Chapter 21:

After spending a few hours of doing advanced reading and reviewing for our quiz, I leaned back and stretched my arms, pushing my chest forward.

I let out a short groan as I felt my tense muscles loosen up. Hindi ko aakalain na aabutin ako ng ganito katagal. Though, I admit that I kind of enjoyed doing those.

"Gosh," I said when I stood up.

Para akong isang sisiw na kakalabas lang sa kaniyang shell kung kumilos. My lower extremities were so numb and weak. I should have taken regular pilates class. Hmm, I would do that next time!

I forced myself to walk over to my closet to grab some pajamas. Kailangan ko nang mag asikaso dahil sobrang dilim na at kanina ko pa narinig ang pamilyar na tunog ng sasakayan na madalas sakyan ni mommy.

My bath took longer than usual since I stayed in the tub too long again. I dropped in one of those bath bombs I liked and just kind of zoned out.

Nang matapos na ang lahat ay bumaba na ako at lumiko papunta sa dining hall. I immediately saw Mommy who was busy typing on her phone with her reading glasses on. She glanced at me as her fingers were still busy typing.

"Good evening, hija..." she greeted with her usual soft tone.

"Good evening, Mommy" I said as I took my seat.

Ilang segundo pa ang nakalipas bago niya binaba ang phone niya. While I was just waiting for our helper to serve us our dinner.

Nang matapos ay ngumiti ako at nagpasalamat.

"I don't like your color, hija. You're pale. What happened?" she asked worriedly with her brows furrowed.

Then she went down to grab her utensils before she started eating her steam vegetables with one cup of quinoa. Ako naman ay napatingin sa braso ko para kumpirmahin kung maputla nga ba talaga ako.

She was right. I did look kind of pale. Even my eyes felt heavy, like I hadn’t slept well, even if I didn’t do much today. They were dry and just…tired.

"Have you been sleeping late lately?" She added.

I shook my head. "No, Mommy. I still sleep on my usual time,"

"Hmm. It’s fine to go out and have fun, but never, ever forget to take care of yourself" she said.

"Yes, Mommy" I said, nodding as I picked up my fork and started eating.

Habang kumakain ay nag uusap pa rin kaming dalawa. Our usual conversation about how was our study and work, and if everything went well. Parehas na kaming patapos kumain nang magsalita muli siya.

"By the way, I almost forgot..."

All my attention was on her, waiting for what she would say next. "Free your schedule after your midterm examination. I'll free mine too since it's been a long time since we had a mother-daughter date,"

Agad akong napangiti. "Sure, Mommy. Atsaka...I've already decided to take a rest day after our midterms so saktong sakto,"

She chuckled. "Is that so?"

–

I was busy re-applying an SPF mist all over my arms and legs when I heard Yus's say something. Nag angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya habang medyo naka awang ang labi bago nagsalita.

"What? Hindi ko masyadong narinig," I asked, already turning back to what I was doing.

Nasa Boracay kami ngayong dalawa. It had become our little tradition to take a trip somewhere before every exam week—started back in high school, and we had somehow kept it going.

"Sabi ko bakit hindi ka pa basa," he repeated, clearer this time.

The left side of my lips stretched, forming a smirk. Then I looked toward the beach. Beyond me were slightly rough waves as it moves forward then recedes, and the sun was scorching. Kaya ngayon ay nasa ilalim ako ng malaking payong habang nakaupo sa isang sapin at pinapanood lang ang mga tao.

"I'm not in the mood to swim today. Bukas nalang," I said.

He clicked his tongue in disbelief. "Ano kaya 'yon? Nag Boracay para lang tumambay?"

I rolled my eyes before closing the bottle of my SPF mist, then put it back inside my tote bag. "I said I am not in the mood pa nga,"

Napailing iling nalang siya bago ako tinalikuran. I heard someone call his name, and he walked over like he knew them. Mag iisang oras palang kami dito sa dagat pero grabe na ang pagbabago sa kulay niya.

He went from fair-skinned to reddish tanned. The scorching sun was too unbearable for my skin. Ayon din ang dahilan kung bakit ayoko pa lumapit sa dagat at nandito lang ako sa buhanginan sa lilim ng isang puno kahit nasa ilalim din ng payong.

My black sunglasses slipped a bit when I looked down at my digicam, so I adjusted them before checking the photos I took earlier.

There were close-ups of the waves, some coconut trees from a distance, my feet half-buried in the sand, two selfies—one with a peace sign, the other just a regular smile—and one shot of the fluffy clouds above.

Yus was now trying to ride the waves with his yellow surfing board. He wasn’t that good at it yet. He only got into surfing last year, so he was clearly still learning.

Natatawa kong inangat ang digicam ko para i-record siya.

He was with the person who called him earlier. I zoomed in to get a better view. Yus looked kind of stiff—he wasn’t bending his knees properly. The other guy looked way more comfortable and in control.

Naka angat nga siya sa alon pero agad na bumagsak wala pang ilang segundo kaya mas zinoom ko pa para makita kung paano siya umangat mula sa pagkabagsak sa dagat.

"Hay naku, Yus..." I playfully murmured to myself.

They kept going for the next few minutes. Fall, paddle back, repeat. But he looked like he was genuinely having fun. I could tell by his wide grin and how his eyes lit up every time he tried again.

When the sky started to get cloudy and the waves were getting rougher, I put my digicam into my tote bag after I finished recording.

Then I stood up and folded the umbrella and the mat I was sitting on.

Once I was done, I turned around to look for Yus. Ang ibang mga tao ay nagsisi alisan na rin sa dagat habang ang iba naman ay nanatili pa rin kaso nasa buhanginan nalang.

May grupo pa nga na medyo nasa gitna at sinasabayan ang hampas ng alon.

"Yus! Let's go back to our hotel! Uulan ata!" I shouted.

Naka isang sigaw pa ako sa kaniya bago siya tumigil sa ginawa at ngayon ay naglalakad na papunta saakin. He was soaking wet, holding his yellow surfboard under his right arm.

"Ang tagal mo," I complained with brows furrowed even though he cannot see them since I was wearing shades.

"That was actually fun," he replied with a big smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Pero makulimlim na so we better go back to our hotel," I said, turning my back to start walking.

"You should try it too!" he called out with a small laugh.

"No, thank you" I muttered.

Even though I hate to be called a 'killjoy", I would not put myself in such a dangerous activity. Mas gugustuhin ko pang mag snorkeling para makita ang mga isda at coral reefs o mag kayaking nalang.

The beach was about 1.72 km from the hotel Yus booked. I hadn’t really explored the whole place yet–it was pretty big. So far, I had only seen the dining area and the pool.

My brows immediately furrowed. Tuloy tuloy ang lakad ni Yus at mahigit limang hakbang ang pagitan naming dalawa. We had just stepped out of the beach area, and I thought we were going to wait for the shuttle to take us back to the entrance.

I had already asked one of the staff at the resort’s car rental services earlier that I would be booking a ride for us to get back without the hassle. Pero bakit prenteng prente na naglalakad si Yus ngayon?!

The air along the busy street was thick with smoke—some from vehicles, other from barbecue grills set up near the sidewalks. Ma tao at halatang mga turista kaya buhay na buhay ang kalsada na 'to.

"Oh, gosh..." I muttered, shaking my head, before walking over to catch up with him.

He had stopped at a small fruit stand selling all sorts of stuff—pears, apples, watermelons, lemons, and even pineapples already cut and ready to eat.

"What're those for?" I asked curiously.

My eyes scanned the fruits once more, wondering why he was even buying any when our hotel already had a buffet full of this stuff.

"Kay Mama 'to. Mama wants fresh fruits," he said, handing a 500 peso to the middle-aged woman.

The right side of my lips stretched. "Fresh? They won’t be fresh by the time you get home since you bought them agad,"

Pinanood ko siya kung paano siya nagbaba ng tingin sa puting supot na hawak niya na naglalaman ng mga prutas. He shrugged his shoulders. "Fresh pa rin naman mga 'to. It’s not like they’ll rot instantly,"

Sa huli ay nagkibit balikat nalang ako habang naka isang linya ang labi. "Well...if you say, so"

Ilang minuto pa kaming naghintay sa bungad dahil medyo napa aga kami sa napag usapang oras. When the car finally came, we got in quietly.

Parehas kaming abala sa aming phone. I scrolled through my messages, just checking if there was anything important I missed or needed to reply to right away.

The moment the car stopped, I got out without waiting for him. He followed a few steps behind me as I walked straight to my suite.

May bumati pa saamin pagpasok at ngumiti lang ako. Our plan for the night was to have a light dinner here first before hitting up some nearby nightclubs.

I walked over to my luggage and started looking for something to wear.

When I stepped in the small bathroom of the suite, I immediately caught my reflection in the round mirror. Agad kong tinanggal ang suot na shades at nilapag sa sink countertop.

I was wearing a simple white two-piece swimsuit with string ties. It looked a bit plain, so I added a black silk bandana scarf to my hair. The scarf had white tulip patterns on it.

I wanted to get rid of the lingering scent of sea breeze and sand from earlier, so I hopped into the shower and rinsed off before changing into something new. I picked out a red ruffle maxi dress with a deep slit on the left side, paired with black ankle strap heels.

Just as I finished putting in my final pair of earrings, I heard a knock on the door. I glanced over at it before closing my small jewelry box.

Two knocks were heard again before I opened the door. Sinalubong agad ako ng pabango niya. I scanned him from head to toe before adjusting the black baguette bag I was holding in my right hand.

"Let's go na. I am pretty hungry na rin," I said, stepping out first.

I heard the click of the doorknob as he closed the door behind us.

"You better have your key card with you, or else..." I heard him say as he caught up to me.

I let out a chuckle. "I am not that disorganized with my things, you know. And I'm not makakali...what's that word again? makakalitimunin?" I groaned as I struggled to get the word right.

He burst out laughing. "This country had enough of your I am-not-that-fluent thing. Filipinong filipino e...akala mo naman lumaki sa States,"

I blinked twice in disbelief, then turned my head to look at him. “Duh? I grew up around people who don’t speak straight Tagalog e. What do you expect?”

"Atsaka kahit ikaw rin naman, remember? You were that snotty kid who can't even differentiate the word between 'talong' and 'tanong'” I said, holding back a laugh by pressing my lips together.

"Like...aubergine mixed with egg was your paborito pa nga kainin because your househelper cooked it so good when you were in elementary. Nakaka ano isipin na talong lang ay hindi mo pa alam," I added.

"That’s because they sound the same!" he rebutted.

I rolled my eyes and sped up my pace a little. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say,”

He had the nerve to tease me about my Tagalog, when he couldn’t even claim to be fluent himself!