Tadhana

- 9 : "Communication" -

Playful giggles could be heard as the children got their share of candy. It was the school's annual Halloween celebration, the children, relatives, and teachers were dressing up in costumes that were unique to one another - some dressed as zombies, whilst others were princesses.

A little Spider-Man, however, was quite late to the party, and sadly, all the candies were already given out, leading him to wail on-the-spot.

"Asher... pwede naman natin kainin yung mga trick-or-treat candies later..." a brunette around seven comforts his brother who was crying in a Spider-Man suit.

"B-But...! I wanted... to eat candy w-with friends, Kuya Zayne!" the younger brother continued to sob.

"N-Not everyone will be there later eh! I just want to spend some time with my friends... " the little brother managed to say through the small sobs and hiccups.

The oldest of the three, aged nine-years-old, joined in. He put a hand on his youngest brother's small shoulder, "There's no candy store nearby... Pero, Asher, the teachers are trying to find you some more candy... Pwede naman tayo maghintay diba?".

"O-Okay, Kuya Matthew... I-I'll say 'thank you' to Teacher Eve and Teacher Lala later..." he snifled.

Although his mood was lightened up a little, the young Asher couldn't help but turn his gaze to his classmates, who were happily eating candies and playing together. Along with that came a small tinge of sadness, followed by another tinge of the said emotion...

Teardrops were about to spill from his eyes again when one of his closest friends, dressed as a witch, handed him candy - his favorite, actually, a small piece of potchi, "Asher, here! You can have my piece of potchi!".

"B-But, you won't have candy anymore, Sh-Shenshen!"

"It's okay! I just want to see you happy, Asher! Oh, and my parents allowed me to go to the trick-or-treat later, so we can get more candy there!"

"R-Really...?"

"Mmhmm! Now come on, let's play some snakes and ladders with Joaqim and Krissy!"

"O-Okay...! Thank you, Shenshen!"

"You're welcome, Asher!"

And with that, the young girl took his hand and led him to the table with their friends; the tears were gone by then, as a bright smile replaced what was once a frown.

-

"Di ko na alam kung anong gagawin ko, Kuya..."

Asher ran a hand through his hair, groaning out of frustration. It was the day after the "Ferris wheel incident", and he couldn't get out of bed, which wasn't normal for him, despite it being the weekend and him having no classes for today. Normally, he would be making his own breakfast by now, and would probably be hanging out with... with...

"Her. I would be hanging out with her later, Kuya, kung di lang ako nag-mess up. We were catching up, tapos I touched on a sensitive topic...! I... I messed up. Ang guilty ko, Kuya..."

"Asher, it was an accident... you didn't know naman talaga na makaka-trigger yung pangalan na 'yan sa memories niya."

"'Yan nga eh. I didn't know, I didn't know na she was being emotionally abused noon, tapos ngayon, di ko alam na iiyak siya dahil sa pangalan ng bw*sit na ex niya."

Zayne remained silent on the other end of the line, not knowing how to respond. An unsure mutter was came from his lips, "Pasensya na... di ko alam talaga kung anong pwedeng sabihin ko para matulungan ka; first time ko makita na gantong kagalit ka...".