Night and Day

6 - The Imp and the Fowl

Gio appears in front of a long and covered pathway leading to the ivory buildings at the back. On his side he sees a humble lawn where at the end stands the iconic statue of the man with his outstretched arms as he gives himself to the heavens, the light of morning bounces off the black stone. He threads the catwalk as slowly as he can, taking in the memories he had from last year.

He feels the pounding of his chest not only because he walked all the way here from his hotel room, but maybe because he is coming unannounced and he fears haunting from the things he has shut down in the past. He laughs nervously at the intended pun, due to the city's history but this is the least of his worries for now. He takes out his ID and surrenders it to the guard.

He observes quietly around the place packed with unfamiliar faces, a combination of students, staff, and the public. The foundation day was unlike the scale of the one in Manila where he finished his degree but that feeling of the celebration is same across all the schools he had been to, most of which, a time of rest from the stresses of studying. He vaguely remembers how much he had fun while at school because he was always busy. He wishes for a time where he could have just sat with his friends on the school floors on a slow-moving foundation day.

He looks at the grounds, building after building, surrounded by green and stone. He still remembers each narrow and steep staircase, or a winding corridor, leading you to something surprising, like a bright, classic atrium, or a modern, protruding architecture. The university compound has always been that mixture of the different times, much like the city itself, who appears to cradle more and more new people each year. People come and go as they should be, but he wonders what would giving up peace in the mountains mean for the people who chose to leave for the city below.

Gio sees himself upon a familiar structure at the back of the compound. He has trodden quite a few flights of stairs and took his time to catch his breath. He feels he has been taken back a year ago as he sees the similar exhibits in front of the college of arts. The daylight intensifies the colors of the paintings, murals, and people of different hues. He wishes that he could have worn a different color that morning aside from his usual white shirt, so he does not stand out too much, but his choice of clothing is sentimental to the one he was in last year.

He steps out to the gray pathway of bricks and surveys the people around. The feeling of discomfort and fear fill him as he tries to blend with the crowd in front of him. He was sure that he did not have a plan. He was okay with just seeing him. Paano kung makita n'ya rin ako? he shudders in thought, Baka okay na siya, at baka ako lang naman yung hindi.

Gio finds the same spot as last year, at the back of the corridor of exhibits, as the art students offer their services for portrait and photography. The booths were still the mess of chairs and tables, to break the conformity of order, just like how art challenges the observer, as how he tells him before.

He steps back as he sees the sketch artist from afar dealing with a customer at front. He is not the same person he is looking for. He looks around but he is not anywhere.

Retracing his steps from where he came from, he feels that void again, like cold water, as he was proven again that he cannot always have his way whenever he feels to. He leaves the grounds and as he moves back to face his realities, he hears a familiar voice calling out his name.

⸙

Robbie looks at Tom as the other seems to be fiddling with his phone too much that day. It was not really a busy day though, with the first semester already concluded, but the number should be increasing by the next few months as the wet season ended and the colder weather can now be enjoyed throughout the city.