The Lost Story

Chapter 2:The poison in disguise

Vince touches his chest and releases a  sigh of relief. He looks at Kat and nods. Though he still didn’t get why Kat wants to do a gayuma, he’s willing to help her since he knows that it won’t do a thing. Kat starts to prep the things they bought and place it on the dining table. Vince, on the other hand, remains standing on the side of the fridge looking at the gayuma’s instructions with difficulty to understand how to do it. 

Kat finishes preparing the ingredients but when he looks at Vince, the confusion is still written on its face. The hell happened to him?. She walked towards him and asked. “What’s your problem?” 

“This potion is different!” he replied.

“Huh?”  Kat raised her eyebrows.

Vince shows the instruction,  “There’s no cat fur written on it?”

Vince cried in pain as he received a hard slap to his head. With the force Kat’s gave to the slap, Vince almost felt like his world evolved in the moment.He shrugged his head and turned to Kat with twitching eyebrows, asking her, “ What’s your Problem?”

“Am I the one with the problem?” Kat asked with a miffed voice.

She continued, “ look at you? Why asking for cat’s fur? Are we some sort of mambabarang?”

Kat’s thought that Vince actually had a point in asking for cat’s fur, as a young filipino all he knows is that gayuma is some sort of witchcraft. However, she thought that it’s better to have normal ingredients than to have some weird things, so she did not gave much attention to it.

“Maybe your lola trick you?” Vince asked,

Even though Kat is not an attention seeker, when it comes to her lola she will get it’s attention no matter what, because she was spoiled by that person. That’s why when she bothers her lola about the guy he likes, she receives a photo of yellowish paper with an instruction written on it. Though at first she didn’t believe in that thing since it looks deceiving, yet she soon realized that there’s nothing to lose.

“She probably does, but there’s nothing to lose. It’s not like there's poison on it? Does it?” Kat smiled and started to do what instruction said.

          Vince still thinks that this is not good but he did not dare to provoke Kat more. As long as she is happy. Vince thought. 

The sun starts to set yet they are still doing the gayuma. Impatient person like Vince can’t even stand this long but Kat always stops him from leaving her.

“Just wait until it’s fully done, please?”   Kat pleaded

Vince said in an annoyed voice, “Wtf? It’s been three hours, the sun is already set and that thing is still not done?” 

Kat pouted and said, “it almost done “

Being softened by Kat’s reaction, Vince clenched his teeth and said “Fine .”

No one forced him to sit in the chair in the dining area and wait for that thing to be ready but he felt like someone does. Looking at Kat, Vince's heart beats faster. If only not for Kat, he won’t wait this long. Thinking that way he laugh unconsciously, 

Kat looked at him with surprise, “Why did you laugh?”

He replied, “ nothing…”

To think that for almost five years, Vince waited for her to reciprocate the love he confessed, yet on this day he’s helping her to do a love potion for someone. If only Dian Masalanta can hear his story, she probably died laughing at him.

“Kat?” Vince called Kat out of nowhere,

“Hmm?” she replied

“You know I like you right?” he smiled.

Kat looked at him, unable to answer his question, she drifted her gaze. “L-look it’s ready” she said and got up from seating.

She walks towards the stove and grabs some pot holder. She placed the pot at the dining table and waited for its temperature to cool down. She sat in her chair and accidentally met Vince's eyes. With awkwardness and shyness she  drifted her gaze, once again.

“Kat,” Vince called her, “ Why did you drag me here?”

“I don't want to, but…” she paused and bowed her head. “I do not have anyone beside you,” when she lifted her head, she met the sadness in Vince's eyes.

Just like an old school story of two childhood friends, Kat always had Vince on her side, whether she's in despair or happy,  she always has Vince's presence. And when Vince decided to confess his feelings, Kat rejected him instantly. The reason is very common, she doesn't want their friendship to go in vain. But Vince insisted on waiting for her to reciprocate his confession.

"You do have someone Kat, " Vince said. " How about Hannah and Carol? Aren't they your friends?"

         Yes,  in school Kat still manages to have another two people to trust.  Hannah and Carol. At first she's hesitant to call them buddies due to the fear they'll just ignore her,  but later both of them embrace her with kindness.

"Hannah is from marikina and Carol always helps Hannah in different things, they're inseparable. I can't just call them here to do stupid things?" Kat replied.

"But you didn't hesitate to drag me here to do stupid things?" Vince asked 

" You…  you are different to them,  whenever i need you you just… " Kat paused for a while and continue," You go and help me,  you are a friend who never leave,"

           That's it.  A friend who never leaves.  Kat hit the spot,  all she said is true. Vince never leaves her even she do stupid things. Vince felt happy and disappointed at the same time.  Happy because Kat knows what he does for her, but disappointed to hear her saying those words without romantic feelings. They were covered with silence, both of them didn't know what to say until the door in the sala opened. 

"done yet? " Analyn said as she entered the house. 

Both of them shrugged their head and said "Almost,"

       Kat welcomed her mother with a kiss and went back to the kitchen to transfer the liquid from the pot into a small water container. The liquid is yellow in color, the aroma of gumamela flower, honey and citrus overwhelmed her ose as she moves the liquid. She smiled And put it in the fridge. 

       Seeing this Analyn smiles as well thinking that Vincent and Kat have already reconciled, so she wants to ask Vincent to stay over for dinner.  But before she opens her lips,  Vince looks at her.  

With a shocked face she asked,  " do you have something to say, Vince? "

Vince nodded and said, " I'll go home now, tita"

"why not stay for dinner? " Analyn ask. 

Vince shrugged his head and said,  "No need Tita,  Mama will be jealous if she learns that I already ate before I got home. "

        Analyn still persuades him to stay yet his decision is firm. She soon lets him go home when she can't convince him. Vince's house is within walking distance to Kat's house, so he didn't have problems with transportation or anything. As he walks to the streets , people are still scattered outside their house. Some are buying goods from sari-sari stores, some are drinking alcohol outside their houses and some are just sitting outside doing nothing. It's  a normal scene for Vince everytime he walks home at night, just like how normal his heart beats fast when he's approaching their street. 

       Vince's family is strict especially when it comes with time. His father is a pastor, his mother was a simple housewife while her sister works at night as a call center agent. Even though he is a man, his father doesn't let him out at night,  jam with friends or even go to sleepover without his parent's notice. He is not allowed to go home late by giving them a heads up.

       Since it's already dark when he reached their house, his heart burst into fear.  His mother is a soft person yet not his father. Everytime they made a mistake, his father punished them.  Not a punishment where he slaps or throws things at them,  he punishes them with words. 

"Ma,  I'm home, " he said when he entered the house. 

"Wash your hands and change your clothes, we will be eating soon," his mother said while preparing the food in the kitchen.

He went to his father who's sitting at the couch and did a Mano. He did the same to her mother. After that he goes upstairs and changes his clothes. Their Family is not as rich as what other people think.  Their second floor has no room, thus he and his sister sleep in a double decker bed,  while his mom and dad sleep downstairs at the sala. 

When he got down to the kitchen, the food was already served. He sat beside his father. They eat in silence and do the chores in silence as well.

A/N:

Dian masalanta is The filipino goddess of love, conception and childbirth and the protector of lovers.

Mano is a Filipino tradition to show respect to Elders. 

Marikina is a place in metro manila.

Sari-sari store  is a small retail shop that caters to members of that community.