Daylight

13

W-what? I thought as I rubbed my eyes. The sky was already starting to dim. I checked the clock: it's already 5 PM. How long was I asleep?

Instead of feeling better, I just felt worse after getting "rest". My throat felt dry, and only now did I realize I skipped breakfast and lunch. I was hungry and at a loss of energy.

I need to breathe.

Surprisingly, no one woke me up from my slumber today. I guess everyone's real drained from what happened last night, 'no? I thought. I was even more surprised when I went downstairs and found out that I'm the only person in the house.

I found a note magneted to the refrigerator.

"Nag, sorry umalis muna kami. Kain ka nalang ng kung anong meron o bili sa labas. -Pa"

I sighed as I opened the refrigerator and found nothing appealing. I took a 10-minute shower, got dressed, hastily packed my bag and went out.

-----

I went to Area 2 to eat a simple meal: siomai rice from Iskomai. After eating, I went to buy some ice cream for my comfort food.

I don't really like leaving the house just to eat out alone and go home afterwards, so I walked to Sunken Garden to clear my head off. (And since I spent most of my day in bed, it's best I get my muscles moving somehow.)

Before I reached Sunken, I already finished up my ice cream. I sat down in a random patch of grass and watched the people go on with their daily lives. I watched as students who probably just finished their classes walked by. A group of boys were playing football in one corner while another group played volleyball.

What really caught my attention, though, was this one family having a picnic. They weren't just a normal-sized family—they had at least 10 members in there.

They look so happy.

Sana all.

I knew our extended family had issues, but I never thought it was this intense. They never showed their offenses towards each other whenever we had family gatherings. Everyone acted as if things are just perfect. But they're not.

I never thought such a short event that lasted for merely two hours would shake me this hard.

"Ah, ang weak ko naman!" I said out loud, not minding how I would look like to other people. I let the tears fall as I tucked my knees to my chest. When will I ever stop crying? Why am I so weak?

To add to my frustration, while I was basically breaking down in the middle of a field, someone just had to bother me and tap my shoulder. No one should see me cry like this, I thought. I kept my face buried.

"You okay?" The person asked as he sat down beside me. I shook my head and replied between sobs. "Ya think?"

"Hala. Hinga ka muna."

I tried to calm my breathing. The person handed me a bottle of water, which I didn't realize I badly needed. I took a few gulps to hydrate myself.

When I was able to control my breathing a bit, I lifted my head to look at the person seated beside me and was surprised to see Juan. I know, stupid of me to not recognize his voice, but to my defense, I wasn't really in the best condition this time.

"Why are you here?" I asked as I looked away. I ran my hands through my messy hair. I didn't want him to see me crying, especially at times wherein I'm very unstable. I knew my tendencies to push people away whenever I'm down, and I might end up pushing Juan's buttons and pissing him off.