The Ravages of Time

Kabanata 08

Kabanata 08

Turon

I roamed my eyes and sighed as I felt the heat eating me up. I was holding my umbrella, protecting myself from the sun. It's noon, and of course, tirik na tirik at matuwid talaga ang araw sa oras na 'to.

Ang init!

I really hate it when the weather is hot. Pagulungin n'yo na ako sa putik pero 'wag na 'wag n'yo kong paiinitan. My skin is sensitive, and I can't bear staying under the sun for so long! Pakiramdam ko kasi malagkit ako.

After eating lunch with my friends, I decided to find him, Tariq.

Kanina kasi, hindi kami nakapag-usap ng maayos. Late akong nagising, late na rin akong pumasok. Recess din kanina, pinatawag ako, for a meeting sa SSG, kaya pumunta kami ni Kuya sa office kanina. He still ignores me, as expected.

And for lunch, I didn't see Tariq in the cafeteria. Maybe he ate alone? Ang sad naman niya. I know he still doesn't have any male friends kasi two weeks pa lang siya rito. My classmates are always minding their own business.

I suddenly smiled when I saw a familiar figure who was sitting under the tree. He was hundreds of meters away from me and I think he was eating something.

Kahit sobrang init, I endured walking the school ground to get there with him.

"Ori!" I yelled his name. He then looked in my direction, smiling.

I let out a loud sigh when I got there.

Naramdaman ko ang lamig ng hangin na dumapo sa balat ko. Mabuti na lang at may malaking puno at kahit papa'no ay nakasilong kami. Lumakas ang bugso ng hangin kaya mas lalong naging malamig ang pakiramdam ko.

"Ang hangin pala rito, by the way, kumain ka na ba — what's that?" I asked after seeing he was eating a lumpia?

"Lumpia ba 'yan?" I asked as I pointed my index finger toward what he was eating. It was a color brown lumpia kind of food with melted sugar around it, but I saw a banana inside.

Banana lumpia?

I've never heard that before.

Mayro'n palang gano'n?

"Turon. Hindi ka pa pala nakatikim nito?" he asked. I sat down on a bench next to him, but he just continued sitting on the grass.

I'm not really comfortable sitting on the grass.

I slowly shook my head not knowing what that food was.

"Is that a foreign food?" I asked about that turon food.

He chuckled and burst out laughing.

"Did I say something funny?" I asked, with a poker face.

He eventually stopped as soon as he noticed I was talking to him seriously.

"Hindi mo nga talaga kilala ang turon. Ang turon kasi ay isang pagkaing Pilipino. May laman itong saging, iba naman ay kaning malagkit. Tapos, binabalutan ng lumpia wrapper. Tapos dagdagan ng brown sugar," he explained.

"Gusto mo tikman? Mayro'n pa 'ko, tatlo pa," he offered. I stare at him while my forehead creased, and I watched him as he handed me a lunchbox.

"Is this your lunch?" I asked, worriedly, as I pointed my finger at the lunchbox.

"Hindi. Nagbaon ako, dessert lang kumbaga," he answered.

"Baon mo rin 'yang turown?" I wondered. He chuckled—more like giggled.