The Adventures of James Maglinaw and the Tree with the Door

Bikoy Hidalgo

The boat took 8 hours to reach the shores of Dumaguete from Dapitan City's port, but it was all worth it thought the moreno boy with the beaming smile. It was finally freedom for him – well not quite. He was still with Manong Gardo, his butler who himself was barely thrity years old, who had been tasked to help his young master settle his affairs before classes were to start the following week. But after that, he was scot-free.

This was going to be the first time that the son of Polanco Town Mayor Feliciano Hidalgo, and future governor of their province, would be free from the constraints of being the sole heir to the massive fruit plantation and rice fields which had given their family the esteem they had.

This was his freedom.

"Señorito, we're here. If you can just wait for me at the gates, I'll get all of you bags down." The butler said with a smile. He noticed the excitement in his young master's eyes. This made him happy – just seeing his Bikoy excited.

"Please don't call me that Manong." Bikoy blurted out worriedly as if Manong Gardo had said a deplorable word. He noticed people started to stare at them, so he changed his tone into a whisper. "I am no longer a señorito here Manong. At Silliman, I am just an average student. Please."

"Understood." Manong Gardo replied.

"Sige, I'll bring some of the bags down." Bikoy said gleefully.

It was not his first time in Dumaguete. His mother was actually from a small town bordering the city, going up to foot of the mountains – Valencia. They would come to Dumaguete often – but he himself had never really explored the place what with all the treats of kidnapping they received on a weekly basis. Hence their very understandable sense of dread at the thought of Bikoy's being alone. But then again, they had promised Bikoy this – freedom.

During the course of Bikoys stay in Dumaguete, Manong Gardo had gone to check up on him almost twice a month – his parents, not even once – which was in accordance to their agreement when he left.

The start of Bikoy's schooling at Silliman was nothing short of magical – not in the same was as James defined magical though, but magical in the coming of age sort of way.

On the first day of classes, he was late for having mixed up what "TBA" stood for – no thanks to some seniors who told him TBA meant "The Back Area" referring to the campus gymnasium. It apparently meant to be announced – which was announced on their department bulletin board to be Room 3 at the Business Adminstration Building accros the old Mission Hospital – Katipunan Hall.

He was absolutely out of breath having dashed across campus that when he did get to his class he did not notice the handsome boy who was seated beside the chair he slumped into.

"Here." The handsome boy with pale skin and bright honey colored eyes reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a neatly pressed white hankerchief and extended it to his seatmate who was still trying to catch his breath.

Bikoy wasn't certain what the hankerchief was for and being still out of breath he just at the thing before slowly moving his eyes up to the smiling boy.

The boy merely moved his other hand towards his face and made a wiping motion.

"Ay. Thanks." Bikoy clumsily muttered as his slowly took the white hankerchief and dabbed it all over his face.

"Xavier." The boy said, as he turned his attention back to the teacher in front.

"Hi." Bikoy replied still staring at the boy.

It must have been a few minutes of him staring since the next thing Bikoy realized was that the class was over and everyone else was up and going out of the room inclusing that boy Xavier.

He tried to run after him, but he was intercepted by the teacher.

"Mr. Hidalgo, right?" The man with the thick rimmed glasses who was going to be his English teacher said sternly.

"Yes, sir." Bikoy replied trying to see which direction Xavier went.

"Eyes here. Now I know you're a freshman, but next time you come in 30 minutes late to my class you will be marked absent. Okay?" The man said.

"I am so sorry." Bikoy realized he did just barged into his class without a thought of how the teacher would have reacted.

"I...I...". Bikoy muttered feeling embarrassed.

"No. I know. TBA?" The professor let out a slight grin. Bikoy thought the guy was actually quite handsome.

"Look. I get it. You're not from here. Just try to go over all your rooms for the next classes. It is a huge campus. I get it." He reassured Bikoy. "What's your next class, Sociology, like your block mates?"

" No sir. I wasn't able to get into their block schedule. I have Math 11 at the Science Building." Bikoy replied.

"Well you still have enough time to go there since I dismissed our class earlier. It's the building behind that parking lot between the Scheide Chapel and the Nutrition Building." The teacher pointed to a tiny chapel and the space beside it.

"Thanks Mr..." Bikoy said.

"Oh right you were late. I'm Prof. dela Torre. Rick dela Torre." He inserted.

"Right. Thanks sir." Bikoy said while hurriedly stepping out of the room and trying to search of that boy Xavier.