'Di Madama

• Epilogue •

Epilogue

Reyes Anghel Ximenez

I looked at Alesso while he's talking to a girl. It was our retreat and we're here at Baguio. It's time for the priests to take a nap right now so we're not really doing anything besides exploring and roaming around the retreat house.

Our batch consists of five sections, so I'm not really familiar with the other students here. Besides, I'm not that friendly. Nilapitan ko si Phillip. Naka-jacket siya at nakalagay sa loob ng mga bulsa noon ang kamay niya.

Even though it's already afternoon, it's still cold here in Baguio. I wish the climate and weather's always like this too in our city.

"Nililigawan ba 'yun ni Alesso? How come?" I asked him. We've always been open with each other, that's what I liked the most about being friends with them. We've been friends ever since elementary. I don't know what I would do without them.

They're already my brothers from different mothers.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but looks like it," sabi niya habang tinitingnan naming dalawa na nagngingitian sila sa isa't-isa. "Why? Selos ka?" he asked.

I laughed at him. "Dude, asa ka. Ni hindi ko nga kilala 'yung babae, ngayon ko lang nakita 'yan."

"Sus," he said. "Hindi mo naman itatanong kung hindi ka interesado. Hindi ko lang sure kung saan ka interesado, sa lovelife ng kaibigan natin o sa potential lovelife niya?"

I looked at her again.

I almost jumped when she caught me staring at her.

I looked away.

"So what if sa potential lovelife niya ako interested? Bawal 'yun, dude. Sa kaibigan na e..." I said.

"Eh paano kung hindi?"

"Edi hindi," I said before turning my back on him.

Bumaba ako doon sa lugar na pwede mo makita ang view ng kabuuan ng Baguio. Medyo malabo nga lang gawa ng fog dito. Kaagad ko naman nakita si Alfie kaya tinabihan ko siya doon. Nakatanaw lang siya sa malayo ngayon.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked him.

"The future," he said, still not looking at me.

"What about it?"

"Thinking of the future scares me..." he said. "They say that everything changes when you finally enter the college life, and now that we're only a few years away of finishing highschool, I'm kind of scared about the next chapter of my life."

Napatahimik ako sa sinabi niya. Parang hindi siya 'yung Alfie na kilala ko dahil sa mga sinabi niya. Minsan kasi gago siya, madalas naman gago pa rin siya - silang dalawa ni Greg. Suking suki sila ng prefect of discipline ng school.

"Don't be," I said. "The more you think and worry about the future, the less you appreciate and lose sight of what's in front of you."

"I mean... years from now, would you still even be my friend? We're bound to part ways at some point since we'll take different majors."

"You know what I know about the future?"

"What?" he asked as he glanced at me for a second.

"I know that our gang is unbreakable. No matter what obstacle there may be, I know we all can overcome it. That's what made us all friends in the first place, right? Because we all had one thing in common, we're all fighters, we're strong and we never give up."

He smiled at that. "You are seriously starting to sound like Alesso."

I laughed at him. "Gago."

He smiled widely. "Buti alam mo."