WINSTON AND RINGO (Montana Series 3 | BXB)

06: Freesia

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As I stood in the shower room and feeling the warm water falling to my back, my mind wandered to the bottom part of my emotions. Inaalala ko ang mga naganap habang kasama ko si Ringo, ngunit bukod doon ay iniisip ko rin ang kakaibang nararamdaman ko sa tuwing kasama ko siya.

When done showering, I rubbed my head with a towel. Napatingin ako sa lamesa at nakita ko ang origami na ibinigay sa'kin ni Ringo. After giving it a glance, I shook my head, refusing what's shaping inside me.

Winston, don't be stupid! You're just overwhelmed by the speed of the situation and pouring emotions.

Napansin ko pa ang isang bagay sa aking lamesa, ang keychain na ibinato ni Ringo mula sa bintana. I didn't remember he ought to give it to me, so I decided to return it to him. Wala akong contact number niya, at kung meron man ay hindi ko rin siya matatawagan dahil nabasa ang kanyang cellphone nang mahulog siya sa tubig.

Pwede ko namang ipagpabukas ang pagbalik ng keychain sa kanya, ngunit kating-kating akong lumabas. Oh c'mon, Winston! Don't fool yourself! You're just finding excuses to see him.

I hopped to the car I rented, and I headed to the place where I saw Ringo coming out earlier. It was passed 7PM already, and I had a hard time finding the place because of the lacking of streetlights and a bunch of trees along the way. Makalipas ang ilang minutong pagmamaneho ay narating ko ang bahay nila. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was the fortuner parked in front of their house.

Naglakad ako papunta sa veranda, ngunit bago makarating ay bumukas ang pintuan. The door revealed Ringo, and he's with a guy curling his tattooed arms around him. Napaatras naman ako, balak na umalis, ngunit huli na dahil nakatingin na silang dalawa sa'kin.

"Winston? Anong ginagawa mo dito?" tanong ni Ringo.

I scratched my head. "I just want to return something to you."

"Who is he?" the guy asked.

"He's my schoolmate from Montana," Ringo answered.

I took a moment to look on the guy's face, and I noticed he was familiar. A memory struck me, realizing that he's the same guy I saw with Ringo walking out from the bar. Magsasalita sana akong muli, ngunit may isa pang lalaki ang lumabas sa pintuan, ang kuya ni Ringo.

"Bro, akala ko ba ay uuwi ka na?" tanong niya habang nakatingin sa lalaking nakaakbay kay Ringo.

"Ah.. Oo," sagot nito. "Sige. Mauuna na ako."

Dahan-dahan na inalis ng lalaki ang pagkakaakbay niya kay Ringo. Ngumiti ito at nagpaalam na umalis. He even gave me a look when he passed on me, not smiling and just a blank face. The guy appeared to be quite wealthy based on his looks. His clothes, expensive watch, and shiny shoes hinted his status. Umalis siya sakay ng kanyang fortuner.

Napatingin sa'kin ang kuya ni Ringo. "Sino ka?" tanong niya.

"Kuya, taga Montana rin siya. He's my schoolmate at Northside High. He is Winston Abalos," Ringo managed answering. "Winston, this is my brother, kuya Maynard," he introduced.

"Ahm... Good evening," I greeted.

His kuya named Maynard gave me another look. "Abalos? Your family owned the Ruby Wine Corporation?"

"Yes," I said while nodding.

He sunddenly flashed a smile, and then he glanced behind me. It was as if he was studying the car that I used to get in their house. At first glance, it was hard to ignore the aura of intimidation that surrounded Maynard, but his smile gave me a feeling that he's also a nice person.