what if we happened

8. Favorite Food

Chapter 8: Favorite Food

Seren

Mabuti na lang binigyan ako ng pusa ni Elias. Dilim offers me a comfort right now. It's as if she senses my distress. Hindi ko maramdamang nag-iisa ako.

Taimtim akong nakahiga sa kama at walang ginagawa kun'di ang lambingin siya. Kung wala siya ngayon dito, paniguradong magtatalukbong lang ako ng kumot at iiyak nang iiyak hanggang makatulog. Surprisingly, tears don't come, even though I'm truly frustrated from what happened.

"Thank you, Dilim," I whispered to her with a small smile. The tension in my chest eased because of her.

My mother's words hurt deeply, and although part of me wanted to storm back and defend myself more, but I knew it wouldn't help. Walking out was the right thing to do. After ng sagutan namin, nagkulong na ako sa loob ng kuwarto ko. Wala akong pinagsisihan sa mga nasabi ko dahil minsan lang akong humiling sa kanila at napakahalaga na nito sa akin.

Yet, the sounds from outside filtered through my closed door, I heard the utensils and snippets of conversation, the familiar routine of family life carrying on without my presence. Mas lalo akong nakaramdam ng inis. They didn't even bother inviting me to dinner, para bang ayos lang sa kanila na magutom ako at wala ako roon sa hapag.

Sige lang. Wala akong pakialam.

I heard my phone vibrate against the sheets. Agad ko 'yon kinuha upang malaman kung sino nag-message sa akin. Smile immediately found its way to my lips when I saw Elias' name on the screen. He finally replied! I almost forgot that I was waiting for his reply.

Elias:
Hi! Aking Salome! Kumusta? ❤️

Kauuwi ko lang din. Nanggaling kami ng mga kaibigan ko sa rentahan ng tuxedo sa bayan para sa nalalapit na graduation ball natin.

"Dilim, look at this! Iu-update ako ng daddy mo kahit hindi ko naman tinatanong!" kinikilig kong balita sa pusa ko. "But what should I reply to his message? Tulungan mo naman ako, anak oh."

Napahinga ako nang malalim. As someone who never flirts with anyone on chat, I found myself at a loss for words. It's not that I'm disinterested; quite the opposite, of course. Inabot ako ng limang minuto sa pag-reply, nagta-type ako 'tapos ide-delete ko rin agad, trying to find the perfect response that doesn't make things awkward or too casual.

Seren:
Okay. Kaya pala, ginabi ka din.

Puwede na siguro 'yan or tunog kaswal pa rin? I don't know. Na-send ko na, eh.

Wait?

Tama ba 'yong 'din'? Dapat ba 'rin' 'yon?

Nevermind.

In my entire life, never talaga ako lumandi. As in. There have been people who messaged me, but like I said earlier, I don't talk to strangers, really. That's why I ignore them. Ang hinahangaan ko when it comes to this, si Viviana. Sa dami ng lalaking nakausap no'n, alam na alam niya kung paano bubuhayin at pahahabain ang message. Do I need her help for this?

Speaking of graduation ball, In two weeks na iyon pero hindi pa namin napag-uusapan ng mga kaibigan ko kung anong plano namin, wala pa kaming balak pumunta sa rentahan ng gown and on top of that, poproblemahin ko pa kung paano ako hihingi ng pera sa mga magulang ko para doon at pati na rin sa mismong pambayad sa ball. Gosh.

Elias:
Salamat nga pala sa lucky charm na ibinigay mo sa akin. Noong nakarating kami sa rentahan, hindi ka maniniwalang nakahanap agad ako ng susuotin na pasok sa perang dala ko. Hahaha! Biglaan lang din kanina na humanap ng susuotin, eh. Naniniwala akong 'yong ibinigay mo ribbon 'yong nagpasuwerte sa akin.