Chapter Two

I am still wondering who gave these tulips to Kian. It's break time. I saw my students eating their snacks. Some of them share their snacks with their seatmates and friends. I looked at Kian. I smiled at him when our eyes met. His eyes grew bigger when he saw the tulips in my hand. He looked at me again before he averted his gaze away at me. I pouted. My baby Kian has a secret to me.

I'm happy because he didn't lie to me. Tikom lang ang kanyang bibig kaysa magbigay ng maling impormasyon at ayaw niya rin sirain ang pangako na ibinigay sa taong iyon. Sometimes we can't avoid situations like that. You know the truth but that person told you to not tell anyone about it and you gave your word to him or her. Then your closest friend asked you about it. Instead of lying to her you just zipped your mouth. You didn't talk about it and remained silent. By that, you avoid telling a lie and you also avoid breaking your word to him or her.

"Good morning, teacher Sarah," I heard baby Ali greet my co-teacher.

"Good morning too, baby Ali."

My other students greeted her also. Sarah comes to me and puts the three red roses on the table. She's smiling at me.

"Who gave this?"

"Secret," she replied while tingling with excitement. She took the tulips and smelled them. I did the same to red roses. Its fragrance has been drawn to my nose and the smell is not loathful. I noticed that there's no thorn in the stem. I think the owner of these roses does not want to hurt me. Dalawang uri ng bulaklak ang ibinigay sa akin ngayon ng magkaibang tao. Actually, I have in mind that who has given this roses to me. But I'm not sure if it is him.

"Haba ng hair mo. Kanino galing itong tulips?," tanong ni Sarah at kumuha ng upuan.

"Ibinigay lang kay Kian. Hindi naman sa akin sinabi ng bata kung kanino galing," nakanguso ako habang sinasabi iyon. 

"Ayiee..dalawa ang secret admirer mo." Napailing na lang ako sa pang-aasar niya. Sinabi ko rin sa kanya ang taong nasa isip ko kung sino nagbigay ng roses sa akin at sa kanya pinabigay.

"No. You're wrong. Not him," nakangising sabi niya.

"Nah. He always gives me roses. So why not him?"

"Because I knew this person. The person who gave these roses. He also said that you know him."

"Ha? Sino?"

Nagkibit balikat lang si Sarah. Ayaw talaga nilang ipaalam sa 'kin. Ayoko naman isipin na ang nagbigay ng roses sa 'kin ay ang kaibigan ko dahil lang sa ibinigay na clue ni Sarah. Isang suntok sa buwan kung bibigyan niya ko ng bulaklak kung pagkain like sweets pwede pa.

"Anyway, I think the person you mentioned earlier was the one who gave the tulips," she said.

I rest my back at the backrest of the chair. I don't know if Sarah's correct. That person always gives me roses. So it's impossible that he's the owner of these tulips but who knows, there's possible in the word impossible. After our little chit chat she bid goodbye to us.

After the break time, I have begun to teach my students on how to multiply. I gave an example and explained it to them. Some of them got the correct process of multiplying but my other students didn't get the process of multiplying properly. Actually, binigyan ko sila ng kopya ng multiplication table last week para basahin nila at imemorize. Well, my students are so talented and fast learners. So I believe in them that they will overcome this task.

"Teacher, look at my solution. Am I correct this time?"

I smiled at her. "Yes, baby. You got it."

"Really, teacher?"

"Yes, baby Missi."

"Thank you, teacher," she said and she kissed my left cheek. After that she came back to her seat. Some of her classmates asked her about it and she answered it with a smile on her lips.

Magaan sa pakiramdam na makita mo ang iyong mga estudyante na nagkakasundo at nagkakaisa. Walang away at walang inggitan. Sana hanggang sa paglaki ganito parin sila. Innocent and have a good heart. Sa tuwing naiisip ko na aalis rin sila, lumipat ng baitang hindi ko maiwasan na hindi malungkot dahil iiwan na nila ako. But as their teacher, I want them to grow and to be successful with or without me.

"Ok. It's lunch time."

"Yes!" They shouted in unison. Some of them have a packed lunch like me while the others have yaya's or their parents brought their lunch. We have a canteen but I want to eat with them and my mother is the best cook.

Mabilis lumipas ang oras namalayan ko na lang ay uwian na pala. Bawat estudyante ko ay sinusundo ng kani-kanilang magulang. Ang iba naman ay ang kanilang yaya o kaya nakakatandang kapatid. Niligpit ko ang aking gamit at nilock ang pinto bago umalis.

"Nese, pauwi ka na?"

I nodded to Sarah.

"Sabay na tayong lumabas," saad niya at sabay angkla sa aking braso.

"Lee!" She called our male co-teacher. Well, kami-kami na lang ang nandito at wala ng mga estudyante kaya first name basis na kami ngayon. Huminto naman ito at inantay kami.

"Sabay-sabay na tayong tatlong lumabas."

"Yeah. Sure," Lee said.

"Lee, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. What is it." Napapagitnaan nila akong dalawa. Nasa kaliwa ko si Sarah at nasa kanan ko naman si Lee. Huminto kami.

"Are you the one who gave Kian these tulips to give to Nese?" Sarah asked him and pointed to the tulips in my right hand. In my peripheral vision I saw him smile. A shy smile.

"Yes."

"I told you," Sarah whispered to me. I looked at Lee and our eyes met. "D-Did you like the tulips?"

"Yeah."

"Good to hear that. But, what's with your face?" he asked with confusion in his eyes.

"Sorry. I'm just shocked. You always give me roses then now tulips. But don't worry, I like it."

"Yeah. That time, I was thinking of giving you a different flower. So I bought tulips," he paused. "Tulips caught my attention in one glance, like you. You caught my attention, my eyes the first time I saw you."

"Ayiee..what's the real score between you two, ha?" Sarah asked with a sly smile on the lips. Actually, Lee is not courting me. He never asks me or says anything about courting. I don't know why he gives me flowers. It started six months ago. Our first encounter is in the mall. I was buying some stuff that time and we crashed into each other. Our second encounter is here in the school. I asked him twice about the flower. Why he's giving me those and he answered me that he likes giving me flowers.

"We're just friends," I answered her question.

"Yeah. We're friends."

"Weh? Why are you not courting my friend, Lee? You have chemistry."

"I—" Lee stopped speaking because someone was coughing behind his back. There, we saw Ni standing while both his hands were inside his pocket.

"Hi, Nick!"

He just smiled at Sarah.

"I think your best friend is angry," Sarah whispered to me. "Ok. I gotta go, guys." Sarah kissed my cheek. She waved her hand and I waved back to her.

"Let's go," Ni said and walked away.

"Thanks for these flowers."

"You're welcome. I'm happy that you like it."

"Mn!" Ni shouted from a far.

"Go. Take care. Your best friend —"

Lee stopped speaking because I kissed his right cheek. I ran towards Ni. I know he saw that.

"Hey, why are you so grumpy?" I don't get any response from him. He opened the door.

"Get inside." This, this behavior of him. I don't know what's running in his head. He always like this everytime I talk to someone especially if it is a guy. He became more protective with me when that happened but his idea was wrong. He got the wrong idea.

"How's work?"

"Fine."

I pouted. "Do we have a problem Ni?"

"None."

"Then why are you acting like that?"

"Is he courting you? Hinalikan mo pa siya sa pisngi."

"No, he is not courting me. And for the kiss, it was just a thank you kiss. Ginagawa ko naman 'yon sayo, a."

"Because we're best friends, Mn."

"He is my friend too."

He sighed.

"Fine. I will not do it again to him. I promise." I saw him nodded. "What's with the flower?" he asked again.

"He always gives me this. Recently he has been giving me roses except for now because he gave me this." I showed him the tulips. He glanced at my direction. "Who gave you the other one? The roses."

"I don't know." After that silence runs between us. I don't know what he thinks. Few minutes passed and he broke the silence.

"Do you like him?"

"Ha? Who?"

"Your co-teacher. Lee, his name, right?" Actually, I already introduced Lee to him last month I think.

"Hmm..why did you ask?"

"You need to get to know him well before you answer that man. I don't want to see you crying and hurting again."

We were in Senior high at that time. I have a suitor and his name is Eren. I allowed him to court me. Why? Because Ni was able to court Zenith at that time. It hurts because the person you love has someone else loved. Well, the tears he saw in my eyes not because Eren fooled me but because Zenith answered him. I was hurt because they were together not because Eren's courtship was just a game.

"I don't know what I feel toward him. And for your information, Eren is not bad at all."

I saw meeting his eyebrows. "Not bad at all? He fooled you."

"Yes, he fooled me but every time I thought about what he did for me when you are not around. I could say that he was not like that as you think."

"Mn," he mumbled and glanced at me. "He was there next to me when you were not around. He accompanied me to every recess and lunch because my friend was with her. He's there for me if I need help with little things. He was there with me when I was having a problem because the person I expected to get me was someone else."

"Mn..."

"Sorry. I'm just carried away. It was all in the past so let's move on. Ang mahalaga ay bumawi ka sa akin."

"I'm sorry for what I've done in the past. What I did was so unfair to your part. You came first in my life kaysa sa kanya. I'm sorry if I failed at being a best friend to you."

"Ni.."

"If I were in your shoes, I would be like that also or maybe more than that," he glanced at me. "Thank you for not leaving me, Mn. Thank you for not breaking your promise to me."

"Why am I going to leave? Where

am I going?" I paused. "When I leave I don't have a driver to take me to school. I will lose my bodyguard slash maid."

He pouted. "That's what you see me, ha."

I see you as a lover Ni but I know you will never see me like that.

"If I leave I will lose my handsome best friend."

"I like that," he said and he licked his lower lip.

"Hey, why are you—" he cut me off.

"Let's eat. I want to treat my Mn."