Case on a Silver Platter [Course 1]

Prologue

Kalliope

Ever wonder how your emotions and feelings taste like? Well, worry not because we're on the same page! Expected me to say that I know, didn't you? Sorry to let you down but I don't have the slightest idea either. It's not like I can taste them. No, it's not even called tasting it.

I don't even know how to call it, moreover describe the phenomenon myself. It's just there. Since birth, actually. I've tried researching about it also. Who knows it is not as uncommon as I thought it has been.

I saw this certain condition on the internet with almost similar characteristics. They called it as emotion-taste synesthesia. Sounds frightening but I continued digging deeper. It states that Emotion-taste synesthesia is a condition where a person experiences a specific taste when they feel certain emotions. For example, someone with this condition may taste sweetness when they feel happy or bitterness when they feel sad. I immediately closed my laptop upon seeing that. It's not even close to what I have. Maybe it's a really rare case, after all.

My inner soliloquy was interrupted when a girl beside me shoved a notebook and a pen in front of me with scribbled numbers on it.

“Check if I did it correctly.” Naiinip nitong sambit bago umirap sa akin. “Did I answer it correctly this time?”

Tinignan ko ang notebook sa harap ko at kinuha ang ballpen sa ibabaw nito. I-ch-in-eck ko ang kaniyang solution kung tama ba ito. Nang mapagtantong tama ito, naglagay ako ng check mark dito at ngumiti sa kaniya.

“Very good, nakuha mo na nang tama ngayon!” Beaming that she’s getting what I have been teaching her. “Kapag na-master mo na ito, we’ll move on to another topic.”

Medyo nabawasan ang pagkainip nito at maliit na ngumisi sa nagawa. She’s an elementary student that I’ve been tutoring since the start of the school year just 2 months ago. Dahil kailangan ko ng pera pandagdag sa pambayad ng renta sa tinutuluyan ko ngayon, naghanap ako ng pwedeng mapasukan. Mabuti at saktong naghahanap ng tutor ang nanay niya kaya agad akong nagpresinta.

I looked at my small wrist watch. Dahil malapit nang mag-alas sais, itinipon ko na ang aking mga gamit at inilagay na ito sa aking bag. Our one-hour session today is over.

“Seems like we’re done for today, Gaile. We’ll continue our lesson next session, okay?”

Sinabihan ko na ang nanay niya na oras na para umalis ako. Pagkakuha ng bayad ay nagpaalam na ako para umalis. Medyo madilim na nang makalabas ako ng bahay. The now turning dark sky was sprinkled with white stars. Mabuti at maliwanag ang daan dahil sa mga posteng nasa gilid kaya safe naman maglakad kahit mag-isa.

Maya-maya pa ay nakaramdam ako ng gutom kaya bumili na ako ng pagkain sa karinderyang nadaanan ko at ipinabalot ito para kainin sa aking dormitory. May nadaanan din akong bukas pang corn dog stall pauwi kaya naisipan ko ring bumili. Buti na lang at dalawang tao lang ang nasa pila kaya madali lang akong makakabili.

“Isang potato corn dog nga ho,” saad ng babae na nasa unahan ko. Naghahalungkay sa kan’yang pitaka at patingin-tingin pa rin sa menu na nakapaskil sa unahan ng corn dog stall, halatang ‘di makapag-desisyon kung anong flavor talaga ang gustong bilhin.

Akmang iaabot na ng tindera ang kaniyang in-order nang biglang nagbago ang isip nito at ibang flavor na ang gustong bilihin. “Uhm . . . ‘yong cheese flavored na lang po pala. Sorry po, ate!”