"Why is your name Malaya?" Michael stuck his hands in the pockets of his cropped jeans. They were walking barefoot but Michael didn't care since he was already used to this. As for Malaya, she's been too busy enjoying her time with Michael.
"It means 'free'," she shrugged, "In the Filipino language. My mom's from that country."
"Aren't Filipinos like native people?"
"No," she laughed, "Filipinos are actually quite civilized. They've been colonized by Americans, Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese and many other races."
"How come you know all of this?"
"I like reading books." She smiled.
They fell into silence again before she spoke up. She wanted to get Michael to grow up.
"So is your name really M?"
He laughed. He knew it wasn't. He was just trying to be mysterious. But he thought of this girl different. "My name's Michael."
"It fits you," she smiled.
"I know."
"So aren't you gonna tell me your story?"
"What do you mean?"
"You told me that you would tell me your story if I told you mine."
That caused Michael to sigh. But a promise is a promise and Michael never his breaks promises.
