Lena's so excited. Ramdam na ramdam iyon ni Cyrus dahil pahigpit nang pahigpit ang hawak nito sa braso niya habang papalapit sila sa sakayan. There's still one batch left before they get to board.
She was like a child that day. Malayong-malayo sa usual self nito na parang palaging reserved at detached sa mundo. There was so much maturity in Lena's art that he often forgets that she's just 22. He knew that being the eldest child sometimes requires a person to be ahead of their age. Lena must have sacrificed a big chunk of her childhood for her siblings, just like what he did for his. Dahil silang mga panganay ang katuwang ng mga magulang sa pagpapalaki ng mga nakababata nilang kapatid.
Now here in Hong Kong, Lena only has herself to take care of. She can do whatever she wants.
"It's our turn!" she exclaimed excitedly.
She pulled him towards the entrance. Sa may unahan sila naupo. When boarded, he noticed that her hands were shaking.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just a little scared."
"Do you want to get off?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No. It'll pass. Anticipation lang 'to. I get this all the time. Don't worry."
He held her hand tightly. "It's going to be fun," he promised.
--
A few minutes later, pagkababa nila, Lena told him that she wanted to go again. She was so excited that he couldn't tell her no. Pagkatapos ng pangalawa nilang sakay ay pumayag na itong pumunta sa ibang parte ng amusement park.
They headed to Toy Story Land, where there are more rides. A couple of them made Lena scared because they're too high. But she didn't back down. She let out all her fears by screaming her lungs out. Halos paos na ito nang matapos sila. They decided to rest for a while after that.
"Why do you like rides so much? I thought you're afraid of heights."
"I don't know. Maybe the thrill gives me adrenaline rush and overrides my fear of heights?" she answered. "It's different from standing on a really high, unmoving place. Once na malaglag ka kasi sa gano'n, alam mong 'yon na 'yon."
"Fair point."
"I don't like the Ferris Wheel though. It's too slow."
"Kabaliktaran mo naman si Julie. She wouldn't ride anything except the Ferris Wheel."
After taking a rest, pumunta naman sila sa FantasyLand. The Mad Hatter's tea cups made him so dizzy that he wasn't able to join Lena on the other two rides. Naging taga-picture siya pansamantala.
Lena, on the other hand, was still so full of energy after all those rides. It must be the inner kid in her. They did one quick stop at Tomorrowland before heading back to the main street to rendezvous with Julie and Blake.
It was already afternoon by then. Wala pa silang tanghalian. Lena was still munching on a huge cotton candy they bought earlier. They decided to find some place to eat and then go back there to watch the parade.
When Blake returned the camera, it was almost full with pictures. Lena got busy with deleting some of them, with Julie's approval of course. Because her hands were full, he decided to feed her.
"Aww, daddy's feeding his little girl again," Julie teased.
"Shut up," he told his cousin.
He has a caring nature. Everyone in his family does. Siguro ay dahil na rin sa lumaki silang nakikita ang pagiging maalaga ng ina. Maybe that's also why he fell for Joanna before. Mabilis syang ma-attach sa mga taong kailangan ang kalinga niya. Lena may appear to be independent to some, but in reality, she needs to be taken care of. Mas gusto nitong mag-isa para wala itong alalahanin, pero hindi naman nito inaalagaan ng mabuti ang sarili.
