“Hey!” A loud shout echoes in my head. In a sudden blink, I woke up in reality. In another blink, it lands to the two little children I saw at the park while we're walking home from school.
Yes, we're walking. Hindi walking distance ang school to our subdivision, hindi rin naman sobrang layo, that's why we walk after school, most of the times. It's our kind of exercise and bonding... na nauuwi sa asaran.
I felt a slap in my arm the reason why I totally let go with the flashbacks. “Oh?” I responded.
“Ginagawa mo?” Ibinaling ko ang atensyon ko kay Tim at binilisan ang paglalakad.
“Walking?” I answered what is obvious.
“Ah, same.” Napangiwi ako sa sagot nito. Kahit kailan, walang pag-asang tumino. Pareho kami.
“Corny mo,” I snapped.
“Mana sa 'yo.” Tsk, ano pa nga ba.
I'm lying on my thoughts while walking down pass the streets eh. Those children who caught my attention just a minutes ago... they reminds me of me and Tim, back then when we first met.
That memory is too precious, dahil doon ko siya nakilala at doon kami naging magkaibigan. Kung hindi nangyari 'yon, baka wala siya ngayon sa tabi ko. Pero everytime na maaalala ko 'yon. Yung trauma, takot at sakit na naramdaman ko, lahat bumabalik.
I want to delete every single details of that scene from my childhood, but there's a part of me that I don't want to and I definitely can't because it's just hard to.
I took a deep breath and look at the sky to prevent my tears from falling. “Kunwari hindi ko na lang alam.” I looked at his brown eyes pero agad ko rin 'yong binawi.
I continued stepping on the sidewalk and tried to pretend that everything is just normal, na wala akong naalala na talagang nilunod ako. “Naalala mo na naman ako 'no?” His playful side appears, definitely everytime that we're together.
Noon kung kumilos at magsalita siya, nakakapanindig balahibo at talagang hindi mo gugustuhing makabangga, pero ngayon, bawat minuto ang sarap-sarap batukan at hinding-hindi ako magdadalawang isip na gawin 'yon.
Though, I'm lucky kasi sa 'kin lang siya ganito. Masungit naman talaga siya, pero once na maka-close mo na siya, mukha siyang tanga, for real.
“Bakit kita maaalala eh sawa na nga ako sa pagmumukha mo,” I snapped.
I heard him chuckled. “Malay ko ba kung naalala mo yung kiniss mo ko.” He poked my cheek and a grin painted on his face.
My eyes widen. “Huh, kailan 'yon?” Parang wala naman akong maalalang ganiyan ah, siya lang naman yung mahilig manghalik sa noo ah. Noo lang. We're just friends, best friends... and enemies at the same time. We treat ourselves like brother and sister, that's how comfortable we are.
“Kung crush mo ko, aminin mo na hanggang hindi pa huli ang lahat. Sinasabi ko sa 'yo, huwag kang pabagal-bagal, sa gandang lalaki kong 'to, maraming nangangarap sa 'kin.” Napangiwi na lang ako. Omighad.
“Mahiya ka nga. Nakakadiri.” Nilamig ata ako, ang lakas ng hangin.
“Pa-kiss nga, ayaw ko sa ano. Gusto ko sa ano.” He pouted hardly with his eyes closed pa. Mukhang asong ulol. Kapag ito nadapa, ako ang unang tatawa. Magpapa-party po ko ng bonggang-bongga.
I slightly tapped his cheeks and pinch it harshly. “Sa kapal ng mukha mo. Dapat d'yan, sinasampal,” gigil na tugon ko at sinampal siya. Rinig ko ang tunog niyon, hindi naman sobrang lakas pero okay na, makaganti manlang.
“Aw...” He cupped his cheeks so I chuckled. He pouted once again, but this time, with puppy eyes. Qualified na siya as dog, kulang na lang mag-arf arf. “Sa cheeks lang eh, damot. 'Di ba kiniss mo naman ako dati sa cheeks, eh 'di kiss din dapat kita para fair na.”
My brows crossed, kailan naman kasi 'yon. I started thinking, and the grin on my face started to fade... I remembered. “Shut up, ang tagal-tagal na niyon inuungkat mo pa.” I don't want to talk about it.
“Ang cute 'no? Parang ako.” Nakakawalang-ganang kausap yung mga ganito. Walang ibang ginawa kundi purihin ang sarili.
“Cute ng?”
“Ni Tim, este, niyong mga bata.” I looked around, wala naman akong nakitang bata dahil nasa highway na kami. Although, I know kung sino ang mga batang tinutukoy niya. He might saw me looking at those two kanina, knowing him, he knows me, that's why.
“Naalala mo na naman 'no?” he suddenly asked. I took another deep breath and walk faster than normal. I said, I don't want to talk about it and he knows that, bakit nagtatanong pa.
If I hear the word 'childhood' or if ever I saw something that will remind me of that, yung nangyari noong 7th birthday ko yung unang pumapasok sa isip ko. Wala akong maalalang ibang magandang memory, kundi puro yung nilulunod ako.
I blinked my eyes thrice for my tears not to fall. The grip in the sling of my bag received my mixed emotions. “Mary, gagamba!” sigaw ni Tim na ikinagulantang ko.
“Ha?!” Nilingon ko siya nang nanlalaki ang mga mata. Walang pakundangan niyang itinuturo ang paanan ko kaya nagtatalon ako sa kaba. “Holy sht!” Tarantang-taranta akong pumadyak para alisin ang pesteng 'yon sa bandang likuran ng binti ko pero ayaw nitong bumitaw.