Eighteen

Chapter 13

On our fifth day in London, we decided to roam around the city. After hearing of a clothing shop that was said to be owned by a Filipino designer, I convinced my brother to take a look. Sabi nila maganda raw ang mga disenyo ng may-ari noon.

We arrived at the front of their store. Mannequins dressed in fashion, obviously by the designer's crafts, lined the glass display. Admiration was an understatement as I scanned the clothes that hung around the place. The interior design of the building was not unique in itself, but what made it unique was the artistic clothing designs that characterized the whole store. Most dresses and tops were Filipino-inspired, with a signature look of starch butterfly sleeves that I would mostly see on TV screens and important events.

She integrated Filipino culture in modern art, and I was awed by how alluring it appeared in front of me. Hindi ko na pinigilan ang sarili ko at bumili ng ilang damit. The fashion line wasn't limited to Filipino culture, though. May iba rin dito na mukhang moderno. Bumili rin ako ng ilan sa naroon dahil maganda ang pagkakagawa lalo na ang kalidad ng materyal ng tela na ginamit.

"Kuya, didiretso na ba tayo sa hospital o babalik pa sa hotel?"

We were now sitting at a table outside a pizza restaurant, and Kuya was eating his own share of Hawaiian pizza. My shopping bags were stalling at the side of the chair I sat on.

"Pwede naman tayong dumiretso sa hospital. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing?" patanong na sagot ko.

"Don't you want to explore more?"

"Okay lang, pero ayaw mo na bang makita ulit si Mommy?" I asked back.

"She said so herself that we should go around the city."

"Hmm . . . okay. Where are we off to next, then?"

If I could only bring Mom with us, gagawin ko, pero hindi siya pwede magtagal sa labas. This felt so devastating. I just wanted to spend my vacation with Mommy in a more fun way. Though, seeing her everyday was fun – No, actually, it was the best. But time's ticking away, and, somehow, I felt the need to want to do more.

Sa isang tindahan kami nagtungo. They sold souvenirs. Hanggang ngayon naninibago pa rin ako sa mga hitsura ng mga tao rito lalo na kapag naririnig ko ang istilo ng pag-i-Ingles nila. Hindi naman kasi ako madalas na lumalabas ng bansa. I didn't know why I was only noticing this right now when, in fact, we had also gone here last year.

Nagsimula akong maghanap ng mga regalo para sa mga kaibigan ko. They would like any gifts as long as it was from me, anyway. Stores here were aesthetically pleasing. I ran my fingers through a fringe of red phone booth keychains.

"Kuya, can you pick a gift for Hide?" I asked, thinking it would be better if he had picked Hide's gift himself.

"I don't know what she likes."

Ikaw.

"She likes everything. Pick anything," at nilihis namin ang landas ng isa't isa.

I looked for things that would suit Catherine and her parents. I didn't know what tito and tita liked, but I was thinking of buying them something that was apposite for married couples, and then I found two perfect stainless steel cuff bracelets for both of them. The words 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.' were engraved in front. It was a lucky find.

I bought a four-leaf clover keychain for Prince since it reminded me of his second name. Kay Catherine naman, claw clip at isang keychain din. Hindi ko talaga alam kung ano ang magugustuhan niya. She had only told me that she had wanted the food here. I had already bought them chocolates that I had not been familiar with – something French. Pero sabi kasi ng napagtanungan ko, isa sa masasarap daw iyon.