Conquering Territories: Completed

6

While walking, something caught my attention. A loud and colorful place snatched my thoughts. Hindi ko alam na may perya pala rito sa amin. Since it was already, the place became a haven amidst the dark place.

I remembered that my parents used to take us at a place similar to that. They once told us that when sadness enveloped one's heart, a little fun could lift it up. Something inside me stirred while staring at the place. I guess Kuya Leon won't be angry if I wasted some time inside. Basta ba ay may maiuuwi ako sa kanyang kung ano.

Halos ingay ang sumalubong sa akin nang makatapak ako sa loob. Hindi ko inaasahan na ganito pala kaingay sa loob ng perya. I thought it was just a place filled with games. I totally forgot that games were kinda synonymous with noise. Halos lahat ng sulok ng perya ay may naririnig akong sumisigaw. Hindi ko tuloy mapigillan ang mapangiti.

Ilang minuto rin akong nag-ikot sa loob para maghanap ng pwedeng subukan. I wanted to try the ferris wheel yet, a lot of couples were lined up. Nakakahiya naman pumila mag-isa. Hindi naman ako sinabihan na kailangan palang by partner ang pagpila. On the other hand, I don't want to try color games. My parents once told me that gambling was not good for me.

A smirk was formed on my lips as I found the thing that I've been looking for. It was a stall wherein you need to shoot piled-up cans to receive a reward. When my father was still alive, he used to play that thing and he would let me choose the prize. Siguro naman ay oras na para ako naman ang maglaro.

Nilapitan ko ang may-ari at sinabihang maglalaro ako. After giving him my payment, he gave me a toy gun before instructing me what to do. Kailangan ay mapabagsak ko ang lahat ng lata gamit ang anim na bala. Madali lang naman siguro 'tong laruin. My dad used to hit every can. 'Guess I could do that thing too.

I positioned myself as I aimed at a certain can. Madali lang tignan ang ginagawa ni Papa noon. Siguro naman ay hindi ako mahihirapan para makapagpabagsak ng lata. I let out a sigh before releasing the first bullet. Bahala na.

My mouth fell as I looked where the bullet went. Wala akong tinamaan.

I heard the owner chuckling while looking at the bullet. "Ayos lang 'yan bata. Minsan talaga hindi tumatama sa unang tira."

Bigla na lang akong nakaramdam ng hiya dahil sa nangyari. I never thought that it was way too hard than it seems. Hindi ko naman inaasahan na pressure pala ang makukuha ko rito sa loob ng perya. Akala ko ba ay puro saya lang ang meron.

I tried to hit the cans once again. Siguradong hindi naman babagsak ang mga lata nang wala akong ginagawa. Bahala na kung kahihiyan lang ang makukuha ko rito. Luckily, one fell.

I let out a deep sigh while looking at that one can. Sa loob ng dalawang bala, isa pa lang ang napapabagsak ko. There are still around 17 cans to go.

"What a nice tiny step," I sarcastically noted to myself.

"You know what, you really couldn't take down all of that if you continued behaving that way."

My eyes shifted when someone suddenly spoke. A man around my age welcomed my sight. He was leaning on the side of the stall with his hands placed inside his pockets. I suddenly sensed some "bad boy vibes" while looking at him. I don't know if it was because of his messy hair or his sweater that clearly stated "Fuck You."

"May I?" Cat suddenly caught my tounge as I found him standing in front of me. Bigla na lang akong nawalan ng boses nang napansin kong nasa harapan ko na siya. His intimidating aura enveloped me, which stunned the hell out of me. Hindi ko namalayan na napatango na lang ako sa kanya.

"First," he held my hand that was holding the gun. "Aim with your dominant eye." I literally could feel his breath on my nape while he was talking. He was on my back yet, he was positioning my arm, causing us to look like he was hugging me. I should be panicking right now since I don't know who this man is but, I found myself obeying his points.

"I noticed that you're aiming with your left eye since you're closing your right eye. Try to aim with the right this time. Maybe that was your dominant eye," he continued. He was still holding my hand, causing my heart to palpitate a bit. It was my first time having a close interaction with someone aside from my friends, especially the fact that the man guiding me was a complete stranger.

"Then, try looking through the gun. It would help you aim perfectly." My hands moved to his guidance. Hindi ko alam sa sarili ko kung bakit ako nagtitiwala sa taong ito. I basically don't know a single detail about him.

"Lastly, aim the lowest can. If you managed to take down that one, everything above it would eventually fall." I shrugged the thoughts about the identity of this man and focused in what he just said. If I wanted to know his abouts, I need to perfectly perform everything he said.

Minutes after that, I found myself hugging the man who guided me. We did it! I couldn't contain the emotions inside me. We managed to take down all the cans, thanks to his guidance.

Nanlaki na lang ang mga mata ko nang mapansin ang ginawa ko. Mabilis akong humiwalay ng yakap sa kanya at marahang yumuko. "Sorry, just some burst of emotions, p're."

I don't know if it was me or I heard him chuckling. Kahit na namumula na ang pisngi ko, hindi ko rin mapigilan ang matawa.

"Oh, pumili na kayo ng premyong gusto niyo." Mabuti na lang at nagsalita na si Kuya dahil malapit na akong mamatay sa kahihiyan.

A big stuffed toy caught my attention as I looked at the prizes. It was a big sea turtle. Gusto ko sanang ýon na lang ang piliin pero, nakakahiya naman sa lalaking kasama ko. Siya pa rin naman ang gumawa ng paraan para manalo kami.

"What do you want?" the both of us asked in unison. I couldn't help but to chuckle after that.

"No, honestly, what do you want? Don't get me stated with things running inside your mind. I could read it from here." I couldnt help but to shrug after that. Halata na pala.

"Yung malaking turtle po." Mabilis na kinuha ni Kuya ang itinuro at iniabot sa akin. I don't know if it was my inner child but, I just found myself hugging the turtle tightly. And as I looked at the man whii was with me, he was looking at me, with a small smie plastered on his lips.

Hindi na sana ako titingin pa sa kanya pero, isang kumpol ng boses ang narinig kong lumalapit sa kinatatayuan naming dalawa.

"Kuya, can your helps us too? It is very very hard kasi?" A group of girls, quite younger than us, approached our direction. Napansin ko na may mga kasama pa sila sa likod. It looks like they were after this man's pointers, or basically after this man. Hindi naman maitatanggi na gwapo talaga siya.

"Im sorry but, we're heading somewhere," the man said. Itatanggi ko sana na magkakilala kami dahil hindi ko naman talaga siya kilala. Kahit naman hindi na ako bata, alam ko naman na hindi dapat sumama sa hindi kakilala.

I was about to say something but, the girl in front of us talked. "Ay, boyfriend mo?" The girl looked at me from head to toe. "Hindi kayo bagay. Mukha siyang paa."

My eyebrows creased as I heard those words. As I've told, I don't want people to belittle me in any ways, and that includes calling me names.

"Ikaw mukhang kalyo," I blurted out. Napansin ko na nagulat ang babae sa biglaang pagsagot ko. Kahit ako naman ay nagulat sa sinabi ko. My anger issues again, I think.