Chapter 26: Prom Date

He just knew how to push my buttons. Alam niyang wala akong magagawa habang nakatingin sa amin si Ate Sarah kaya ginawa niya ang kanyang loob na asarin ako.

Future girlfriend? Huh!

Pagkalabas ko ng sasakyan niya ay dumiretso na ako sa loob ng bahay. Naabutan ko pa ring nakatingin si Ate Sarah sa labas ng bintana. Sumilip din ako. Kumaway pa sa amin si Ulrich bago nagmaneho paalis.

"Can I scream now?"Ate Sarah asked.

I wasn't ready when she screamed so loud. Napatakip pa ako sa tainga sa sobrang tining no'n. Saka niya ako binalot sa kanyang mga braso.

"Oh, my God! The way you stare at him..." Pumula ang pisngi ni Ate Sarah bago niyugyog ang balikat ko. "I can see it now, Riza. I can see the light now!"

"Bakit, Ate? Mamamatay ka na ba?" biro ko.

"Stop!" Pabiro niyang hinampas ang balikat ko. "You know what? Magsimula ngayon ay ako na ang maglalaba at maghuhugas ng pinagkainan natin!"

"Eh?" I don't get it.

She held my hands and squeezed them gently.

"Para malambot ang kamay mo kapag hinawakan niya!"

I immediately pulled my hands from her grip as I gawked at her in disbelief. What the hell? Nakakailang naman mag-isip si Ate Sarah. Sobrang excited niya sa idea na may ka-date na ako. Maybe because I've never dated anyone before. Well... until now naman.

"No way. Just... yikes." I rolled my eyes as I undid my blouse. "If he can't accept my imperfections, he doesn't deserve to hold my hands. Let's start there."

"Nagbibiro lang ako, baby sis!" Tumawa si ate.

"Magpapalit lang ako..."

Ilang hakbang pa lang ang nagagawa ko nung bigla akong niyakap ni Ate Sarah mula sa likod ko. Naramdaman kong hinalikan niya ang buhok ko.

"Love doesn't see imperfections, Riza..." she whispered in the sweetest voice possible.

That... stunned me.

Pagkaalis niya ng pagkakayakap sa likod ko ay dumiretso na siya sa kusina. Narinig ko pang sinigaw nito na magpalit na ako ng damit para makakain na kami.

Habang nagpapalit ng pambahay ay umiikot sa isipan ko ang mga sinabi ni Ate Sarah. Is that her perspective about love? Is that also the reason why she pursued Mr. Delgado even though she knew from the start that he was already married to someone?

Nah. That's so fucked up.

We had dinner together. Kinulit ako uli ni Ate Sarah na imbitahan si Ulrich dito sa weekend. Sinabi ko na lang na titingnan ko, hindi rin ako sure.

I finished my night routine. Gumagawa ako sa activities sa kama habang nagpapatugtog nung biglang mag-beep ang cell phone ko. An unregistered number appeared on the screen.

"May isusuot ka na ba sa prom? If wala pa, marami ako! There's a lot of options, best friend!"

Best friend? It's probably Amanda.

I had waited for an hour before I responded to her message.

"Who's this?" I replied.

It took her seconds to reply back.

"Oh c'mon, your newest best friend, Amanda!"

Pagkabasa ko ng message niya ay nagpatuloy ako sa activities. I have my priorities. Nag-reply na lang ako nung mangawit ang likod ko.

"Oh. Yep. Meron na ako isusuot sa prom," sabi ko kahit na wala pa. Madali lang namang maghanap no'n. Saka ayoko ring magkaroon pa ng utang na loob sa kanya o sa kanyang Mommy.

Nung matapos ako sa activities ay kinuha si Silly mula sa kanyang kulungan. Gusto kong bumili ng ice cream sa malapit na mini store. Isasama ko na lang siya.

"Oh. Saan ka pupunta?" tanong ni Ate Sarah na nakaabang sa sala. Kung hindi laptop o cellphone ay libro naman ang hawak niya.

"Bibili ng ice cream."

"Kasama si Silly? Baka mahulog mo 'yan ah!"

"Can you help me put back the basket on my bike?" I asked, pouting my lips. "Doon ko ilalagay si Silly habang nagpe-pedal ako."

My sister helped me put back the basket in front my bike. Nilagyan ko ng malambot na tela ang sapin para kahit na maalog ay hindi masaktan si Silly. Saka ko rin siya binudburan ng mga buto na pagkain.

"Umuwi rin kayo agad ah?" Ate Sarah waved at us.

While I was busy keeping us moving in motion, Silly was comfortable inside the basket and eating her seeds. She even tried to get up but also failed. She rolled down and that made me giggle.

"Please, behave, Silly. Baka mahulog ka..."

Dinala ko siya sa loob ng store para bumili ng ice cream. Nang makabili ng ice cream ay lumabas din ako agad ng store. Nilagay ko sa basket si Silly. Hawak-hawak ko ang bike habang naglalakad at kumakain ng ice cream.

"Gusto mo ba ng ice cream?" tanong ko kay Silly.

Hindi siya sumagot.

Umihip ang malamig na hangin sa batok ko. Naisipan kong mag-selfie kami ni Silly. Nilabas ko ang cell phone ko at tinutok sa aming dalawa.

Matagal-tagal na rin nung nag-upload ako ng picture sa Facebook kaya napagdesisyonan kong i-post ang picture namin ni Silly roon. I kept my phone after I had posted that. Saka na rin ako umuwi.

Binalik ko sa kulungan si Silly. Hinalikan ko pa siya kaya nasinghap ko na hindi na maganda ang amoy nito. Baka bukas ay paliguan ko na lang siya.

Before I went to sleep, I had decided to check the picture I uploaded. It got almost a hundred positive reactions. Also... comments from people I didn't expect to appear in my timeline.

Chester: Is that Silly? Sooo cute!

Art: Kahawig mo, Riza lol

Roland: Hala! Sa 'yo pala binigay ni Rik!

Sa dami ng comments ay kay Roland ako namula. Did he really need to mention it?

Jessie replied to Roland's comment. He mentioned me with a 'thinking' emoji. Cams also replied to that specific comment with a monkey emoji covering its eyes.

Oh, God. Roland.

I checked the reactions. Naabutan kong naka-react din doon si Miss Hailey. Like nga lang ang pinindot niya. Hindi nga yata siya updated na hindi lang like ang pwedeng ipindot.

A new notification popped up on my screen.

Amanda Megardon reacted to Roland's comment on your post— she clicked the heart reaction, but I knew her heart was bleeding when she did that.

I was expecting Amanda to confront me about that simple comment one of these days, but she didn't open up about that. Lagi na rin siyang sumasabay sa 'kin sa tuwing break time, vacant time, pag-uwi at minsan nga ay may magpapadala na lang basta ng dress sa bahay.

Nakausap ko na rin ang si Tito Arvil na daddy ni Camila. Kinumpirma lang talaga niya sa akin na kasama ako sa summer trip na plano ni Camila. That's also when I willingly accepted the invitation for that getaway.

About Ulrich. I have finally invited him for dinner at our house. Hindi naman pwedeng tumanggi siya sa alok ni Ate Sarah. That's going to happen today. Ate Sarah already texted me na maaga siyang umuwi para maghanda ng hapunan.

Tomorrow will be the Senior High Prom. Hindi ako pumasok sa klase ngayon dahil fina-finalize na namin lahat ng kailangan bukas. The event will be held on the open field. So... walang bubong. Sana lang ay hindi umulan.

I was reading the script for tomorrow night, pero naaantala ako sa tuwing tatayo si Ulrich para uminom ng tubig. Maya't maya siyang umiinom. Tapos ay maririnig kong hihinga siya nang malalim.

Nilingon ko ito. Nakanguso siya habang nakatingin sa salamin sa kanyang table. Tinagilid niya ang ulo pero matingnan ang kanyang bagong clean haircut. He looked so bothered with his hair.

"Are you good there, Rik?" I asked him.

"My hair..." Ngumiwi ang kanyang labi. "Medyo hindi maganda ang gupit."

Sinubukan kong hanapin kung saan ang mali sa kanyang gupit. It looked perfectly fine to me. Malinis tingnan at bumagay talaga sa kanya. He looked neat and clean as always.

"2 more hours..." he whispered and that made him more anxious. "Shit. I can't go like this..." Saka siya biglang tumayo.

"Saan ka pupunta?"

"Ipapaayos ko uli buhok ko. I will go back in an hour."

"What? You look good!"

No. I didn't mean that as a compliment or what. Sinabi ko lang 'yon para matigil na siya sa pag-aalala sa kanyang buhok. Seriously? What's wrong with his haircut? May isa bang hibla na hindi naputol?

He angled his head in my direction. "Are you sure? Don't you find my haircut weird?"

I nibbled my lower lip as I shook my head.

No. I don't see anything weird.

He sighed. Bumalik siya sa pagkakaupo.

"Uuwi muna ako bago didiretso sa bahay niyo. Magpapalit ako ng damit," sabi pa niya.

Tuluyan ko nang tinupi ang laptop saka hinarap sa kanya ang swivel chair. Nakatitig pa rin siya sa sarili sa salamin.

"No need, Rik. After ng class hour ay didiretso na tayo sa bahay. Naghihintay na sa atin si Ate Sarah—"

"Holy— shit!" Bigla siyang tumayo at inalog ang ulo. He shook his arms. "Damn. It's just a dinner, why am I so nervous?"

Pinigilan ko ang pagtagas ng tawa sa bibig ko. I remember when I told him that my sister was inviting him for dinner, tinukso pa nga niya ako. Ngayon na mangyayari na ay sobra siyang kinakabahan.

"It's just for a show, Ulrich. Stop overacting!" I hissed, hiding my smile. "It's fake, not real. So... kumalma ka na, okay?"

Pumula ang pisngi niya saka lumunok.

"Stop telling me what to feel!" he yelled back. Lumapit siya sa akin. Madiin ang tingin na pinupukol niya sa akin. "Stop telling me that I should just fake it. It's not easy, Riza. It's not!"

"Then, what?"

"Bakit ba ako lang ang namomroblema rito?" kumunot ang noo niya. "We are dating in her eyes. How can I play it cool when I don't even know how it feels to be your boyfriend? I have no idea, Riza."

My jaw literally dropped. What does he mean by that?

"Can you please help me?" he almost begged.

"H-how?"

"Let's start now." He struck my table with his hands as he leaned closer to me. "Pretend you are my girlfriend. Make me feel like you are in love with me, Riza. Just that..."

Was it because his request was too out of my character, or because his face was too close to me, that my heart was acting strange? The hammering feeling wasn't helping me.

"Help me, Riza..." pagsusumamo niya.

"I-I don't know how Rik. I've... never had a boyfriend before."

He grinned. "That's easy, baby..."

I wasn't ready to hear that word from him. But the moment it slipped out of his mouth, nagtaasan ang mga balahibo ko sa katawan. I am not even exaggerating.

Umikot siya sa table ko. He politely asked me to stand up. Parang puppet niya ako na walang kontrol sa sarili. Nung nakatayo na ako sa harapan niya ay saka siya umatras palayo sa akin.

We were facing each other from a distance. He was staring into my eyes intently. It seemed like we were in a movie scene where we just accidentally met in the middle of crowds.

The moment he walked towards me, my feet instinctively moved backward. Ulrich was quick enough to wrap his arms around my waist, preventing me to make any more movement.

He moved his lips closer to my ear. That brought a tingling sensation.

"Stand still, baby. Let's try again..."

There's no way the moment he said that my body stiffened. This is my body for as long as I know, bakit ito sumusunod sa gusto niya? I wanted to resist because what the hell is this? Hindi ko maintindihan.

He unclasped his grip around my waist. Umatras siya at muling tumayo sa kaninang pwesto. We were back on staring at each other.

Nakatitig ako sa kanyang mga mata habang dahan-dahan siyang naglalakad palapit sa akin. Nanatili ako sa kinatatayuan ko. Gaya ng ginawa niya kanina ay pinulupot niya ang isang braso sa bewang ko saka ako hinapit palapit sa kanya.

I needed to lift up my head just to meet his gaze. He was looking down at me using those enthralling eyes. Naalis ang paninigas ng katawan ko. I am more relaxed now.

Gamit ang likod ng kanyang palad ay hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko. His stern look softened when he smiled. He pinched my nose.

"Do you feel more comfortable with me now?" his voice was as soft as his expression.

I gently nodded. "I guess..."

He chuckled as he tightened his grip around my waist. Napasinghap ako kaya mas nanuot sa ilong ko ang kanyang pabango.

"Don't push me away when I try to come closer to you..." he whispered. "Don't stop my lips when they want to feel you. I know my limitations, baby. I won't disrespect you..."

"Y-you never did, Rik..."

He brushed my hair using his fingers. That was the most soothing feeling ever. I don't even like it when boys touch my hair. But with him... it just felt really calming.

"We can call it fake but make it feel real at the same time, Rizzie. It's more convincing that way. Can you do it?"

"I think I can..."

After that scene, I excused myself. Nakayuko ako habang nagmamadaling makahanap ng CR. Pumasok ako sa isang cubicle at ni-lock ang sarili. Umupo ako sa nakasaradong toilet bowl.

I covered my mouth with my hands as I let a scream out. What the fuck was that? Why did I agree? Bakit parang nawala ako sa ulirat habang kausap siya?

We are not in a fucking relationship! We are just dating! Why do we need to pretend like couples? It just doesn't make sense!

Ah! I'm so upset.

Nagpalipas ako nang ilang minuto sa cubicle para maglabas ng frustration. No'ng maging maayos na ako ay pumunta muna ako ng cafeteria para bumili ng maiinom.

I even texted Camila pero man lang itong reply. I checked our classroom, ongoing ang klase pero hindi ko napansin si Camila. Geez. Don't tell me... whatever!

Wala na akong choice kung hindi ang bumalik sa office ni Ulrich. Naabutan ko siyang nagliligpit na ng mga gamit. Napatingin ako sa wall clock. Thirty minutes na lang ay labasan na. Though we used to stay at school even after the class hours, may iba kaming pagkakaabalahan ngayon.

"Let's go?" aya ni Ulrich. Nakalagay na sa likod niya ang kanyang backpack.

"Right now?"

He nodded. "Yeah? Let's meet your sister."

"Pero—"

"Come on." He groaned. "Nagpalit na ako ng uniform. Baka mangamoy pawis pa ako uli."

Yeah. He looked more prepared now. Basa pa ang buhok niya at humahalimuyak ang kanyang bagong spray na pabango. He put on his silver wristwatch.

Wala na akong nagawa kung hindi ang mag-ayos. Papunta na kaming parking lot nung bigla niyang hinawakan ang aking kamay.

Okay...

Not a big deal... until Amanda was seen walking in the opposite direction. Mabilis kong binawi ang kamay ko pero alam kong napansin 'yon ni Amanda.

Yet she still approached us with a smile.

"Hey! Where... are you guys going?" she asked, still plastering that obvious fake smile. "Bakit ang aga niyo yatang uuwi?"

Damn. I don't like it. Mas gusto ko pa na prangka siya kesa sa ganito. Mas gusto ko pang umiikot ang kanyang mga mata sa tuwing nakikita ako kesa sa nakangiti kahit na halatang pilit.

"Nope. We are not going home yet. It's for the event tomorrow..." kaswal na sagot ni Ulrich. "How about you? Umalis ka ba?"

Amanda nodded. "Yep. Dumating na kasi 'yong dress ko for tomorrow. Sinukat ko lang..."

"How was it?" I asked, may masabi man lang.

"Perfect..." she smiled even more. "Anyway, baka na-istorbo ko na kayo? Goodluck sa preparation for tomorrow!"

Saka na niya kami nilampasan.

Wala sa sariling napatingin ako kay Ulrich. Naabutan ko siyang nakatingin din sa akin. I was tense but the moment his gaze met mine, I felt relaxed again.

"Don't mind her..." he assured me.

Tumango na lang ako.

We got in his car. Habang nasa biyahe ay tinext ko na rin si Ate Sarah na papunta na kami. Mabuti na lang maaga siyang nakapaghanda. Excited na excited ito base pa lang sa mga text messages niya.

"How 'bout you? May dress ka na ba para bukas?" tanong ni Ulrich.

"Yep. Baka bukas pa ng umaga dumating..."

Ayoko sanang magpatahi pero pinilit ako ni Ate Sarah. We can just rent a gown for a day. Marami rin namang magagandang choices. Saka isang araw ko lang naman 'yong susuotin!

"I see..."

I cleared my throat. "My sister is probably going to ask a lot of questions, lalo na sa 'yo. Malamang na tungkol sa atin lahat. Don't mess up..."

This is our last shot. Kapag pumalya kami rito at nakahalata si Ate Sarah, hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko. Still... I don't think I can ever accept her relationship with a married man.

I am not against her dating older men, though I don't think she's into them. Ang issue ko lang naman dito ay ang status ng lalaking kinikita niya.

Out of all the people in this world, why a married man?

"I will do my best, Riza..." I heard Ulrich say. "I don't think I've ever taken any mistress of him this serious. Wala naman talaga akong pakialam sa mga babae niya. I've also seen my mom slowly losing interest in his mistress as time passed by."

I turned to him. "What makes my sister special?"

"Not her..."

Natikom ang bibig ko.

Hindi gaya ng madalas na nakaparada lang sa labas ng gate ang sasakyan ni Ulrich, binuksan ngayon ni Ate Sarah ang gate namin para papasukin ang sasakyan ni Ulrich.

Habang nagpaparada ng sasakyan si Ulrich ay pabirong kinurot ni Ate Sarah ang tagiliran ko. Sumimangot ako nang makitang kinikilig ito.

"Good evening po..." Lumapit sa amin si Ulrich na may dalang bukalya ng bulaklak. Malamang na tinago niya ito sa likod. "For you, Ate Sarah..."

"Hala! That's so sweet of you!" Tinanggap ni Ate Sarah ang bulaklak. "It's nice to meet you, Ulrich. Halika. Pumasok ka..."

Naunang pumasok sa loob si Ate Sarah.

"May pabulaklak pa ah..." puna ko.

"N-naiihi ako..." bulong niya.

I guided him inside. Tinuro ko sa kanya ang CR. Pinatong ko sa sofa ang bag ko bago dumiretso sa kusina. Nalula ako sa ganda ng table settings ni Ate Sarah. Ang dami ring pagkain!

Titikim sana ako nung pigilan ako ni Ate Sarah.

"Let's wait for him..." she said.

Napasimangot ako.

Pabilog ang lamesa namin. May dalawang upuan na magkatabi at ang isa naman ay medyo malayo, roon umupo si Ate Sarah habang hinihintay si Ulrich.

I sat down. Napalunok ako nang makita ang mga pagkain.

"How's school?" Ate Sarah asked.

I sighed. "Ayos naman, ate. Inayos na namin ang prom para bukas."

"Oo nga pala bukas na 'yon!"

Dumating na si Ulrich at tumabi sa akin. Pinatong niya ang mga kamay sa kanyang hita habang nakangiti habang nakatingin kay Ate Sarah.

"So... you are really dating my sister?" panimula ni ate.

"Can we just eat first?" I frowned.

"Ah. Yeah. Sure..."

Kumuha na ako ng pagkain. Hindi makagalaw si Ulrich kaya pinaglagay ko na rin siya ng pagkain. Nagsalin lang siya ng juice para uminom.

"I am..." sagot ni Ulrich.

"Uhmm. Ano naman ang nagustuhan mo sa kapatid ko?"

"Ate naman. Ang gara ng tanong mo!"

"Her..." Napakapa ng sagot si Ulrich. "Smile..."

Napaubo ako kaya agad akong uminom.

"Smile is really a big thing, right?" Ate Sarah agreed.

"It is," sagot ni Ulrich. "It really feels good when someone smiles at you. But some smiles aren't just meant to make you feel good. Some smiles can change your life..."

Napatingin ako kay Ulrich dahil sa sagot niya. Nahuli ko siyang nakatingin din sa akin... habang nakangiti.

"True!" Tumawa si Ate Sarah. "You know what? Nung sinabi sa akin ni Riza na may dine-date siya, I just couldn't believe it."

"Really?" tanong ni Ulrich.

Ate Sarah chuckled. "Riza never dated anyone before. Hindi pa nga nagkwento sa akin 'yan ng tungkol sa pagkakahumaling sa ibang lalaki. Wala pa nga siyang first kiss..."

Napaubo ako nang malala. Mabilis naman na inabutan ako ni Ulrich ng tubig. Nakakunot ang noo niya pero ngumiti uli siya nung humarap kay Ate Sarah.

"I didn't know that..." sagot ni Ulrich.

"If we are going to talk about love, I can say that my sister is still..." Napaisip naman si Ate Sarah. "Let's just say... naive."

Naramdaman kong hinawakan ni Ulrich ang kamay ko sa ilalim ng lamesa. Hinaplos niya 'yon na parang doon siya kumukuha ng lakas ng loob.

"I promise to be careful with her..." said Ulrich.

"Please..." My sister got teary-eyed. "I am happy for her, Ulrich. God knows that. But I am her sister... hindi mo maaalis sa akin ang mag-alala. First times hit differently. It's remarkable."

Bumaba ang tingin ko sa lamesa. I bit my bottom lip to halt my tears. God knows how much I also want you to be happy, Ate Sarah. Pero pwede bang sa ibang paraan? Sa ibang dahilan? Hindi sa daan na makapapanakit ng iba?

"I have no issues about her dating you... or anyone, Ulrich. I want to clear that part." Huminga nang malalim si Ate Sarah. "All I ask is... please treat her right."

"I will..." madiin na sagot ni Ulrich.

Naramdaman kong babagsak na ang mga luha ko kaya sinandal ko ang ulo ko sa balikat ni Ulrich. Naramdaman ko naman na nilapit niya ang upuan sa akin.

"Please be patient with her. She's learning things slowly..." Ate Sarah added.

"I have all the time in the world for her..."

"That's good to hear. She's happy with you, Ulrich. That's all I can assure right now."

Pasimple kong pinunasan ang luha sa mga mata ko. Suminghap ako. Hindi natuyo ang luha ko kaya ginawa kong pamunas ang uniform ni Ulrich.

"Anyway, salamat sa pagsalo sa amin sa hapunan. But I really arranged this for both of you..." Narinig kong umusog na ang upuan ni Ate Sarah. "Before you proceed with your mini date, can I talk to my sister in private first?"

Nung tumayo si Ate Sarah ay sumunod ako sa kanya. Pumunta kami sa sala kung saan niya ako hinarap. Bigla niya akong niyakap nang mahigpit.

"I love you so much, baby sis. I am happy for you..."

"I love you too, Ate Sarah..."

"You are in good hands," she even whispered.

Pumasok na sa kwarto si Ate Sarah pagkatapos no'n. Ako naman ay binalikan si Ulrich. Naabutan kong may hawak na maliit na box si Ulrich.

"She's in her room now..." I said.

Umupo ako. Humarap sa akin si Ulrich.

I smiled. "She trusts you, Rik..."

"She really loves you, Riza."

Muli akong naiyak. Kinailangan niyang masaktan para lang sumaya ako. She always does things only for my own advantage. Mas iniisip niya pa nga ako kesa sa sarili niya.

"I-I love my sister so much, Rik..."

"I know..." He wiped the tears on my face. "I know, baby..."

Sumimangot ako. "Stop now..."

"What? We are just starting..."

He showed me the small box. Imbes na buksan ay kinuha niya ang kamay ko para ibigay sa akin 'yon. Saka niya mahigpit na hinawakan ang kamay ko.

"W-what's this?" I asked, nervous. "Rik. We are just dating, right?"

He laughed. "Of course. That's not an engagement ring, don't worry."

"Then... what?"

"Wear that so I can find you..." he whispered.

What?

I tried to open the small box but he immediately held my hand. Natigilan ako sa pagbukas nito. Inaya niya ako maglakad sa labas kaya sumama naman ako.

Nakayuko lang ako habang naglalakad. Medyo dumidilim na rin.

"Bukas na ang prom..." banggit ko.

"Shit," Ulrich cussed.

Napatingin ako sa kanya. "I fucking hate manipulative people!"

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Hinarap niya ako. Bakas pa rin ang galit sa kanyang expression, mabibigat din ang paghinga niya. Namumula rin ang kanyang mukha.

"Just... wear that thing inside the box, please?" he almost begged.

"Why? I don't get it."

"So..." he swallowed first. "I can dance with you tomorrow..."

Mas lalo akong naguluhan. What's stopping him then? It's not like I was hoping for him to dance with me. Pero sumagi 'yon sa isipan ko. Maybe... I also somehow want that idea.

"B-bawal ba?" tanong ko.

Madiin na pumikit si Ulrich.

"I will be Amanda's prom date tomorrow."