GOYONG

Chapter 4

At the crack of dawn, Goyong's comrades sluggishly packed their necessities . They were planning to go back to Kakaron and find the other Katipuneros. Goyong barely slept, for after the apparition of the goddess, his mind somehow turned into a blob and couldn't think straight. He absentmindedly packed his things. His comrades were also quiet, still drowsy from their sleep.

Tia Silia and the girl gave them food rations that consisted of kakanin, water, tuyo and preserved fish.

Before leaving, Tia Silia decided to change the bandages of the wounded. Goyong was about to change his own when the brown-eyed girl swatted his hand away from his forehead.

The girl carefully undid the bandage. "You should be careful next time" she said.

"I hope to see you again" Goyong remarked.

"Do you always talk like that to all the women you encounter?" the girl said in an irritated tone

"My emotions can't help but get carried away" Goyong said, to which the girl shook her head in exasperation.

"Forgive me for my bold request but can I ask for a lock of hair for me to remember you by" Goyong said. "You have captivated me and I shall be the luckiest man ..."

The girl cut him off. "I decline your request, for you shall never receive such a thing, not even a strand" the girl replied respectfully. "As I have reiterated, I am not the kind of woman who falls helplessly in love with words alone. And my intuition tells me that you are the kind of man who falls in love with every bosom he meets"

"You judge me falsely " Goyong said.

"Well I truly am sorry if my feelings have offended you" the girl replied.

Goyong refused to falter, for Goyong's feelings always functioned in the highest magnitude. His emotions always got a hold of him and would often engulf him. "Well then I shall make a promise," he said

"Promises you don't intend to keep are dangerous" the girl said, a bit annoyed.

"I promise that after the war, you shall find me here again, and I shall court you until I convince you to be my wife" Goyong proudly beamed.

"We've only just met a few hours ago, and we haven't been acquainted a full day, and you intend to marry me?" the girl said, sarcasm coloring her tone. "I find you to be the silliest soldier I have ever met. The bullet must've caused quite a damage" she added.

The fresh bandage was set. The girl was quickly arranging her materials when she said, "I won't accept your promise. I won't hold it against you if you find a silly city girl who is as silly as you."

"Besides, maybe I'll meet you in the battlefield" the girl said before turning away.

Goyong and his comrades trudged farther from the kubo, its thatched roof getting smaller in the distance. His last conversation with the girl pierced through his mind, but it was quickly replaced by the image of the goddess. He now felt the heaviness of the golden locket in his pocket. He wondered what the future has in store for him.