Secret Serenade

Epilogue

I'm silently playing in my phone when I heard the car arrived. Napatingin ako sa bintana para tignan kung sino na naman ang bisita ngayong araw. Mama likes to invite guests into our home kaya iba-iba ang tao kada araw. Nasanay nalang ako. Ngunit mas madalas na nasa kwarto lang ako. I don't really like to socialize. But today is different.

Napansin ko ang bata na kasama nila. He's happy while holding his mother's hand.

Small.

He's small. I chuckled lowly. Ngayon lang ako nakakita na ganoong ka-liit. Maybe he's younger than me.

"Oh, Aji," nagulat si Mama nang makita ako. I searched for the kid but I cannot see him. Napatingin din sakin ang mag asawa na kaibigan ni Mama. They smiled at me. "Aji, meet your Tita Margaret and Tito Max."

"Hello po..." I smiled.

"Ang gwapong bata," natatawang sinabi ni Tita Margaret. "How old are you, Aji?"

"Ten..." sagot ko pero ang atensyon ko, wala sa kanila. Where's the little kid? Nasa playroom, maybe?

"Hmm. Would you like to meet my son? He's younger than you but I hope you'll get along." She smiled sweetly.

"He's in the playroom, Aji. Play with him. We'll bring meryenda later," lumapit si Mama at hinawakan ang ulo ko. "Be nice to him, okay?"

Tumango lang ako at hindi sumagot. Hindi na ako nagpaalam at nagpunta sa playroom. When I get there, I saw the little kid staring at the train moving. He look amazed. My lips parted a bit before making a step.

What the hell. He looks like a fucking angel.

Napaayos ako ng buhok hanggang sa nakalapit ako sa kanya. Napansin niya ako at nagulat na makita ako.

"Hi. I'm Aji..." I stared at him.

"I'm Evian," mahinang sagot niya.

Ang hinhin ng boses. Bahagyang tumaas ang kilay ko. He looks so fragile. Na kapag hinawakan ko ng sobrang rahan, mababasag parin siya. Maybe because he's small and younger than me? Ganoon ba iyon?

"You're small," I smirked. "Are you not eating right? How old are you?"

"Seven. I'm seven years old," medyo umarte ang pananalita niya at pinakita niya pa sakin ang pitong daliri niya.

"Seven..." bata pa, isip isip ko. "Seven and you're still this small. Do you know? Kapag seven years old kana, hindi kana lalaki. That'll be your height forever."

"What?" Nagulat siya. "You're lying!"

Tumayo ako. "Look. I'm taller than you. And I'll still grow. You know why?"

"W-Why?"

"I skipped being a seven year old," I simply said, slighty smirking.

"Y-You're lying talaga! How can you skip your age?!" Halong galit at takot ang nasa mukha niya ngayon. I want to laugh. Ang saya talaga minsan mang-uto sa bata. They are so easy to fool.

"I can't tell you how but I really did... Wow... you're going to be that small until you die. How unfortunate of you." Dagdag ko pa, nanatiling nakangisi. Ngunit nawala rin agad ang ngisi ko nang makitang nangingilid na ang luha niya then he cried. Loudly. "H-Hey..."

Kinabahan ako bigla. Shit. Why did I tease him in the first place? Hindi ko naman siya kilala. Hindi kami close. Bago ko pa siya mapatahan ay dumating na sina Mama and his parents. I couldn't answer when Mama asked me why Evian cried. I bit my lower lip while watching him cry in his mother's arms.

After he stopped crying, pumunta na kami sa living room para mag meryenda. Napagalitan pa ako ni Mama dahil pumasok lang daw ako sa playroom, biglang umiyak na si Evian. Hindi nalang ako nagsalita kasi kasalanan ko naman talaga.