The Sound of a Dream
Pumasok ang isang babae sa loob ng kwartong kinaroroonan ko at huminto sa gitna. Ngumiti siya at nagsalita. "Good morning, class."
Sabay-sabay kaming bumati pabalik sa kanya at nang tumahimik ang buong klase ay muli siyang nagsalita.
"Our topic for today will be about dreams. I want all of you to tell me what you want to become when you grow up." Sabi niya, may malaking ngiti sa kanyang mukha.
My classmates started to talk, and the whole room was immediately filled with voices. I looked at their faces, and they all looked excited. Their eyes were sparkling, and they had big smiles, just like our teacher.
Pero hindi tulad nila, I, on the other hand, don't feel the same. I felt my heart pounding with nerves because of the sudden topic.
A dream. Everyone looks excited to talk about their dreams, but I don't, because... I don't have one.
I've never thought of having one, and this is the first time someone's brought it up, so I'm unprepared. I don't know what I'll tell my teacher once she asks me.
Pinatahimik niya ang mga kaklase ko at tinuro ang nasa dulong upuan sa unahan. Pinatayo niya iyon at tinanong tungkol sa pangarap niya.
"I want to be a pilot," sagot niya habang nakangiti.
Tumango ang teacher namin at ngumiti. "May I know why you want to be a pilot?" she asked.
My classmate's smile widened. "I love airplanes, and I want to ride one when I grow up," he replied.
People who have dreams have different reasons, just like what my classmate said. Becoming a pilot became his dream because he loves airplanes. It's a simple reason, but it gave him the ability to dream—unlike me, who doesn't know what I want or even what I like.
Our teacher continued to ask my classmates. One by one, they stood up from their seats and shared their dreams and the reasons behind them. One wants to be a doctor; another wants to be a nurse, a policeman, a chef, and so on. Each time I hear their dreams, I can't help but feel envy. Mabuti pa sila, may mga pangarap. Mabuti pa sila, habang bata pa sila, alam na nila ang gusto nila.
Habang papalapit nang papalapit sa akin ang teacher namin ay palakas naman nang palakas ang tibok ng puso ko.
"I want to become a teacher because I want to be like you, Ma'am. I want to teach people." That answer made our teacher smile, and she gently ruffled my classmate's hair before turning her attention to me.
And that made my heart pound even louder. There's nothing really wrong with the way she's looking at me. It's to be expected—of course she'd be interested in her students' dreams—but I suddenly feel suffocated by her gaze. It's making my heart pound louder and faster, and it's leaving me breathless.
"How about you, Wynther? What is your dream?" she asked.
Pinilit kong tumayo kahit nararamdaman ko ang panginginig ng mga tuhod ko. Isinara at ibinuka ko ang mga kamay ko, sinusubukang pakalmahin ang naghuhuramentado kong puso.
"Hmm?" She murmured, waiting for my answer, but I couldn't give her one.
This is something so simple. I could just lie and tell her anything, but for some reason, no words would come out of my mouth. I just stood there, frozen in place.
Iniwas ko ang tingin mula sa mga mata niyang puno ng expectation at tinignan ang buong paligid. My classmates were looking at me with the same expectant eyes, and that only made me feel worse.
Napalunok ako at muling ibinalik ang tingin sa teacher namin na nasa harapan ko. Marahan niyang ginulo ang buhok ko, na ikinagulat ko.
"It's okay, Wynther. You don't have to answer my question. You may sit down now," she said, at nagtungo sa katabi ng upuan ko.
BINABASA MO ANG
Strings of Memory
Roman pour Adolescents"Hating the one thing you love is a pain worse than losing it." - Wynther Fynne Clemenceau Wynther never had a dream-until he heard his father play the bass. In that moment, music became his purpose, his passion, his future. He dreamed of standing o...
