Chapter 6

The Blind

"Hey, let's talk about you. Kanina pa akong brunch nag-k-kwento tungkol sa lovelife ko," Wynfrost said after a minute. I heard her slurp the soup like a kid and munch the pechays(which she also found as beautiful as cabbages). I ignored what she requested and continued eating. "Geez. Is my cooking that great that you forgot to talk?" There was pride in her voice but I really didn't mind it. She really cooks well. She's an artist so maybe it goes with the talent for cooking? "Hayst. Sometimes you're talkative. Sometimes you're just silent. I wonder if you're only not blind but also deaf and mute." She began chomping on her food again while exclaiming how she cooked the rice perfectly. "Come on, Q. Story, story, story."

"There's nothing interesting with my life," I mumbled then spooned some rice and ate soundlessly.

"Hah. Well sucks to be you, I suppose. You're definitely bored, right?" My brow raised but I didn't say anything. "Dude, you're too lonely-looking. You're a writer, right? Most writers are social recluses."

"Do I look like a hermit to you?"

"Well, you act like one. See, you live alone," pangangatwiran niya.

"You also live alone."

"Yeah, I know but you're like a block of ice while living alone you know. Lowkey hermit?"

"Says the painter next door who couldn't even take a shower before visiting someone who found her unwelcoming."

"What?" I heard her sniff for some time as if looking for the smell and then she snarled. "I didn't smell anything!"

"I'm blind. My other senses are more sensitive."

"Well, sorry Mr. Sensitive Nose, I'll wear perfume when I visit you next time." She clicked her tongue as if showing her irritation then I heard munching sounds again. I focused on eating my meal for a minute until she asked a question that almost made me spit out the food from my mouth. "You're really pretty, like a girl. Have you been in gay relationships before?"

Nilapag ko ang kutsara at tinidor sa plato at tumingin sa kanyang direksyon kahit wala naman akong naaaninag na kahit na ano.

"I know we need to be civil with each other but what you said is very offensive," seryoso kong sabi sa kanya. I can't believe she had the guts to ask a guy about that. "You're lucky I couldn't curse you in front of my food."

I heard her gasp and said, "Hey, don't be too serious dude. I'm just curious. You really give me that vibe."

My forehead knitted in confusion.

"What vibe?"

"You know, the one that says 'fuck my hole please, make me sore, spank me master'. It's that kind of vibe." I shivered at her wild imaginations. "Sorry but you're really like the bottom of a man to man relationship."

"Please shut up and leave."

"Damn, Q. You're too stiff. Lan told me you didn't get laid for a while." The topic earned her a snort. She must really have the hots for me to be always be talking about sex. She's too naive to make such blunt hints towards me. And she even mentioned Lan. Psh. What would I expect? It was obvious that she was working for him. He really wants me to have a lover that badly?

Luckily, I am NOT interested.

I don't know if she's like Lan who just has some screw loose. The more I talk to her, the more she annoys me. At first, I found her fun to talk to(when we met during my birthday) but even though I'm blind, I could now picture out her money-hungry bitchy cheap ass. I even found her sweet for a moment there but who would have thought that she's actually a weird cursing horny machine?

When we talk, she gets serious at times but would babble some nonsense on and on without thinking. It was as if she turns from being this person into another. As I recalled her voice and tone, I could tell that it changes from time to time. Was she aware of that? Or was she not?

It made me a little pissed that I couldn't read her face since I'm very much sightless. Is she one of those people who could change their emotions and expressions like masks? Unyango?

Funny. Her name reminded me again of magic. Hmm. More like voodoo.

"Wynfrost," I murmured.

"Hmm?" she hummed questioningly. "Why?"

"What's your full name?"

"Wynfrost Wenfraim Winfrey. Why did you ask though?"

I was baffled upon hearing that. I didn't quite expect her to go WWW with the f's. That's really...a mouthful.

"What's the story behind your name? I'm just curious," I said in honesty. Let's start from the smallest of things to try and figure her out. There's certainly more to her than meets the eye, figuratively.

"Oh. Pretty boy, you're curious, huh?" she said with a sultry teasing tone that made me unnerved for a second. I recovered when she changed her  voice. Now that I began addressing the strangeness in her, I felt uneasy. What was that? "Okay! I'll tell you. My Mom and Dad were both gamers in a certain game way back. It was called Winter Frost. That's why they called me Wynfrost and they just made Wenfraim up to go with it as a joke. It's because my surname also has a w and an f so they took advantage of that."

I carefully listened to her tone and finally noticed that her voice seemed cold yet she tried to cover it up with a cheery tone. How's that even possible? Or was I just imagining it?

"Your name's too long," I commented.

"Well no shit, Sherlock," she said in sarcasm. "That's why people call me Wynfrost, dumbass. It's my nickname."

Did she just call me a...dumbass?

No shit, Q.

Hah.

"Wynfrost can't be a nickname. It's your first name, stupid," nasabi ko na lang habang inisip ang pangalan niya.

Narinig ko siyang tumawa nang magaan kaya nagkasalubong ang mga kilay ko. Bakit parang nasiyahan pa siya?

"Just say you want to give me a pet name, Quentin," sabi nito na narinig kong bumungisngis pa.

My brain loaded like as if I lost data connection as I was shocked by her now cringe-inducing sweet voice.

Wait, why do I have a feeling that she's currently flirting with me?

"Are you hitting on me...again?"

"What's the difference? You're still thinking that Lan is paying me to seduce you, right?" she asked while still laughing. She really sounded like she found some amusement with my question. "Oh, you're so precious. Earlier I felt pissed by how you thought I was hired by Lan but you're definitely just too...naive."

She called me a dumbass, and someone who's precious yet naive. There's really something contradicting about her.

I blinked and tried to hide my sudden uneasiness with a chuckle.

"And who are you to judge me?"

"Come on, Quentin—"

"Stop calling me Quentin."

"Yeah, Quentin. I like you too."

"What?" I scrunched my nose in annoyance. "Stop messing around."

Tumawa ulit ito kaya bumusangot na ng tuluyan ang aking mukha.

"Quentin, oh Quentin. You're really fun to mess with. Napakaseryoso mo. Napakabitter. Napakaprangka. Napaka-cynical. Nakakatawa." Her words were insulting but still, I tried to listen. "Kidding. I'm just saying you're too naive to get caught in Lan's trap. Don't you know him? He didn't need to pay me just to get what he wants."

Naestatwa ako nang may mariyalisa.

"That sicko."

"He just needs to say a few words to turn something towards his favor. By what you said, you're implying that he wants me to seduce you and probably rescue you from your depression—don't flinch. We all know you could get an eye surgery but you didn't. It's clear as day that you're still tied with your past." Hindi ako nakaimik. "Lan told you those words so that you'll eventually want to stay away from a potential threat that could take you away from dreamland but with the wishes and all, it's true that you couldn't just get away from this  or Lan would actively influence the situation. You don't want that so you have to follow granting the wishes. Lan knew we would interact with each other with it. Who knows if you could have already developed some feelings for me because of these little interactions?"

I thought about what she explained and nodded in agreement. It surprised me how she thought about that.

"Your have a point." I smiled and said, "So what's really your purpose for going with the flow when you've already figured it out?"

"Eh? I want to be friends with you." I raised a brow. "I can relate you know, about being blind."

"What?"

"Ah, hindi ko ba nasabi sa'yo? I was born blind."

"You...were?" I asked in hesitation. Binibiro lang ba niya ako o hindi?

"Yes. I got an operation when I was finally in college so I was blind for like more than half my life." Sandaling katahimikan ang naghari. Her blind state lasted for so long. "It took a while since I'm not really born rich. Mabuti na lang at may nag-sponsor sa akin. From that day on, I began following my dream to become a painter."

Napaisip ako nang malalim dahil sa kinuwento niya. I couldn't imagine that a person like her could have such a past. She just acts like she was born normally.

"Why are you telling this to me?" I questioned.

"Share ko lang."  I found some slight bitterness in her voice but then she continued with excitement. "I'm just saying. Who knows you'll be inspired to move on one of these days?"

Napailing-iling ako dahil imposible ang sinasabi niya.

"That won't happen. I promised myself to live in punishment."

"Whoa there. Punishment? So you're choosing to live in darkness because you're willingly punishing yourself?" She gasped. "You're such a masochist. I knew it. You're made to be the bottom male in a boyxboy relationship."

I ignored her nonsense and said, "You won't understand."

"How can I when you're not telling me anything?"

"Why would I even tell you anything?"

Tila natauhan siya sa tanong ko dahil narinig ko siyang napaubo nang ilang beses na para bang nabulunan siya.

After a few seconds, she talked again.

"Fine, I guess we're not really friends and we barely pass as acquaintances," she said almost quietly but I still heard her. "But you can't just take this all in. You can share—"

"Why? I don't need that," I deadpanned. "If I just drop dead because of my situation, why would you even care? Why are you even here while talking to me as if you're some kind of psychiatrist? Does the fact that you were once blind make you someone I can trust? You're just here because of those damn wishes."

Nabigla ako sa lumabas sa bibig ko at akma na sanang mag-s-sorry nang nagsalita siya.

"Yep, you're right. I'm just saying this as a human being towards another being. Huwag kang masyadong seryoso. Kaya ka napag-iiwanan ng panahon dahil diyan." Akala ko magagalit siya pero mahinahon pa rin ang kanyang boses. "At sinabi ko bang sundin mo ang sinasabi ko? Heh."

She's...right.

Nanatili akong tahimik hanggang sa narinig kong nagpatuloy na siya sa pagkain.

"You really don't dwell on negativities, huh?" The words escaped from my mouth before I realized it.

"Wu yeh," she mumbled while still hungrily wolfing down the food. She's too messy. How could she even still talk with her mouth full? "Wu ken ey do? Lefp mesh go on."

'What can I do? Life must go on.'

And even though I heard her answer, it sounded empty. She didn't mean it. It was as if I was only hearing her silence.

There was really something wrong with her.