She got out of bed nang maramdaman ang matinding gutom. Pinagsisihan nya tuloy ang pagsama nya sa officemate nya for an early dinner. She was relieved to see that it was still past 10PM. Ibig sabihin ay bukas pa ang bagong restaurant malapit sa may village nila where she'd buy takeaway dinners whenever she felt too lazy to cook.
Nagbihis muna sya sandali. Pababa na sana sya when she remembered to do something. She peeked through her curtain at napailing. Elmo's car was again strategically parked across her house. Halos mag-iisang linggo na rin itong 'nagmamanman' sa bahay nya. It took days before she realized that it was his car that had been taking 'residence' across her street. Had it not been for his brazen effort to be visible, ni hindi nya malalaman na pagmamay-ari pala ito ng dating 'kasintahan'. Bago kasi ang kotse nito. Sinilip nya ulit ito sa bintana. He was standing under a lamp post, reading habang pasulyap-sulyap sa bahay nya.
Tsk. Anong balak nya sa buhay nya? Aynaku. Ewan.
He had been consistent. Sinusundan pa rin sya nito after her work hours and she wondered how he'd managed to follow her at the right place most of the time, if not always. There were times na tinitingnan sya ng mga taong nakakasalubong dahil nakasunod ito sa kanya. Magkahalong awa, aliw, at inis ang nararamdaman nya dito lalo na't hindi pa rin ito kumikibo. He'd just gaze at her with those puppy-dog eyes.
Minsan gusto nya itong lapitan at komprontahin. There had been too many times that she thought of finally making him talk by making the first move but finally decided against it.
I'm letting you take the stage, Elmo. Kung gusto mo talaga akong makausap, you have to find a way.
Dire-diretso syang naglakad without giving him a second glance, paglabas na paglabas nya ng gate.
......
Habang naglalakad pagkatapos makabili ng pagkain, muli ay naisip nya si Elmo. She wondered if he was still waiting down her street. Napatingala sya sa langit when she felt drizzles and gasped when she remembered that she hadn't brought her umbrella.
Pag minamalas ka nga naman ano. Hayst.
Her heart almost stopped when she heard footsteps that seemed to be keeping up with her pace. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw Elmo walk beside her. Nagulat sya dahil hindi naman nya naramdaman na sinundan sya nito papunta sa restaurant. Hindi pa rin ito kumikibo habang nakatitig sa kanya but she silently gasped when he reached over at pagkatapos ay ipinatong nito ang kamay sa ulo nya to protect her from the rain. He gazed down at her again for a bit and then looked away.
Gabi na. Sana di ka na lang lumabas ng bahay. It's not safe anymore.
Napatingin sya dito. It had been months since she heard his voice and her heart skipped as soon she heard him speak. Finally.
It was her turn to be speechless. All she wanted to do at that moment was listen to him.
Walk faster, Julie. The rain's getting heavier. Sipunin ka pa naman.
She tried to keep up with his long strides but then yelped when out of the blue, he scooped her in his arms, leaning his body forward as he carried her to protect her from the rain as he ran. It was a quick run dahil malapit na naman sila sa bahay nya but to her, it felt like everything had been played in slow motion. It was like the movies only that this was real...and she was in this reality...with him...being held by him.
It was just in time when they reached the safety of her garage, tucked away from the rain that had begun to mercilessly pour. Nanatili silang tahimik and somehow, she felt like the silence was killing her. She wanted him to speak. She was aching to hear his voice again, to tell her things...things that she'd love to hear...or perhaps even those that she feared to hear. Basta gusto lang nyang marinig na magsalita ito ulit. But he didn't. He just stood there, having this distant look on his face as he gazed at the pouring rain. Minabuti nyang iwan muna ito and headed for the entrance.
