Under the Starlight

4

Punong-puno ang table ng variety of food na hinanda ni Mommy. I didn't know that still had time to prepare everything despite of short notice. 

Talagang naghanda siyang mabuti ngayon. 

I was sitting beside Kuya Leon who's quietly eating his food. Mas matangkad si Kuya Leon kay Sancho, but they have the almost same built of body--muscles all over. 

Mom was sitting beside Lola Esmeng, that's what she wants me to call her. Beside Lola Esmeng was Sancho. 

Dad was on the head seat. Mga adults lang ang nag-uusap like kung anong plan sa "wedding", the "accident" that happened few days ago. 

Inenjot ko na lang ang sarili ko sa pagkain lalo na at nasasarapan ako sa luto ni Mommy. I scanned the table to look for my next target. 

I found the steamed shrimp sitting peacefully next to Sancho. 

I smack my lips dahil it's one of my favorite food!

Nag-angat naman ng tingin si Sancho sa akin at nakita niyang nakatingin ako doon. Kinuha niya ang natitirang three pieces at nilagay sa plate niya. 

My eyes widened sa ginawa niya. 

"Una persona tan mezquina (Such a mean person)" bulong ko habang nakatingin sa plato ni Sancho na binabalatan ang shrimp. 

"Qué pasó? (What happened?)" tanong ni Kuya na nasa gilid ko. Narinig ata ang sinabi ko. 

"Estaba apuntando a los camarones, pero él los tomó. (I was aiming for the shrimp but he took it.)" mahinang sagot ko kay Kuya. 

Kung pwede lang malusaw ang pagkain na nasa plato ni Sancho ngayon sana malusaw na. 

Kung bakit naman kasi ang bagal ko. Naunahan tuloy ako. 

"Hay otros alimentos en la mesa, Olivia. (There are other food on the table, Olivia.)" maikling sagot ni Kuya sa akin. 

I pouted my lips bago sila inirapan. Hindi niya kasi gets yung sinasabi ko na favorite ko yung pagkain na iyon. 

Kukuha na sana ako ng ibang pagkain sa lamesa ng iabot ni Sancho sa plato ko ang nabalatang hipon. Napahinto tuloy ako sa gagawin ko at lahat ay napatingin sa ginawa niya. 

"I have no idea what are you both talking about. Pero sana mapatawad mo ako kung binalatan ko ito para sa'yo." sabi ni Sancho. 

My jaw dropped sa sinabi niya. He heard us?

Napatingin ako kay Kuya Leon na nagkibit balikat sa sinabi ni Sancho. 

I cleared my throat before saying thank you to him. "T...thanks." simpleng sagot ko. 

Tinignan ko naman sina Mommy, Daddy, at Lola Esmeng. They were all looking at us na parang kaming magandang view sa paningin nilang lahat. 

After eating dinner, I thought they would leave na pero hindi pa pala. Mom invited Lola Esmeng to have a tea with her. Of course, Lola Esmeng agreed excitedly. 

"Apo, mag-usap muna kayo ni Olivia. Uuwi na rin tayo mamaya." sabi ni Lola Esmeng kay Sancho. 

"Dear, why don't you and Sancho go to the garden and talk there. Maliwanag ang garden ngayon at walang lamok doon." Mom said to me naman. 

Tinignan ko si Sancho na nakatingin naman sa akin. He's not smiling pero I know na he's enjoying what was happening right now. Damn this man. 

"Of course, mom. I would love to know him more. Anyway, he's my fiancee." I plastered a fake smile to them and everyone thought that it was real. 

"Excuse lang po." Magalang na paalam naman ni Sancho sa mga naroon. 

Nagulat pa ako ng bigla niyang hawakan ang palapulsuhan ko para makalabas kami. Makikipag-argue pa sana ako kaya lang I don't want the adults to notice our argument.  Kaya I followed him hanggang makalabas kami papunta sa garden

There, nobody would hear or see us kasi we are far from others.  I move away from him immediately and sat at the vacant bench while my arms were crossed over chest. Why would he do that? I can walk on my own naman  without his guide. 

"Are we going to pretend that we're talking here?" mataray na tanong ko sa kanya. 

He sat at the other bench across mine. I can even smell his male perfume from where I am now and I hate that I like the scent of it. What the hell is wrong with my sense of smell?

"Yeah. I can sleep here if you want." He answered nonchalantly before looking straight at me. 

I rolled my eyes so I won't be able to match his stare. He just chuckled before shaking his head. 

"Why are you in Trinidad anyway?" I asked him. Baka kasi he always visits me in our place and ayoko yun! I don't want to see any single hair of him here. 

His brow raised a little, "For my Abuela. Masama bang bisitahin ko siya dahil sa nangyari sa kanya?" 

"Did I say bawal ba? Di ba, no? Stop putting words in my mouth, Mr. Ramirez."  sabi ko sa kanya. 

"I didn't say anything Ms. Vilaformosa. Pinagsasabi mo diyan," Naiiling na sabi nito sa akin. 

I rolled my eyes once again to him. "You know what? Why don't we just tell to them that we don't want to get married? Being straightforward is a lot much better than fooling them. We could hurt them along the way."  I told him. 

His brow shot upward again and even though we were in a dark place, the dim light coming from the pole near us didn't justify how good looking he is. 

I shifted my gaze from him to my nails. "Why? Natatakot ka ba?" he asked after the silence that my question brought to him. 

Agad akong tumingin sa kanya tsaka umiling, "Why would I?"

He shrugged off his shoulder, "I just thought na baka natatakot ka na," 

Inirapan ko siya, "No. I'm not afraid," Ayoko lang kasi na masaktan sina Mommy kapag nakita nilang we are trying tapos in the end no naman pala. 

"You're on your third year, right?" He asked out-of-nowhere. 

Tumango ako sa question niya. Bakit niya need na i-ask? "Why?" tanong ko sa kanya. 

"Nothing special. Baka lang itanong ka ni Abuela sa akin. Mabuting alam ko rin." He took out his phone and type on it. 

"D...did you just put my birthday on your phone?" Gulat na tanong ko sa kanya. 

He raised his gaze to me as if nothing was special from what he did. Wala man lang emotion yung eyes while looking at me. Hinarap niya sa akin ang phone niya and I saw na nasa note iyon nakasulat. 

"I'm taking journalism and every detail is important for me. You might want to do the same thing para kapag tinanong ka ng magulang mo ay may masagot ka." seryosong sabi niya sa akin. 

"I'm smart kaya I can memorize everything easily." Mayabang na sagot ko sa kanya. 

He didn't say any word sa sinabi ko. Nagtaas lang siya ng kilay at nagkibit-balikat sa akin. "I'm taking Journalism at Ateneo de Manila University, third year, Dean's lister. My birthday is on October 15, yours is January 1, right? I'm currently 5'8, 65 lbs. I hate smokers, I was never fond of them. Dito ako sa Trinidad lumaki before ako kunin ng mga magulang ko para paaralin sa America ng Elementary hanggang High School, came back at the Philippines for my college--"

"Wait!" sigaw ko sa kanya. 

Nakataas ang kilay niya habang nakatingin sa akin. Does he think na kaya kong i-memorize everything na sinabi niya kaagad? 

"You're too fast, Ramirez." sabi ko sa kanya. 

The end of his lips rose up, "I thought you can memorize easily?" tanong niya sa akin. 

"Yes! But not that quick. You are so mabilis kaya." angal ko sa kanya. 

Hindi niya ako sinagot at tinignan lang niya ako nang masama. The nerve of this man talaga! I hate his guts. 

Masama pa rin ang tingin ko sa kanya habang nilalabas ko naman ang phone ko.  Tinype ko roon yung mga natandaan ko sa sinabi niya. 

"October 15 is your birthday, you grew up here in Trinidad but had to move in America and came back again in the Philippines. Dean's lister from Ateneo and you are taking up Journalism. Am I right?" I asked him. 

He nodded before tilting his head to the side. "You know the basic. That was so generic, Olivia. " 

Inirapan ko na lang siya sa sinabi niya. Iyon yung sinabi niya sa akin kaya iyon yung ilalagay ko. I don't need to know him deeply. We don't have that kind of relationship. 

"Mommy, will only ask about the generic questions. Baka nga she might now ask me pa. Don't assume, you'll get hurt lang." I crossed my other leg to the other one. 

Nakasunod ang tingin ni Sancho sa akin pagkatapos ay umiling lang siya.  Well I can't blame him...I'm beautiful, smart, and sexy. No one can compare like me. 

"I'm not a fan of seafoods especially shrimp. I can't eat raw fishes like sushi or anything related to it. Hmm...I'm a fan of thrill and adventure and I found all of it in Journalism." He said again sa akin. 

Tinignan ko lang siya and I didn't bother to write it on my phone. I don't need to know him sa ganyan. Wala namang sense pa. 

I cleared my throat para ako naman ang magsalita, "I'm third year high school---"

"I know everything about you, Olivia. No need to tell me that. I don't like generic facts about you." Pagputol niya sa iba ko pang sasabihin. 

Napanganga ako sa sinabi niya. "Stalker ka ba?" tanong ko sa kanya. 

He shook his head, "Sinasabi ko lang na alam ko na ang mga basic tungkol sa'yo. Hindi mo na kailangan ulitin pa. I can even recite it for you," mayabang na sabi niya sa akin. 

Masama ko siyang tinignan. If only looks could kill, he's dead na agad. Sure ako doon. 

"Go ahead. I dare you say three facts about me." Hamon ko sa kanya. 

He leaned back at the bench tsaka niya binitawan ang phone niya. "First, you hate bugs. You were never a fan of bugs dahil takot ka sa kanila. Second, you like pastel pink not just an ordinary shade of pink but a pastel shade of pink. Third, you like raw fishes unlike me." He replied. 

Napatingin ako sa kanya. "Bakit alam mo yan? Stalker ka talaga noh!" bintang ko sa kanya. Napatayo pa ako at tinuro siya. 

He grinned before standing up as well. Lumapit siya sa akin kaya napaatras ako kaagad. Tumama ang legs ko sa bench kaya bigla ulit akong napaupo. Sancho leaned towards me, placing his other hand at the backrest of the bench.  His face were a few inches away from me. 

"That's not my thing, Liv. I have no plans of being your stalker." He replied arrogantly before patting my head and leaving me. 

Pakiramdam ko ay pulang-pula ang face ko at nanginginig ang hands ko sa ginawa.  Ang yabang-yabang niya!

Naunang bumalik si Sancho sa loob ng house kaya sumunod ako sa kanya after kong kumalma from what he did to me. 

"Andyan na pala siya." Mom said when she saw me walking inside our house. 

Masama kong tinignan si Sancho na seryosong nakatingin sa akin. Inirapan ko siya kaagad at lumapit kay Mommy. If only she knew what that man did to me. 

"Paano ba iyan, Lena. Maraming salamat ulit sa imbitasyon niyo sa amin. Sa susunod ay kayo naman ang maghapunan sa bahay at ipaghahanda ko kayo...Ang apo kong si Sancho ay mahusay magluto. Matikman niyo man lamang." Lola Esmeng tapped Sancho's back kaya napatingin ulit ito sa kanila. 

"Really?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Mommy tsaka umakbay sa akin. "Liv knows how to eat lang pero she's not a fan of cooking," Natatawang sabi ni Mommy. 

"Mom!" I frowned my face sa sinabi niya. Nakakahiya naman na malaman pa ng ibang tao ang weakness ko. And I don't want that man to know my weakness kaya. He's so mayabang pa naman and I hate it. 

Mom pinched my cheeks, "We will visit on Saturday kasi may check-up sa Manila si Liv ng Sunday," imporma ni Mommy sa kanila. 

Gulat na napatingin ako sa kanya. Why was she deciding on her own? Ayokong pumunta sa bahay nila and I don't want to see twice for this week!

"M...may sakit ba siya?" Lola Esmeng asked. 

Napatingin tuloy ako sa kanya at nag-aalala ang mga mata niyang nakatingin sa akin. I tried to place a small smile on my face. Ang daldal talaga ni Mommy! Bakit kailangan pa niyang sabihin na may condition ako?

"She had a brain tumor when she was young. Kailangan lang ng regular check up sa Neuro niya every three months para mabantayan siya. There's no progression naman kaya lang iniingatan lang namin ng asawa ko po." Paliwanag ni Mommy sa kanila.

I gently nudge Mommy at her side para hindi na siya mag-talk pa about me.  Kaya lang hindi ata napansin ni Mommy kasi she talking about me continously pa. 

"Ah Mom! I think we should all call it a night na po? They still have to drive back home," I said to Mommy. 

"Oh! I'm sorry. Naging madaldal lang pero yeah...you actually have a point, babe." sabi ni Mommy sa akin bago niya tinignan ang mga guests namin. 

Nagkatinginan naman si Lola Esmeng at Sancho. The latter nodded before turning to us. "See you on Saturday po, Tita and Tito." magalang na sabi ni Sancho sa mga magulang ko bago humarap sa akin.

"See you tomorrow, Liv. I'll pick you up at your school." sabi niya sa akin. 

My eyes widen sa sinabi niya pero hindi na ako nagkaroon pa ng chance na mag-rebut sa kanya dahil sa pasimpleng kurot sa akin ni Mommy sa tagiliran. She's smiling from ear-to-ear. Naglakad na rin sila ni Daddy para ihatid sa car nila sina Sancho. 

We didn't talk about it! Wala sa plan ang pagpunta niya bukas sa school. Hindi na tuloy ako nakapagpaalam kay Lola Esmeng. Damn that guy. 

I heard a chuckle from my back and there I saw my brother, grinning as well. "What?!" sabi ko sa kanya. 

"You have a date huh? Good luck." Kuya walked towards me before tapping my shoulder.  "He looks decent. I like him for you." 

"What?! I thought you don't want me to be cage on this?" reklamo ko pa sa kanya. 

"That was before I met him. He's good for you, Liv. Mawawala ang pagiging spoiled brat mo sa kanya." Tumatawang nilagpasan ako ni Kuya. 

"But I'm not a spoiled brat!" sigaw ko sa kanya. He just waved his hand tapos ay iniwan na ako. 

Padabog tuloy akong pumasok sa kwarto ko para maligo at magbihis. No. I will never go with him kahit anong mangyari. 

I'm ready to go to the bed ng mag-crash in si Mommy sa room ko. She's still wearing her dress and her smile was all over her face. She sat on my bed and pull me closer to her. 

"You have a date tomorrow, Liv?" Excited na tanong niya sa akin. 

Ayoko. 

That's what I want to say pero I know na I can't say that to her. "Opo?" patanong na sabi ko sa kanya. 

Mom squealed like a teenager. "Great! My baby doll is all grown up naman. At least you were trying to know him, right? And he looks mabait naman, anak. I'm sure na iingatan ka niya. Kaya you have to sleep well tonight, make yourself pretty. Dahil tomorrow ay may date ka! Oh my God! I'm so happy, Olivia."  She even hugged me kaya hindi ako halos makahinga sa kanya.Siya pa ang mas excited kumpara sa akin. I know naman na fake lang ang gagawin namin at baka nga bwisitin niya lang ako tomorrow. 

"I'll give you an extra allowance tomorrow para may panggastos ka rin sa date niyo ni Sancho. Dapat hindi lang lalaki ang pinagagastos mo, dapat half kayong dalawa. You are strong and independent woman, anak. Pero, seriously, I'm so excited for tomorrow! I can't wait!" Kinikilig pa rin na sabi ni Mommy sa akin. 

Hindi ako halos makatulog sa bed kasi iniisip ko kung paano ko sasabihin sa mga friends ko na mayroon akong date tomorrow! How could I even face them for the next day? They don't even know Sancho at all!

Kaya kinabukasan ay lulugo-lugo akong pumasok sa school. Everyone notice na gloomy and too quite ako sa class. Si Chari ang usual na maingay na naman. I don't know how to tell themna may date ako later. 

"Tahimik ka ata?" tanong ni Mica sa akin. She even sat beside me habang nakaupo ako sa isa sa mga stairs doon. 

"Oo nga! Kanina pa." Chari sat beside me too kaya nasa middle na nila akong dalawa. 

"May problema ba?" nag-aalalang tanong ni Mica sa akin. 

I looked at her bago umiling. I don't want to tell it them yet. Hindi naman ko sila pinagkakatiwalaan kaya lang para kasing hindi naman fit sa akin ang magkaroon ng date. Alam nila na studious ako masyado sa study para maghanap pa ng love life. 

"Nothing. I was just thinking things." simpleng sagot ko sa kanila. 

"Anong things naman?" Chari asked while handing the chocolate candies that she bought at the canteen to us. 

"Thank you." I told her pagkatapos niya akong bigyan ng tatlong candy same kay Mica. "You know...life things. Kung ano kaya tayo after all of these? If we were still the same after all these years?" 

"Sus! Tignan mo na lang ako. Nawala na yung Nanay ko pero heto at strong pa rin ako. Kanya-kanyang pagdadala lang yan guys. Hindi natin kailangan maging mahina para lang sa ibang bagay." sabi ni Chari sa amin. 

I understand her. I get her point kaya lang magkaiba nga ata talaga kami. I have problems for my future and I want to get rid off of it now pa lang. I envy her kasi she's so strong and kaya pa niyang mag-joke sa amin kahit na malungkot siya. She can conceal everything easily. 

I'm like Micaela naman. We are both transparent when it comes to our emotion. I hoped we could be Chari at some point of our life. 

I carried that thought hanggang mag-uwian. Kinakabahan ako habang pababa kami ng hagdanan. What if nasa labas na ng school si Sancho? They will saw him! Hindi siya pwedeng makita ng mga tao around me. 

"Guys, I'll just go to the C.R muna. You can go ahead." Excuse ko kina Chari at Mica. 

I runaway from them without hearing their reply. Sana umalis na sila para hindi nila makita si Sancho. I don't want them to meet him! It will be a cause of my early death talaga. 

I stayed inside the bathroom for 15 minutes, fixing the natural soft curls of my brown long hair. Maayos pa rin yung butterfly na clip ng hair ko and ayoko iyon!

Pero laking gulat ko pagkalabas ng bathroom at nakita ko sina Chari at Olivia na nanginginain ng lollipop habang hinihintay ako sa labas ng bathroom. 

"Akala namin nakatulog ka na. Anong ginawa mo?" tanong ni Chari. 

"Andito pa kayo?" I asked to them.

Sabay na tumango yung dalawa. "Di ba gagala tayo sa Puerto Honares? Yung burol diyan sa likod ng school. Open na ulit siya sa mga gustong pumunta. May dalang snacks si Seb kaya tara na!" sabi ni Chari sa akin. 

Did I agree to that?

Hindi ko matandaan. 

Hinatak na ako ng dalawa kahit anong pilit kong gumawa ng excuse. Pero huli na ang lahat dahil paglabas namin ng campus ay nakita ko ang itim na SUV ni Sancho at siya na nakasandal doon. 

He's wearing a plain red long sleeve t-shirt, nakafold hanggang sa elbow niya ang sleeve nun tsaka dark maong pants and his brown leather shoes. He looked like a fashion model that came out of the magazine. 

"Hi." He stood properly pagkakita sa akin at sa mga kaibigan ko. 

Damn. I'm dead na.