Kryptonite (The Youth #3: Law & Maerazen)

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M A E R A Z E N      Z U N I G A

U.P. Town Center is filled with people. Marami ring stores na pwedeng puntahan at libangin ang sarili. I stared at the people passing by the café we're at. Mag-isa ako sa table habang iniintay si Drio na bumalik kasama ang order naming dalawa.

Although madaming tao sa mall, the noises the people made was not clear enough at the café we're at. Tinanggal ko ang atensyon sa labas at inilibot ang paningin sa café.

Para itong isang malaking library. With walls filled with books and furniture made with dark and light oak wood. The café itself smells like woods and burnt incense. The café gave a dark academia vibes.

Not what I expected to go to when Drio said he knows a place where I can enjoy peace and silence. But this will do.

"Sorry to make you wait, Maera." Bungad ni Drio ng makabalik sya sa table namin dala ang mga pagkain na in-order. Ngumiti ito sa akin habang nilalapag ang tray.

"One strawberry boba tea and one slice of cherry pie." Banggit nito sa mga in-order ko. I laughed slightly.

"You sound like a waiter." Anas ko. Drio jokingly smiled at me as he sat down.

"Bagay ba? Baka mag-waiter na lang ako pag di ako pinalad maging lawyer." Biro nito. I laughed a bit to ease the awkwardness.

"Pero joke lang. Mataas pangarap ko. Takot ko na lang sa nanay ko." Dagdag pa nito.

Dahil binanggit nya na ang salitang pangarap, na-curious tuloy ako kung ano ang rason kung bakit pinili ni Drio ang course na Political Science.

"Bakit ka nag PolSci?"

"Actually, family law sana ang kukunin ko. I hesitated over choosing PolSci kase involved yung politics. And you know politics is a dirty world." He started at agaran akong nakikinig.

Si Law kaya? Why did he choose Criminology? Oh, I remembered something. When we were kids, his parents would buy him mystery/thriller books or games and we would solve it together. Minsan pa nga ay hindi ako nakakahabol sa knowledge ni Law pag-dating sa mga ganyan.

Napatigil ako sa pag-iisip kay Law ng mag-salita muli si Drio.

"But my father wanted me to choose PolSci. He died even before seeing me choose Political Law." Dagdag nito na ikinatahimik ko.

"Sorry. Hindi ko alam." I automatically said when I realized that his father died already.

Tiningnan ako nito at ngumiti, "Okay lang."

"Ikaw? Why'd you choose Politcal Science?" This time, it was his turn to ask. I took a sip at my boba tea before answering.

"I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a a kid. It had always been my dream. Kaya nga lang hindi ko alam kung anong course na pipiliin. I ended up choosing PolSci for random reasons." I answered and shrugged at the end of my sentence.

Drio stared at me before muttering, "You'd make a good political lawyer, though."

Natahamik ako at pinagmasdan lang ang mukha nito. Naka-paskil ang isang malaking ngiti sa mukha. I looked away and sighed.

The way Drio said was full of like, if you know what I mean.

I had my guess about Drio's feelings. Hindi naman ako ganun ka-dense katulad ng sinasabi ni Arriane.