Ms. Purple 3

“Dude, bad news!”

Umiiling si Billy habang dali-daling itinatago ang Nokia 3315 niyang cellphone. Bagaman may trabaho na sila, napapansin ni John na hindi pa rin bumibili ng bagong cellphone si Billy. Simula pa noong magkakaklase pa sila nang college, iyong Nokia 3315 na ang gamit ni Billy. Isa sa ipinagtataka rin ni Billy ay ang patagong pag-gamit ni Billy ng kanyang cellphone na para bang nahihiya dito.

“Bakit? Anong nangyari?” 

 

Tagaktak ang pawis si John dahil sa init. Kanina pa naglalakad sina Billy at John. Binagtas nila ang kahabaan ng EDSA para lang makaalis sa matinding trapik. May nagkabanggaan na jeep, bus at trak, at humarang sa Southbound lane ng EDSA.

“Naipit rin sa trapik si Ja. Di na niya aabutan si Ivan.” Katatapos palang nga tawag ni Janine kay Billy. Kanina pa pala siya tumatawag kay John kaso naubos na ang baterya ng cellphone niya. Buti na lang at alm din ni Ja na may cellphone si Billy.

“Na-try mo bang tawagan si Ivan?” tanong ulit ni John habang nakakunot ang noo.

“Hindi na rin siya makontak e. Malamang ay patay na ang cellphone nun kasi nasa loob na iyon ng eroplano,” mapaklang sagot ni Billy. 

 

Akala ni John happy-ending na ang kwento nila Ivan at Janine. Hindi pa pala. 

Tanghaling tapat ngunit tago sa madilim na ulap ang araw. Katatapos pa lamang ng malakas na ulan. Basa pa ang bagong tabas na damo sa field ng unibersidad. Kinakabahan si John na naglalakad sa bagong gawang covered walk sa paligid ng field. Nakatungo at nakapikit siyang naglalakad at nag-eensayo ng mga sasabihin. Mga ilang beses na rin siyang nababangga at nakakabangga. Maraming nainis, bumulyaw at nagalit sa mga nabangga niya. Ang mga nakakakita sa kanya ay natatawa na lang—pinagtatawanan ang nagmumukhang baliw na si John.

“Mae, may gusto ako sa’yo,” bulong ni John sa sarili. Mali! Hindi puwede iyon. “Ahm, Mae, wag ka sana magalit pero may sasabihin ako sa’yong importante.” Umiling muli si John. Baka lalong magalit siya sa sasabihin ko. Nagkakatalu-talo ang lahat ng mga parte ng kanyang katawan. Puno ng takot at pangamba ang kanyag utak. Nagwawala na ang puso niya, gustong kumawala sa kanyang dibdib. Namanhid na rin ang mga basang kamay niya. Namuo ang mga pawis sa kanyang anit. Hindi niya na rin malaman kung bakit namimlipit ang kanyang tiyan—kung dahil ba sa kaba o sa gutom. Hindi rin kasi siya makakain ng tanghalian. Nawalan din kasi siya ng panlasa sa pagkain. Ganito nga ba mai-in-love?

Papunta siya sa student lounge. Doon laging tumatambay tuwing tanghalian si Ms. Purple kasama ang ilang mga kaibigan. Lalakasan na ni John ang loob at sasabihin na niya ang nararamdaman kay Ms. Purple. Sapat na para sa kanya ang mga pag-uudyok ni Billy at Ivan na magtapat ng nararamdaman kay Ms. Purple. “Pa’no malalaman ng babae na gusto mo siya kung di mo naman sasabihin, di ba?” ika ni Ivan kay John.

Pagdating ni John sa lounge, nakita na agad si Ms. Purple. Nagtatawanan sila ng kanyang mga kaibigan. Makita palang ni John ang ngiti ni Ms. Purple nalulunod na siya sa tuwa. Nag-iinit nanaman ulit ang tenga niya. Gusto na niya ulit umatras. 

 

“Ano?! Hindi mo nanaman sinabi?” narinig niya ang boses ni Billy sa kanyang isip, “Ilang beses mo na sinubukan a. Imba ka, Dude!”

Ayoko niya nang asarin uli siya ng kanyang mga kaibigan. Yurak na ang kayang pride. Nagmumukha na siyang baliw at bahag ang buntot. Pero pa’no ko nga ba sasabihin kay Ms. Purple ang nararamdaman ko?

Pumuwesto si John sa isang kainan na dalawang mesa lang ang layo kila Ms. Purple. Sa ganitong distansya, naririnig niya ang pinag-uusapan nila. 

 

“Ang haba ng hair mo, ‘te,” sabi ng babaeng may maikling buhok kay Ms. Purple.

“Ikaw na ang mga may manliligaw. At take note, dalawa pa!” dagdag ng kaibigan ni Ms. Purple na may salamin. Natawa lang si Ms. Purple.

“Alam nyo. Kahit sampu pa yang manligaw sa akin, wala pa rin sa akin iyon. Wala pa sa isip ko ang mag-boyfriend. Out muna ako sa romantic relationship.”

“Ows? Pa’no kung magka-gusto ka sa isa mong manliligaw? Mahirap magsalita ng tapos,” banat ng may maikling buhok.

“Malabo ko pa mahahanap ang ideal man for me. Ang haba ng qualifications,” nagtawanan ang mga magkakaibigan sa sinabi ni Ms. Purple.

“Sabagay, mahirap bumagay sa isang Ms. Almost Perfect,” sabi ng may salamin kay Ms. Purple.

Hindi na makagalaw sa kinatatayuan si John. Narinig na niya mismo sa mga labi ni Ms. Purple na wala na siyang pag-asa. Hindi pupuwede ito. Ano ang dapat kong gawin para bumagay ako kay Ms. Purple?

ITUTULOY...

I just can’t say I love you

My mind is traveling fast, seeking words to say.

Mine is the throbbing heart, can’t describe in any way.

In every teardrop you shed and sob you make,

There is the guilt that I know I can’t fake.

There is the responsibility we both have to face

To each of us is given too much burden to brace

For I know, the proper season has not yet come—

Like the orchids of the tropic, those are not yet on bloom.

But this I say to you and to you I speak,

“Don’t cry, smile…I do not want you to be weak.

Even though I long to say these words to you,

Love, I just can’t say ‘I love you’.”

The man and his boxes

Once there was a man who has a box of almost everything. He has boxes of skills and of talents, an expensive box of knowledge, a beautifully wrapped box of creativity, a couple of boxes of perseverance and of endurance, a big box of diligence, and a lot of small boxes of resources. One morning, this man knowing that he is well equipped for an adventure set off for a journey. On the road, he met one of their town’s elders.

“Where are you going?” the elder asked the man.

“I don’t know where I am going. All I know is that I have boxes of everything I need on this journey,” the man replied.

The elder smiled and tapped the man’s shoulder, “Have a happy and fruitful journey.”

The man continued his journey. He carried all his boxes going to nowhere. He spent three days and three nights walking until he reached the city of Thibes.

At the arrival on the city, the man rented a room for him to stay for a day or two. After that, he visited the market place to buy some food for the journey. Upon seeing the variety of goods being sold at every store, the man traded all his boxes of resources for everything that pleased his eyes.

He left the city of Thibes after two days and continued his journey. He couldn’t able to bring anything with him aside from his boxes, so he also left all the goods he bought in the city.

“Where are you going, sir?” a young boy asked the man, while he was drinking in the well two days after he left Thibes.

“Ah! I really don’t know where I’m heading. All I know is that I have sufficient boxes that I need in my journey.”

The lad scratched his head looking very confused by the man’s answer. “You’re too young to understand, my Boy,” the man told the lad.

After another two days, the man sojourned on a small village called Promeud. He has no more boxes of resources to be traded for goods, so he used all his boxes of knowledge, talent and skills in order to survive.

 His short stay in the village became years of coping and surviving life. He has spoiled some box of talents and destroyed many box of skills. He disregarded all boxes of skills and talent left with him, for he thought it would not help him to survive. He also lost his expensive box of knowledge. He has opened the boxes of perseverance, endurance and diligence. 

The man realized that his journey is not progressing, thus he insisted to leave Promeud. He abandoned his unopened beautifully wrapped box of creativity in the town thinking that he will not use such box—it will be an excess baggage for him.

On the road, a woman from a caravan asked him, “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that I need to survive using the boxes left with me,” the man shrugged and quickly walked away.

He arrived at a nearby but larger town of Weall. He has lost all his boxes except the boxes of perseverance and endurance, and a small box left of diligence. After five years, the man has no more boxes to use for he had used it all up. He died and was buried outside the town of Weall. On his grave was written:

In here lies an unknown man who did not know where he is going.