I THINK I LOVE YOU

CHAPTER SEVEN

LUCAS

"BAKIT ang tahimik mo?"

"May iniisip lang ako."

"Babae?"

Kunot-noo akong napatingin kay Blue. "May psychic powers ba ang isang ito?"

"Bakit parang gulat na gulat ka? Iisang rason lang naman kung bakit nagkakaganyan ang mga lalaki e, babae. So, tell me who's the unfortunate lady?"

"'Tado ka talaga Blue." Tumawa lang ito. It's been weeks nang huli kaming mag-usap ni Joie, kung pag-uusap nga ang tawag do'n, since it's purely business.

"May tanong ako. Paano ba kayo nanunuyo ng babae?"

"What? Are you nuts pare? Don't tell me wala ka ng tiwala sa gandang lalaki mo?"

"Shut up, Clydas. I'm dead serious."

"Hmmm, bakit mo naman naisipang manuyo ng babae? Usually it goes the other way around."

"Dahil kailangan."

"Bakit nga?"

I have no choice but to tell the story.  Blue already knew that the woman I am talking about was Joie. Ito ang saksi kung paano ako naging malupit noon kay Joie. Clydas on the other hand, just  shook his head and smirked as I finished telling the whole story.

"So, ano ngayon ang gusto mong mangyari?"

"Gusto ko siyang suyuin."

"What for? To make it all up to her?" I nodded.

"Alam mo pare, mahirap iyan lalo na't naging napakalupit mo sa kanya noon."

"I know Blue, kaya ko nga kayo tinatanong kung anong klaseng panunuyo ang gagawin ko."

"Just apologize to her. Tell her how sorry you were and that you are willing to do everything to patch things up."

To be honest that's the first thing that came up into my mind. I felt really sorry for what I did to her before and I know I have to apologize. I owe it to her. But I am also certain that it wouldn't be easy. Joie may be selfless, but I know she had changed. I felt it when I hugged her.

"Or maybe if you don't feel the connection, then you can always go with traditional. Give her flowers, chocolates, even letters and teddy bears. In that way baka lumambot ang puso niya at maging magkaibigan kayo."

Joie used to love flowers. Nakita ko noon kung paano nitong alagaan ang isang simpleng gumamela. She even got mad at me kung paano kong itinapon na lamang basta ang mga bulaklak na ibinigay nito sa akin. Even after that incident ito pa rin ang kusang lumalapit sa akin --talking to me, telling me about her day, making jokes, asking me how I spend my day, kung may mga assignments ba ako or projects and so on. Kahit ilang beses ko siyang ipagtabuyan noon, kailanman ay hindi siya lumayo. She kept on coming back hanggang sa nasanay ako na palagi lang siyang nandiyan.

"If you were to ask me, apologizing will do." Sabad ni Clydas.

"Kindly elaborate it, Clydas?"

"Think about it this way pare. If you're going to give her those mushy stuffs, don't you think you are giving her false hopes?"

"False hopes?"

"False hopes. Paasa. What if along the way she fell for you again while you were busy doing everything to win her forgiveness? You're a little bit ruthless, aren't you? Especially when you have no intention on catching her when she fall. Think about it pare."

That caught me. I hate how Clydas' mind work, but I could not also deny the sense of his argument. Sa mga sinabi ni Clydas lalo lamang gumulo ang mga bagay-bagay. Totoo ako sa intensiyon ko na humingi ng tawad, but what if mangyari nga ang mga deductions ni Clydas? What am I gonna do?