Chapter 4

Verse for today:

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

— Proverbs 15:1

Chapter 4

Autograph? Why is he asking for an autograph?

I decided not to reply. I was hesitant but I chose to stalk his account on 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖. Ang sabi sa akin ni Savy, kapag nag-s-stalk ka sa isang tao ay magmumukha kang kriminal. 

But I'm not doing something illegal, right?

I tapped his icon. Bumungad sa akin ang profiles niya na mayroong 700 plus followers. I read his bio.

You're the bottle of my Margarita. The key of my motorcycle. The ace of my playing cards. The intensity of my stares. And the love of my I love you's.

Naningkit ang mga mata ko. I easily comprehend his bio. King Solomon also has sweet and capturing words that's why I'm not new to this.

I scrolled on his timeline to view the photos. My forehead creases with the photos. Mayroon doong litrato na may hawak siyang billiard stick at ina-asinta ang mga bola. Only his sideview is visible and his pointed nose is perfectly defined. There was a caption of 'not minding of shooting it, but minding shooting your heart'.

May isa pang larawan kung saan may hawak siyang sigarilyo. He was leaning on a motorcycle and it's dark, like evening. 

I scrolled more. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang aksidenteng may nakita roon. Dali-dali ko iyong i-b-in-ack. Binitiwan ko ang phone at napahawak sa dibdib. I felt my heart beating fast.

It's a mirror shot of him, wearing nothing on the top. My face almost turn grotesque in exasperate. I feels like seeing a naked top of a man is a sin. I silently repent my sin to God before going out of my room.

"Pinatatawag na tayo sa gymnasium," I heard Aleah said.

"Oh, e 'di tara na," paanyaya ni Savy.

We went to the gym. There are some people there cleaning the ground. I also noticed the newly brushed wall. Talagang pinaghahandaan ang anibersaryo.

"'Wag kang magmagaling, Genesis! Baka mahulog ka... sa iba."

Tiningala ko ang dalawang lalaki na nakatungtong sa mataas na upuan at nagkakabit ng ilaw. It's Genesis and James, teasing each other as usual.

"Hindi ako mahuhulog sa iba, ano. Loyal ako kay Savy," sagot ni Genesis.

My eyes widened. Napalingon ako kay Savy na kunot na kunot ang noo at naiinis na nakatingin kay Genesis. Castellina coughed slowly. 

Gulat na lumingon sa amin ang dalawang lalaki. Ilang segundo ang lumipas ay natatawang bumalik si James sa ginagawa. I looked at Genesis and saw his shocked expression.

"Ah, s-sister Savy! Nandiyan na pala kayo! Pagbati!" kamot-ulong saad nito. I can see his legs trembling, almost falling from the tall chair.

"Magandang hapon din," tugon ni Aleah at Castellina.

"Magandang hapon po," mahina kong sabi at ngumiti.

Meanwhile, Savy didn't greet them. She just proceeded to Miss Rebekah, which is the Founder of our organization.

"Savy..." saway ni Aleah ngunit iritado pa rin itong dumiretso sa paglalakad.

Pinaglapat ko ang mga labi. Nagsimula kaming tumulong sa pagkakabit ng maliliit na bumbilya sa lapag. While taping one to the side of the gym, I heard voices of two girls making placards of bible verses.

"Agnieszka, kumusta na nga pala kayo ng manliligaw mo?"

The other girl replied, "Manliligaw? Sino sa kanila, Chloe?"

"The one with earrings. 'Yung anak ng mayaman," the Chloe girl said.

As much as I want to stop from hearing their conversation, I can't because they are near to me. I focused on fixing the bulb but I can still hear them talking.

"Lahat ng manliligaw ko ay mayaman at hindi lang isa ang may earrings."

"Right. But to be specific, siya 'yung lalaking isinama ka sa casino? The one you become turned off with?" patanong na wika ni Chloe.

"Ah, yes! I already remember. Si Travis Alegre. Kumusta na kayo?" dagdag nito.

I stilled with the sudden mention of that name. Travis? Is that Isaiah? Pero... baka may iba pa naman sigurong Travis sa mundo. 

But who am I kidding? The person the girl mention and the man I saw has the same exact name.

"Oh, si Travis. We're fine at first pero nakatu-turn off talaga siya. I found out that he's joining an illegal motorcycle racing. And the last time I was with him, he's smoking weeds. Hindi bagay ang second name niyang Isaiah, he's too evil to have a holy name." I sensed disgust in her voice.

Mahina akong napasinghap. Lumipat ako ng pwesto at muling nagkabit ng bumbilya sa lapag. Mahina na ang boses nila sa pandinig ko ngunit naririnig ko pa rin.

That man is... smoking weeds? I'm not very familiar with it but I know it's illegal in our country. 

Nakalulungkot. I hope the next time I saw him, I'll be able to help him change. I know I shouldn't mind other's life but... I'm really sad, knowing that his habits aren't passable to heaven.

"And he's a walking red flag, kaya ayaw ko sa kanya. Nagkakasala lang ako. Besides, napaka-imposible talaga na may bible girl na magkagusto sa kanya. Kung mayroon man, baliw na." Agnieszka tsked.

Pumikit ako. This is bad. I am eavesdropping.

Bumalik ako sa puwesto ko sa tabi ni Aleah. Sinulyapan niya ako habang naggugupit ng creme paper. 

"Parang andami mo na yatang naikakabit na ilaw. That's enough. Tulungan mo na lang muna akong maggupit nito," she speaks.

I obeyed her. Tinanggap ko mula sa kamay niya ang puting creme paper at nagsimulang maggupit din.

"Sino po'ng speaker bukas?" I asked her while cutting the papers.

"Ako at si David. Si Abraham sana ang kasama ko pero ipinatawag siya ng pamilya niya sa Dumaguete," she responded, eyes still focused on the work.

I think Sister Aleah would nail it. Well, I cannot deny that she's really so good in anything. Sinambot niya yata lahat ng talento na mayroon sa mundo. She is gifted in everything. Isang pruweba na walang tapon ang Diyos sa pagga-gantimpala sa mga tao.

Nag-inat ako ng katawan bago tumayo. Narinig ko ang malakas na boses ni Miss Rebekah.

"Guys, we're done for today. We are almost done in decoration, just the monoblock chairs left unfixed. You can go back to your respective dorms or eat on canteen. As usual, you can roam around or go outside but you should go back before 9 in the evening, okay?" 

We responded with a simple 'opo'. 

When we go back to the dorm, I couldn't help but to think again of brother Isaiah. 

His life must be really hard. What I've learned is, most of the people who's outrageous, liberated and doing what they want freely is the sad ones. Sa paggawa ng maraming bagay nila itinutuon ang atensyon nila. In that way, they could avoid the anxiety of being with the reality.

That wasn't from personal experiences but from interviews from friends. Hindi ko inakala na marami akong matututunan sa buhay ng iba. 

'Tulad na lang ng mga kapwa kong mga taong bibliya. Hindi dahil tagasunod sila ng Diyos ay palagi na silang masaya. They also feel pain because many people don't accept them. Marami rin namang mababait na naaawa sa kanila.

But the truth is, they don't need pity. They need acceptance.

Acceptance that only God can give us wholly.

                        --✿✎◒◓✐✿--

  

Written by: Illuminativity