During her toughest times, Seraphina Ramiro found herself falling harder for Kasper Lacsamana, as every time they were together filled her with hope and a renewed sense of purpose, pulling her back to life.
Kasper, however, was afraid of getting too...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Piggy back?"
"For what? Malapit naman na tayo."
"Hindi na ako mag-o-offer ulit." Nagkaroon ng staring contest si Nana at Sebastian, pareho silang nag-stop sa gilid ng kalsada matapos mag-offer ni Sebastian ng free ride. For Sebastian, it was a thought that came quickly. For Nana, it was ridiculous and random.
For the first few seconds, walang gustong magpatalo sa kanilang dalawa. Until bumigay na mismo ang dalawang kilay ni Nana sabay iling ng ulo—trying to intimidate Sebastain was a wasted effort.
Nang tumalikot si Sebastian at ni-spread ang mga legs para bumaba ang height at pantayan siya, wala na siyang nagawa kundi sumampa sa likod nito. Mabilis na ni-wrap ni Nana ang mga braso sa balikat ni Sebastian.
"Ang gaan mo, hindi ka ba pinapakain ni Kasper?" tanong nito nang magpatuloy sa paglalakad. Nana was indeed a lightweight, which shouldn't have been surprising for him since she was skinny and not very tall. However, it felt different now that he was actually lifting her.
"Ano namang kinalaman ni Kasper sa meal plan ko? Hindi naman kami relatives," natatawang sagot niya. Gustong hampasin ni Nana ang ulo nito, pero bumuntong-hininga nalang siya at iniwas ang tingin.
She was getting too comfortable, not even realizing it could annoy him.
"Pamilya nga tayo diba? Hindi masama ang i-check kung kumakain ka ba sa saktong oras."
Nailibot ni Nana ang tingin sa paligid, saka niya nakita ang neighborhood nila.
Palubog na ang araw, mas lalo nang lumalamig ang hangin, nagiging abala na rin ang mga tao dahil mag-gagabi na. Kahit pa isang linggo na si Nana sa Tesoro, it still felt like the first time—she was always amazed by the bustling, yet somehow not so bustling, world around her.
Nana was almost convinced that Tesoro was a planet of its own, separate from Earth. Pakiramdam niya ay magkaiba ang mga tao sa lugar at ang mga tao sa city.
Nana was indeed in love with Tesoro more than anything else—maybe not as much as he was in love with Kasper, but this fell under a different category for sure. Malaking factor din naman na matangkad si Sebastian, mas nagbabago ang perspective niya sa paligid ngayon.
Para siyang naging punong-kahoy at naging broader bigla ang paningin.
Now that she thought about it, Sebastian was her first piggyback ride—she'd never been on anyone's back before, not even a girls'. It didn't seem like such a big deal now, aware naman siyang para siyang may dalang plague kung paano siya iwasan ng mga schoolmates niya dati.
It felt nice—having someone carry you like this and showing you a new perspective of the world. It might seem like a simple gesture to others, but for Nana, everything was a first. Kahit ang bare minimum para sa iba ay malaking bagay sa kanya.
"Nakikinig ka paba?"
"What did you say?" Napakurap siya nang maraming beses nang lumitaw ulit ang boses nito. Agad siyang nahiya, nawala siya bigla sa nang malunod na naman sa kakaisip. Nasapo niya ang sariling noo, dahilan para matawa si Sebastian.
