#war4wp
Chapter 21
Demands
Pumupungas si Agnes habang pinagmamasdan si Boaz na ikinakarga ang mga gamit ko sa likod ng pick up. Humikab siya at humalukipkip pagkatapos.
"Maaga ba ang shoot?" tanong niya.
"Yes," I answer.
Pinapagpag ni Boaz ang kamay niya habang pinagmamasdan ang mga gamit. Mukhang sinisiguro niyang kumpleto ang lahat.
"Medyo kumakalat nang may boyfriend ka na nga. Marami na rin ang nagtatanong sa akin. Hindi ko naman alam ang isasagot," si Agnes.
"Hindi mo naman kailangang sumagot," sabi ko.
Nanlaki nang kaunti ang mga mata niya. "Huh? Akala ko, sasabihin mo sa aking sabihin na lang na may boyfriend ka na. Do you not want people to know?"
Bumuntonghininga ako. "Of course, I want people to know." Tiningnan ko ulit si Boaz kaya ganoon din ang ginawa ni Agnes. "It's him I'm worried about."
"Ayaw ni Boaz?"
"I don't want people putting their noses in our relationship," I say.
Pinag-isipan ko rin ito noong nakaraan matapos ang nangyari nang makita ni Boaz si Kiesha. As much as I want to show him to the world, making our relationship public means I will be welcoming a lot of people's opinion of our relationship.
Napagtanto kong parehas kami ni Boaz. Kaya kong tanggapin ang kahit anong sabihin sa akin ng ibang tao. But when it comes to him, I can't say that I don't mind.
I don't want people criticizing him for his physique. Nakakagalit pala. Nang marinig ko ang kwento niya tungkol sa nangyari sa kaniya noon sa mga kaibigan niya, nasaktan ako kahit na kinwento lang naman ni Boaz. If making our relationship public will damage him, then I will keep him to myself. Hindi naman kailangang alam ng ibang tao ang tungkol sa amin.
"Boaz isn't used to people's attention too," sabi ko.
Tumango si Agnes. "Tingin ko, magandang desisyon iyan. It's better to cherish your relationship in private. Ang dami pa namang nasasabi ng mga tao."
Kung ilalantad ko sa publiko ang buhay ko, hindi ko naman masisisi na marami silang ibinibigay na opinyon. Bago ko ibigay ang isang bagay sa publiko, dapat alam ko na ang magiging resulta noon. I just can't expect people to be positive about everything. I just can't be idealistic and say people should respect my privacy. I placed myself out there. I am bound to be criticized. As much as it is only right for people to respect my private life, I should also know what reality is. People are opinionated. I can't ironically hide from their eyes when I am placing my life out in the open.
"But people are bound to know, Ida," si Agnes.
"I know. I don't mind. Gusto ko lang na handa si Boaz kung ganoon nga ang mangyari. I am not making him a secret. But I won't announce our relationship publicly either."
Boaz finally finishes securing my things at the back of his pick up. Lumapit na rin siya sa amin ni Agnes pagkatapos.
Ever since the kiss happened, his eyes have been different. It's as if they are glinting when they look at me. Wala na siyang pag-aalinlangang ipakita sa akin kung ano ba talaga ang nararamdaman. Tulad ngayon.
"Ikaw na ang bahala kay lolo. I will be back on Monday," sabi ko kay Agnes na humihikab na naman.
She nods. "Tinititigan niya lang ang hindi pa rin tapos na painting. Do you really think he'll paint again?" nag-aalalang tanong niya. "He spends most of his time there but the painting still looks the same. Ni hindi niya sinusubukang pulutin ang brushes. He's just staring at it."
