“You have to be ready to hear them say ‘I love you.’ You have to be ready, you have to be willing, and you must listen. They won’t say those three words, they’ll be beside you when you need the company, they’ll kiss you on your forehead when you hug them, they’ll smile when they see you, sometimes, before you do something that’s important; they’ll say exactly what you need. But you, you have to be willing to listen and let them in. Letting someone love you takes practice. You just need to learn quickly, because if you let them slip, This isn’t a movie and there won’t be a second chance.” — Vasily Skalova
KARA
The trip to Baguio wasn’t as tiring as I thought it would be. Had Qen insisted on taking his car, I would have slept some more and wouldn’t appreciate the surroundings outside the bus. Sabi kasi ni Qen it would be safer for us to commute para hindi malaman ng lola nya.
Reaching out for my phone when I felt it vibrate, I saw Qen looking at my phone screen right after I fished it out from my pocket
Jake
Did you guys bring any condoms hehehehhehehehee
I almost threw the phone out of pure embarrassment. Walangya talaga yung kutong yun! Nagka-amnesia na nga nagawa pang mang-asar. JUICE COLORED .Agad kong in-off yung phone ko at nilagay sa pocket ko. I was so sure I was as red as strawberry. It didn’t help the fact that Qen read it! UGH DAMN IT JAKE.
I faked a cough and then shifted uncomfortably on my right side. Pinili namin na umupo sa pinaka-likod kasi sabi ni Qen etong part daw yung pinaka-comfortable. I guess not.
Out of nowhere, I felt Qen reached out for my hand. Napatingin ako sa kanya but his eyes were closed. Hindi ko alam kung umaarte sya or what but I let him take it anyways. He he hashtag PDA.
“Kara..we’re here.” Naramdaman ko yung soft tap ni Qen sa balikat ko. “We’re here.” Sabi nito ulit. And all my senses came rushing back to me. “OH.” was what I said, Qen stood up carried all our bags until we finally hailed a taxi.
From where the bus dropped us off, it took us 20 minutes to get us to their house. Binayaran na ni Qen yung taxi driver tapos he pressed the door bell.
Agad bumukas yung gate, a middle aged woman emerged from the door. It took her some time before she regained her senses, her beautiful cheeks now stained with tears. “Oh my god, ang baby ko!” I knew then that it was his mom. When I looked at her, I mean really looked at her, nakikita ko si Qen sa kanya. She’s really beautiful.
“Ma..” Qen began, as he detached himself from her and put her free hand on my waist. “Si Karina po. Girlfriend ko.” A soft smile formed across her lips. Lumapit sya sakin tapos niyakap ako. It’s been so long that I felt someone hugged me like how my mom does. “Hello po, Mrs...” I bit my lip. Hindi ko alam kung anong itatawag ko sa mommy ni Qen. I looked up to Qen to ask for some help but the jerk just smiled at me. “I’m Angeline Mendoza. I’m Qen’s real mother. Welcome to Baguio, Kara.”
