"Hija?"

"Yes..." Tinitigan ko muna ang babaeng kumalabit sa akin. "...Ma'am?" Saka ko pa lang napagtanto na guro pala siya dito sa university namin.

"Are you Aurelia?"

Nagulat ako. How did she know my name? "Opo Ma'am, ako nga po. P-pero...paano niyo po nalaman?" Nagtatakang tanong ko.

"Your ID." Napayuko naman ako nang itinuro niya ito. Oo nga pala, ang tanga ko talaga!

Natawa na lamang ako sa sariling katangahan. "Ano nga po palang sadya niyo Ma'am?"

"I just thought you dropped this." She handed me a notebook. With my forehead creased, tinanggap ko ito at binuksan.

Sa akin nga.

Ngunit paanong nahulog? Natatandaan kong nilagay ko 'to sa bag kanina, ah?

Oh well...

"Thank you po Ma'am," I bowed a bit to express my gratitude. She just offered me a smile before walking away.

She looks somehow...familiar.

"Aurelia!"

Nakita ko agad si Therese na kumakaway sa direksyon ko. I felt relieved nang makitang nakapaghanap pa siya ng bakanteng pwesto dito sa isang milktea house malapit sa university namin.

"What were you going to say nga pala last night?" She asked as soon as I took my seat. "Excited na sana akong makinig kagabi eh!"

"Just...a random thing." I shrugged. "You know...weird dreams and stuffs."

"Ay bet ko 'yang mga ganiyan fren! Sige gora chika mo na!"

"Ganito kasi 'yun...I have been dreaming of this certain guy--"

"Gwapo ba?"

I gave her a poker face. "Seriously? 'Yan talaga ang tanong mo?"

"Ngi, huwag kang strong fren! Nagtatanong lang naman ako eh," she pouted like a child.

"Anyway, so ayun nga. But I never saw this guy in person, not once, not twice, but neveeerrr."

Napaisip naman siya. "Hmm...maybe it's a coincidence? Perhaps you've seen this guy somewhere, hindi mo lang matandaan? You know kasi, our brain is a very powerful organ. We don't exactly know what it's actually capable of doing."

I too at first, thought it was just a mere coincidence. But dreaming about the same guy for the seventh time? Now that's unusual since I am not the type of person who easily remembers my dreams.

Yet my dreams of him were so vivid. Mas malinaw pa sa nanlalabo niyong relasyon. He was almost real! We even talked inside my dream and I was greatly challenged kasi english-speaking siya, goodness gracious!

"Therese, it's my seventh time dreaming of him."

Her mouth formed an 'O'.

"Since when did those dreams of yours occur?"

"About...7 months ago. July."

Ngayon, nakuha ko na ang atensyon niya. "And you're saying it's your 7th dream na, right?"

"Yup," pagsang-ayon ko. "Actually, it started on July 7 then my second dream occured on August 7 and so on. Every 7th day of the month, napapanaginipan ko siya."

Saglit siyang natulala. "Wow. Hindi halatang mahilig ka sa 7 'no?" Natawa ako. "Ano nga pala ang napapanaginipan mo sa kaniya?"

"Well...we talk about random things every time we meet. But I noticed na 'yung mga panaginip ko, tumatagal lang ng pitong minuto." Mukhang gusto ko nga yata ang 7. "I don't know if he exists somewhere kasi para talagang totoo siya."

Her face beamed. "Alam mo kung anong pangalan niya? We can surely search for him!"

"That...I didn't ask." Come to think of it, we never asked each other's name.

"Ay, very wrong ka fren! Kaya hindi ka nagkakajowa eh kasi hindi ka marunong dumiskarte! Sana man lang eh nagka-lovelife ka kahit sa panaginip lang!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Pero sa totoo lang, weird talaga siya kasi bakit sa tuwing ika-pito ka lang nananaginip? What's with seven anyway?"

Nagkibit-balikat ako. "I don't know either." Kaya nga sinasabihan ko siya nito kasi baka may masabi siyang makakatulong.

"Hmm, why don't we wait until next month for the next dream to occur? Sabihan mo ako pagkatapos."

Pagkauwi ko sa bahay, agad kong binuksan ang bag upang hanapin ang sasagutan kong assignment.

Sa paghahalungkat ko, nakita ko ang notebook na kanina'y napulot ng guro.

I flipped through the pages of my notebook at nakita kong may nahulog mula rito. It was a piece of paper.

'7'.

Kumunot ang noo ko. Sa'n to galing? Ba't parang wala naman akong nilagay na ganito?

Naalala ko ang guro kanina. As I was thinking about her, may biglang pumasok na alaala sa isip ko.

Natatandaan ko na!

That's why she was so familiar kasi nakita ko na siya dati. She was the funny cashier at counter 7 back in the grocery months ago.

Speaking of, naalala ko 'ring July 7 pala ako pumunta ng grocery.

The same day I started dreaming.

Natawa ako nang maalala ko 'yun. I remember asking her kung saan ko mahahanap ang dream guy ko. And her answer?

"In your dreams."

Oh 'di ba? Parang tanga lang.

Anyway, hindi ko in-expect na makikita ko siya sa campus. Guro na pala siya?

1 month.

February 7 na ngayon.

I was waiting for this day kasi mananaginip na naman ako. This time, tatanungin ko na talaga kung ano ang pangalan niya.

However, it didn't came.

Nagulat ako kasi this was the first time na hindi ako nanaginip. I waited for another month, March 7. Ngunit hindi na nangyari pa.

I waited for every 7th day of the following months. But none came.

Were all of my dreams before, a mere coincidence?

_______

"Aurelia! Bilisan mo naman! Kunan mo na kami!"

"Oo na, oo na! Just chill, hindi tatakbo 'yang background!"

Iba talaga kapag third wheel, nagiging instant photographer.

"Oh, tapos na."

Nagtatalon sa tuwa si Therese dahil natupad ang isa sa mga pinapangarap niya sa buhay, ang makapunta dito sa Paris. Her boyfriend sponsored this; at dahil mabait silang dalawa, sinama nila ako.

Sana all may jowa.

"Huwag kang sumimangot diyan, fren. Ganiyan talaga ang feeling kapag walang jowa."

Heh!

"Jusko naman kasi Aurelia, it's been 7 years and you're still single! Magmadre ka na lang kaya? Medyo mabait ka naman kaya..."

"Shut up, Therese."

"Okay, okay." Tinaas niya ang dalawang kamay bilang pagsuko.

Inalis ko ang paningin sa magkasintahan kasi nakakadiri char. I fed my eyes with the magnificent view of Paris.

"Paris is indeed the city of love."

My head turned sideways kasi narinig kong may nagsasalita. It was a woman.

Wait...

"M-Ma'am?" Nandito 'rin pala siya? What a coincidence.

"Oh, it's you again." Naaalala niya pa 'rin ako? "Aurelia, right?"

Ngumiti ako ng marahan. "Opo, Ma'am."

She smiled at me, just like what she did 7 years ago. I was amazed kasi she remained young! Parang hindi man lang ito tumanda sa loob ng pitong taon!

"How's life? Is it going well?"

"I'm doing well now, Ma'am. Sa kabutihang palad, naging engineer na 'rin." Natawa ako kasi hindi ko inaakalang magiging engineer ako.

"Oh, that's impressive." She nodded and stared at the infamous Eiffel Tower. "I wanted to talk to you further pero kailangan ko ng umalis. May kasama ka dito?"

"Meron po."

"Alright then. I hope I'll see you again someday." She smiled for the last time before she bid me farewell.

Wow. Hindi ko inaasahang makikita ko 'rin siya dito.

I glanced back at Therese who was busy flirting with her boyfriend. Umiling na lamang ako at nagsimulang maglakad-lakad. Syempre, I need to enjoy the place too.

The place is really breathtaking. Kung mabibigyan ako ng pagkakataon, I would live here.

"Excuse me, miss? Do you speak English?"

I almost jumped in surprise when someone spoke behind me. Pero mas nagulat ako nang magawa ko ng humarap sa kaniya ng tuluyan.

O to the M to the G.

He's here.

The man I've been dreaming of, 7 years ago...is finally in front of me!

Kumurap ako ng ilang beses just to make sure this is really happening. He's real, right?

Tinitigan ko ang kaniyang mga mata. Those ash-colored eyes...

It's him. It's definitely him!

"Y-yes, I speak English." Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako kinakabahan ngayon.

His mouth parted to say something ngunit hindi niya nagawang ipagpatuloy ang sasabihin. In the end, he let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"This is crazy..." I heard him say to himself.

At dahil chismosa ako, "What's crazy?" Nagawa ko pa talagang magtanong, 'no?

Tumitig siya muli sa 'kin. Hindi ko alam pero hindi ako naiilang. Instead, it brought a warm feeling inside me.

"You might be creeped out by this--"

"What is it?" Hindi ko na siya pinatapos pa dahil masyado akong excited. Sino ba naman ang hindi mae-excite? All along, I thought he was just a fragment of my imagination!

"I-I think I already saw you before."

Natawa ako. "Let me guess, you saw me in your dreams?" I joked. Imposible na man kasing nagkita na kami sa personal.

Nakita ko kung paano nanlaki ang kaniyang mga mata. "H-how did you know?"

Nanlaki 'rin ang mga mata ko.

Seryoso siya? "Are you serious with that?"

"Y-yeah," he answered. Pansin kong naguguluhan 'rin siya but at the same time, he's smiling. "Actually, I started dreaming of you 7 years ago, on the seventh day of July. I don't know how it happened but...yeah."

Whoa.

"And it stopped after my seventh dream." He shrugged, still smiling at me.

My mouth parted in awe.

7 years ago, on the seventh day of July up to the seventh day of January, we dreamed of each other, seven times.

And now, after seven years, on the seventh month, the seventh day, at the seventh hour, we finally met.

Coincidence? I think not.

It was fate.

_______

THIRD PERSON'S POV

The woman stood from a distance, watching the two persons who finally crossed paths.

A smile appeared on her lips.

"The seventh ship is about to sail," she stated. Tiningnan niya ang relo, only 2 minutes before 8. With a sigh of contentment, tumalikod na siya at naglakad palayo.

The moment the clock struck 8, the woman counted 8 of her steps before bending down to pick up something along the way. It was a wallet.

Binilisan niya ang paglalakad upang maabutan ang isang babae. When she was already behind her, she asked.

"Sweetie?"

Lumingon ang babae sa kaniya. "Yes?" She replied politely.

"Is this wallet yours? I think you dropped it."

The lady checked her coat and noticed na nawawala sa bulsa nito ang pitaka. She immediately thanked the woman who was able to return it.

"You're welcome." The woman smiled and walked away. Naiwan sa kinatatayuan ang babae, confused.

She was wondering why her wallet fell because her pocket was closed.

To ensure na walang nawawala sa loob, she checked it. Fortunately, nothing was missing.

Ngunit may nakita siyang kakaiba...a folded piece of paper.

Her brows knitted in confusion when she unfolded it. "What's this?"

'8'.

*******

©shimmeringshimmer2020