Chapter 17

"Saan naman tayo pupunta, Archie? Sure ka bang wala na talagang klase?"

He laughed and then we stopped walking. Hinarap naman niya ako saka binitawan niya ang pagkahahawak sa kamay ko at pinatong ang dalawa niyang kamay sa magkabilang balikat ko. I stared at his hand and then shifted to see his face plastered with a cocky smile.

Kahit napataas ang kilay ko sa ginawa niya, hindi ko namang mapigilang ngumiti. It seems like Archie has his way to make me smile and I'm not denying the fact that we're getting closer and he's getting... cute in my eyes. Or maybe he's just charismatic at all.

"Did I just confirmed it earlier, Isel?"

I shrugged. "Malay ko ba? Baka kasi joke time tapos kasabwat mo pala 'yong lalaki kanina." Natawa naman siya sa sagot ko. Malumanay ko siyang hinampas sa dibdib niya. "Tatawa-tawa ka riyan? Kaasar, a!"

"You're so cute when you get annoyed, Isel. Where have you been all my life, huh?"

"Chura mo!" Pinisil ko 'yong ilong niya at saka niya inalis ang pagkapapatong ng kamay niya sa balikat ko. Sapilitan naman niyang inalis ang kamay ko sa ilong niya at kanya iyong hinawakan. Kinusot-suot niya ang ilong niya. "O, 'di ba, may lalong tumangos?"

I laughed just to annoy him as well.

"Ikaw talaga," he chuckled. "Anyway, let's go to our destination." Bigla niyang pinalibot ang braso niya sa balikat ko at nagsimula na kaming maglakad.

"Teka, ni hindi mo pa nga sinasabi sa akin kung saan tayo pupunta, e? Hindi ako sasama sa 'yo hangga't hindi mo sinasabi sa akin." Inalis ko 'yong braso niya sa akin at huminto ako sa paglalakad.

"Okay, okay, fine. Have you heard of the Hepa Lane?"

I started laughing when he asked that. "Yes, I know that place. Sa Morayta lang 'yon, bakit mo naman natanong? O, wait! Do'n mo ba ako dadalhin ngayon?"

Napakamot naman siya sa kanyang ulo at pinasilawan niya ako ng ngiti niya. "I've heard of it many times with Bennett, but I've never gone there."

"Ay, jusko, napakalapit lang no'n! Anong gusto mong gawin do'n?"

"I've heard bopis on a stick is quite... tasty and good?" His eyes squinted as if imagining what it looks like.

Napangiti na lang din naman ako. "So, you've never been there pa talaga? It's like 20 minutes away lang dito sa atin 'yon. But if mag-jeep tayo, mas mapabibilis 'yong pagpunta natin do'n. Mga five minutes lang siguro. Anong sa tingin mo? I've been there so alam ko kung anong pwede gawin, kainin, o kung ano man. Game ka?"

"If you're up to it, then I am as well."

"I'm sure you'll love that bopis. But remember, karamihan ng mga pagkain do'n ay street food so I hope hindi sumama ang sikmura mo at the end of the day."

"Hm... I believe I'll be fine. Nang ma-ikwento 'yon sa akin ni Bennett, he said it was good. He never went there after Cinema got sick. But, let's see what they can offer to us there"

"Mag-jeep na lang tayo papunta ro'n para mabilis-bilis."

"Ah... alright."

"Bakit may dala ka bang sasakyan?"

Umiling naman ito. "No, I don't usually bring my car on weekdays. Only if there's an occasion."

"So... hindi ka pa nakasakay ng jeep?" I questioned and he immediately shook his head. "Never talaga? As in once in your life?"

He shook his head furiously. "No. I've never tried."

"So, paano ka pumapasok?"

"I use to grab, or uber sometimes. Minsan Angkas kapag nagmamadali. But I've never tried going into a jeepney. What does it really feel like?"

"Let's see. Naturingang nasa Pilipinas at Pinoy ka, hindi ka pa nakasasakay ng jeep. Sosyal naman kasi ang lifestyle. 'Yong totoo, may dugong ibang lahi ka 'no?"

He shrugged off his shoulder. "I'm not really sure about that, but my father once told me his grandfather has a Castillano blood so I guess I took a little percent of it."

"Sabagay... si Bennett ba? Pure pinoy ba 'yon?"

"To what I know, yes he is. His family born with wealth so money was never a problem for them."

"Bakit kaya hindi na lang siya nag-aral sa ibang bansa? Mukhang kaya rin naman niya. Saka nabanggit niyang gusto niya mag-aral ng Aeronautics after finishing his degree."

"Yeah, he mentioned that. But let's set Bennett aside for now and go to the Hepa Lane."

I laughed internally so hard seeing how excited he was. It was such a genuine reaction from someone who just knew the place, but never been there in presence. Ganyan nga siguro kapag laki sa yaman. I'm not pressing it into their face dahil ibang lifestyle at environment nga ang kinalakihan nila and I'm not oppressing their beliefs and Archie's pumped to try something new in his life and I'm wondering if he would still have the same reaction once we get there.

As we left the campus, sumakay kaming dalawa ni Archie sa jeep. Dahil hindi niya gamay kung paano sumakay at kung anong mga kalakaran sa pagbiyahe sa jeep, I protected him at all cost.

"May barya ka ba?" tanong ko sa kanya nang makaupo kami. Nasa bandang likuran kami ng driver since 'yon lang ang medyo maluwag ang space.

Umiling naman sa akin si Archie. "Wala. Bakit?"

"Ocho lang kasi pamasahe."

"Oh, I see... but what's ocho?"

I should be bursting into laugh right now pero pinigilan ko dahil nasa public vehicle kami. I keep a straight face para magmukhang seryoso at hindi joke time ang sinasabi ko sa kanya.

"It's eight, Archie. Akala ko ba may lahi kang Castillano? You should know about that."

He smirked. "Not all I know. Anyway, I have spare of twenty pesos, would that be fine?"

"Ako na lang magbabayad."

"No, insists."

Napasinghal na lang naman ako. "O, sige, bahala ka."

"Okay..." aniya at ilang segundo pa kaming nagkatitigan. "So, how should I pay?"

Isel, kalma ka lang. Mamaya na tumawa.

"Say bayad po, dalawa sa Morayta lang. Tapos iabot mo na 'yong bayad mo. Susuklian ka pa ng sais."

"That should be six pesos, right?" he asked. "Okay, so let me do this. Bayad po! Dalawang Morayta."

"Ay, sabihin mo estudyante para may discount pang piso."

"Really?" he sounded so confused. Muli naman niyang hinarap 'yong driver. "We're students po."

Nang kunin sa kanya ng driver 'yong pera at sinuklian ng six pesos ay kitang-kita ko 'yong wagi sa mukha ni Archie. Tila pumapalakpak iyong tainga niya. Maya-maya lang din ay may mga nag-abot ng mga bayad nila and I didn't expect Archie will enjoy passing their fees. Ewan ko, nakangiti lang ako all the time sa mga ginagawa niya.

Ilang saglit lang din naman ay bumaba ng kami dahil narating namin ang destinasiyon namin.

"I'll mark out that off of my list," Archie said and then he notices as I put my backpack in front of my chest. "Why are you doing that?"

"Well, alam mo naman na talamak pa rin ang mga snatcher. We should keep our belongings in front of our eyes. Mahirap nang masalisihan."

"Oh, okay. I'll do that as well."

Inilipat niya ang bag niya sa kanyang harapan. The next thing he did was to hold my hand and then he asked where should we go. I was a little stunned at first, but I stayed calm and poise. Itinuro ko na naman sa kanya 'yong daan patungo sa Hepa Lane hangga't sa bumungad sa kanya 'yong amoy bopis.

Napabitaw siya sa pagkahahawak sa kamay ko at hinawakan niya ang kanyang ilong para takpan.

"I feel so nauseous," he uttered. Para na siyang nasusuka at mukhang hindi na niya kakayanin kung magtagal pa kami sa kinatatayuan namin kaya inilayo ko na kaagad siya. Nang mawala ang amoy ay dahan-dahan niya ring inalis ang kamay sa ilong. He took a deep breath and he felt fine now. "Now, that's better. What was that smell? Yuck. It smell so bad!"

I laughed. "That's the bopis."

"Fuck, I should've known." He hissed. "But what's with it? It's just so bad."

"Taba 'yon ng baboy pero masarap naman siya. Gusto mo bang i-try?"

He shook his head furiously. "Nope. I wouldn't ever try it."

"O, akala ko ba bet mong kumain ng bopis dito? Natural lang din naman 'yon."

"I just didn't expect that it will smell so bad."

Tinapik ko naman ang balikat niya. "Ayos lang 'yan, iba talaga kapag sensitive ang pang-amoy. Anyway, aside from it, marami pa namang ibang pwedeng kainin. May fish ball, kwek-kwek, banana cue, kamote cue, at iba pa. Pansin mo naman sa paligid, 'di ba?"

"Yeah... I guess this was a bad idea after all. Bennett betrayed me so hard."

"Guys?" Sabay kaming napalingon ni Archie sa taong tumawag ng atensyon namin. I won't usually look back to someone who just wanted my attention, but his voice seems familiar. Nang makita namin ni Archie kung sino 'yon, we were a little bit surprised to see Bennett here at the Hepa Lane. He creased his forehead as gets walk closer to us. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Archie countered the questions, they just fist their bump as they got closer.

"I brought her here," Archie answered. "Well, literally she brought me here. I've never been here and she knows this place so we tried going here."

"This is Hepa Lane, Archie. This is not good for you."

"Sabi ko nga sa kanya kanina, baka sumakit pa ang sikmura. 'Wag siyang aangal-angal kapag nagkataon." Ngisi ko pa. "At ikaw naman? Anong ginagawa mo rito?"

"My campus is just there," he pointed to where his university is located. "May dinaanan lang ako."

"Ah... I see. Gusto mo bang samahan kami kumain?"

He nodded his head, ignoring straight my request. "Nope. I'm not going to eat with you here. I'll better be going now."

"'Wag ka na, KJ, Bennett! Kahit kwek-kwek lang?"

"Still no."

"Please?" I begged him, convincing him to eat with us.

He grunted, dropped his shoulder, rolling his eyes. "Sure, fine. Just the kwek-kwek."

"Push! Tara na!"

I grabbed both of their hands and we headed somewhere else para bumili at ipatikim kay Archie ang ilan sa mga street foods. When we stopped in a stall, they both stared at the foods placed right in front of us. Nagkatinginan pa ang dalawa kung anong sunod nilang gagawin.

"What should I eat first, Isel?" Archie asked.

"Uhm... you should try kwek-kwek first." Pagturo ko sa bilog na kulay orange.

"That's a quail egg. Nakakain na ako niyan before. It was... not good, but okay."

"Oh... okay, I'll get one!" Archie smiled.

"Ikaw, Bennett?"

"Hm... nothing."

"Sige na, kahit na fishball o kaya naman balut, bet mo?"

"Nope. I'll go with the kwek-kwek as well. Is that okay now?"

Tumango naman ako at hinarap ko ang tindero at sinabi ko ang bibilhin namin. Nilagay naman ni manong kuya 'yong mga kwek-kwek sa maliit na plastic cup at pinapili kami kung anong sauce ang ilalagay. I told Archie he should get the sweet and spicy one. Hindi naman siya umangal kaya 'yon ang nilagay ko. Suka naman ang nilagay ni Bennett at mukhang alam naman niya ang ginagawa niya.

"You should also try squid ball, fish ball, kikiam... ulo saka ng manok pero baka hindi niyo bet so next time na lang. Bet niyo rin ba ng siomai."

"You're trying to get us sick, Sel."

Naningkit ang mata ko sa pagbanggit ng pangalan ko. Did he just call me Sel? Ayoko namang ipahalata 'yon dahil kasama namin si Archie so I kept my mouth shout about it.

Pinanood ko naman silang kumain and based on Archie's expression, he really like it. Bennett only took a bite pero dahil marami-rami rin akong in-order ay pinatikim ko sa kanya bawat isa. Wala siyang kawala sa akin. Enjoy na enjoy naman si Archie kaya wala akong problema sa kanya.

"So... you guys already decided to work together?" Archie asked, munching the fish ball.

I nodded to his question. "Yup, we've settled it."

"Oh, cool! Kailan ang start niyo?"

"Tomorrow as much as possible," sagot naman ni Bennett. "May quiz kami this coming Friday so I have to catch up with all the lessons. Good thing, Sel's there to help me."

"Mabuti na lang din, hindi kawang-gawa 'tong pag-tutor sa 'yo."

"Yeah, right."

"Oh, I see... so hindi pala tayo matutuloy bukas sa group meeting natin?"

Umiling ako. "Akala ko nasabihan ka na ni Tessa pero hindi tayo tuloy bukas. Sa Friday na raw after class natin, possible na rin tayong mag-conduct ng survey."

"Noted."

"What are you working on?" Bennett asked. Hindi na talaga siya kumain while Archie likes everything he ate. Mabuti na lang din talaga.

"Oh, for our research, it's about the influence of newborn social media platform and how do the influencers in it affect the person's perspective."

"It was my idea actually." Pagtaas ng kamay ni Archie.

"That's cool. That's a great idea, Chie. So, you'll present it at the end of accumulating all the information and stuff?" he asked and I nodded. "Well, good luck to you and to your group. Archie's smart enough to handle his own self so, you can count on him." Tinapik naman nito ang balikat ng kaibigan niya.

"Thanks, bud."

"No problem... but anyway, I had to go back there now. Cinema's on her practice now as well."

"Oh... nagpa-practice na rin sila ngayon?"

"I think almost a year now, but what about your team?"

"Wala akong balita, but I think they've been practicing their asses for a year na rin. You know, we'll win again kaya sayang effort nina Cinema."

"Oooh, I smell some competition."

"I guess, it always does." Ngisi pa ni Bennett. "Okay, I gotta leave you here now guys. I hope your stomach will be your friend for the rest of the day."

"Is that..." Archie wasn't able to finish his sentence when he knows what's coming next for him.

"See you around," pagpapaalam nito. "And Sel, see you tomorrow."

I nodded and smiled. "See you..."

I watched him walk about. May nakasuksok na papel sa likod ng bulsa niya and I don't have any clue what is it, pero baka school stuff niya lang din 'yon.

"So, you guys are going well now, huh? Not a surprise."

Napakunot naman ang mukha ko sa sinabi niya. "Why would you say that?"

He shrugged off. "Wala lang... gusto ko lang sabihin. Anyway, this is a really good idea. Maybe we should do this more often."

Napangiti ako sa sinabi niya. "Sa next time na 'yan, kain ka na ng bopis?"

And when I said that, para na siyang masusuka. "I could still remember the smell of it. It lingered in my nose. Shit, that smells so bad!"

I laughed. "You'll get used to it, hindi rin naman ako madalas kumain no'n. Pinagbabawalan din ako ni mama, napakain lang din naman ako no'n pero hindi ko rin bet no'ng una. But just like what I've said, hindi tayo tuloy bukas, a?"

He nodded. "So, where would you guys... uh do the tutoring?"

"That's confidential." I giggled. "But I'll be fine."

"I see... Cool..."

"Gusto mo naman tumikim ng palamig?"

"And what's that?"

"Tara!" Hinigit ko ang kamay niya papunta sa stall kung saan may nagtitinda ng palamig.

Maya-maya lang din ay nagtaka kami dahil biglang sumunod 'yong tindero kanina sa pinagbilhan namin ng kwek-kwek. Nahiya naman ako bigla dahil hindi pala kami nakapagbayad. I was about to pay for it pero naglabas ng isang libo si Archie at binayaran 'yon. Hindi na naman ako sumabat saka kami bumili na ng palamig.

Archie's generous and kind and I'm not wishing for anything else. At kung ano man ang nakikita ng iba tao sa pakitutungo niya sa akin ngayon, I shouldn't really put that at the top of my head. He's my new friend... not trying to be my boyfriend. But he makes my day better now.

Him eating calamares makes me feel giddy for him. I'm just sorry for his stomach. LBM sucks.

***

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