Lexi
I was nervous when morning came. Would it be awkward? Fluke lang ba yung kagabi? Did he really want to kiss me? And the voice we heard? His sister! Oh my nakakahiya!!!
Pero, kahit na medyo nahihiya ako, I wouldn't pass up the chance to see him today 'no?
And when I got down, there he was by the car, looking dashing in his polo barong, holding a bouquet of different colored roses. "Good morning, Alexandra. These are for you."
"Thank you, Aki. Bakit ang daming kulay?"
"I was not sure which one you preferred."
I stammered, unsure of how to say what I wanted to say next. "Ummm, Aki? Manliligaw ka ba talaga?"
"It is the correct thing to do, yes?"
I nodded, got in the car so that we could head to work.
"I have also informed your father of my intentions and asked that he accept my resignation. As of this morning, I am no longer an employee."
"But, paano na -"
"I will remain as a guest... who looks after your security, if that is agreeable to you."
I smiled up at him. "Yes, yes! I'm okay with that."
"Good," he said.
"Nanliligaw ba ang mga gods? Don't you guys - gods - just take what you want?"
"You are correct. Courtship is not customary. It is usually a lot of discussion and always up to the goddess whether the god will be accepted. It is more complicated when the partner is human."
"Why?"
He thought for a bit. "As you said, we can 'just take what we want'. And, for a time, some have... either through force or deception. Your myths capture some of them correctly. Some years ago, Bathala punished a number of the gods who abused their powers and ever since then, human interactions have been lessened. We did not want to take advantage."
"So, bawal?"
"No. But, we have to ensure we do right by humans. I want to make sure I do right by you. You will have to be patient with me. I have seen different types of courtship over the long period of time I have been here. Please let me know if I am doing something inappropriate?" He pleaded.
"I will. Thank you, Aki. But are you sure? You'll do this? Bakit mo ba gustong gawin ito?"
"So that, if I am worth it and you accept me, you will become my dyoga."
"ANO?!"
"Isn't that the correct term for your partner in the relationship?"
I laughed hard. Today was going to be a good day.
*
We went out that night.
"So, may telepathic eme kayo ng kapatid mo and nakasama pa ako?"
"We can communicate telepathically, yes. What is 'eme'?"
"It's uh... nevermind. Hindi ba hassle yung connection na yan sa privacy?"
He shook his head. "It is not intrusive. It is just like when you speak with your mouth. Sometimes, you may walk in on a couple having a moment - so you leave. Other times, you stay and annoy your brother. "
I chuckled. "Parang ang close niyong magkapatid."
"It was built over millions of years, Alexandra."
That got me. What did I have to offer him? He has experienced so much — seeing different time periods, outer space, worlds out there that I may not even know of. "I don't think I'm spectacular enough to be with you."
"What?"
I told him of my concerns and that I may not measure up. "You have a thousand lifetimes of stories and experiences. I don't. And I don't have the capability to get those."
"I am not asking that of you, Alexandra."
"Then what? What are you asking Aki?"
"I am aware that your time is precious. If we look at your family, you may live until you are 90. That gives you 60+ years remaining on this Earth. I know it is not much and you must choose wisely. But, I was hoping that maybe, you would choose to spend a little of your cherished time with me."
I sighed. His words were wonderful but he also gave me a different perspective. Here was someone who didn't have to rush and worry about running out of time and he valued my limited years. Still, I couldn't help but retort, "Beautiful proposal. But, let me tell you something Aki, no girl wants to hear 'I want to be with you but only for a short time'. We want a forever."
He frowned. "That is something I do not understand. How long is a 'forever'? Something that never ends? That is a very long time. Do you know how long? Humans have been around for what? Over three million years? Is that your forever? Because the earth is even older. The universe is even older. That long?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yun nga eh. That's what we want. A love that never ends no matter what. I could change, you could change, we could die but we'd still be together in heaven."
"Again, Alexandra. That would be a long time. Are you sure? Because I can promise you that. I know how long a million years is. Are you sure you can promise ME that?"
I took a deep breath. "Teka nga lang... sorry. Ang serious na ng usapan. Hindi pa nga tayo. Gusto ko lang naman sabihin na weird kasi yung statement mo."
"I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend."
I smiled. "Let's move to lighter topics. How many women have you kissed?"
He gulped and rubbed his palms on his jeans. "I... uh... one. Hiraya and I shared a peck."
"Just one????"
"Yes, Alexandra. Just one. I told you I do not like to take advantage."
"And how many women have you slept with?"
"None."
"What?! Doesn't a man have needs?"
Aki gave me a look.
"Right. Hindi ka tao. But... but... you must have been curious? Don't you come down to Earth to study us? You've never wanted... an on the job training?"
He laughed. "I have been curious yes, but didn't feel the need for actual experimentation. There are a lot of very graphic, informative visuals out there. And some women have propositioned me. But again, it is the language that I find a tad confusing."
"How so?"
"They want me to use my 'sandata' on them, I told them it is quite sharp and I might hurt them. They asked me to go ahead and 'warak' them. Why would they want me to bring my kris into a sexual act?"
