Chapter Seven
The Way She Called Me Hugo
I leaned at my swivel chair at pinagmasdan ang papel ko. It's not blank anymore. I'm halfway through it. I took a bottle of water and drank it habang nakatingin sa bintana ko.
It's Seniors' Festival at my school which normally ay hindi ko ina-attendan. I dislike crowded places, noise and the non-sense booths that they prepared.
I got nothing much to do today. Normally, I'll just roam at my own room, read a book, headphones on, eat, read, watch, sleep and much more of a boring stuff.
But now, it's kinda different. Tanghali na, I'm supposed to sleep or eat by this time pero nakaupo pa rin ako sa swivel chair, staring at the window, waiting for her.
"Sebastian!" I divert my gaze the moment I felt my mother's presence at the door and after hearing her loud calling voice. "What?" I casually ask habang nakatalikod pa rin sa kaniya.
Now it's strange that she is calling me at this time. She never calls me unless there's an urgent family meeting, grades discussion, or sudden guests.
"A beautiful lady is looking for my handsome son." I immediately raised my eyebrow the moment I heard the sentence. "Lady?" I asked for confirmation and my mother nodded as an answer. Who would come to see me in this ho-
I immediately stood up nang mapagtanto ko kung sino ang tinutukoy niya. Why would she come here all of a sudden? And this time, with a consent from my mother. "Just a sec." I said and my mother left me as I struggle to find a perfect shirt to wear since I'm not wearing one.
Humarap ako sa salamin. Damn. I didn't even got a shower. I took a perfume and sprayed it all over. Took a comb at pinalakad sa buhok ko. I, once again checked myself infront of the mirror. Wait.
What was I doing?
Lumabas ako sa kwarto, walking slowly until I've reached the living room where she sits calmly, quiet and observant. Wearing an off-shoulder floral dress, much more roses, again with those little braids on her wavy hair.
Ideal yet fragile.
"Hey." I uttered na ikinatingin niya sa'kin. "Hey." She replied with a sweet and genuine smile she always wear.
Pretty.
"What's with all of a sudden visit?" I asked and sat on the opposite couch, facing her. "Hmmm, it's Seniors' Festival." She said. Ahh.
"I know." I replied and then she faced me with that sweet yet fragile smile of hers. "Let's go!" And yeah, once again, hindi ko na naman alam ang dahilan kung bakit ako pumayag sa kaniya that fast. Maybe it's the poem that I'm writing, or the luke-warm water that I drank. Or maybe because I'm waiting for her. I don't know.
"Okay."
-
Napahinto ako and released a heavy sighed as I stared at the university I'm entering in. Tons of booths, people roaming with colorful dresses and shirts, banners and flyers everywhere. Such noise and crowded place.
"Let's go." She said and I just followed her. She stopped by at the first booth where she saw a bunch of stuffed toys hanging, a shooting dart booth. "Let's play! I want the husky one!" Her eyes sparkles the moment she suggested that idea lalo na nang ituro niya ang husky na stuffed toy which made me shrugged.
I just took three darts and so is she. She went first by throwing her first failed dart, followed by the second failure and the third failure. She stopped for a moment and stared at the dart board seriously.
"Your turn." She said now with a sudden smile drawn on her face. Pumuwesto ako, not thinking to aim the middle that seriously. I throwed the dart without thinking. "Ohh that was close." The man incharge of the booth exclaimed as well as Rose.
I took a dart again and throwed it. Not even close. I took the last dart and sighed again. Nakatitig siya sa husky at sa akin based on my peripheral. She really wants that husky so bad huh. I released a heavy sigh before positioning myself and focused on the dartboard. I threw it and smiles.
"Yeahey!!!" She begins to jump and cheer the moment my dart landed on the bull's eye. We took the husky as the reward which she begins to hug. She looks like a child na parang ngayon lang nakahawak ng stuffed toy sa buong buhay niya.
She never let go of the husky or even handed to me habang naglilibot kami. She's even hugging it while we are roaming. "Photo booth!" She exclaimed and we entered kahit labag sa loob ko.
We sit inside and Rose began to choose some props to add up habang ako ay nababagot na. Aren't they getting tired of these things? She took a rose and place it on her ear. She took another plastic rose and faced at me.
"What?" I asked habang nakatitig lang siya sa'kin holding that plastic rose. "Hmmm. Place this on your mouth and wear some glasses." She commanded na obviously ay tinanggihan ko.
"I am not insane to do that." I uttered and she just sways her head as a rejection. "Wear now." I didn't followed her. Lalabas na sana ako ng booth na iyon when she pulled my shirt making me to sit right away.
She placed the shades on my eyes that close making me to freeze and just look at her.
Why is she so close?
I can smell her sweet yet unknown fragrance, the soft hands touching my ears and those honey eyes of hers that were so close looking at me.
What am I thinking?
"Hey hey. Smile!" She said as soon as placed the stem of the plastic rose on my mouth and pressed the button. We took the first picture, second, third, and fourth. Mabilis na lumabas siya sa booth and took the images. She smiles widely while looking at those four images that we just made.
"Two for you, and two for me." She said at bago pa ako mag-react ay hinatak na naman niya ako sa kung saan.
We walked and roamed again, she keeps buying foods like a child on a fest habang ako ang taga-bitbit ng mga binibili niya.
"Hey, bili tayo." She said as soon as we stopped at the souveneir booth. Tons of shirts, necklaces, bracelets and more accessories can be found here. She took a beaded bracelet, a rose coloured one with a blank plate on the front.
"Pick one." She said more likely an order. I just stared at her and hindi pumili. Why would I put some of those at my wrist?
"Hugo." She uttered in a serious tone na ikinatigil ko. That was the very first time that she called me, yet by my surname. I just stared at her that time. I don't know what's into me. Is it because of the photo booth earlier? The exhaustion that I am feeling? The dart booth that I won?
My heart is racing fast.
"Hugo." She called again. The way that she calls me. Different. I sighed as I took a gray coloured bracelet and handed it to her. She both handed it to the guy who is incharge of the booth.
"Ano pong pangalan ilalagay?" The man asked while holding the bracelets and inks.
"Rose po for the pink one and Hugo for the gray one." She said and smiles. It was the first time that someone calls me by my surname.
I didn't know what to feel that day. It was tiring, lovely and thrilling. I'm going out of my comfort zone, going out of the gray coloured life that I am used to. Able to feel things that are unusually and unexplainable. All because of this girl named Rose. Lia Rose.
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