Filimon Sides #1: The Goodbye Girl ▬
"Everyone calls me Tree, but most people know me as The Goodbye Girl. In our University, people would pay me to say goodbye on their behalf. Whether it was breaking up with their significant other, turning down s...
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It's funny how much life can change within a month. And Lucky for me, the change in my life was a good one.
"Tree, wala ka bang mas malaking ngiti diyan?" Blueberry asked as he held up the film camera up his face with one eye closed.
I smiled as wide as I could and raised two thumbs up while standing next to a really huge tree.
"Wala bang mas sincere diyan?" reklamo niya.
I glared at him and just kept my smile. "Just take the photo!"
"Ayoko! Bigyan mo ako ng mas sincere na—"
Sa sobrang inis, umakto akong magtatanggal ng sapatos upang ibato sa kanya. "Kanina pa masakit ang panga ko! Leche ka—"
All of a sudden, the camera's light flashed, leaving me frozen with my mouth wide open. My left foot was even raised.
"Cute mo talaga." Humalakhak si Blueberry at hindi nakuntento, kumuha pa ng isang litrato.
As soon as the camera flashed for the second time, my head snapped back to reality and I found myself running after him.
Panay ang sigawan at tawanan namin ni Blueberry habang naghahabulan sa paligid ng cabin na nirentahan namin. We were at a small campsite and since it was a weekday, it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.
I know Blueberry couldn't run for long so I stopped at my tracks, pretending like I was tired and breathless. "Time out, basketball star! Lampa 'tong girlfriend mo!"
Actually, I didn't really have to pretend. Pagod na talaga ako at hinihingal na.
Nagulat ako nang biglang may bumundol sa akin mula sa likuran. It was Blueberry and he instantly wrapped me in his warm embrace as he laughed like he was having the time of his life. He wasn't the only one.
I turned my face to the left and cupped his cheeks, planting a kiss on it. Napansin kong itinaas niya ang hawak na camera upang kumuha ng litrato naming dalawa kaya naman pumikit ako't at mas diniinan ang halik sa pisngi niya.
He kept taking photos while we were in each other's embrace. Sa sobrang likot at ingay namin, himala na lang talaga kung maayos ang kahihinatnan ng kinuha niyang mga litrato.
On our first days as a couple, Blueberry asked for a favor. It was more of a promise. A promise that while we're together, we will be each other's safe space. That no matter how messed up our personal lives will get, we'll always find comfort in each other.
Because of that same promise, Blueberry forbid me from learning more about his sickness. He wanted me to just look at him as Bryan Leandro Emanuel, a retired student athlete who wants to live life to the fullest. He wanted me to play dumb and blind over the fact that he had a sporadic case of ALS. And the thing about ALS . . . it doesn't have a cure yet.
