Aya’s pov.
“You can’t understand anything not unless you focus your full sight on it,” pagtukoy ni Zhe doon sa mga painting na halos hindi ko nga maintindihan.
We are in the museum now— question: bakit ako nandito? Because I need to write some sort of article about the artist and their works.
“Kahit anong tingin ko, hindi ko talaga lubos na maunawaan or maintindihan,” saad ko sa kanya habang kumukuha ng ilang mga larawan.
“They had deep meanings in life, mess article reflect so much emotions— pain, anxiety, depression, unloved, and being apart.” Bumaling siya sa’kin ng tingin bago nagbigay ng taimtim na titig mula sa aking mga mata na tila merong gustong sabihin. “You know how can they inspire others?”
Napailing lang ako bilang tugon doon sa kanyang tanong bago kumuha ulit ng ilang shots ng iba’t ibang painting— nilagpasan ko din siya ng bahagya kasi nakaharang talaga siya sa daraanan ko.
“Because even if they are in pain or joys, they still want to make arts, to share with us how beautiful everything is— even if it’s a mess or it wasn’t perfect. Everything will stand out because they had this fact of reason, they had their own beauty.” Saad niya habang gumawi naman ng sunod sa’kin.
May point siya sa sinabi niya, ang akin lang, wala akong na-gets kahit isa. At mukhang nakuha niya nga yun dahil sa tila expression sa mukha ko— lutang na aanga-anga.
“And— I forgot to say, that you had a little tiny brain. Look over there,” he said nang maabutan ako, bago ginawi ang ulo ko sa isang painting na parang puno? tao? bato? o damo? Ah ewan, basta parang nagyayakapan, and then nagre-reflect sa kanila yung puso.
“The beautiful part of mess is, reason to fix and made it stand out.” Napalingon ako sa kanya, kaya bumaling naman ang tingin niya sa’kin.
“Cut the craft, tell me what you want,” saad ko in a serious tone.
He suddenly hesitated at first, at noong tila makabawi siya, he chuckled then pat my head.
“What will you do for a whole time? Can we cut it? Free time? For you and me?”
Napatitig ako sa kanya ng husto na tila nag-aalanganin pa, nagdadalawang isip ako kung dapat ba akong sumama o hindi. But the thing is...
I haven’t yet started making my own decision nang bigla niya na akong kinaladkad— ok. It’s a no choice.
___
“Tubig, tubig lang sakin,” sabi ko doon sa waiter bago bumaling ng tingin kay Zhe.
“Spell it out.”
“You look different now—” Zhe started but I cut him off.
“Things will change if they’ve been broke. I change because I’ve been hurt,” (sarcastic laugh) “and soon will fall in broke zone,” saad ko bago bahagyang napatingin sa tila presensya ng waiter kanina, na ngayo’y dala-dala na ang ilang order namin.
Noong makarating na siya sa aming gawi, agad nyang inilapag sa mesa namin yung pagkain. At dahil tubig lang ang akin, yun lang rin ang ibinigay niya sa’kin.
Kinuha ko yun, bago uminom ng kunti at muling lumingon kay Zhe.
“So where are we?” I asked, referring doon sa magiging topic namin kung saan napatikhim siya bago umayos ng upo.
“It’s our fault, sorry for making your life a whole mess.”
Oh, so that’s it?
“It’s ok— I understand. Don’t give me that pity look of yours because honestly, even if it’s broke (I hesitate for a while before I referred to myself)— a broken me. I had so many reason to fix it, myself.” Saad ko bago wala sa wisyo kong hinigit yung Spaghetti alle vongole niya.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Pretender
Romance- Completed. She's Aya Fenchen, an addle-brained and old-fashioned woman. She lives a peaceful life, but not until she meets Eaze. The famous idol who set her on a contract for being his girl, a contract that she can't refuse for a lifetime for some...
