A Silence In The Chaos

Wakas

Wakas 

My parents have always been absent in my life. I don't even remember them teaching me the alphabet, how to form words using these letters, and how to speak it. They were too busy gaining power while sacrificing the critical stages of my life.

"Ahahaha bulol!" turo sa akin ng mga kaklase.

I remained standing all throughout class dahil lang hindi ko nabasa ang word na b-u-g. I received collective stares around me. Naninibago ang lahat sa akin dahil aktibo akong sumagot sa orals ngunit napuputulan na ng dila kapag reading.

Tahimik akong lumuha. Gamit ang aking kanang kamay ay pinunasan ko ang aking magkabilaang pisngi.

"Noah, bakit ka umiiyak?" tumabi sa akin ang teacher habang iniiyakan ko ang story book sa harap ko sa halip na basahin.

"D-di ako...runong," I hiccupped from sobbing too hard.

I'm a fast learner. Kapag magdidiscuss ang teacher ay nakatatak na agad ito sa aking utak. Ngunit kapag ang mga babasahin ang kaharap ko ay wala akong maintindihan. Kailangan pa nilang bigkasin ang mga nakapaloob sa libro para maunawaan ko ang pabula.

Naging isa ito sa dahilan kung bakit hindi ako nag first honor ng nursery.

"Saang basura ka ba namin pinulot?" dinuro duro ni papa ang aking sentido. Umaatras ako dahil masyadog mariin ang ginagawa niya.

"Pa-"

"Walang Vasquez na b*b*!" bulyaw niya.

I never cried in front of my parents. Only at school. Crying at school will only earn me teasing from my classmates, crying in front of my parents will earn me pain.

My parent never tried guiding me, but my teachers tried their hardest.

"Noah, wag mo munang basahin nang buo," teacher Myra said patiently. "Per letter muna. Read out mo muna yung sound nila bago mo sila pagsama samahin para mas madalian ka."

The teachers never spent their break time to themselves. I was their primary focus. Kahit break time o after class ay tinuturuan nila akong magbasa dahil nanghihinayang sila sa kakayahan ko.

School became my comfort. Because there, I never feel like I have to walk the unfamiliar alone. I never fear that I'll stay down when I stumble. My teachers would always pick me back up.

In between my after school reading sessions with my teachers, spacing out is a current occasion. Not because I'm not interested, but because I daydream of being like them someday.

Palagi nilang sinasabi na ang pagigingg guro raw ay para lang sa mga babae. Kapag lalaki ka dapat maging engineer, doktor, o kaya naman ay abogado. But even though I'm a man, I want to be a teacher. Dahil maaaring maraming tao sa mundo ang katulad ko. Kung walang magpapakamagulang sa kanila, ako na lang ang kanilang magiging magulang. I will teach them everything they need to know, so that they would never lose their paths. I don't want them to journey into life, blindfolded. Just waiting for themselves to trip. They will walk with eyes wide open.

I topped my classes in the next years, effortlessly. I enjoyed learning so much that people would never hear me complain even with several school workloads.

"Congratulations, Noah!" humalik si tita Claire sa aking noo. I rarely see her because she hates being in my father's presence. But I'm the most comfortable with her.

"Thank you, tita," I hugged her. There's a small celebration in our house today with our relatives and family friends, because I completed junior high school being first in rank.

"Congrats kuya," ngiti sa akin ni Florence.

"Thank you, Florence," ngiti ko sa kanya.

Habang kumakain kami ay usapang politika ang naririnig ko sa hapag. I used to be confused hearing them constantly talking about it when I was young. Ngunit ngayon ay nasanay na lamang ako.