My American Love

Chapter 6: Hit By Accident

I'm staring at my coffee maker waiting for my coffee to get brewed.

It's my day off today and tomorrow. I have no work on weekends. The office is close on weekends because weekends is for open houses. And here, in California employees can only work 5 days a week. Pero it still depends on what job you have.

I turned on my radio and listen to my music, dancing, singing while preparing my breakfast. I just put it on my microwave. And set it for 5 minutes. I grab my coffee and smell the aroma and sip on it.

"Buenas noche."

I answered Anthony's video call while eating my breakfast.

"I won't buy food." He said.

"Por que?"

Anthony and I buy our apartment food on weekends together. And that's our plan for today.

"My boyfriend brought a lot of food already." He showed me the brown bags and his boyfriend that currently on his ref, "Say hi to Belle."

"Hola."

"Como se Ilama usted?"

"me Ilamo Juan."

"John." Anthony said.

"Mucho gusto."

I know Anthony have a boyfriend but I forget his name. He walk and put the camera in front so I can see his face.

"Lo siento Belle, but if you need someone to be with I can come I just won't buy."

I smiled, "Estoy bien. Gracias."

I know some Spanish words dahil na rin kay Anthony and from other Mexican friends, kasi kung sa Pilipinas, English ang second language. Dito sa America, Spanish. Kaya naman may alam ako kahit paano, minsan nga naiintindihan ko sila dahil may ibang words sa kanila sa words din sa Tagalog.

Pagkatapos kong kumain ay kinuha ko ang coffee ko at tumayo para magpababa ng kinain. I'm on my T-shirt, underwear, I look at the pictures on the wall of my bed and immediately smile when I saw him. Para kong fan girl, bes.

**

I started to grab the foods and toiletries I need for my apartment. I look at the list I made before I went here while slowly pushing my cart. I am independent, I can take care of myself. Sa tatlong taon na nandito ko, ang dami kong pinagdaanan, kumain ng cup noodles sa isang buwan, minsan isang beses lang ang kain sa isang araw. That's was me years ago, nung nagsisimula pa lang ako. My dad is already on south California at that time
and I'm already living in north by myself. I was 18 that time, and I am 20 now, I can say that I am strong enough on my own to deal with whatever life throws at me.

Sa tulong na rin ng kaibigan, kakilala, kaya naman I said to myself that I will be a person who's there for her friends and family when they need me. And someone who can motivate others, leads by example and shows them a way when their stumbling on their own path. Tulad nung kambal, ni Uno at Dos. They are new immigrants and we help them to find a job, kami ang naging connection nila because it's all about connection in American. Not always, but nowadays.

I also like that in the United States, nobody is above or below you socially. Someone might think they're above you, but in the end Americans will not hesitate to personally call out an asshole, whether that asshole happens to be Bill Gates, Hilary Clinton, Donald Trump or the guy from the trailer park a few blocks away.

I put down my list and my eyes automatically went to the guy in front of me. He's blocks away. Malayo. He's on the fruit and vegetables while on on the toiletries. And I don't know I remember the guy on the airplane. I'm unconcerned with where he is but I think of him.

I wish I was thinking of anything else, Beaches, mountains, the cute barista at the coffee shop I go to, Data base, why orange is orange, There's so much I could think of. Endless options, really. But I always think of him.

I just close my eyes and breath in and out and shrugged it off. I'm just need to grab some coffee and tea and I'm done with my list but the way to the place I need to go is packed. Bakit ang daming tao? Ah, weekend nga pala. Pagkakuha ko ng kailangan ko ay agad kong binalikan ang cart ko at naglakad papunta sa cashier. I was walking slow because I'm making sure I grab all the things I need ng may bumanga ng cart ko. Nahulog yung mga pack ng tissues na nasa ibabaw ng cart ko.

"I'm sorry."

Halos pati ako mahulog. Si crush!

He look at me and we our both look surprised seeing each other, he smile, "Oh, hey, airplane girl."

"You live here in Sacramento?" I asked.

"I can say yes, I live in Elk Grove." He put my things that fell on the floor in his cart. "I'll put it here for a while, you're on your way to the cashier, right?"

Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento.

Sabay kaming naglakad papunta sa pila ng cashier pinauna niya ako sa pila dahil "Ladies first" daw. I can't believe it. he's freaking living here. Hindi ko siya kinakausap dahil wala naman kaming pag uusapan. We're not friends, we're just strangers who met on the plane. He help me with my brown bags to put in my trunk kahit kaya ko naman. Bayad daw sa pag bungo niya ng cart ko. At wala rin naman siyang binili masyado, he just got a one brown bag while I got five. Siya nga yung nakita ko kanina. We said our goodbyes, I'm about to take off my eyes on him when he turn around,

He look at me, "What a small world..."

It feels strange.

Nagsimula siyang maglakad pagkatapos niyang sabihin yun, he waves his hand, at sinundan ko lang siya ng tingin. The only thing that feels strange is the excitement I have about seeing him again. I don't want to turn that off. I don't want to run away from it. He already said it, its a small world. And we are both living on the same country, same state, same city.