Found

Chapter 19 - Cake and Conversation (Part 2)

"Dig in, Belle. Hindi ko naman pinagdadamot ang cake." Nakatingin lang kasi ako sa kanya habang hinahati niya ang cake. Nakagawa na ako ng kape at binigay sa kanya ang isang mug. Siya naman ay at home na at home na sa bahay at alam na niya kung saan kukuhanin ang platito at utensils. "Uy kain."

Tumango lang ako at kumuha ng piraso ko at ngumiti siya sa akin. Hinintay ko muna siyang sumubo at tila bata itong excited na tikman ang cake. He smiled at me before he opened his mouth. He chewed slowly intentionally, I guessed. I was watching his reaction from his boyish excitement of taking the first bite, the wide eye expression as he took the bite and the smile across his face while he was chewing it. I felt a certain kind of something inside my chest. I cannot explain it but that feeling made me happy.

"Dark chocolate. This is really delicious, Belle. Thank you." Salita niya matapos ay humigop ng kape. "The best with your coffee." Iniripan ko na lang siya. That was instant coffee. "Thank you for the gift, Belle."

Tumango na lang ako. I ate a piece of the cake and was satisfied on how it turned out. Thank goodness hindi ako pumalpak or else...I think I will still have that same sweet compliment from Eki. I remembered the solid rock cookies I experimented before. He ate it eventhough it almost cost him a tooth.

"What are you thinking?" Tumingin ako sa kanya. "You were smiling."

"Nothing." Tingin ko sa kanya at irap. "Something I remembered and it is none of your business." He laughed. Napatitig lang ako sa tawa niya. It is not a crime to tell myself that I have missed that laugh. It has been eight weeks since I heard it in person. It is not a sin to miss it!

"Ang taray mo talaga."

"This is me, take me or leave me." Pagtataray ko. He smiled and nodded.

"Alam mo ba na walang pangalan kung galing kanino ang cake mo?" Tumitig ako sa kanya pagkasabi niya. Doon ko lang natanto. Oo nga no?

"How did you find out it was from me?"

"Dahil sa Happy Bday Eki." Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay.

"What so special about that? I think the other cakes have that."

"They sure have but they usually wrote my name Hezekiah. Not Eki. Ikaw lang ang tumatawag sa aking Eki sa opisina." Ay oo nga. "At isa pa, the cake box smelled like you." He winked at me. Nag-init naman ang mukha ko sa sinabi niya. Kaamoy ko? Is that a good smell or bad? "Joke lang. I found out because of Eki." He sliced another piece of cake. Napangiti ako. "Ang sarap kasi. Birthday ko naman." Napangiti naman ako sa sinabi niya at sa tono nito na tila guilty.

"You can eat it all. Sa'yo naman talaga iyan." Kumain na lang siya like he was the happiest kid at ngayon lang siya nakakain ng cake. Naalala ko naman si Eki dati. His Mom would always baked him a simple cake on his birthday. They didn't have much in life but the two of them were happy. Kaya nga nagustuhan ko rin magbake dahil na rin sa Mom niya. She would always let me helped her. Kahit na mas nagkakalat lang ako kesa makatulong. But she was very patient of me just like Eki. When he was about to be seventeen his mother died. Noone bake a simple cake for him on his birthday. So even if his birthday was over for weeks I tried, I tried to bake him a small cake with the help of our helpers at home. Nagpunta siya sa amin noon kinagabihan together with a white man as old as Daddy, he looked like Eki, now I realized he might be Eki's father. That was the last time I saw Eki. He said goodbye and left with the white man. He told me he'll keep in touch...but he didn't. And...and I didn't have the opportunity to give him the cake.

"What are you thinking?" Kaagad naman akong natauhan ng marinig ko siya.

"No-nothing." Iling ko. I saw him slicing another piece. "Akala ko ba nagdinner ka na with Liv pero bakit ang dami mo pa rin kinakain cake?"