Catmint Series 1: Atty. Keere Alexis Magnus

Chapter nine

"Maria Dashana, kailangan pag-akyat ko sa kwarto mo wala na akong makikitang kalat, ha?!"

Nanghihina kong inilibot ang tingin ko sa kabuuan ng kwarto ko. Umagang-umaga mukha na akong pagod.

Disheveled bedsheet. Books weren't aligned on the shelf proportionally. Dusts on my study table. Spider webs on the ceiling. My clothes weren't folded and organized properly. Lots of scratch and crumpled papers were on the floor too.

My mom told me not to let my room to be in a total disaster. She told me that a girl should be clean and neat at all times. That we should take care not only our bodies but also the surroundings we're in. Kaya ngayon, heto ako at namomroblema habang nakatitig sa buo kong kwarto. I wasn't able to have a good sleep again because as usual my mom came in and scolded me that its already late when in fact, its just eight in the morning. EIGHT!

I sighed. Umagang-umaga, naiimbyerna na ako sa mga kalat ko.

"Kung hindi ay ipapalinis ko ulit sa 'yo 'yan!" rinig ko pang sigaw ni mama mula sa ibaba.

Mukhang wala na talaga akong takas sa mga kalat na 'to. Inumpisahan ko ang general cleaning ko sa pamamagitan ng pagconnect ng phone ko sa maliit na speaker at pagpapatugtog ng music. This is my energizer. Mas ginaganahan ako kapag may music. I don't know but it really boosts my mood. When the song started to play, I went on my real task—which is cleaning.

I went to my bed first and was about to fix it when I sniffed the stingy smell coming from it. That's when I realized that I hasn't changed my bedsheet for three weeks already. That's why I abruptly left my bed and rummaged over my closet. My eyes landed on the color yellow cheekered bedsheet and some pillowcase.

I smiled before grabbing it. I began putting the bedsheet on. Even my curtains were changed into color yellow. I used soft feather duster to clean the table tops, shelves and even the spider webs forming on the ceiling. After that, I went on picking my scratches and crumpled papers and put it in the trashbin. Busy ako sa paghahanger ng mga damit ko nang bigla magawi ang tingin ko sa ilalim ng aking kama.

Lumuhod ako at sumilip sa ilalim nito. Sinubukan ko itong kapain, hindi alintana ang nagkakapalang mga alikabok na dumidikit sa palad ko. Maybe I should clean this part too? To my suprise, I touched something. Dahan-dahan ko 'yong hinila palabas. My eyes gleamed when I recognized the pink box where I used to store my old things and my cherished memories.

Nang buksan ko ito, tumambad sa akin ang mga luma kong laruan, mga gamit, art materials at iilang mga notebook. May mga lumang picture frame rin, baby pictures ko at pictures namin nina daddy. But my eyes were glued on the medium sized circular box that I remembered clearly. Kinuha ko iyon at nang buksan ay nakita ko ang mga lumang litrato namin ng mga kababata ko.

From being pre-schoolers until we graduate elementary and highschool. Mayroon din iyong umattend kami ng birthday party ni Dramos na costume party raw. Tapos noong nagfield trip at nagsama-sama kami kahit hindi naman kami same ng grade level. We were young, innocent and naive back then.

My gaze then shifted on the black thick notebook that was hiding underneath the pictures. Kinuha ko rin 'yon. This is my diary back then. I was laughing the whole time while reading how dumb I was. Nakakatawa na nakakahiya.

Dear diary,
Nakita ko ang crush ko may kasamang iba! Simula ngayon hindi ko na s'ya crush.

Dear diary,
Pinalo ako ni mama kasi hindi ako naghugas ng pinggan. Hindi ko na sila papansinin forever.

Dear diary,
Sinampal ni Aveen si Dramos kasi sinuntok n'ya crush ni Aveen.

Dear diary,
Umiyak kanina si Dramos kasi hinabol n'ya sina Finn at Faber kaya sila nadapa.