom, nagtungo na kami kaagad sa kani-kaniya naming upuan. And to my surprise, may band aids na nakapatong sa desk ko.

May note pa, saying:

I saw the wounds on your feet.

"Kanino 'to?" I asked my seatmate, even though I already know the answer.

"I don't know. It's already there when I got here," she answered. "Don't you have a boyfriend? He sounds like he's your boyfriend," she said. "Sorry, I read the note."

"No, wala akong boyfriend," I replied. Tumango lang naman siya.

It's him.

I don't know what to feel. Well, I'm grateful for his thoughtfulness, but it's kinda creepy because I feel like I'm being watched. Nevertheless, I still put the band aids on my wounds.

Actually, this is not the first time he did something thoughtful for me. This maybe is the 99th time. He once put a t-shirt in my locker when the bullies splashed water all over me, he left a lunchbox stuffed with food on my desk when I have nothing for lunch, he even bought me a book, and many more.

Until now, I still don't know who he is. May mga nagsasabing nakita na nila siya, but they don't know his name. I honestly want to meet him. I want to thank him for everything he has done for me. I feel deeply indebted to him. I'll make sure to give back to him someday.

"Hello, class. Good morning," pagbati ng prof pagkapasok niya.

"Good morning, sir," pagbati namin pabalik.

"Did you read the topic I told you to read?" the prof asked the class. Some said yes, most said no. "Anyway, for today..."

We're in the middle of our discussion, and I suddenly can feel my head ringing. It hurts. My vision's starting to blur. I'm trying to fight it but the pain is overwhelming my body. I feel weak.

"Luna, are you okay?" my seatmate asked, but I don't have the energy to respond. "Luna?"

"LUNA!"

~~~