And You Became My Favorite Track

Chapter 4

I'm trying.

With school starting in just four days, I could feel reality settling in, piece by piece. It wasn't an instant rush of excitement or dread; instead, it was a slow acceptance, like I was finally allowing myself to ease into the idea.

I was letting go of the resistance I'd felt since I left Vigan, It felt strange for a bit because I was trying to accept what's coming but of course, naroon pa rin ang takot at pangamba.

There was a kind of calm in giving in to the inevitable. Yet, mixed in with that calm, I felt something else—a hint of curiosity peeking out.

Baka effect ito ng pakikipagusap ko kay Beatrice. I should talk to her often kasi mas nagiging comfortable ako.

To help myself more, kailangan kong ifamiliarize ang sarili ko rito sa condo. Iyan ang sinabi ko sa sarili ko.

I want this place to feel a little less foreign, maybe even find some sense of familiarity in all this change. So I take a slow walk around, letting my footsteps guide me as I try to memorize every hallway, corner, and detail that might help ground me here.

Kulang nalang ay sabihin ko rin sa pader; "Ay, pader".

I went out of our place and wander through the building, taking in the stairways, the narrow halls, being observant.

People here knew what they were doing. The sounds of doors opening and closing as they go about their day. Sana ako rin someday.

The lobby is quiet, almost too clean and polished, with a faint hum of life just beyond the glass doors.

Outside, I catch views of the city painted with different hues—the towering buildings, the cars weaving through narrow streets, people passing by in a rush.

Lahat sila rito ay nagmamadali, Manila looked like a place where no one stood still.

It's a different pace from the steady rhythm of Vigan; there's an energy here, a pulse that seems to echo everywhere.

Hindi ako sanay sa ganitong kaingay na lugar na kahit ba gabi na, ang ingay ingay pa rin ng paligid.

So I keep walking, letting the unfamiliar start to become familiar, hoping that each step will bring me closer to feeling a hint of comfort. I should do this to make this place feel a little less intimidating.

This is my world now, at least for the time being, and all I can do is try to make it my own, even if it's just by learning the turns of a hallway or the view from the lobby windows.

Naalala ko muli na enrolled na ako at bigla akong napapaisip sa mga bagay na mangyayari this school year.

Sinimulan kong tanungin ang sarili ko.

"What would it be like? Who would I meet?" I said to myself.

The unknown was unnerving, but also strangely intriguing.

Maybe, just maybe, there was something worth discovering in this new page.

Pabalik na ako sa unit namin when I found two women standing in the living room, quietly arranging things.

One of them looked up and smiled warmly and both of them seemed familiar dahil sila rin ang mga kasama ni Mom na sumundo sa akin sa terminal nung nakaraan. Pero wala sila nung umaga bago kami magpa enroll ah? Kaya I thought they were mom's friends, just accompanying her sa pag-abang sa akin.

"Hi, Sir Rylle, ako si Gina at ito naman si Myrna, kami po ang makakasama ninyo ni Maam dito sa unit." sabi ng isang babae.

She looks like she's in her 30's. Myrna, n the other hand, looks younger, maybe in her early twenties, and a little shy.