Gone.
Just like that, Averianov was gone.
Hindi ko siya nakita buong araw ng Lunes, kahit kahapon. Ngayon, hindi na ako umaasa na makikita ko siya. It felt strange, emptier somehow, without the anticipation of seeing him, without that small thrill I'd get whenever I spotted him walking down the hallway or standing at the front of the classroom.
I wanted to ignore the sadness I felt, to brush it off as nothing more than a passing feeling, but it lingered. It was there, gnawing at me like a dull ache. I couldn't keep pretending it wasn't. Miss ko na si sir!
I sighed. Pinaglaruan ko sa aking mga daliri ang hawak na pentel pen habang hinihintay pa si Belle na makaisip ng idadagdag at isusulat ko sa nakalatag na kartolina. Sa kanila ko na ipinaubaya ang pag-iisip at pagbuo ng idea, ako na lang ang taga sulat dahil hindi ako sigurado na may matinong ilalabas ang aking isipan ngayon. Not like this.
"Ito na lang ang idugtong mo, Audrey," hinarap sa akin ni Belle ang kaniyang libro. Naka-highlight doon ang pointers na puwede namin ilagay sa report. "Itong mga unang sentences lang, i-explain naman natin 'yan mamaya during discussion."
"Okay," walang buhay kong sabi. Mulang kinuha ang pentel pen at bumalik na sa ginagawa.
Bea, who was busy cutting out visual decorations for our report, suddenly spoke up. "Alam niyo sabi ni Ken ay narito pa daw si Mr. Yniguez sa school!"
It caught the attention of the entire group. Everyone perked up. Maging ako ay sandaling natigilan sa sinabing iyon ni Bea. Kahit gaano pa ako kakuryoso tungkol kay Averianov ay hindi kailanman ako nagtangka na mang-usisa. Naghihintay lang talaga akong makarinig ng balita tungkol sa kaniya. Kasi naman, hindi niya talaga ako ina-accept sa Instagram! At ngayon nga na nagbukas na si Bea ng usapan tungkol sa kaniya ay pasimple akong nakinig.
I kept my eyes on the paper in front of me, but my ears were all hers, straining to catch every word.
"Ha? Talaga?" Belle asked, her curiosity piqued. She put down her highlighter and leaned in closer. "Akala ko ba tapos na ang pag-sub niya dito?"
May bago siyang sina-sub? Kainggit naman kung ganoon!
Bea nodded eagerly. "Oo nga, 'di ba? Pero sabi ni Ken, nakita raw niya si Mr. Yniguez sa library kahapon. And get this—he's not just hanging around. He's doing some research."
"Research?" Elise chimed in, her scissors pausing mid-cut. "Anong klaseng research?"
Bea shrugged, clearly enjoying the attention her news was getting. Chismosa talaga! Pero since gusto ko ang chismis na dala niya ay susuportahan ko siya ngayon. "Sabi daw ni Ken, it has something to do with biology. Parang may kinalaman sa dissertation niya or something. He's helping the school with some kind of biology research project."
I tried to maintain my facade of disinterest, but inside, my mind was racing. He's still here? The thought of Averianov being around, even if not in our class, sent a thrill through me. I couldn't believe it. Part of me had been sure that he was gone for good, that I wouldn't see him again. But if he was still here, if there was a chance...
"Wow, that's interesting," Belle said thoughtfully. "I didn't know he was still working on his dissertation. Akala ko tapos na siya doon."
Hala? Ang isang 'to naman! Akala mo at nakipagkuwentuhan na kay Averianov para malaman ang mga ganoong bagay. Ulul, Belle!
"I guess not," Bea replied, shrugging again. "Or maybe he's just using this opportunity to gather more data. Alam niyo naman, baka gusto niyang makakuha ng magandang resources dito."
Elise leaned back in her chair, kuhang-kuha ang atensyon basta usapang Averianov. "So, he's like, what? A researcher now? And we just had him as our sub-teacher?"
