Come Back To Me

PART 1: COME BACK TO ME - CHAPTER 1

PART 1: COME BACK TO ME - CHAPTER 1

It was the beginning of the school year – June. Zian was entering first grade at his new school. His mother transferred him to another when she did not like the one he went to kindergarten to. That was his mother, Zenny, always leaving when she did not like a place, a person, or a thing.

The flag ceremony was over and the mother and son headed for the boy’s classroom.

“Remember,” his mother said as they stopped outside the classroom. “Don’t leave the classroom without telling your teacher. Don’t start a fight with anyone and most of all, don’t bite anyone. Your teeth will rot if you do so.”

Zian nodded quietly, his eyes focused on his mother’s face. At a young age of six, he noticed he did not look anything like her. Perhaps, only her skin tone. Her eyes were as dark as his father’s. Her hair was lighter, almost brown while his was jetblack. His lips were thinner and his cheeks a little chubby. Maybe he will outgrow them, he thought. His cousins would always pinch them. He hated it but the more he resisted, the more they would do it.

“Now, go inside and greet your teacher. I’ll see you during recess, okay?”

Zian nodded once more before heading inside.

The classrooms were lined up forming a single-story building. In the rural areas of the Philippines, that seemed to be the case. The land the school was seated was quite large, a few acres that stretched to the gardens and small mahogany forest in the back.

“Good morning, Ma’am.” Zian greeted his teacher whose desk was next to the door, right when you walk in, to the right.

“Good morning! What’s your name?” The teacher asked. She had two few blank white cardboard papers left on her desk.

“Zian de Leon.”

“Zi..an.” The teacher wrote his name and gave him the card with a tie that would go around his neck. It was his nametag for the day. “Find and seat and I’ll be right there with you.”

The boy nodded, his face still expressionless as when he first came in. Finding an empty seat all the way to the front, he headed to it and took a seat. Turning his head to the left, he found his classmates talking and getting to know each other. He remained quiet, pursing his lips. He did not know if he was required to ask someone his or her name and introduce himself. Settling on his own, he took his backpack off and hung it behind his seat. He noticed the other kids had done the same.

“Okay, everybody. Please settle down.” The teacher stood in front of her class once the students had all come in. “My name is Mrs. Selina Jacinto and I am your teacher.”

“Good morning, Ma’am!” The greeting was united. Children were taught how to greet their teacher as early as daycare but most children learned when they were in kindergarten. Daycares were for those who wanted their kids to start learning early. The centers were private hence only those who had money could afford to send their kids to the centers.

Zian never experienced going to a daycare center. However, he had been to two kindergartens already. Both of them were in separate schools. His family had moved twice. Zenny had a disagreement with his stepmother when they were living in the same province so they moved.

“Now that I have introduced myself to you, each one of you will introduce himself or herself, okay?” The teacher stepped to her right and asked the first kid to tell the class her name. “Tell them how old you are, too. Okay?”

“I’m Emily. I am seven years old.”

“Let’s give Emily a round of applause, everyone,” the teacher said and the students immediately did as told.

When it was Zian's turn, he stood up to face his classmates. His eyes landed on the boy sitting behind his desk. “Um…”

“Don’t be shy!” the boy said, his eyes beaming with anticipation to know Zian’s name. “Come on. What’s your name?”

“I-I’m Zian de Leon. I’m six years old.”

“Very good, Zian!” The teacher clapped her hands and the rest followed. The boy who encouraged him even gave him a thumbs up.

At recess, Zian waited for his mother. She came with snacks for the boy and for his baby brother and sister. The twins Edward and Evie were only over two years old.

“How was it?” Zenny asked his son. The four of them were inside the classroom along with a few other children and their parents.

Zian replied, “It was okay.” He saw someone at the corner of his eyes and immediately diverted his attention to the sweet bread he was eating.

“You made a friend?” Zenny teased. The two toddlers giggled as they looked up to their brother. It was not hard for the young mother to take both children with her because they were well behaved; they were not so curious about lots of things. When their mother would tell them to keep still, they did so. Their stroller was also very handy.

Zian looked towards the door again and saw the same kid he was trying to avoid meeting eyes with. The other boy smirked and walked away, calling someone to go with him. “Rylan! Did you get it?”

“Yep!”

When recess was over, Zenny left with the twins again. The plan was taking Zian to school only for today. The next time he went, he would be going with his older cousins. Zenny was a stay-at-home mother. Her husband was a domestic seaman who was often away. She was left taking care of her children at home.

The house they live in was next to her in-law’s. It was a humble two bedroom half concrete, half bamboo and rattan house. It was barely finished. Nonetheless, she liked it. Zian and the twins liked it, too. It was a house their father helped built when he stayed home for a couple of months. He left before their kitchen was fully done.

At lunch, Zian waited for his mother again and she arrived, they all headed to the school canteen. It was almost packed. There was not much space. Most of the students ate at their classroom because they had packed lunches. Others went back to their houses if they were close enough. The lunch was for over an hour. There was plenty of time for them to leave, eat, and come back.

“Yours is in first grade, too?” One woman asked Zenny while the four of them had their meal at a table next to the other’s. She was fair skinned with big brown eyes.

Zenny nodded and introduced her son, Zian and the twins.

“Mine is in first grade, too. This is Nially. She’s in section C,” the woman introduced her daughter. “I’m Nica.”

“Zenny. Zian is in section A.”

Zian and Nially were both a little shy but soon they were sharing each other’s lunch. Nially was his first ever friend from school.

“Nanay enrolled me to section C because Alden is in section A. I don’t like him. He’s a troublemaker,” Nially told her new friend.

“Alden?” Zian asked, the face of his classmate named Alden came to his mind instantly.

“Yep. Alden Paul. Stay away from him. He’s trouble.”

Zian blinked. Tilting his head, he thought of the kid who encouraged him to say his name, the kid who smirked at him by the door during recess, the same kid who picked up his pencil when he dropped it right before class ended.

“He can’t be that bad,” he mumbled to himself. Nially did not hear it; she was busy separating the bones from her chicken adobo.

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