Chad De Guzman is a 17-year-old Filipino guy living in the Philippines with his mother. He's the captain of a volleyball team in his school, and is a traveler. Though he's funny, quirky, go-with-the-flow guy, he's pretty emotional when it comes to h...
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"Salamat at natapos din," I tell myself, pleased as to how neat my bag is with clothes folded inside. It's just 4:30 in the morning, and Dylan is going to be here at any moment to come pick me up. "Akalin mo yun, nagkasya."
Okay, I'm not going to lie. Filipinos bring a lot of clothes even though we're just going to be staying for a day for vacation, trips, and etcetera. Filipinos tend to think the worse, like what if I get drenched out of nowhere and I don't have extra spare of clothes? What if I get dirtied on, and I don't have a spare underwear? Today, I decided to bring three underwear, three tops, and three pants. That's a lot considering that Dylan and I will stay for a day at a camping site.
After 30 minutes of packing, I grab my bag and head downstairs. Mom has just woken up, but since she had little time left to prepare for our breakfast, she just made us tuna sandwich. Bill, on the other hand, is still fast asleep.
"Magingat kayo dun, ha." My mom says as she hands me 15 tuna sandwiches. I'm perplexed. It's a lot, considering there's just two of us that's going on a trip. "Tatlong oras ang byahe papunta dun sa pupuntahan nyo, and magingat si Dylan kamo sa pagmamaneho. Daming gagu-gago sa daan."
"Opo, ma."
"Bueno, matutulog pa ko."
"Okay, ma."
A few moments later, I hear a car engine spurring just outside the house. When I look out the window, Dylan is there, sitting in his car with the window rolled open, waving at me. Mom looks through the window as well, and greets Dylan good morning. Dylan gets out of the car, and jogs to the house.
Mom goes back to the kitchen while I open the door for my friend. Dylan is all smiley. But his smile turns to a frown when Isaiah shows up, dressed as if he's coming with us. He also carries a bag with him. I narrow my eyes at him.
"So when are we leaving?" Isaiah asks nonchalantly.
"You're not coming with us," Dylan declares, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Hmm, I doubt." Isaiah shrugs. "Because if I'm not coming, then Chad is not coming as well." Dylan and I share a confused look. "Ask your mom, Dylan. Apparently, dad talked to Sarah about you having your first trip in the US. So they wanted to make sure that you'd be safe, and they asked me to come. So if I don't go, you won't go."
"There you are, Isaiah." Mom butts in. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Bill and I talked about your first trip today, and we wanted to make sure that you'd enjoy the trip while someone's looking for you, so we asked Isaiah if he could come with you guys. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"
I can literally see the smug look on Isaiah's face.
From the corner of my eyes, I see Dylan taking a deep breath. Who can't blame him? I mean, I feel him. He's placed on a position where he had to agree with my mother. Nice, my morning is going great so far. I see that my mom really loves me, and the Bill really cares for me. As for Isaiah, I think he only agreed to this because he wanted to piss Dylan off. Well, in this case, Isaiah got one point; Dylan, zero.
