What Are We

Chapter 2 (2/2)

It's already eight thirty in the evening. I fell asleep earlier when I came home.

Bumaba na ako para kumain ng hapunan at doon, doon sa kusina ay may nakita akong isang bulto ng lalaki. Nakatalikod siya at nakaharap sa may lalabo kaya hindi ko maaninag ang kaniyang mukha.

I walked toward him and stopped not near from him to make space for the two of us.

"Who are yo--." I was about to asked him but I suddenly cut my words when he turned around.

"Kuyaaaaaaa!" Malakas na tili ko at niyakap siya ng mahigpit.

"What's going o--. Ohh you see each other na pala." Sabi ni Kuya Itim. He was referring to me and Kuya Grae.

"Amore...my eardrums, lower your voice..." He told me but I ignored him and yelled again.

He's pissed...

I stopped hugging him. "Let's eat dinner." I said and we took a seat. May nakahanda naman kaagad na pagkain.

Kumuha ako ng kanin at ang paborito naming bulalo. Nilagyan ko rin si Kuya Abo sa kaniyang plato.

Nakatingin saaming dalawa si Kuya Itim, so I looked at him with a questioning look.

Kuya Grae chuckle. "Are you jealous, little brother?" Kuya Grae teased him and Kuya Itim just rolled his eyes.

We started eating. I thought it's a peaceful dinner while talking peacefully and calmly to each other but it's not, literally not. The two kids are still teasing each other at ang malala pa, nag sisipaan pa sa ilalim ng lamesa. Napakamot nalang ako sa sintido.

I saw Nay Ellyn coming towards us.

"Nay Ellyn, sumabay na po kayo saamin." Aya ko. Finally the two kids stopped.

"Oow nga pow, join us." Si Kuya Grae. Napahalakhak kami nila Nanay Ellyn sa tono at pananalita ni Kuya Grae ng Tagalog.

"I'm just trying to speak Tagalog again, don't laugh." He seriously said. Natahimik at tahimik kaming natawa.

"Mamaya na ako kakain at medyo busog pa ako dahil sa bigay na pasalubong nitong si Grae." Tumango lang kami at ngumiti kay Nay Ellyn.

Mabilis naman kaming natapos sa pagkain at dumaretso sa sala. Nang makaupo kami ay busangot at seryoso parin ang mukha ni Kuya Abo.

"Huy Kuya Abo, smile naman dyan oh.." I said as I sat on the sofa and indian sit. "Ang cute mo kase mag-tagalog e, diba pow?" Pang-gagaya ko sa pananalita niya at tiningnan naman niya ako ng masama, tinawanan ko lang siya.

"Kuya, kailan ka pala umuwi?" I asked while eating the chocolate he brought.

"Earlier at 1pm." Kuya Grae understand Tagalog but he can't speak and pronounce Tagalog well. Pero minsan nagugulat nalang kami na dare-daretso na ang pananalita niya ng Tagalog.

"If you came home earlier noon, why didn't I see you when I came home?" I asked with curiosity.

" I just...uhmm...went somewhere..." It seems like its hard for him to say that, huh? Is he hiding something?

"Where Kuya?"

"That's none of your business, Lighht." He said casually.

"Oh c'mon tell me." I told him.

"Kay Ate Breanna." Kuya Itim answered and after that Kuya Grae sighed.

"Ohh, your long time bestfriend?" I said with amusement. "Why don't you court her? You have feelings naman sa kaniya."

"She has a boyfriend, Lighht Mayscery,.." He sighed again. "I don't want to ruin their relationship, I can see how happy Breanna is with that man. She's happy now and I should be happy too with my own life," Kuya Itim and I were just listening to Kuya Grae.

"Actually they're in L.A right now, they flew there for their married tomorrow."

I gasped. "What?! How?! Diba dapat nandoon ka kase bestfriend ka niya? Bakit ka nandito?"

"The day she invited me to her wedding, it was like I was stabbed in my chest because of the pain...I thought she had feelings for me but," Pagak pa syang napatawa. "And that day, I confess to her. I confess that I have feelings for her, t-that I love her so I cannot go to her wedding. She feels sorry because she can't love me, but she can love me as a friend...as a bestfriend... I will only be hurt when I see her marrying someone else who should be me..," Lumapit ako sa kaniya at niyakap siya.

Hindi umiyak si Kuya. Malungkot lang ang mukha niya.

"Kaya ba napa-aga ang uwi mo Kuya?"

"Yeah..." He sat straight next to me and crossed his arms above his chest.

"As I said, she's happy now and I should be happy too. I flew here not because of her wedding, I flew here because I've missed you two and I have something to investigate."

"Torpe rin si Kuya Grae kaya naunahan." Sabat ni Kuya Itim. Kuya Grae remained silent and nodded his head. So it's true and he knew in himself that he was a torpe.

Niyakap ko nalang si Kuya. Even though I have no experience to that situation at least we're here to listen.

Hinilamos ni Kuya ang kanyang palad sa kaniyang mukha at humarap at ngumiti sa amin.

Ano Kuya parang walang nangyari?

"Let's stop the drama, okay? I'm really okay now because I already said to you guys my feelings. I feel relief now." His dimples came out and showed because of his quite wide smile.

"Kayo lang naman 'tong nag da-drama, nandadamay pa kayo." Epal naman 'tong uling na 'to.

"Sorry Kuya... Eto lang kami...walang masabi..." Malungkot kong sabi sa kaniya ngunit ang aking isip ay natatawa sa aking tinuran.

"Sadgurl yarn?"

"Napaka paepal mo pong uling ka! Kala mo naman hindi siya nag da-drama! Uling! Uling! Uling!" Sunod-sunod kong sigaw sa kaniya habang hinahampas ko siya ng unan. Uling kasi Itim ang pangalan ni Kuya. Hindi siya maitim, maputi pa. 

"Stop! Amore, open the luggage in the library.  That's my pasaluwbong for you. I hope you like it." Si Kuya Grae.

Huminto na ako sa paghampas ng unan kay Kuya Itim at dali-daling tumakbo pataas.

"Careful!" I heard Kuya Itim yelled.

I went straight to the library and I saw many luggage's and boxes there. Each luggage's and boxes has a name on it and I saw my name on the dark blue luggage, so I picked it and placed it on the library table. I opened it at nagulat ako sa dami ng laman nito. Shoes, watches, sweatshirts, different chocolates and many more. Sinaraduhan ko na ito at ibinaba. I grabbed its handle and pulled it to my room. Inilagay ko muna ito sa gilid ng kama at lumabas ulit ng kuwarto to thank Kuya Grae.

We spent a few hours together with Kuya Itim, we talked about each others live's , we watch movie's, we ate and I had fallen asleep on Kuya Itim's shoulder.

**

One's a brother always a brother, no matter the distance, no matter the difference and no matter the issue , he's still your brother. The brother that love you the most , the brother protects you and the brother that care's for you.

---Byron P.

**

aluzilei