Episode 2: Story
10 years ago.
"Hanep din itong Tanix na 'to, ke tagal mo inuwi iyong bata rito, marunong man lang ba magtagalog 'to?!"
"Grabe ka, Nikko! Oo naman! Taglish pa rin ang pangunahing lenggwahe namin sa bahay 'no!" si tita Michelle.
"Emeril, do you remember Tanya? Playmate natin siya before!" si Kassandra o Kassy, panganay na anak ni tito Mokya at Tita Elyze.
"Yeah, o—of course." saad ko. "Hi, Tanya! It's been a while." sabi ko sa kanya.
"Hi, Emeril" pagbati ni Tanya sa akin nang lumapit siya sa akin. "You've grown so much! Mas matangkad ka na sa amin ni Kassy!" ngising tugon niyo.
"So, you really does speak tagalog! Cool!" namamanghang tugon ni Kassy. "Let's meet everyone else! Namiss ka na namin! Ang layo niyo naman kasi!"
"We'll be staying here for the rest of the summer! We will have a lot of time to enjoy!"
Tanya and I are both 10 years old at that time. Just like when we were kids, madalas kaming mag bonding at maglaro. Kapag nakukumpleto ang tropa ni Tatay madalas kaming nagbabakasyon sa iba't-ibang lugar para naman sulit ang bakasyon nila.
We became really good friends. Mabait siya, mediyo mahinhin, but really adventurous, smart, and pretty. Yeah, she is really beautiful. Maybe because I seldom see her ay kaya iba ang tingin ko sa kanya, iba in a sense—hindi pinsan. Naging crush ko siya. Develop a special feeling towards her.
"Emeril, bakit nandito ka? Uuwi na kami bukas, ayaw mo ba makipag bonding? Matagal pa ang balik namin dito!" si Tanya.
The thought of her leaving for the US again makes me sad. For the last 2 months, the whole summer vacation, walang araw na hindi kami magkasama. We attended special summer class together for arts and swimming class. Mamimiss ko siya.
"Kailan kayo babalik dito?"
She shrugged. "Hindi ko alam. For sure, matagal pa! I do hope to come back in my 12th birthday. Gusto ko rito mag celebrate kasi nandito kayo, it's more fun in here, you know."
"Hindi ba kayo maninirahan dito?"
"We lived in the US, it's what my grandparents want. But, maybe I can tell my parents to at least allow me to study here for college! If that happens, classmates tayo nila Kassy, right?"
Napangiti ako. "Hmmm! I hope you can visit us here more often but if not, I'll look forward for your 12th birthday celebration."
"I'll miss you, Emeril." she said all of a sudden. "Kassy and you are my bestest friends! Kahit may friends ako sa America, kayo pa rin ang the best! I will do everything para ma-convince ko sila daddy about my 12th birthday, I promise."
She knows I'll miss her and I'm happy to know that she does too.
Pagkatapos ng dalawang buwan na pamamalagi rito, bumalik sila Tanya ng America. I was definitely sad but we promised that starting from now on, madalas na namin icocontact ang isa't-isa. And we did.
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Email from: Tanya
Emeril, I finally have my own phone! We can exchange numbers now if you have one na! It's more convenient that way. Let me know if you have! I'm off to school now, I'll read your reply later. I miss you.
Nang mabas ko ang message ni Tanya, agad akong nagpabili kay Nanay ng cellphone and she did but definitely wondered why. I'm not really into chatting or texting but it'll be different now.
From sending emails to texting and calling are Tanya and I's bonding. Halos araw-araw kaming nag-uusap and it became our private and usual routine. Of course, may group chat naman kami with Kassy but we have our own exclusive conversations.
