Nothing 05

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VALENTINA WAS BUSY feeding their pigs and piglets in their den when her cousin Nenita arrived that day.

“Psst…” Nenita called, attracting her attention.

Valen paid no heed to her cousin. She just continued feeding their farm animals. She knew very well what her cousin was up to. She did not come with her yesternight at the baile. She did not like being surrounded by city people, especially that Johnny Geronimo. After their introduction the other night, she would only nod or simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to their conversation.

“Johnny was looking for you last night,” Nenita continued, teasing her.

“So?”

“My God, Valen! He obviously likes you!”

Valen stopped whatever she was doing to look at her cousin. Nenita was shrieking in romantic excitement while she just stared at her unimpressed.

“If he likes me that easily and quickly, then that is already enough reason for me not to like him back. He just proved to me that he and the other city boys are cut from the same cloth. They are all just the same!”

Nenita stared at her as if she could not believe what she just said. She then slowly shook her head in retort. Valen rolled her eyes heavenwards and groaned silently before she turned her back on her cousin to resume feeding the animals.

“You’re too hard on them, Val—”

“And you’re too soft, too gullible!” she fired back as she spun around to face her again.

They looked at each other until Nenita decided to break away and lower her head. Realizing how offensive she might have sounded, Valen blinked and quickly apologized. “I am sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just go ahead. You seemed really busy. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

With sagged shoulders and a heavy heart, Nenita turned her back on Valentina and started walking away without making eye contact with her as she was afraid that she might notice her misty eyes.

Valentina let out a guilty sigh and put down her bucket of feeds then ran to catch her.

“Nenita, I’m sorry, okay?” she said as she tailed her.

“I told you, it’s okay!”

“I know you’re not okay! I’m sorry, I really do!”

She ran fast to block her cousin’s way to stop her from further walking away. She felt even guiltier when she saw the tears brimming in Nenita’s eyes. The woman had been her best friend, confidante, and partner in crime since they were together. She did not really like the idea of hurting nor offending her.

“I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I just… got carried away. I’m sorry,” Valen sincerely apologized to her cousin again.

Nenita pouted when Valentina began wiping her tears. “You’re really not coming with me to the baile later?”

Valentina smilingly shook her head.

“I will sleep early because I will join tatay tomorrow in harvesting the vegetables to deliver to the public market first thing in the morning.”

“Okay… but what if Johnny asks for you again?”

“Just told him that it’s nice meeting him but that was it… and God bless on his trip back to the city, I guess?”

They both chuckled at that and pranced their way back to the pig’s den to resume feeding the animals and to wash them and clean their area. They even had the time to play with the buckets full of water, throwing and getting each other soaking wet in the process.

The next day had been really exhausting for Valentina. She removed her straw hat from her head then rubbed her aching nape. The farm works that day was just sort of heavy and grueling. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted a familiar figure nearby dressed in his usual getup — a polo shirt neatly tucked in his dark trousers finished with a pair of shoes she assumed to be worth quite a fortune just by looking at it.

Valentina frowned when she noticed him holding something large that she could not quite tell the name and get the purpose. Unbeknownst to her, it was the prototype of the handheld communication device called the DynaTAC phone. It was costly at that time given that it had not been publicized yet or made available in the consumer market. If Valen had only known, that item would give away Johnny’s real status in life.

When he looked her way, surprise immediately registered in his pleasing facial features. He then smiled and tried putting the device in his pants’ pocket but he failed, so he just held it by his hand. It was too clunky.

“Hi,” he greeted her smilingly.

Even before Johnny could advance towards her, she quickly stepped aback and turned around to walk speedily so that the guy would not be able to catch her.

“Valen, wait!” he called her.

Valen halted her steps when Johnny overtook her to block her way, making her stop in the process. She frowned and tried going to his side to get away from him. Valen thought that he would stop her, but he just let her go.

“Are you avoiding me?” he asked instead.

Valen stopped walking and closed her eyes then opened it again to turn to face him.

“Look, Johnny, you’re a city boy, and I honestly don’t want to associate myself with you and the likes of you. What’s so hard to understand there?”

“I just want to be friends with you and try to prove to you that we are not as bad as you think we are. Yes, we live our lives differently but that doesn’t mean one is bad and the other is good. You just got to give it a chance knowing.”

The young woman looked intently into his eyes. The determination and sincerity in his words were reflected in those dark orbs. She had long made up her mind not to believe them and already painted a picture of the city people inside her head based on her parents’ and their fellow farmers’ experiences with them, and they were not exactly good.

Farmers like themselves have always been the subjects of scams and manipulation. They were always being taken advantage of and for granted by the buyers of their produce who were mostly from the city. They were forced to sell it at lower prices to the cunning businessmen who would always sell it at much higher prices to the consumer market in return. It was only the market players, especially the wholesalers and exporters, who benefited so much from their products and not the producers themselves. This was the reason why Valen harbored ill feelings and prejudice toward city people. They were the root cause of their plight as Filipino farmers, and why it was hard for them to achieve the kind of life they have always been dreaming of and they were deserving. 

She wanted to go to high school and continue studying until college, but her parents disagreed and told her that what she knew was already enough because they believed that having too much learning will only make her a greedy and manipulative person just like those wicked businesspeople they have met and dealt with.

In their first-ever interaction, she already figured out that Johnny was not just an ordinary city boy. He was intelligent while she knew nothing and that was enough to scare her.

She pondered for a minute as she stared at him intently. She then slowly shook her head afterward and put on her straw hat back to her head.

“I think friendship works out when people shared the same interests and ideals. We don’t, so I don’t think it will work out,” she said as she smiled painfully at him.

The young man smiled thoughtfully at her instead and retorted, “It will surely not work out if you will not work for it. If you always fear the end result, you will just spend your whole life not trying and regretting.”

“Why are you so persistent? You’re like one of the most annoying people I have ever met!”

“Because you’re also one of the saddest people I have ever encountered.”

Valen laughed humorlessly at him, then she clicked her tongue loudly before asking, “How can you even say that?”

“Are you happy with your life? Are you contented?” he asked, his voice sounding calm and composed which rendered Valen speechless. “I can see it in your eyes that you are lost.”

“So? What is it to you then if I am lost?”

“I can help you.”

“I don’t need your help,” she said simply and began turning her back on him, but Johnny was quick to stop her by holding her arm gently.

“Believe me, my intention is genuine. It’s because I feel like my purpose for living is through guiding others. Let me help you, Val. Tell me, what is that something you wish to do with your life?”

“I don’t know…”

When Johnny smiled thoughtfully once again, Valen had to look away because she could not take that kind of sheer sincerity she can see in his smile and eyes.

“I feel like you knew what you really wanted. It’s just that you couldn’t get yourself to admit it. What is it, Val? I am here to help you achieve that as long as I can, I promise.”

Valen mustered all her courage and determination to face him again. If he was really telling the truth, maybe… maybe he could really help her with her only wish.

“I want to learn something and more even if I only finish until sixth grade…” she admitted in almost a whisper.

Johnny gave her another heartfelt smile. He understood her and her willingness to learn and even appreciated her honesty with him.

“Our university will be opening soon. We still have about a week or two to do that. But don’t worry, when I come back here, I will give you some of my books to help you study.”

|• Illinoisdewriter •|•