Days have rolled by and now, what used to be a bare piece of big land is now decorated with moderate-sized structures that should be able to shelter at least thirty families in about a couple of months time. A new community is about to be born.
Just like the visible progress of the project, unti-unti na ring namumuo ang magandang samahan ng team and Julie couldn't have felt more fulfilled dahil sa ginawa nyang commitment para tumulong.
Napapansin din nyang hindi na masyadong suplado si Elmo although he's still a bit on the quiet side. She also discovered na pwede rin palang makakausap ito ng matino. Simula noong tinulungan nya ito when he was bitten by a snake, tila hindi na sya masyadong inaasar nito. She likes that his suggestive advances have become less and less, pero di rin nya maiwasang ma-miss ang kaharotan nito, which occurred to her, was the only funny side of him. Hindi rin kasi ito halos nagbibiro.
Iniisip mo 'ko ano?
Ay anak ng kalabasa. Nagulat sya sa boses nito. She thought she was alone. Tseh. Galing mo rin pumasok sa eksena ano.
Ngumiti ito. That lopsided smile again.
Yes. You were really thinking about me. Sagot nito na tila seguradong-segurado sa sinabi habang tumango-tango. He then stood next to her.
Maharot ka, Magalona. Alam mo yun? Ganti naman nya dito. She said it in a 'matter-of-factly' way to tell him that she's serious.
Tumingin ito sa kanya at pagkatapos ay kumawala ng tawa.
Really? How so? He said, giggling habang inayos-ayos ang buhok na nililipad ng hangin.
Inirapan nya ito at pagkatapos ay umiling-iling sya.
We'd better end this conversation now. Baka babagsak na naman tayo sa tae nito. She said, trying her best not to smile as her eyes caught his wide grin. Ilang beses na rin kasi silang nagkakwentuhan at madalas napupunta sa walang kwentang bagay ang napag-uusapan nila.
Tumingin ito sa kanya na tila ba binabasa ang mukha nya. Seryoso ang mukha nito and she was surprised when he brushed away strands of hair that covered her face. Ngumiti ulit ito sa kanya and for a moment there, pakiramdam nya ay tila malalim ang iniisip nito habang nakangiti. Iba kasi ang nakikita nya sa mga mata nito.
It's ok to talk shit, Julie. Basta ok ang kasama mo, ok na rin ang usapang tae. Don't you think so?
.....
He was in the middle of doing paperworks nang biglang mapahinto. Pagod ang katawan nya. Pati na rin ang isipan. But out of nowhere, bigla nyang naisip si Julie. It had only been weeks since they started 'talking' and it was still obvious to him that she likes him but now he's wondering why he'd always end up thinking about her no matter what he does, wherever he goes.
She certainly is not his type of girl. He likes slender to model-thin tall girls at yung mga mestisahin. Just like Lauren...and just like the unknown random girl he had a one-night-stand with. But not Julie. She is the contradiction of what he wanted in a woman...physically.
Tsk. Get the fuck off my mind. Ang dami ko pang dapat gawin.
This was not the first time na sinaway nya ang sarili sa kakaisip tungkol sa dalaga. He has so many questions in his head tungkol dito. What does she do for a living? Saan sya nanggaling? Anong klaseng pamilya meron sya? What's her favorite past time? The questions were seemingly endless that he had to remind himself that she is just one of those acquaintances that are meant to be forgotten.
This is a work-related syndrome. Mawawala din 'to.
This had become a constant mental note to himself kasi kahit ayaw man nyang aminin, alam nyang sa kaloob-looban nya, his mind will always go back to thinking about her more often than he wanted to and he couldn't understand why. He heaved a sigh habang nakatingin sa kawalan.
Hindi ka importante, Julie. No way I'm letting my guards down.
