What happened, Charlie?

What happened, Charlie?

I am taking up my last year in college. Second degree ko na ito. I joined the drama club to keep myself busy. I just got into a break-up. A month without him is pure hell. He was not my first, but I knew ---- that day that I met him, that he's gonna be my greatest love.

----

It was a rainy Saturday when I got a call from my Senior high adviser. Her name is Maria Crisostomo- Natividad. She asked if I could arrange a reunion for our batch, and I gladly said yes.

That day, I met a guy.

He was wearing a navy blue poloshirt.

His hair was disheveled.

His eyes were wandering.

And then they find mine.

That moment, I met my greatest love.

"Iniisip mo na naman ba si Charlie? I swear you have to be super occupied this year. Hindi enough ang drama club para makalimutan mo sya." I looked up and saw my bestfriend placing her books on the table.

I smiled at her, "Bestfriend instinct mo ba ang gumagana ngayon, Seandra?"

She sighed, "I love you so much, bestfriend..."

Dahan-dahan syang lumapit sa akin. His eyes were still looking at mine. He has this lopsided grin on his face. I swear my eyes were blinded by the light he produces. Alam nyo yung feeling na para kang nasa isang fairytale, tapos biglang dumating yung prince charming mo. Bumaba sya mula sa kabayong sinasakyan nya, at awtomatikong tumibok yung puso mo. Kulang nalang literal na mapanganga ka. You placed your hand above your eyebrows para maprotektahan ang mata mo sa ilaw na nagliliwanag habang sinusuklay ni prince charming ang kanyang buhok gamit ang kamay nya.

That was the same feeling that I felt when I saw him walking towards my direction. When he was already in front of me, lalo ko lang nakita kung gaano kaganda ang features nya.

"Hello," he said. He extended his right hand to me. We shook hands at napakislot ako dahil sa kung anong bagay na naramdaman ko.

"Hi..." sabi ko. It was almost a whisper. Ni hindi ko na masigurado kung narinig nya ba iyon. Napasinghap nalang ako noong hinalikan nya ang kamay na mismong ginamit ko sa handshake na nangyari.

"I am Charlie Agustin."

Charlie.

His name was Charlie.

I still remember the look on your face during the night that we met. I can still remember your eyes that shone so bright back then. But right now, they look lost. They are not shining anymore. The eyes that I loved back then.. those are the eyes that I fear right now. What happened, Charlie?

I closed my mac after typing my 30th letter to him. I heaved a sigh and tried to smile as I think of the memories we had. Sure, I am moving on. But that doesn't mean that I cannot -- that I won't reminisce what we had, what we created, and what we both felt that night of our first meeting.

"Sixth grader ako nuong una akong makatapak sa guidance. My mother was really devastated noon, ha. Who wouldn't be upset and so mad kung malaman mong nangbugbog ang anak mong 11 years old nang isang junior? Diniretso pa nga iyong junior na nabugbog ko noon, eh. My mother paid all his hospital bills tapos pumunta kami sa bahay nila after para makapag-sorry."

"And then what happened?" tanong ko.

He shrugged, "The junior quitted high school. They blamed me. And then one day I went to his family's house. Luckily, wala ang parents nya noon. Nag-doorbell ako. At pagkabukas nya ng pintuan, sinuntok ko sya.. and then I left."