SIEVE IT ALL THROUGH.
SAVE IT ALL THROUGH.THE SUN HAS risen; well, that doesn't seem to be quite the believable statement. It's raining again. It's drizzling outside, umaambon.
Nakatulala lamang si Kevin, nakasandal sa bintana, nakaupo sa window seat, habang umiinom lang ng kape.
Parang kada umaga lang, nakatulala, walang ginagawa, utak nalipad-lipad. Pero may iba ngayon sa usual niya. Imbis na sa labas nakatulala ay nasa isang dalagitang kay himbing ng tulog ang kanyang mga mata.
Kay himbing pa rin ng tulog. Well, ayun ang akala niya. Lalong naramdaman ni Kevin ang init ng kape sa lalamunan niya nang maupo ito, 'di lamang pala ang lalamunan niya, napaso ata s'ya.
He ignores the searing burn. The bitter easing in; redundant was its failing. He does nothing but stare at the way she looks around, pupils dilated slowly depicting to normalcy and soon enough a fact was drilled, and the realization was evident across her pretty face, with the way her lashes fell up and down, blinking here to there, that oh.
Nasaan ako? A question he knew damn well the answer to. He zips his lips tight before sipping in again. Who knows, maybe the second burn will be enough of a numb; they do say the more pain, the more gain. Who's to deny his idea of doubling pain to gain the doubling of numbing?
His sanity, perhaps.
He stops himself before another sip, breaking his record of three big sips, almost finishing the whole entirety within the cup. "Good morning," he says, through hurting tongue and gaping lips, calling out, and she reaches out herself. "Magandang, umaga... po." Also obvious, was the gaps of her words and he gets that. Who wouldn't react as so, waking up in some stranger's home.
"Had a good sleep?" It'd be funny if she says she didn't. But she nods, agreeing, which he somehow felt refreshed about. "Yung babae doon sa 7/11 kanina, no, last night? Around like, 11 PM, reached out to me about your situation and asked for some sort of assistance with your, sleeping station and decisions. Kaya here I am now. I do hope the couch was at the very least, satisfactory."
He was able to say all that, much easier and smoother than he himself even wished he did. Maybe it's become a practice from a well-steeled habit. To have that smooth trail of tongue for words to slip out like the rain on the rough grounds. Piling puddles, by the side of roads.
She speaks not. Audibly unavailable. The unavailability somehow forcing him to engage into an even deeper depth of observation. Seeing her lift the thick cotton blanket and looking down at what she wore and the whole of her body, and looking at it somehow expectantly and looking away from it relieved.
He hides a small laugh. Fails at it, unfortunately.
"I didn't do anything to you." By far, the most honest statement he's stated throughout this life of his. She looks to be perplexed with the given assurance before she somehow probably realized what she's done and her sight falls down to her thighs and this time, he doesn't hide his laugh.
"I wouldn't dare." May isang Caàsi na nga sa prisinto, dadagdag pa ba ko? She stayed there, head hung low.
"Like, for real. Anywho, I heard na wala kang matutuluyan these days? I wanna ask why that is so? You don't have to answer though, if you don't want to." He knew how illogical it is to ask something and try to make it seem like you aren't in literal need of answers. Well, maybe different situations can force his opinions to alter. It took a while for her to answer.
"Doon po ako sa Record Shop sa Sampaguita St. nakatira kasama po si Papa, bago po siya namatay. Binenta na po ata ni Mama yung Record Shop po na 'yon, kaya wala na po akong mapuntahan." She sure is nonchalant about it, he simply swirls his coffee at hand.
BINABASA MO ANG
THE MOON & HIS TIDE!
Short StoryKevin Caàsi faced a great metamorphosis after bearing witness of his Father's horrid murder of an innocent man. With the passing of four months, able to leave his past of being unfeeling and numb, Kevin walks around the subdivision where the crime...