Chapter 6
"ID." sabi ng guard.
Pinakita ko sa kanya ang ID ko at pumasok na sa paaralan. I just sent my brothers to school. We are studying at the same school but they are in a different campus. Hindi naman kalayuan dito since malalakad ko lang but we are not in the same walls.
A typical morning. Students coming into school, talking to their friends, cleaning, at iba pa. My morning is just also a typical one. Hindi na nag-away sina Mama at Papa ngayon pero wala naman si Papa sa bahay. I was right, one of them will leave the house.
Mag-isa akong naglalakad patungo sa classroom ko. Maybe Dave is already around. Wala akong nabalitaan tungkol sa kaniya kahapon. Mazro did the things he promised me. Wala siyang pinalampas. My brothers even had a good time with him.
I gazed around the school and wala namang bago. Just the usual.
"Hey. Are you on your way to your classroom?" tanong pa niya.
"Yeah." tanging sagot ko.
"Sabay na tayo. Magkalapit lang naman ang room natin." he said and stood at my side.
Hindi ko na siya sinagot pa at ngumiti lamang sa kanya. Some students are watching us walking together. Why wouldn't they? I'm just a nobody with no friends except Dave and he is the goddamn son of a mayor whom they said that lives in a different world.
Pamilyar na ako sa kanya since last school year but I didn't mind him. I focused on what what I have... Dave.
"Salamat ulit." I said to break the silence.
"Wala lang 'yon. You don't need to say thank you nth times." he said.
He's a good man. Oo, he's snob but deep inside of him there's this shallow part. A part where the goodness of him is located.
"I'm just very thankful. You didn't know how my day was saved."
"You're welcome."
Nag-uusap pa kami tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay habang naglalakad patungo sa classroom namin. Our room is kind of a distance from the gate.
"Did you turn my father's offer down?" he asked.
Why does he need to brought this up?
"Your father didn't offer me something. Pinagsasabi mo?"
Ilang araw na rin simula no'ng play pero wala namang nag-reach out sa'kin. Itong si Mazro, kung ano-ano ang pinagsasabi. He's giving me false hope.
"Thank God he didn't." sabi pa niya.
"Ewan ko sa'yo."
Ilang hakbang nalang ay makakarating na kami sa aming classroom. Una siyang makakarating dahil mas malapit ang room niya. May mga kaklase siyang naglilinis sa harap ng classroom nila at pinagtitinginan kami. Nakapako sa amin ang mga paningin nila.
"I'm gonna go. Have a nice day." I said.
"Ihahatid na kita sa classroom niyo." he said.
"For what? Hindi naman kailangan." sabi ko.
Pagtsi-tsismisan na naman kami. I don't know what runs at the back of the heads of these people.
"Whatever. Bilisan mo." sabi pa niya.
So bossy. Naglakad kami ulit. Nilagpasan namin ang classroom nila at nakita ko kung paano siya tiningnan ng mga kaklase niya. Wala siyang pinansin sa mga kaklase niyang tinawag siya. Kaya siya sinasabihan na snob, eh.
Mga kaklase ko na naman ang tumitingin sa amin. Gaano ba ka-big deal itong si Mazro at parang artista siya na may affair sa isang non-celebrity kung makatingin ang mga tao. Huminto kami sa labas ng classroom ko at nakita ko si Dave na naka-upo sa upuan niya. I waved and smiled at him before turning my face back to Mazro.
"Sige na. Salamat sa paghatid." he just nodded on what I said and umalis na.
Mabilis akong pumasok sa classroom namin para batiin si Dave.
"Hi! Sa'n ka galing? Bakit wala ka kahapon?" tanong ko.
"May emergency lang." sagot niya.
Tumango nalang ako at hindi na nagtangkang tanungin pa siya. I know I will receive no answer from him.
"You look like you found a friend when I wasn't around." he said.
"Hindi ko alam kung friends ba kami wala naman siyang sinabi. We're only clubmates, I guess." I sabi ko.
Tumango siya.
"Okay ka lang ba kahapon no'ng wala ako?" tanong niya.
"I was kind of not fine. Inantay pa nga kita kaso hindi ka dumating."
He looked at me intently.
"Sorry. What happened?"
"You don't need to say sorry. Problema ko naman 'yon." sabi ko.
"Nag-away na naman bs si Tito at Tita?" hula niya and he got it right.
Tumango ako.
"Are you fine? Wala ka bang mga sugat?" natatarantang tanong niya habang tinitingnan ang mga braso at paa ko.
May pagkakataon na nag-away sina Mama at Papa at nagkaroon ng galos ang hita ko dahil may hinagis si Papa na silya at tumama ito sa akin. Ginamot ito ni Dave pagdating ko ng paaralan, umaga rin nag-away sina Mama at Papa no'n habang papasok na kami ng mga kapatid ko sa paaralan.
"Okay lang ako. They were just yelling at each other." I said.
Nakumbinsi naman siya.
"Kamusta ka naman kahapon?" he asked one more time, referring to my parent's fight.
It's him. I can open up without any hesitation.
"May pinapa-print kasi na picture sa atin para sa isang assignment kaso hindi ako nabigyan ng pera nina Mama at Papa, sobrang problemado ko kasi wala naman akong mahihiraman ng pera sa mga kaklase natin. Alam mo namang hindi nakakausap ang mga magulang ko kapag galing nag-aaway." I said.
"May assignment ka ba diyan?"
Tumango ako.
"Naka-upo ako no'n sa ilalim ng puno ng manga para sana mananghalian. Dumating si Mazro para sana sabihan akong may impromptu meeting at kailangan ko ng pumunta kaso sa lalim ng iniisip ko, hindi pa ako nakapagsimula na kumain. He told me to eat so he waited for me. He asked me the reason why I was unable to start eating when couple of minutes had already passed since lunch break."
Dave is paying attention to what I am saying.
"Sabi ko may problema ako. I had no plans of opening up to him but he insisted. Sabi niya sabihin ko raw sa kanya baka raw may maitutulong siya. We ended up at their house printing some stuffs and we picked up my brothers from their school using their car and sent us home." I explained.
"Sounds like he's a good friend." Dave said.
I don't even know kung friends ba kami.
"I'm not sure but I know that Mazro is a good man."
^_^
