Dear Mr. Otaku (Completed)

Dos

There's still a tiny part of me that says, 'Caution!' every time I take to the streets.

I've been a naturally cautious person, yung tipong laging nag-iisip muna at nag-aanalyze bago mag-commit sa kahit anong kaliit-liitang bagay dahil ayoko ng sine-second-guess ang choices ko. This natural instinct has kept my life in perfect clock-work until that fateful day when I met her.

I wont deny the fact that her presence in my life started the cascade of things that destroyed my perfect schedule. Marami akong bagay na hindi ginagawa ang aking nagawa para kay Dianne. Perhaps I was actually waiting for her all my life. I was waiting for the one who would make me not just exist, but to feel alive.

It is so very easy to exist. Just take the basic motions of eating, breathing, studying, sleeping, working... All these things can constitute an existence, but being alive and finding meaning to all these activities is something that people rarely get the chance to do. I've seen it all around me. The blind automatons living and working just to earn a living, yet fail to actually live in the moment. Soon they will be old, soon they will realize that all the money they have amassed will go to some health care facility and they cannot enjoy the years left because they've wasted the best of their years in making a living but not being entirely alive.

I keep in mind this tiny reminder everyday. A year of being away did the opposite for me. I think I was asleep for my whole life and I sprang to wakefulness in the time that I was away. All it took was one conversation with Kuya Ali, and I decided to live my life without fear anymore.

The world is waiting for anyone. All you need is to take a step outside of your comfort zone.

The world outside the glass of my windshield tunnelled until it was one frightening point. Everything else was blurred by the sudden downpour. The screams of the onlookers were drowned out by the deluge from the skies. I can see flashes of light and hear the intermittent rumble of thunder. But nothing else matters but the moment.

I pushed the overdrive button and stepped on the gas. The BRZ's rear wheel drive and lighter mass made it almost fly on the deserted road.

I just need this one last race. An image of Dianne flashed before my eyes. She's waiting for me. Ayoko nang matakot siya ulit dahil delikado ang ginagawa namin nila Kuya Alfredo at Andrew. We've won three of our four races tonight; Kuya Alfredo doing a back-to-back race on his Lady. The last race is mine.

I could feel the tires slip and slide due to the rain. The red Honda Accord beside mine had a lot more bulk than my car. I may be faster but I needed so much more control just to keep the car from careening to the side.

170kph.

The seconds tick by in a blur. I can see the bright lights of the finish line.

Napabuga ako ng hangin ng maramdaman ko ang pagbangga ng Accord sa rear ng aking BRZ.

Fuck!

Nagiging desperado na ang aking kalaban at gumagamit ng dirty tactics. I tried to gain more speed pero nahihirapan ako sa lakas ng hangin at dulas ng kalsada. I could see him flash his headlights in quick succession. He is using the super white high beam to blind me.

Pinaekis ko si Midori sa kalsada to get him off my tail at maiwasan ang headlights niya. The move also made sure he can't get past me. I hate driving like this but this guy is surely pissing me off.

300 meters to the finish line.

I felt another jolt and heard the crunch of metal against metal. Searing pain lanced through my head. Shit. My car spun in a 360-degree spin. I could feel something warm drip down on my t-shirt. The forward momentum of the car hasn't slowed a bit and I slammed a second time on the gutter. I can see the Accord's tail lights flash as if to taunt me.