Collide / [Park Jay]

51

"Pagsabihan mo nga 'yong Jiro mo. Laging nakasunod, eh." Bungad ni Jay nang makasakay na kami sa bus. He was frowning really hard ever since we got off the restaurant.

Tiningnan ko lang si Jiro na nakatayo pa rin sa labas, hinihintay na makaalis kami nang tuluyan bago siya bumalik ulit sa loob. He offered to send us off and I agreed because I know it's just out of kindness. Pero ang pagpayag kong iyon ay siya namang kinaiinisan nitong katabi ko sa 'di ko malamang dahilan.

"He just wants to see us off. That's not something to be mad about, Jay." Komento ko. I smiled a bit at Jiro when the bus started to leave. Kumaway naman siya sa akin bilang tugon.

"That's understandable if you're alone. But you're with me so he doesn't need to watch you all the time. The f-" He almost cursed but then, I was looking at him so he just ended up sighing heavily.

"Parang 'yon lang.." Mahina kong sinabi na akala ko'y hindi niya maririnig.

"Are you taking his side, Yerim?" He asked in disbelief.

"I'm not taking any side. Sinasabi ko lang naman na Jiro just did that out of kindness. Normal lang naman 'yon." Kalmado kong sagot habang tinitingnan ang nakasimangot niyang mukha.

"You are taking his side, then." He said.

I don't know if Jay has other stuff that makes him lose his temper now and he's just pouring it on me or he's really just being petty. But either way, it's very unreasonable. Wala naman akong kinalaman sa inis niya.

"Alam mo, palagi ka na lang galit sa akin. You always have something to say.." Even though it feels frustrating on my part, I still chose to stay calm. Ayaw ko namang sabayan ang pagka-inis niya dahil baka kung saan lang humantong ang usapan namin.

"I'm not mad at you, okay?" Mas mahinahon na niyang sabi. Napansin kong nakatingin sa amin ang ilang pasahero ng bus kaya nama'y umayos na ako sa pagkakaupo at tumingin na lang sa labas.

Ewan ko ba dito kay Jay. He's very questionable! Sometimes, he's too playful. Iyong tipong magsasawa ka na lang na kausapin siya. At may pagkakataon rin naman, katulad ngayon, na sobrang bilis niyang mainis kahit sa mga maliliit na bagay. Pero bahala na siya! I'm too tired to even try to prove a point. He's not gonna listen, anyway.

Hindi na kami nakapag-usap sa buong biyahe. Well, it's not like we have something to talk about, though. I just tried taking a nap so I can have enough energy for my shift later. Pero kusa rin naman akong nagising nang maramdaman kong malapit na kami sa bus stop.

Even after getting off the bus, we're still not talking. Nasa likuran ko lang siya noon at hindi ko alam kung lumiko na ba siya sa pupuntahan niya dahil hindi ko na siya nilingon.

Pero hindi ko na iyon masyadong napagtuunan nang pansin dahil sa natanaw kong papalapit sa akin. It's my mom and she came from the entrance of my building, probably waiting for me. It seems like she's been there for quite a while because when our eyes met, she immediately went straight to me.

"Mommy.." I greeted.

"Saan ka ba galing? Please, learn how to check your phone naman! Kanina pa ako tumatawag sa'yo." Bungad niya sa akin. Like usual, she didn't even bother to say hi or ask how my day went. Hindi na ako masyadong nagulat doon.

"Kumain lang po sa labas with my club members." I said politely.

"Baka naman natututo ka nang maglakwatsa, ha? This is why I hesitated on letting you move out." She mumbled. It's normal for her to say stuff like this so I'm not bothered.

"No, Mom. We just really went out to eat. Anyway, napadalaw po kayo? Did you have some schedule nearby?" Tanong ko ulit.

"I'm just here to pick you up. You need to be present tonight for a family dinner so let's go, Yerim.." She said as she tries to hold my hand.

"B-But I have shift tonight, Mommy. Is it important? Do I need to be... there?" I asked for the nth time.

"Of course! I won't even go here if it's not. But you have to come, okay? Sa sasakyan ko na lang ipapaliwanag. Let's not cause any drama here. Nakakahiya.." Mahina niyang sinabi at luminga-linga sa paligid.

"Can I ask permission from our manager first? Mabilis lang po, 'my." Sinubukan kong magpaalam sa kanya.

"No, Yerim. Sumakay ka na do'n. Nagmamadali ako." She said and then pointed the way to her car. Wala na akong nagawa doon. I just let her drag me subtly away from the place.

Iyon nga lang, bago pa man ako makasakay nang tuluyan sa sasakyan, natanaw ko si Jay sa 'di kalayuan na nakatingin sa gawi ko. Medyo nagulat ako doon dahil akala ko'y kanina pa siya nakaalis. All of a sudden, I feel so embarrassed that he saw me this way. I mean, this is the most vulnerable part of me that I wouldn't want to show anyone. It's twice as hard as trying to just open up about it.

Hindi ko man nakita nang maayos ang reaksyon niya, alam kong kuryoso siya ngayon sa mga nasaksihan. I know there's a lot of questions going on his mind right now and I kinda feel bad that I wouldn't be able to answer those in a way he can understand. I mean, my situation is too complicated to begin with. At mahirap rin iyon sa parte ko.

On the other hand, I don't think we're close enough to know stuff about each other. Is he a friend to me? I don't know. Does he see me as one? Well, he's not clear on that.

I guess, we just simply.. talk.

And that's it.