I Brought My Heart To Hong Kong

Chapter Thirteen: Beautiful

Chapter Thirteen
Beautiful

I'm proud to say my grandmother's a keeper of her words.

Ilang araw mula ang huling bisita namin sa Meraki, binigyan niya na naman akong ng pagkakataong makabisita ulit. This time, with my friends.

Isang gabi, nagsabi na lang siyang may reservation kami sa isang Italian restaurant kinabukasan tapos pwede raw kaming pumasok sa nightclub sa gabi! To make it even more remarkable, sumabay pa ang araw sa monthsary nila Chloe at Won.

"Just think about it as treat," Lola assured. "I want you to enjoy the rest of the stay without thinking of anything but fun."

In that same night, I was reading the law book I brought while Jayden is beside me, drafting some patterned sketches. Alam kong weird para makita kaming ganito pero nakokonsensya ako tuwing nakikita ko siyang nag-aaral.

And college is no joke. If we wanted to survive, we better start armoring ourselves.

Isang chapter pa lang ang natatapos ko nang isara ko na agad ang libro. Gusto ko sanang mag-review ng accounting pero mas excited akong aralin ang law kasi puro basa lang muna at intindi.

"Tapos ka na agad?" Nagawa pa akong tanungin ni Jayden kahit busy siya. Tumango ako saka sumilip mula sa balikat niya. Tiningnan ko ang dino-drawing niya. There were parallel lines draw vertically, horizontally, and any other direction possible.

"Article 1156 of Civil Code of the Philippines. Obligation is a juridical necessity to give, to do and not to do," I sang the first article, na nag-iisang nakabisado ko ata.

"What does that mean?" he commanded.

I raised my brows to him. "Magdrawing ka na nga lang diyan at 'wag mo akong tanungin."

"I'm listening, Almira."

"So what, Jayden?"

"You read and you didn't digest anything?"

"Who told you I did not?" hamon ko as I sighed. "Fine." I rolled my eyes to him habang siya seryoso lang sa ginawa niya. "The law speaks of obligation as a juridical necessity. Why juridical necessity? Because if it so happens that the debtor, the one who is obliged to perform the obligation, failed to comply with his/her obligation, the creditor, the one who has the right to demand for its fulfillment, can demand the compliance of it in the court of law."

Sa hinaba-haba ng sagot ko, hindi siya kumbinsido.

"That's just about juridical necessity." Jayden peeked at me. "You said an obligation is to give, to do or not do," he began. Umayos ako ng upo at nakinig sa kaniya. "Bakit walang to not give?"

Napahinto ako sa tanong. Binalikan niya ng atensyon ang ginuguhit niya.

Paano niyang naisip 'yon?

For quite a few seconds, I thought about it. Why was it not included? An obligation not to give is still an obligation. Not to give... Not to do.

Oh.

"It wasn't mentioned in Article 1156 because an obligation to not give.." Huminto siya para tingnan ako. ".. is already under the obligation to not do."

"Then why is the obligation to give not the same as the obligation to do?"

Sinimangutan ko siya. "'Yung totoo? Lawyer ka ba sa past life mo? Kung makatanong ka, hindi 'to recit, Jayden."

"Lawyers are harsher," he said. "You're not even sweating at me."

I sneered at him. Binalikan ko ang tanong niya. "Obligation to give involves performing the delivery of a thing. Obligation to do involves performing acts of service. They differ in the object."