ALIENS AND STARS, LIKE YOU AND ME (BOOK 2)

CHAPTER 1

"We're here as you said."

She said "Yun oh andito na tayo." I asked "ano ba meron dito?" She said "Lugawan." 

I said "Mahilig ka talaga sa lugawan noh?" She said "hindi naman, medyo bagay lang kasi sa lugar at panahon nating ngayon kaya dito ko pinili. Atsaka alam mo ba na okay ang lugaw para sa pangpawala ng kalasingan noh." 

I didn't say anything and I just looked at her. She said "Oh, halika na." She removed her seat belt at bumaba na siya ng kotse. 

It didn't take long for me to also get out of my car. When we went inside, there was no one there, I asked "Are they still open?" Sam said "hmm, di ko alam eh, sana bukas pa." 

We looked left and right to see if there was anyone there. Sam said "Tao po! May tao po ba dito?" After a while someone came out from a curtain.

"Ah pasensya pasensya na, may nilinis lang kasi ako sa loob- Oh Kayo ulit?!" He is the man who owns and cooks porridge at the place that Sam and I went in Las Piñas. Sabi ni Sam "Oh kuya! May pwesto ka rin pala po dito?" 

The man said "ah, hindi, lumipat na kami dito. Wala na yung pwesto ka sa Las Piñas." Sam asked "Ah eh bakit po? Ano po nangyari?" The man said "eh, sa totoo lang niyan, dito talaga kami nakatira ng misis ko. Kaya lang naman kami nag pwesto sa Las Piñas dahil na istroke yung nanay niya, dun kasi nakatira yung nanay niya eh. Kaya nung na istroke yung nanay niya, walang magbabantay kaya kami na muna nag panandalian na dun tumira at na magatayo na rin ng lugawan." 

Sam said "ahh kaya naman pala po." The man said "pero ang galing noh kahit na sa daming lugawan dito sa Antipolo na pwede niyong mapuntahan, samin pa rin kayong dalawa napunta." 

Sam and I slowly and shyly smiled when he said that. The man said "Nakatadhana talaga kayo na kumain dito sa lugawan namin, para kayong dalawa, nakatadhana rin para sa isa't-isa." We were silent and surprised by what the man said.

The man panically said "A-ang ibig kong sabihin dun ay nakatadhana kayo kasi nagkasama na uli kayong dalawa, kasi last time siya lang ang pumunta sa lugawan namin, tapos ngayon kayong dalawa na hehehe Ano order niyo?" I remained silent and my eyes widened because of what the man said. 

Sam frowned in wonder "Ano pong ang ibig niyong sabihin na last time ay siya lang pumunta sa lugawan niyo po?" The man just kept looking and didn't know what to say to her. I said "Um ang order ko ay Arroz caldo." 

The man looked at me and said "ah, okay sige." He looked back at Sam and asked "eh ano naman sayo?" Sam just looked at her like she's also waiting for the man's answer to her question.

The man looked at me like he's asking me permission to say something, I looked at him as if I told him "Go ahead and just say it." The man looked back at Sam and said "Eh kasi last time...sa pwesto ko sa Las Piñas, pumunta siya dun at kumain siya ng...mag-isa." Sam looked at me as if like she couldn't believe what the man said.

When she looked at me, I immediately and embarrassingly looked away. The man asked "Arros Caldo rin ba sayo." Sam looked at him and said "ah, o-opo."  

After that the man left Sam and I alone. While I was avoiding looking at her, I sat down and when I sat down, she also sat down. She said "bumalik ka pala at kumain ulit sa pwesto ni kuya."  

I looked at her and said "yeah, I did." She looked at me and said "Bakit? Namiss mo yung Arroz Caldo ni kuya noh?" I smiled and said "Yes, I did."

Sam smiled, I looked away and said "actually.." Sam looked at me  "I went back there because I tried to go back to everything we went to. Because ever since I found out the truth, that I knew you weren't a dream and that Dad hypnotized me, I tried to go where we went to make sure it was real." She remained silent and just looked at me. "I tried to go everywhere we went also..."