Letters from Spring Street

Chapter 6.2

Chapter 6.2

(Sometime in 2002)

"Tisoy! Ano ba nababasa tayo, san ba tayo pupunta?" Maine asks as she is being whisked away by uptight Richard, their clothes soaked in the rain.

"Basta, kapit ka lang. We're almost there." Richard replies, his hand now firmly clasped around hers as they maneuver their way through the hotel garden.

They finally reached their destination, and the two children did their best to dry themselves off—scrunching up their clothes to get rid of the excess water. As Maine was drying off her hair, she finally took a look around and her eyes widen a bit. Richard has taken her to the hotel's greenhouse—found beyond the garden maze and the fountai. It was not necessarily accessible to every one, it was his mother's hidden sanctuary.

But Menggay didn't need to know that.

The greenhouse was filled with plants and bushes all in this magnificent shade of green, rows and rows of flowers in full bloom. Maine found herself wordlessly going around the greenhouse, a half-hearted smile slowly creeping on her face. "Tisoy, why haven't you taken me here before? Sobrang ganda dito."

"I dunno." He replies, scratching his nape, "I guess I wanted to wait for the most perfect, sunniest day to take you here. That you'd like it best that way... you know for your sketches..."

He looks at his feet, and continued stuttering, "But I guess the greenhouse looks okay even with the rain and all..."

"It looks perfect, Tisoy." She walked back to him, and he noticed her smile slowly becoming brighter by the second.

"Tingin mo ba, magkakaayos pa ung parents ko?"

"Pwede naman mangyari yun, Menggay. Nothing is really set in stone." He looked at her, searching for the right words to say, "But whatever happens, you have to be strong for you and for your parents. You have to understand that they won't love you any less if they...you know.." Richard stumbled on his words, unwilling to say them out loud, as he sees quiet tears brimming again around her eyes.

Without hesitation, Richard went out of his comfort zone and held her in an embrace, patting her back once in a while. "I'm here for you, Menggay. It's going to be okay."

Minutes pass, and Maine's tears have subsided, her eyes finally dry. She sits beside him quietly, while he wracks his brain to come up with ways to distract her, to get her mind off what she inadvertently witnessed earlier.

"What do you wanna be when you grow up??"

She lifts her gaze up to him, "Huh?"

Richard wanted to slap himself silly—here was his friend, clearly devastated, and that was the best he could come up with? "I meant, uhm, do you plan on pursuing, uhm, sketching? I mean, you know, in the future?"

Man this is hard.

He was surprised when she let out a chuckle, "Tisoy, don't try so hard. You're already doing a great job as it is. Malaki na natulong mo sakin just by being here." She smiles at him warmly, "But to answer your question, baka hindi rin?"

"Why's that?"

"Hindi ko pa naman talaga alam kung ano yung gusto ko gawin eh. Yung drawings ko, hobby lang un."

"Pero ang ganda talaga ng mga drawing mo eh. If you pursue that, you'll go places, I'm sure of it."

"Kaso nga lang, may family business din kami." Maine replied, looking down on her hands, clutching her small backpack containing her sketchbook. "Baka mag-aral na lang din ako ng business para matulungan si Mama. Yun naman ang importante, di ba?"

Richard looks at her intently and is reminded of his own predicament.

"I know exactly what you mean, Menggay." Yet he sincerely hoped that she wouldn't end up the way he always thought he would. "Your parents will love you unconditionally, hindi ba? No matter what choice you make in the future, susuportahan ka nila. I'm sure of that." He reached out and pat her hand gently, "So kid, when you finally find out what you want to do, just go ahead and do it. It may not be easy, but I'm sure it'll be worth it."

"You talk like you're in your thirties, Tisoy." She laughs, "Ten years old ka lang ba talaga? Parang hindi naman." Maine had figured he was uptight, but she didn't know he could be so wise too.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, "Totoo naman yun di ba? So promise me na gagawin mo yun."

She smiled at him, "Sige. I promise." She replies, holding out her hand for him to shake, "But dapat, ikaw rin!"

"It's not that easy, Menggay."

"I know. You said that already. Pero sabi mo di ba, it'll be worth it?" She beams at him, and he watches her open the greenhouse window.

The clouds were dark, and the rain was relentless. It annoyed him how his clothes were drying ever so slowly, and how humid it was becoming inside the greenhouse. He anticipated the sniffles, and hoped Menggay wouldn't catch a cold. He knew he'd always pick a hot summer's day over a rainy one. Brighter days are better. But as Richard stared at Menggay in front of him—eyes closed, hands extended out of the greenhouse's window, this contagious smile on her face as the raindrops fall unto her tiny hands, all he could think about was how the rain wasn't so bad after all.