The Scent of an Orris

Chapter 25

"Ang hassle ng binigay na schedule ni Ma'am for review session natin" reklamo ni Jayson, Ma'am decided that our review sessions would take place every Monday to Thursday at 6:00 am, bright and early in the morning. Jayson found it to be a hassle and was clearly annoyed by the early start time.

On the other hand, I had a different perspective and found myself quite pleased with the schedule. Kung si Jayson ay naiinis sa schedule na binigay ni Ma'am, ako naman ay natutuwa dahil siya ang una kong makikitang propesora almost everyday

"Okay lang yan, 2 weeks lang naman 'to" sabi ko sa kanya

We will only have two weeks of review before we start competing in different universities. The pressure was high, and we knew we had to make the most out of this limited time.

"Ganitong oras tulog pa ako" tiningnan ko naman ang orasan ko sa phone, mag-aalas-sais palang at naghihintay kaming dalawa ni Jayson sa 11th floor student lounge

"Ang aga naman natin" sabi ko at pabagsak na umupo sa upuan "Ouch" nasabi ko at hinawakan ang mata ko. Napuwing yata ako

"Are you okay?" Sabi ni Jayson at lumapit siya sa akin

"I think something got into my eye" I replied, still holding onto my eye and trying to alleviate the discomfort.

"Let me see" Jayson said, his tone filled with concern. He gently used both of his hands to hold my face and examined my eye closely. "There's definitely something in your eye. Please try not to move"

He quickly searched through his pockets, looking for something

"Do you have a handkerchief?" he asked, his eyes still focused on my eye.

I nodded and handed him my handkerchief from my pocket, trying my best to stay still and not aggravate the discomfort. Jayson carefully unfolded the handkerchief and held it ready.

"Huwag kang malikot" utos niya at hindi naman ako gumalaw

"Ang sakit, huwag mo naman diinan" sabi ko dahil nararamdaman kong masyado niyang dinidiinan sa mata ko ang hintuturo na gamit niya

"Paano ko makukuha kung hindi ko didiinan?" Hindi naman ako sumagot at hinayaan ko nalang siyang tulungan ako

"Mahapdi Jayson, can you please be more gentle?" I requested, the pain still intense Ramdam na ramdam ko pa rin kasi yung diin na ginagawa niya "Don't rub it! Maluluha ako!" Naiinis na sabi ko, grabeng puwing naman ang pumasok sa mata ko.

It felt like the actions he was taking were only making the situation worse.

"I'll be gentle just don't move, hindi ko naman itutusok itong buong daliri ko"

"Nahiya kapa, Why don't you just use all your fingers?" I couldn't stop but respond with sarcasm, my annoyance growing. Tears were now streaming down my face. Kahit na ramdam kong may luha na sa mata ko ay nagagawa ko pa ring makipag-away

"Do you even know what you're doing?" I challenged him, doubting his competence in handling the situation. I had trusted him to help me, hoping that he would be able to alleviate the discomfort, but his methods were only making it worse.

"Hindi ko sure kung nakuha kona, can I blow it?" Tanga pala niya, kanina kopa tinitiis ang hapdi dahil akala ko makukuha niya

"Baka malawayan mo ako, ayo-" I began to warn him, but before I could finish my sentence, he blew on my eye not just once, but three times. I was left momentarily speechless, unable to react to his unexpected action.