The Saturday lunch was what Miho promised Pat before: Gyoza and Miso Soup. She made an extra Chicken Karaage, especially for Kiel. Mahilig daw kasi ito sa pritong manok. Pat was the one who deep-fried the chicken thighs while she was busy with the other two dishes. Si Kiel naman ay naupo sa may dining area at pinanuod silang magluto. Pat told him that he could just continue watching Adventure Time, but he said he preferred watching them.
When it was time to eat lunch, Kiel helped with the table-setting. Bago sila nagsimula, nagyaya pa ito na mag-prayer before meals sila. Napansin din ni Miho na disiplinado at malinis itong kumain. Hindi kagaya ng ibang bata na ka-edad niya na sinusubuan pa, he obviously could manage on his own. Habang kumakain sila, tinatanong ni Pat ito tungkol sa pag-aaral. From the way he spoke, he seemed to be a smart kid.
"And how's Aimi?" he asked him. Biglang namula ang pisngi ng bata.
"She's busy with her violin and piano classes," sagot nito na parang nahihiya.
"Ang cute ni Kiel," pabulong na sabi niya kay Pat.
"My nephew's in love. Puppy love, that is." He forked a piece of chicken and placed it on her plate. Kiel did the same and smiled at her. Hindi niya napigilang mapangiti rin pagkatapos niyang magpasalamat sa dalawa. Bigla niya kasing naisip na baka paglaki ni Kiel ay maging kapareho ito ni Pat.
---
After lunch, they helped Kiel in doing his homework in Filipino. Nasanay raw kasi itong kausapin ng ina ng Ingles at manuod ng English cartoons kaya naman medyo hirap ito magsalita. But he could definitely understand Tagalog; hindi pa nga lang malawak ang bokabularyo nito.
Afterwards they played a bit. Niyaya kasi sila nitong maglaro ng "Hello-Hello": A roleplaying game of toys— ito raw ang karaniwang nilalaro nila ni Aimi sa mga Barbie at stuffed toys nito.Si Lightning McQueen ng Cars ang kay Kiel, sa kanya naman pinahiram ang Siberian Husky na laruan at kay Pat naman ang malaking Rilakkuma bear na binili nito. The sight of the two playing was enjoyable.
When he went to the bathroom, Miho remembered to ask about the drawings.
"Ano yung sinasabi mong drawings ni Tito Pat mo?"
Tumayo ito at tumakbo sa may sofa. Hinalungkat nito ang magazine rack sa tabi nito at dali-daling bumalik sa kanya, sa may kama, para ipakita ang mga ginuhit ni Pat. Those were rough sketches of her, ang iba dito ay ang bersyon ng itsura niya nuong mga nakaraan pang taon. The date was written under his signature, an evidence that he drew some of it almost three years ago. Yung iba naman nuong nakaraang buwan lang.
"I want to be like him," sabi ng bata sa kanya.
"Magaling at matalino kang bata. Sigurado, kaya mo rin maging kagaya niya."
He smiled at her as if he understood what she completely meant. Paglabas ni Pat ng banyo ay agad siya nitong nilapitan at tinignan ang hawak-hawak niyang sketchpad nito. Napakunot-noo ito at napakamot ng batok.
"Ang ganda ng mga drawing mo. Gumanda ako, ah!" she commented with a laugh.
"Not really."
Tinignan niya ito pero umiwas ito ng tingin.
"Tito Pat, you and Tita Mulan knew each other for about.." Tumingin ito kisame at nagbilang gamit ang daliri. "almost three years?"
He sat beside Kiel and put an arm around him.
"I just saw her once, almost three years ago. Hindi niya ko kilala. Hindi ko parin siya kilala noon," he explained to him. Tumango-tango ito pero halatang may pagtataka sa mukha nito.
BINABASA MO ANG
Yo te Cielo
Historical Fiction{ sequel of ikaw na ang huli } Will Pat and Miho's encounter lead to the fulfillment of a promise that was broken in the 19th century?-or shall their past lives still dictate their destiny to remain as star-crossed lovers until the present time? ...
