She may have been paying attention to her phone but it doesn’t mean that she’s unaware of her surroundings. And that’s why she’s able to stop in her tracks as a shadow blocks her view. She looks up from her phone, her face showing nine percent confusion and ninety-one percent irritation.
“Excuse me.” She begins, edging away from the man but stops again as he blocks her escape route with an arm.
This time, her expression turns to fury. She doesn’t know if the man is a robber or whatnot, he actually looks like a nerd with his polo suit, tie, and glasses… hmmm, Clarke Kent? Anyways…
“Do I know you?”
The man in front of her grins, making her hate him even more. He raises a hand holding an iphone with the screen facing her. She looks at him in puzzlement, but he just nods, tilting his head towards the phone. Warily, she looks at the screen:
’@ UnangPresidente ikaw na ba ang nasa harapan ko, mahal?’ The screen reads and her eyes widen.
The man turns the phone towards him and hits send. Instinctively, she looks at her own phone which vibrates promptly. Still in disbelief, she looks at her screen then to the man in front of her who is busy with his phone. Moments later, jer phone vibrates again.
‘Ano na mahal, hindi mo ba ako sasagutin?’
She looks up to him, he’s still wearing that smug on his mug. She smirks and focuses on her phone
’@ DakilangLumpo_ ano pa ang kailangan kong isagot bukod sa “maha kita”?’ She hits send and looks up to him, matching his grin with one of her own.
She waits as he reads his message. His grin got even wider and he pockets his phone just as he witjdraws the hand blocking her way.
“Apolinario Mabini.” He says as he offers his hand. She looks at him for a few seconds then laughs.
“Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy.” She takes his hand and shakes it as they burst i to laughter.
~o~
Reposting this because it’s been a year!!!
P.S.
Wag nio ako isumbong kay twitter!Miong dahil baka sugurin ako ng Kawit Brigade.
It came from Andres Bonifacio’s admin. There’s no follow up after that, and based on the time sent, it’s been at least three hours since it was sent. She’s wondering what the admin wants and why there was no reply after the initial message. Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to know what’s going on, and besides she needs a distraction to take her mind off work, she types a response.
‘Hello.’
‘Uy, hello!’ the reply came about a minute after.
‘Ako pala si Marc, admin ni Boni. J Sayang umalis ka na after ng show, hindi tayo nagkita. Si Polo na lang naabutan ko.’
She stops and tries to recall... Show? What show? Then he remembers meeting Pole’s admin when she watched Hedwig. And “Polo”, at least now she knows his name. She smiles
‘Sa Hedwig? Nanood ka din?’
‘Kasama ako sa production, alipin.’ She laughs
‘ Gusto ko lang mag thank you sa pagpunta sa show.’
‘Ang ganda ng show, ang galing ng cast. May re-run ba?’
‘Hindi ko alam, wala naman napag-usapan. Pero sana meron next season. Kaya din pala ako nag message, kapag may mga plays, pwede ko kayo makunan ng free tickets. Sabihin ko nalang dito pag meron. Naisahan ka nyang ni Polo sa Hedwig, nanghingi lang ng ticket sakin yan, on the day pa!’
‘Oo nga pala, bakit wala pa si Polo? Ganitong oras, gising pa yung mokong na yun a’
‘Pololo! Asan ka na, ano na? Kami na lang bang dalawa ni Miong mag-uusap dito?’ she laughs at reading this.
‘Teka, ano nga pala pangalan mo?’
‘Mea’
‘Mukhang close kayo ni Polo, magkakilala na ba kayo before the fandom?’
Her heart starts pounding for no reason at all. She hears the familiar ping of an incoming email and grudgingly takes her eyes and attention off her phone. It turns out to be an email query that needs to be researched from past files. She spends good fifteen minutes before she goes back to her phone.
‘Sana gising pa siya’ she thinks.
‘ Oo. Magkababata kami nyan, sabay na din kami lumaki. Siga yan sa school kasi natalo niya yung dating siga ng school. Patpat kasi yan nung bata pa kami, maski hanggang ngayon naman di ba? Hahahaha, ayun, napagtripan siyang I bully nung grade four kami. Ayun, nakipag basag ulo, nanalo, na guidance, naging bida ng section at grade level. Wala namang problema sa grades ni Polo, scholar yan, kahit anong gawin namin ng barkada sa kanya, hindi nawawalan ng tamang sagot sa klase. Dati, nilasing namin yan, yung subsob na sa lamesa, akala namin di papasok kinabukasan. Gulat na lang namin, pumasok, nag quiz, lima lang mali. Samantalang kami, mga nagtatawag pa ng uwak.’ This was followed by a smiley.
‘ewan ko ba kung anong utak meron yan’ Marc continues
‘hindi pa yan nakatikim ng line of 7, ni wala ngang grade yan na bumaba ng 86. Naalala ko, nung elementary kami, umuwi yan, iyak ng iyak. Nakita sya ni mama na nakasiksik dun sa may cupboard na ginagamit namin pag nagtataguan. Ayun, humahagulgol, tinanong ni mama kung may umaway sa kanya, wala naman daw, tapos nakita ni mama yung papel na hawak nya. Periodical test sa Math, 86 yung grade. Akala ni mama matutuwa si Polo kapag binati tungkol sa test, ako kasi tapak lang ng 80. Ayun, lalong umiyak si Polo, natakot siya umuwi at ipakita yung score niya, natatakot siya kasi baka bumagsak na daw sya, di sya maka graduate. E yung grade nya ang highest sa batch nun.’
‘Seryoso?’ she types back.
‘Oo, ganun ka grade conscious yung taong yun. Hindi sya geek,hindi sya nerd, noon talaga, takot sya mawala yung scholarship nya. Pero wag ka, walang makatalo sa kanya sa street fighter, mortal kombat, pati crash bandidcot. Kaya lakas ng loob maghamon nyan sa arcade kapag Byernes. Maski noong college, hari ng MMORPG yan, sya may pinakamataas na level at pinkamayaman. Nagbot lang ako kaya ko nahabol. Pero laude pa rin. Minsan, bago mag exam hahanapin namin yan, andun pala sa computer shop nagpapa level up, pero pagtapos ng exam, sampu lang mali. Alchol tolerant din yan. Ilang red horse yung naubos namin bago namin yan napatumba. Syado lang talagang focused sa pag-aaral. Kahit anong gawin namin dati para I distract sya, wa epek. Puro aral nasa utak, aral, trabaho, pamilya. Kaya nga walang girlfriend yan e.’
There it goes again, the faint, yet rapid beating of her heart. Why? And why did it she feel like her own heart jumped inside her when she read the last line
‘Feeling ko nga, passionate sya sa studies. Nagla-law daw sya ngayon?’
‘Pangarap nya yan simula bata pa kami. Judge kasi si lolo, kaya madami syang libro sa bahay. E etong si Polo mahilig magbasa, nakahiligan nya yung mga libro ni lolo tapos minsan sinama kami ni lolo sa hearing, ayun na. Hahahaha.’
‘Nakakatuwa naman pala sya.’
‘Nakakatawa din. May crush yan dati na kabarkada namin, si Marceline. Simula high school, ay hindi, elementary, nung lumipat si Celine samin, crush na nya yun, hindi lang nya masabi. Tapos, naging editors sila ng school paper, halos araw-araw wala yang ibang makwento sakin kundi si Celine. Paulit-ulit, rinding-rindi na yung tenga ko sa kwento nya, sige pa rin. Hanggang college, hatid-sundo nya yun minsan sa uste. Kahit pa maipit-ipit sya sa pnr pabalik ng dorm, sige pa rin.’
‘Kala ko walang girlfriend si Polo? Bakit mukhang close naman silang dalawa?’ she types, trying to ignore the persistent tightening of her chest.
‘Torpe yun. Ni hindi umamin. Parang MU na parang hindi sila. Sya pa naging escort ni Celine nung debut nya. Kala nga ng barkada aamin na, kaso wala, hanggang sa nakatanggap ng scholarship is Celine sa U.S. di pa rin umaamin si Polo.’
‘sayang naman silang dalawa.’
‘yaan mo, ang torpe ni ungas e. Alam mo bang halos allergic sa tao yun? Sa klase, hindi ka nya kakausapin kung hindi kailangan o kung hindi tungkol sa school project. Gulat nga ng mga classmate naming magkaibigan kami. Yung ibang kabarkada kasi namin e mga upperclassmen, kaya bihira lang din kami magkasama-sama. Kaya nga nagulat ako nagkita pala kayo. Natututo na lumabas sa lungga nya yung alaga ko.’
‘Nagkataon lang naman na parehas kaming nandun.’
‘Maski na. Bihira makipag-usap yan sa ibang tao. Lalo pa sa babae, torpe nga kasi. Kaya ipaalala mo sa akin, may libre ka sa sakin na ice cream pag nagkita tayo, nakausap mo kasi yung torpedo nay un. May picture pa kayo.’ Her mind flies back to the events of that night, she can’t help but smile.
‘Wala naman kaming picture na kaming dalawa. Yun lang pinost naming sa twitter yung picture.’
‘ANO?! WALA KAYONG PICURE SA BOOTH!?!?!’
‘sorry, caps. Sayang naman, ang ganda ng booth namin, sana nagpa picture kayo. Remembrance.’
‘Hindi na namin naisip, tsaka papasok pa kasi ako sa trabaho. Sayang nga ano?’
‘Ay oo nga pala, may trbaaho ka. Hala, e di nasa trabaho ka ngayon?! Baka naiistorbo kita.’
‘Hindi. Tapos na ako sa reports ko. Inaantay ko na lang yung meeting mamaya. Ok lang, bored din naman ako dito. Ikaw, bakakelanganmo na matulog.’
‘Ay oo nga pala, medaling araw na. Hahahahaha. Sige, next time na lang ulit. Sana next time kasama na si Polo. Basta, kapag may event, sabihan ko na lang kayo. One time, labas tayong tatlo.’
‘Sige, sige, thanks.’
That ended their conversation. She smiles as she recalls
~o~
Marc wakes up with the incessant ringing of his phone. Given that his ringtone
“MARCUS AURELIUS HIDALGO ANO YUNG PINAGSASABI MO SA GROUPCHAT?!” Polo yelled from the other line.
“Apollo Geronimo, kinwento ko lang kay Mea yung tungkol sayo.” He yawns.
“E bakit ako? Tsaka kailangan lahat yun sabihin mo, pati yung kay Celine?”
“E anong magagawa ko, ikaw lang naman common friend namin, e di ikaw na lang pag-usapan namin.”
“anong ‘pag-usapan’? Nilaglag mo kaya ako.”
“Gago, kung nilaglag kita, e di sana kinwento ko pati yung naihi ka sa kama nung bata pa tayo kaasi natakot ka dun sa isang episode ng gabi ng lagim kaya di ka pumuntang banyo.”
“Gago nito.”
“Thank you.” Marc paused, something just hit his fresh-from-bed brain.
“Ewan ko sa’yo. Wag mo ulitin yun kundi ikaw ilalaglag ko. Bye.”
Before he could say anything, Polo ended the call. He blinks several times, his brain processing the question he’s about to ask his friend before the call was terminated. When at last he’s formed a coherent thought, he punches in his friend’s number and waits for an answer.
“Pololo, may tanong ako.” He greets as Polo answered.
“Ano yun.”
“Alam mo ba na pupunta si Mea sa show?” Silence.
“H-ha?”
“Hindi ka nanonood ng show ng weekdays kung may pasok ka. Pagkakatanda ko tinanong kita kung kelan ka manonood, ibang date yung sinabi mo. Tapos bigla kang tumawag sakin para sa ticket kasi sabi mo nung araw na yun ka na lang manonood.”
“Hindi ba ako pwedeng magbago ng isip?” Polo counters.
“Pwede naman. Pero yung magbago ka ng isip kasabay ng panonood ni Mea, masyadong coincidence nay un ‘tol.”
“Tsaka pano mo nahanap si Mea sa dami ng tao sa lobby? At ikaw, makikipag-usap sa kung sinu-sino lang? Magkatabi pa kayo sa upuan! Tapos inantay mo pa makaalis? Hoy Pololo, iba na naamoy ko.”
“Utak mo, linisin mo. Natural aantayin ko sya makaalis, iba na panahon ngayon. Gabi na, tapos mag-isa lang sya. Mas maganda na nakita ng driver na may kasama sya.” He replies, his voice showing traces of irritation.
“Polo, hindi naman sa nangingialam ako, pero baka naman kasi masyado na napupunta sa isip mo yung RP nyo sa twitter. Tol, twitter lang yun, RP lang yun. Ano bang malay natin kung may boyfriend sya? Okay lang kung friends, sige, pero tol, hinay-hinay muna. Wag ka masyadong magpapaniwala, baka masaktan ka na naman.” Again, silence.
“Nasobrahan ka lang ng tulog, boy. Ikain mo nay an. Ang dami mong naiisip.” With this Polo ends the call.
He pockets his phone and stares outside.
~o~
Na mi-miss ko na silang dalawa. Kung sino man may kakilala kay twitter Pole, paki chismis sakin. hihihihihi
