That was the last time we saw each other.
She would be going to the States the next day to study. She already announced that her flight would happen first thing tommorow morning. I’m singing, “Leaving on a Jetplane” to her while we were climbing up on one of those overlooking cliffs in Antipolo, overlooking the whole Manila. She then threw a stern smile at me.
Please stop that… Ang pangit ng boses mo.
Weeehh… ang yabang mo, ah. Ikaw nga, hindi marunong kumanta. Kelan pa kita narinig kumanta, ha?
Heh. Ang sama mo.
She stopped talking when the citylights were revealed to us. Yellow, red, and orange– twinkling against the soft sound of bustling jeepneys and cars behind us.
Yan… Yan ang Marikina!
I pointed to the area where the large orange neon sign of “OTTO” was blinking.
Tinatanong ko?
And she gave me that patented taray look again. She sat down on the grass, her legs crossed. She was that kind of girl. She will not bother whether she would sit on a dirty floor, or if there were mud in the grass, or if her jeans will get muddy.
I sat down, too, right beside her.
There was a rush of wind, a cold one, and it was refreshing.
For a couple of minutes, we were just silent. In my mind were lots of things wanting to be said, but my mouth was numb and i couldn’t speak.
