Keeping the Memories

7 //

"Bakit ka aalis?"

"Kailangan na naming pumunta sa States. Sabi ni Mommy."

"Mamimiss kita."

"Mamiss din kita."

"Aalis ka ba talaga?"

"Oo."

And then I woke up. That's strange. Nanaginip na naman ako.

Wait. Those lines are sooo familiar. Hindi ko nga lang maalala kung saan ko narinig yun. Basta I'm very sure na I've heard those lines before.

Bumangon na ako sa kama ko tsaka as usual, gumala after ko makapagbihis.

Sa mall parin ako nagpunta.

I've realized na naubusan na pala ako ng cash so I went to an ATM machine para maglabas ng pera.

Wala namang pila.

I stood in front of the ATM machine for quite long kasi hinanap ko pa yung ATM card ko.

Just when I was about to enter my card, may sumingit sakin.

Tinignan ko kung sino ang mapangahas na walang modong taong sumingit sakin. Isang gwapong mukha naman ang bumungad sakin.

He looks so familiar though.

"Hey Memory, nice seeing you here."

He smiled pero yung kind ng smile na nang-aasar.

He knows me.

Freak it. Ilang beses ko na kayang naexperience yung ganito? Yung may nakakakilala sakin pero ako, clueless kung sino sila.

Para sa mga normal na tao, para siyang yung moment na may pumansin sayo like, "uyy, kamusta na mama/papa mo?," "dalaga ka na pala ngayon ah" and you're like "who the hell are you?" (sa isipan lang, of course). Then only to find out na relative mo pala yung taong yun.

Spell awkward?

"Ahh .. Hehehehe."

A fake laugh was all I answered.

I don't know this freakin guy anyway.

"There you go again. You act like you don't know me."

Sabi niya.

Aba, ang malas naman ng nilalang na to.

Palagi ba niya akong nakikita? Nakakasalubong? Kaibigan ko kaya tong lalakeng to?

Imposible.

I don't have any friends.

"Dapat ka nang masanay ssa ganito."

Sabi ko nalang.

I gave way for him to withdraw properly.

"So, what are you doing here?"

He asked.

Hindi ako sumagot. Baka kasi hindi ako ang kausap niya. Baka may kausap siya sa phone. Alam mo naman, ang technology, kakaiba. 

"Hey Memory, I'm asking if what are you doing here."

Ayy, ako pala talaga ang kausap niya.

"Wala naman. Napadaan lang."

Sagot ko.

"Hey, I have a question."

Sabi niya then he leaned towards the wall habang naka-cross arms pa. Model ang peg.

"Ano yun?"

"So, you said before na you don't go to school because dahil may problema sa utak mo. We went to the hospital the other day because you suddenly had a bad headache but then the doctor saw no sign of brain illness in your test results. How is that possible? Did you lie or the test results wasn't accurate?"

Gulp. I don't even know this guy and now he's telling me things na hindi ko alam kung nangyari ba talaga o ano. 

I went to the hospital with him?

I had a bad headache?

I told him I have a brain problem?

Wait. Baka nananaginip na naman ako.

"I .. actually .. uhh .. need .. to .. uhh .. pee right now."

I said tsaka ko dali-daling kinuha yung pera galing sa ATM machine.

Pero bago pa man ako makahakbang isang isang step, hinablot niya ang wrist ko.

"Bakit ka aalis?"

"Kailangan na naming pumunta sa States. Sabi ni Mommy."

"Mamimiss kita."

"Mamiss din kita."

"Aalis ka ba talaga?"

"Oo."

Wait. Wait. Wait. 

Eto yung sa panaginip ko ha. Bakit bigla na namang nagflash sa utak ko?

"Sino ka ba talaga?"

Hindi ko napigilang itanong sakanya.

"Are you a witch or something? A demigod? A werewolf? A vampire? Do you have superpowers?"

Sunod-sunod na mga tanong ko.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

Sobrang clueless ang itsura niya na tila ba wala talaga siyang alam sa mga sinasabi ko.

I touched him, his hands to be particular.

Pero wala akong naramdaman. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

"What are you doing?"

Irita niyang tanong.

"Wala. Mali. Ikaw nga, hold my hand."

Utos ko sakanya.

"What for?"

Pure cluelessness ang nakaregister sa mukha niya.

"Just hold my hand."

Firm kong sabi.

Hindi naman na siya nagreklamo. He held my hand.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

A girl and a boy flashed in my mind just now.