Ang mga teachers, staff and other volunteers are paired and roomed together. Incidentally Sarah and Gerald’s room are right next to each other’s. Right after they got themselves settled in their quarters, they and the rest of the kitchen volunteers started getting ready. The students will be arriving at around 9 o’clock and in time for morning mirienda.
Nagsimula ang activities ng mga bata right after their morning snacks. At habang nasa session sila, ang mga staff and volunteers naman ay nasa kanya-kanyang posts. Buong araw na magkasama si Sarah at Gerald, madalas ay sa loob ng kusina. Pero kahit sa mga sandaling free time nila ay sila na rin ang magkausap.
That night, after their duties, the volunteers were invited to sit in for the last session of the day. The activity had the students grouped into fours. Each member of the group has to think of a moment in their life, which they feel is like a life-changer for them, and tell the other members of the group about it. A volunteer was then asked to sit in one group to serve as facilitator. He was assigned to a group with 4 girls in it. He listened to each one of them intently.
When it was time to retire to their respective quarters, lumabas muna si Gerald sa balcony ng kanilang kwarto at naupo sa isang tabi. This balcony extends to both sides making the each room’s balcony connected to one another. At habang nakatanaw sa kalayuan at malalim na nag-iisip ay lumabas naman si Sarah. Hindi nila napansin ang isa’t isa dala na rin siguro ng pareho nilang pag-iisip. Namalayan na lang ni Gerald na may ibang tao pala nang may narinig s’yang malakas na buntong-hininga.
“Ang lalim naman n’un,” he said to her.
“Ay bakla ka!” she exclaimed in surprise then turned to him.
“Ako? Hindi ah. Mukha ba akong bakla?” he kidded.
She started walking towards him and said, “’Wag ka nga nanggugulat.”
He slid a bit to his left to give room for her to sit next to him. “Nagulat din kasi ako sa buntong-hininga mo eh. Naistorbo ang pag-iisip ko.”
“Sorry naman ha. At ano naman ang iniisip mo?”
“Naalala ko lang ‘yung activity kanina nung mga bata. I was thinking of that turning point in my life. It was that day that I got a call from Ate Monique. That was the time she told me that she was sick and will be coming back home to live with me.”
“Bakit naman naging turning point ‘yun sa ‘yo?”
Napangiti muna siya bago n’ya sinagot ang tanong ng dalaga. “Hindi naman kasi ako ganito noon eh.”
