Kabanata 19

It was the day of our final defense. Natapos na namin ang sa Feasibility Study at Business Proposal.

"Halos araw-araw na lang kitang nakikitang naka-corporate attire," pinuna ni Sarathiel ang damit ko.

He was leaning against the fence, nakasandal ang mga siko niya rito habang masinsin ang pagkilatis niya sa aking suot.

I was wearing my formal attire. When I say formal, what I really meant was something that is considered as presentable. Black blazers, white blouse underneath and black dress pants. Isa sa mga binanggit ng Professor namin sa Principles of Marketing, if you want them to take you seriously then dress professionally.

Wala man sa damit ang grades niyo, makikita naman nila kung seryoso kayo sa presentation sa maayos niyong pananamit. It is, after all, a presentation. You are presenting yourself and your idea to them.

I snorted. "Uniform ng ABM."

That was also the truth for most strands though. Halos maubos na nga ang mga damit ko dahil sa dami ng mga activities na kailangan naming mag-comply sa dress code, lalo na pagdating sa practical research.

He slowly nodded his head and lazily gave a small smile. "You look pretty when you're serious."

"Tumigil ka nga, lalo akong kinakabahan e."

Hindi ko alam bakit hinihintay pa niya ako. Kanina pa tapos ang klase nila, kami naman ay hinihintay matapos ang naunang group na mag-defense.

I was fanning myself since I was sweating and my legs are acting like a pair of jelly-ace. Nanginginig ako kahit wala pa nga sa harap ng mga panel. This is probably because of how many coffee I took before this event.

Sarathiel decided to help me calm myself. Kinuha niya saakin ang research paper ng grupo ko para makapag-ayos at maging kalmado na ako.

"You're sure with your paper?" Sarathiel was scanning our research paper.

I turned to him, not hiding the fact that I can really feel the pressure even before the presentation.

"Bakit? May mali ba?" I asked, anxiously.

I was always confident with my work in school. Pero iba ang practical research, you'll never be sure until the defense for it ends. Kahit talaga anong gawin mo, magkakaroon pa rin ito ng butas.

Kumunot ang noo niya, unti-unti niyang tiningnan ang bawat pahina. He suddenly widened his eyes and pointed towards the introduction.

"May typo—"

"Saan?!" I panicked causing my face to be inches apart from his.

Oh dear, no! Nandito na ako malapit sa AVR! I can't believe that there's a typo! I was biting my nails as I groaned in frustration. Nilayo ko ang mukha ko kay Sarathiel.

"I w-was kidding," Sarathiel looked away. Inagaw ko sa kanya ang papel namin.

"Loko ka! Kinabahan ako sa'yo," napahawak ako sa dibdib ko.

Halos mabulag na nga ako kaka-revised sa papel namin tapos may typo pang makakalusot? Ang sakit sa ulo kung ipapa-print pa namin ulit.

He heartily chortled before reaching for my head.

"Goodluck. Walang iiyak, ha?" he ruffled my hair. Hinawi ko naman kaagad ang kamay niya.

My cheeks immediately went red. Nakakahiya! No way, I won't cry over this anymore! Kapag bumagsak kami sa defense dahil sa mga kagrupo ko, I would rather do this by myself than force them to help me. Basta ba ay saakin lang din ang grade!

"Mama mo iyakin." I stuck out my tongue.

Mahigpit ang kapit ko sa research paper namin bago ako pumasok sa AVR. Nandoon na ang mga kagrupo ko at hinihintay na nila ako.

I opened the doorknob and saw Ms. Cynthia smiling again. Humugot muna ako nang malalim na hininga bago siya suklian ng ngiti.

Here goes nothing.

『••✎••』

"Tapos na rin siya!" napatalon ako sa sobrang saya. Niyakap ako ng mga kagrupo ko, maliban kay Stacy na umalis kaagad.

"Buti na lang puro recommendations na lang sinabi saatin. Akala ko gigisahin na naman tayo," bumuntong-hininga si Melay.

Paulene gasped and her eyes widened.

"Bakit, Paulene?" I asked her. Tinuro niya lang 'yung isang direksyon.

Agad akong napalingon dito at nakita ko si Czanne at Sarathiel na pinagtatabi ng mga kapwa 'yata nilang STEM students.

I immediately arched an eyebrow.

Lumapit ako rito para malaman kung anong meron. I wanted to know why both of them are so close to each other.

"Czanne, ngiti naman diyan! Katabi mo na crush mo, oh!"

Czanne was pushed towards Sarathiel. Kada lalapit si Czanne ay agad namang lumalayo si Sarathiel, an annoyed look plastered on his face.

"Sarathiel! Swerte ka na kay Czanne!"

The group was bursting in laughter. Napapalibutan sila ngayon ng mga tangkay.

It looks like this was planned. Para bang pinana ng punyal na may lason ang aking dibdib. The hardest part of loving will always be this, when not everyone roots for you.

Pakiramdam ko ay hindi ako deserving kay Sath. My eyes went misty because of it. Czanne was indeed pretty, smart and probably good at socializing. I was not even sure if I was also like that.

"OTP kayo ng buong STEM!"

Nalaglag ang panga ko sa mga sinisigaw ng mga kaklase nila. I was fuming mad. I didn't know why I wanted to shout at them to stop.

It hurts because I feel like I'm not the right person for Sath. Para bang pinapamukha saakin na mas bagay sila ni Czanne.

"Tumigil na kayo. Nakakahiya kay Sarathiel." Hagikgik ni Czanne.

"I have someone I like—" Sarathiel was cut off by his blockmates who booed at him. Iritadong lumayo si Sath mula sa kanila.

"Like pa lang naman! Ito si Czanne oh! Love na kaagad!"

Czanne was smiling and her cheeks were all red. Kitang-kita na gusto nga niya si Sarathiel. I also knew because she did kissed him on the cheeks before. Naunahan pa nga ako ng babaing 'yan!

I clenched my fists. Tumalikod ako at babalik na sana sa mga kagrupo ko nang makitang kanina pa pala sila nakikinig sa mga sinisigaw ng STEM na blockmates ni Sarathiel.

"OMG! Bagay kayo ni Gio!" nagulat ako nang sumigaw si Heranie bigla.

"Pinagsasabi mo?" I looked at them, puzzled.

Heranie only winked and whispered towards my other groupmates. May mga sumipol sa direksyon kung saan naglalakad papalapit sa amin si Gio.

"Grabe! Sakto! Nandiyan na pala si Gio mapagmahal!"

Melanie shouted at Gio's direction. Nagbabasa lang ito habang naglalakad, his full attention was on his research paper. Nakakunot ang noo habang binabasa ang kanyang papel.

Naglalakad siya papunta sa'min nang hatakin siya ni Melay. Halata sa mukha ni Gio ang gulat at hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit bigla na lang siyang nadawit.

Gulat na sumigaw at pumiglas si Gio kay Melay. "Wala po akong droga! Mas mukha ka pa ngang nagbabato saakin, Melay!"

"Gio! Picture kayo ni Zafirah! Pambato ng ABM! Boss Mapagmahal at Cholla Malathek!" sigaw ni Melay.

Lahat tuloy ng STEM na kanina pinagtitripan si Sarathiel at Czanne ay napunta saamin ang atensyon.

I saw how Sarathiel's brows almost knitted. Umawang ang kanyang labi nang makitang pinagtatabi kami ni Gio.

"Ano 'to? Bakit ako? Hindi ako mga tsongs! Si ano!" Gio was panicking.

"Picture lang, Gio! Grabe ka kiligin!" Paulene giggled, even slightly punching Gio on his arm.

"Para kang mamamatay sa kilig!" ginatungan pa ni Melay.

"Mamamatay lang pero hindi sa kilig," ngumiwi si Gio habang nakatingin sa direksyon ng STEM.

Kahit ako ay pinatatabi kay Gio. Ang lakas ng trip nila. Pero sinakyan ko na lang baka sakaling humupa ang nararamdaman kong inis sa nakita ko kanina.

Sumenyales sa amin si Melay habang nakatutok sa amin ang cellphone niya.

"I'll be taking your picture in five four three two—"

Someone blocked the phone from taking the picture. The person had a cold scowl on his face as he remove his hand from blocking the view.

"Pasali ako, kahit si Gio na lang sa gitna."

It was Sarathiel who had his forehead creased and eyebrows furrowed. He looks annoyed.

"Bakit ako sa gitna?" Gio asked, confusion on his face.

"Namamatay daw kasi 'yung nasa gitna," Sarathiel scoffed.

Gio put both of his hands up.

Tumakbo si Gio palayo. "May ipapasa pa ako kay Ms. Cynthia! I heart ZafiThiel forever!"

Tumawa naman ang mga blockmates ko.

Sa huli, kami ni Sarathiel ang kinuhanan ng litrato. He was on my side and his other hand was enfolding my waist.

"Si Czanne nagpapa-picture sa'yo." I told him, trying to hide what I really feel.

Ayokong malaman niya na nagseselos ako. Pero gusto kong malaman niya na naaapektuhan ako.

"Ayoko. I only like my pictures when it's with you." I didn't know why he had to fix his posture.

My groupmates were all giggling. Nawala na ang grupo ng mga tangkay at Czanne. Kami na lang ang mga natira.

"Okay! In five, four, three, two, one! Say ZafiThiel!"

Namula naman ako at kaagad na ngumiti para sa picture.

"ZafiThiel," bulong ni Sath saakin.

I smiled because I used to dislike that couple name but now it just sends butterflies in my stomach.

Mukhang magiging admin pa ako ng fanpage namin.

『••✎••』

Recognition day.

I smiled to myself as I saw my name on the presentation of honors.

It was the day where all of our hardwork pays off. Ilang beses kaming nag-practice para rito kaya naman medyo wala na ang kaba sa puso ko.

"Congrats over all top 1 of STEM!" I hugged Sath. I can't believe that the man who top the STEM strand is my future boyfriend!

He hugged me back.

"Congrats over all top 1 of ABM," nilagay niya ang ilang hibla ng buhok ko sa likod ng tenga ko.

I did it! Hindi ko nagawang maging valedictorian noon dahil sakitin ako at nagkaroon ng factor ang attendance pero ngayon ay bawing-bawi naman. I always had high grades and was constantly on the honor roll, I can feel that being the valedictorian of this batch will be easy for me now.

Suot namin ngayon ang mga medalyang binigay saamin. The over all top 1 of each strand are those who got the highest general average for both 1st and 2nd semester. Luckily, I was the one for the ABM strand.

"Nandiyan Mom at Dad mo? I wanna meet them. Nandiyan sina Mama pero wala si Papa dahil sa trabaho. Gusto mo rin ba makilala?"

Umawang ang bibig ni Sath. He was also trying to hide a smile.

The awarding was already finished and we were just taking pictures. I dragged Sath to where my Mama is.

"Ma, si Sarathiel nga po pala." Pakilala ko kay Sath.

I looked at him and his usual calm demeanor cracked. He looks nervous.

"Good Afternoon po," Sath greeted Mama politely. I can see the respect in his eyes as he slightly bow his head down.

"Naku ka, Zafirah! Mabuti na lang talaga saakin ka nagmana! Maganda ang magiging lahi natin anak!" tuwang-tuwa si Mama kay Sarathiel.

Imbis tuloy na ako ang matawa dahil kinakabahan si Sath, mukhang si Sath pa ang natatawa dahil sa inaakto ni Mama.

"Ma, we're just still friends. Mangliligaw ko pa lang siya."

"Friends pa lang? Hina mo naman anak!" Tinapik niya si Sath sa balikat. Ngumiti lang nang tipid sa kanya si Sath.

I wasn't scared that Mama and Papa wouldn't approve of Sath. Sa buong buhay ko, ngayon lang ako lumandi nang todo 'no. Madalas talaga textbook at module lang ang katuwang ko sa buhay.

"Sarathiel," a woman that screams elegance walked towards him. She looks like a foreign model. Her brown eyes glistened with admiration when she saw us.

"Ah, Zafirah. Meet my Mom." Sath introduced. Nalaglag ang panga ko.

"Sure ka nanay mo 'yan? Hindi ba kapatid lang?"

She looks young! Kahit si Mama ay nanglaki ang mga mata.

"Trust me, everyone says almost the same thing." Sath sighs.

"Hello there, I'm Sarathiel's Mom." She smiles, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.

Pressure naman ito. Now I know where he got his genes from. I gulped before extending my hand. Nang maramdaman ko ang malambot niyang kamay ay gusto ko na lang tanungin kung ano ang hand cream na gamit niya.

"Hello po, Tita."

Shems, uno reverse card talaga.

Ako naman ang kinakabahan ngayon dahil sa Mama niya!

"You must be Zafirah! My son has been talking about you non-stop. Did you know you have pictures on his—"

"Mom, too much info..." Sath trailed off, his ears were red.

"Oh, look how shy he is! It reminds me that he used to sing Barney songs when he was a kid! But look at him now all grown up!" His Mom pouted. She reminds me of Sath so much.

Barney? How cute!

"Wow naman, sample naman diyan." I teased Sath in which he groaned in response.

Makapag-download nga ng mga kanta ni Barney. I didn't know Sath had a unique taste for music.

"Congrats for the both of you. Do you want to join us for lunch, Zafirah and Mrs. Sanchez or should I call you Balae?" her tagalog accent only confirmed that she is indeed a foreigner.

"Ay bet ko 'yan!" Mama gushed. Para silang ewan dahil kaagad silang nagusap na parang BFFs.

"My Mom likes you," Sarathiel whispered towards my ear.

I smiled at him. "Gusto ka rin ni Mama."

As we were walking towards the exit of our school. I saw a familiar figure.

It was Philomena crying in a corner. Kanina pa siya malungkot kahit nung nasa coliseum pa kami. Teacher din ang nagsabit sa kanya ng medalya niya. Sayang, she was the over all top 2 pa naman sa HUMSS.

"Hey," naramdaman ko ang kamay ni Sath sa baywang ko.

"Let's go?"

Tumango naman ako nang makita kong may lumapit kay Philomena. Nakatalikod ito at nakasuot ng placard at may hawak na lightstick. It was also a familiar figure but I wasn't able to see his face.

Niyaya kami ng Mom ni Sath sa bahay nila. Let me rephrase that— sa mansion nila. I knew Sath was well off but I didn't know he was this rich!

It was a modernized mansion, there was a touch of colonial style from the outside. It kind of resembles the ones you see on television advertisements. Akala ko noon ay malaking joke lang ang magpatayo ka ng ganitong klaseng mansion tapos isang pamilya lang kayo.

"Anak ka rin ba ng mafia?" I accused him as we were entering the gate of their mansion.

He chuckled. "No, the Reverios are far more suitable for that category."

When we went inside their mansion. I was petrified to make any actions. Halos mukha kasing mga babasagin ang gamit at 'yung iba ay gawa pa 'yata sa ginto.

"Mom, I'll just show Tita where the restroom is..." paalam ni Sath kasama niya si Mama na kanina pa tulala.

Hindi niya rin siguro akalain na ganito pala kayaman 'tong lalaking 'to.

I only know Sarathiel from school. Sino ba talaga si Sarathiel Aracosa?

Naiwan kami ng Mom ni Sath sa dining area nila. I could tell that the tables and chairs are expensive because this is exactly the same furnitures from the dramas I've watched! Mga long table ng mga mayayaman!

"Hi Zafi," nagulat ako nang hawakan ako sa kamay ng Mom ni Sath.

"You're a pretty lady..." she complimented me.

"Mas maganda po kayo..."

"Can I say something to you, if you won't mind?"

My throat felt dry but I nodded.

"Sure po..."

She looked at me with a pained expression. Her lips quivered as she try to speak up her mind.

"Sarathiel is a very complicated person to understand and I hope you'll be there for him whenever we're not..." she smiles, sadness in her eyes.

"Did you know that he isn't really fond of us since we neglected him ever since he was a child?" her voice sounded solemn.

In my mind, I imagined Sarathiel lonely and alone here in this big house. Doon pa lamang ay naninikip na ang aking dibdib.

Sarathiel's Mom gently reached for my hand and squeezed it. It was the same way of Sath when it comes to comforting me.

"He never made me attend any of his awarding ceremonies. He doesn't even let me know about his plans for his life. He doesn't celebrate most of the celebrations because he never knew how to celebrate them."

She was almost crying. Nakikita ko kung gaano ito kasakit sa kanya. I can feel her pain because she's still trying to smile even though the tears on her cheeks are telling me otherwise.

"I'm not a good mother for Sarathiel. His Father also focuses more on the welfare of the patients in our hospital. We simply didn't give him the love he deserved."

That's not true. Sa tingin ko, hindi lang maipakita ni Sarathiel ang pagmamahal niya sa kanila pero mahal niya rin ang mga ito.

"Mahal po kayo ni Sarathiel." I smiled at her then realized something.

"Tangina! Di ka nga pala marunong mag-Tagalog!" I bit my lip because I was shock.

There was silence until she decided to break it.

"I actually can understand tagalog," she chuckled, awkwardly.

"Sorry po!" napatakip ako sa buong mukha ko.

She smiled and dismissively shook her head.

"Nevertheless, I'm glad he has you. This was the first time Sarathiel asked me for something..." she trailed and looked at me in the eyes.

She has the same brown eyes. It reminds me of her son.

"He asked me to come this recognition day and be friendly towards you. He asked me if I can make time for him...Even just for today...." a smile appeared on her face.

"You don't know how much I'm happy my son found someone he can cherished, Zafirah. I hope you won't break my son's heart."

"I promise not to po." I said with utmost sincerity.

She looks at me, almost pleading.

"Please don't. I don't think Sarathiel deserves to be hurt by someone he deeply cares for."

❛ ━━━━━━･❪✎❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜