Streak of White Light (Ongoing)

2 | Backwash

CHAPTER 2

Backwash
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TUMILA na ang ulan at saktong katatapos pa lang ng klase namin. Last subject for this day. I really love Fridays. Hanggang three o'clock ng hapon lang ang klase namin compared to any other days.

"Tingnan mo, ang ganda no'ng rainbow."

I heard one of my classmates said paglabas pa lang ng room namin. Tumingin ako sa kanya. She pointed to the sky and looked at the rainbow in astonishment.

If I could just see like how they looked at it, mamamangha rin siguro ako. Who wouldn't want to see it? But, my sight was not how it used to be. It is now different from them.

"Oo nga 'no. Let me take a picture," her friend agreed. She took out her phone and tried to find the best shot to capture the colorful curved line in the sky. Take note of the sarcasm.

Katulad nga ng sinabi ko kanina. The rainbow is not as colorful in my eyes as it was before. I used to admire it. Looking at it right now, it just looked like a white arc in the gray sky, not a colorful one.

ROY G. BIV

Natatandaan ko pa ang acronym na 'yan. Tinuro sa'min during elementary. Para mas madali naming matandaan ang kulay ng bahaghari. I think those colors would just be retained in my mind.

Napabuntong-hininga ako at mapait na ngumiti. I missed those years I spent seeing how colorful the world was.

It has been two years. Two years since I've been seeing everything around me in black and white after that unfortunate day. I should be used to it. Pero, hindi eh. Mahirap. And, there's that rainbow na pinapamukha sa akin kung gaano ka-colorful ang buhay ko. Insert sarcasm here, again.

Hay! Enough with this another episode of why-i-hate-the-rainbow. So, imbes na magpaka-bitter ay umalis na lang ako. Uuwi na lang sa bahay at mag-aral.

Yeah. Isubsob ang sarili ko sa pag-aaral para walang maisumbat sa akin si Dad.

'Ganyan na nga ang kondisyon mo, hindi ka pa magtitino'

Parang naririnig ko naman ang boses ni Dad. He pointed out what a failure I was. I admit, when this condition became permanent, I lost my interest in studying during Senior High. Who wouldn't? With this condition?

In addition to that, he forced me to take ABM instead of Arts and Design Track. Mahihirapan lang daw ako. He told me he was concerned. But he wasn't. Gusto naman talaga niya na business-related ang kunin ko.

If my memory serves me right, last week of June na 'ata nang pumasok ako as a Senior High student. It was difficult to adjust st first. Well, I can be considered a visually-impaired individual. But, my parents wanted me to continue sudying in mainstream high school since I already started my Junior High years in Arcoiris City High School.

Major adjustments were done, though. Front seat placement, large print reading materials, etc. to cater my needs.

To tell you honestly, it wasn't only my academic life. Difficulties were encountered in every sort. My life became more complicated because of cerebral achromatopsia.

Pero, tingnan mo nga naman, oh. Currently, I'm a first year college student. Pursuing a business course, obviously.

First sem of this hellish course's going to end. And I'm breathing. I don't know if I should be proud of it. Guess, I should be. It's a proof of myself working under pressure.

"ASHKEN GRAYSON!"

Someone's calling me. She sounded like my mom. And I was right. It's really my mother. She's waving at me. Siguro, sumama na naman siya kay Kuya Natoy, ang family driver namin, para sunduin ako.