Blog Forty Eight: Letters from the Heart
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Dear Younger Me
How on earth did you end up liking Cyber Sandejas and trying to make him your Hashtag Best Friend before? And how in heaven’s name did you end up having feelings of more than friendship for him once upon a time? Are you fudging in your right mind then? I don’t think so. Good think you grew older and realized more sensible things than liking Cyber Sandejas. Because believe me, he’s one evil beast hiding in that pogi face.
Yours truly,
Celeste Cheng
I slammed the pen on the table as I finished writing a letter to my younger self. Kung bakit ako nagsusulat ng letter for my younger self eh hindi ko na alam. Nababaliw na yata ako. Right, right. Nababaliw na yata ako.
At dahil nababaliw na ako, I pulled a set of colored 6x6 origami papers. Ewan ko kung bakit naisipan kong bumili ng sangkatutak na origami papers sa bookstore noong isang araw. At anong sumunod kong ginawa? Paper cranes. I’m fudging folding paper cranes. Seriously, I must be getting crazy. I really must be getting crazy. And it’s all Cyber Sandejas’ stupid fault.
“Wow, anong meron at gumagawa ka ng paper cranes? May paper cranes fad ba?” nakataas-kilay na bati ni Cadmus as he made lapit to me. Umupo siya sa bakanteng silyang nasa tapat ko.
“Pinagsasabi mo?” masungit kong tanong.
“Sungit nito. Para kang si Cyber. I bumped into him sa hallway kanina while he’s folding paper cranes tapos tinanong ko kung anong meron, tiningnan lang ako nang malamig. Seriously? May World War ba or something? And I repeat, what the hell is with those paper cranes?”
I frowned. “Cyber is folding paper cranes?”
“Kasasabi ko lang, ‘di ba?” Cadmus said, rolling his eyes.
“And why naman siya magfo-fold ng paper cranes?” I asked, confused.
“Leche. Hindi ba’t ako ang nagtatanong here?” he asked irritably.
“Boses, Cadmus, nasa library tayo,” I snapped quietly.
“Whatever, Celeste, whatever. Fine, then. Ipagpatuloy mo na nga lang ‘yang mga papel de ibon na ‘yan. Magsama kayo ni Cyber. Mga weirdo,” he said, flipping his imaginary long hair while walking away.
“Arte mo,” I called silently, but he didn’t seem to hear me.
Never mind.
Wait. Cyber is folding paper cranes? Bakit? Anong meron?
Never mind ulit. So what if he’s folding paper cranes? Pakialam ko ba sa kanya?
Hindi ko namalayan ang oras. Ang alam ko lang, halos mapuno ko na ang boteng dala-dala ko almost everyday ng tiny paper cranes. I started folding and collecting paper cranes since umulan ng paper cranes noong isang beses. Ewan ko kung bakit mabenta ang paper cranes na ‘yun dahil dinagsa ng mga estudyante ang mga nahulog na paper cranes from the sky—or rooftop or window or wherever man siya nanggaling—at pinagkukuha. Inis na inis nga ang mga pinsan ko dahil gusto rin daw nilang makakuha ng paper cranes na iyon kasi gagawin daw nilang good luck charm eh.
But anyway, I haven’t asked him about this, but I think si Cirrus ang gumawa niyon eh. In fairness, ang bilis niyang gumawa, ha. I mean, magkasama lang kami noong mga panahong iyon, right? Tapos ang dami na niyang nagawang paper cranes? Just wow.
And speaking of Cirrus, where the hell is he? Noong isang araw ko pa siya tinatawagan ever since bigla siyang naglaho dahil may tutulungan yata siya or something. I dunno. Ayoko namang tanungin ulit si Cyber kasi baka malasin na naman ako kapag nakipag-interact pa ako sa kanya eh.
