Terrence
"Look at his leg!" Ainsley couldn't supress her snort as she pointed at an amputated kid a few table away from ours. "It looks like a cut-out sausage. Weird!"
Bahagya kong naitagilid ang ulo pagkalingon sa bata at agad sumang-ayon sa sinabi niya—ngunit hindi ko iyon nagawang isatinig. It was true but kinda didn't sound right somehow.
Matalim ang tinging ibinaling nito sa direksyon namin at unti-unting nanggilid ang luha sa mga mata hanggang sa umiyak nang malakas. Agad nitong nakuha ang atensyon ng mga kasama sa table nila. Matapos itong tanungin kung bakit ay tumuro ito sa direksyon ng table namin.
"Ainsley! What did you say?" ani Mommy. May bahid ng pekeng ngiti ang mga labi, para sa paghingi ng pasensya sa mga magulang ng batang hindi maipinta ang ekspresyon.
"Why? What's wrong? It's just a joke—and it's true!" My twin giggled.
Ngumiwi si Mommy nang tuluyan siyang binalingan. "You can't say jokes like that, honey. Ano na lang ang iisipin ng mga taong makakarinig?"
"That joke was uncalled for. Buti na lang at walang ibang importanteng taong narito." Bakas ang dismayang napailing si Daddy.
Ainsley was staring blankly at them, still clueless. Kaya't dinugtungan iyon ni Daddy ng isang tanong matapos uminom sa kopita ng wine. "Don't you feel sorry for the poor kid?"
My twin blinked a few times in confusion. "Huh? Why would I?" Luminga siya sa paligid para lang maghanap ng sagot hanggang sa mahanap niya ang mga mata ko. "Do you think I should feel sorry for that kid, Terrence? I didn't do anything wrong, right?"
She reached for my hand and squeezed it lightly as she smiled at me—waiting for my affirmation to take her side. Dad wasn't compelled to say anything more and just shrugged it off.
Sa murang edad, agad kong nahanap ang kawalan ko ng interes sa imaheng pilit inaalagaan ng mga magulang ko—gayundin sa maraming bagay na may kinalaman ang ibang tao. And though I could tell the slightest difference between right and wrong unlike my twin—mas importante sa akin na makita siyang masaya. Kaya't imbes na itama at ipaliwanag ang sinabi ni Daddy, sinuklian ko lamang ang ngiti ni Ainsley at marahang tumango bilang pagsang-ayon sa sinabi niya.
Her smile widened as I squeezed her hand in return.
"School is a bore. Aside from the lack of need to learn basic things, there's so many useless kids fooling around. Don't you think so?" Sapo ng palad ang pisngi habang nakatukod ang braso sa lamesa, tamad na hinintay ng kakambal ko ang karaniwan kong pagsang-ayon sa kaniya.
"Is that why you ditched school today?"
"Obviously."
"How 'bout your exam? You didn't take it?"
Walang gana siyang bumuntonghininga at saka tuluyang inilapat ang pisngi sa lamesa.
"So many questions."
Ipinagpatuloy ko ang pagbuo ng mga lego sa sahig malapit sa couch. "What if Mom and Dad find out? Aren't you gonna be in trouble?"
She snorted all of a sudden. "As if they care."
May hapyaw na ngiti ang dumapo sa mga labi ko matapos sandaling matigilan.
"And first of, there's nothing wrong with ditching school! Wala namang kwenta 'yon—the same goes with the kids who goes there."
Kumuha ako ng panibagong piraso ng lego. "Sounds like you have a grudge. Is anyone bothering you at school?"
Sandali siyang natahimik bago nagpatuloy sa mahinang boses. "They told me I'm strange and started calling me names."
BINABASA MO ANG
The Other 'I'
General FictionFed-up with Terrence's cheating on their more than a year relationship, Eunice decided to cool things off between them -- for she can't find the courage to end it in the midst of her indecision and overwhelming emotions. But as she struggled to try...
