What just happened?
Yumi distractedly sat at the edge of her bed.
What happened today was still clear to her mind. The boy's temperature, the tingles and the intimacy.
Everything felt exciting and pleasurable but she couldn't understand the guilt that she was feeling.
This had boiled inside of her chest since they sailed back home.
She noticed the stickiness of Isagani after it happened. After their peak, she couldn't look at the boy but he seemed normal. He wiped away the white stuff on his leg and on her stomach. He also straightened her shirt and sweaty hair, never stopping until he was satisfied.
He calmly cleaned the fish she brought, grilled it and then fed her with his hands. She tried to grab away the skewered fish and eat it alone, but he insisted on doing it.
What's weirder was the way he gazed at her during the whole feeding process. He softly smiled like an idiot and then occasionally pinched her bulging cheek. He even demanded her to sit on his lap. If it was not for her resolutely rejecting him, she thought she would have goosebumps for a whole month.
When they arrived at the town's port, Isagani was basically glued to her. If it was not his shoulder brushing into hers, it would be his hands or his hips or something.
If the town's all-seer, Aling Marites, happened to spot them like this, it was no different to the whole town knowing it. Her Sari-sari store, which was on the same street as Cruz's, was one of the hotspots for bored housewives to source some juicy gossip. Starting from who's the couple that quarreled this morning, whose kid flunked the exam, even the little crushes of the preschoolers did not escape her sharp ears and keen eyes.
Yumi was really worried.
She tried to push him away countless times, but it was like two opposite magnets; they would naturally pull back together again.
He had been naturally good-looking since young but it never fazed her before... or maybe, yes?
She was not quite so sure.
But one thing is certain, she loves Gani. And she would be brave against the world if it ever turned its back on him.
She knew that he would too.
He was one of the people that she planned to keep by her side for life.
They would be the greatest buddies in the whole wide world.
She was not disgusted at any form of contact between him and her. He has always been welcome in her personal space ever since ages.
But this guilt just can't get off of her. She was so scared that someone would notice something from them.
She just received and gave a massage. What's this heaviness she's feeling?
Isagani walked her into her house's doorway.
She was about to enter when he called her, "Yumi.."
She looked back and saw him open and then closed his mouth.
He moved a step closer to her front. He was a head taller than her, so to have a proper conversation with him she had to lift her head at a forty-five-degree angle, which was tiring. Before she could do that, Gani bent slightly to level his eyes with hers.
He cupped her face in his palms, examined her for a second and then sighed. He took her into his arms and gave her a warm hug.
He originally wanted to officially ask her out. After all, he wanted to be responsible to her and properly give her a label, but after his careful observation, Yumi seemed still oblivious to their standing and the gravity of their deed. This is not like the silly things that they did when they were young. He wanted to slowly let her realize that what they were doing was not something a good friend would normally do. He wanted to make her feel his sincere intention towards her.
He also wanted to lecture Yumi about having no defense against someone who was clearly taking advantage of her, but he figured that it would sound hypocritical knowing that this someone who took advantage was him. He made up his mind that he would just teach her to guard against others, and when he said "others" that didn't include him, gradually.
His hug tightened and a defeated sigh came out from him again.
She originally wanted to pull back but an undeniable calmness washed her. She felt his chest vibrate and said, "Sleep, Yumi. Don't worry about anything." She felt his hands caressing her hair.
"Sleep... It's okay. You have your training tomorrow. Just close your eyes. Hmmm?" His lips lightly touched her head.
He detached himself from her, turned her around to face the house's door and then gently pushed her in. He didn't leave until he saw her step on their stairway.
She absent-mindedly dragged herself. She could not come up with any possible translation of what the teenager had said.
When she arrived on the second floor, she staggered when she spotted her grandma sitting in the living area peeling tamarinds to make candies.
The old lady was usually taking a nap in her rocking chair at this time. A fine breeze at the side of the large window would be her lullaby.
Yumi would tip-toe around the house by then to avoid startling the elderly. She would place her pointing finger across her nostrils and only by feeling the hot air would she be relieved.
She would only wake up when she heard the Monay vendor shouting and banging on their door to notify his loyal customer, Grandma Cruz, of his arrival. As years passed by, her hearing worsened and the normal volume of talking was no longer intelligible to her. She would then speedily search for her purse and climb down the stairs to meet the vendor. While it's smoking hot, Grandma would call for Yumi to have a late afternoon snack with her.
"My dear granddaughter, are you home?" She shouted and smiled sweetly.
She was like a thief who was caught right-handedly. Her heart almost stopped as she faced the source of the voice. Remembering that her grandma's eye problems due to diabetes, she got hold of herself and relaxed.
"Yes, Lola!" She echoed back a shout.
"Did you have fun with boy Gani?" Still peeling. The old lady reached out for the spoon and grabbed the container of salt to make a salt and sugar mixture.
"Y-Yes! It was fun." She clumsily laughed; a suspicious blush powdered her cheeks.
She fidgeted her fingers.
Yumi could not look straight into her grandma's eyes. She wanted to come and help the old peel tamarinds too, but she just awkwardly stood there, not knowing if she should go or stay.
She still wore her panties earlier. It is dirty and sticky now. The slipperiness was still there and she desperately wanted to wash up. And most of all she still smelled like him!
"Good. Good..." Grandma Cruz smiled, showing her dentures. She slowly spun the top of the salt container and after she opened it she looked from her left to her right, searching for something.
"What is it, Grandma?"
Grandma Cruz was now busy flipping everything in her reach, "Have you seen the spoon? I swear I put it on the table with the containers before I started." She scratched her head in confusion.
Yumi looked at the left hand of the elderly person that was holding the spoon.
Her brows frowned, "Grandma, you're holding it. It's in your left hand. Let's go to the clinic this Friday, okay? Let's get you a new eye-grade prescription."
"Hay naku! It won't do. It's just another unnecessary expense, let's just buy new sports shoes for you." Grandma smiled widely. "No more buts-buts. Go to your room now, clean yourself and let's prepare for dinner, okay?"
Maybe heaven took pity on her, her grandma ordered her to freshen up now. Her steps were swift and soon she was in her own space. She knew that arguing with the elder would not bode well if she insisted.
She usually refused to get near her bed before she cleaned herself, but now she could care less.
Yumi distractedly sat at the edge of her bed.
After taking the train to memory lane, she passed out.
She had a dreamless rest and when she woke up the sun was setting. She stretched her joints and looked at the dirty sheets. She meticulously changed it into a clean one and stepped towards her closet. She got fresh clothes, undies and a bath towel and hurried to the bathroom.
She turned on the faucet but no water flowed out. It's quarter to six now. The water supply was cut off every five-thirty.
She carried the pail outside, pumped the well water and hurried back to the bathroom.
When she took off her shirt, a murky odor assaulted her nose. Her cheeks became hot. She shook her head and got down to business.
The sun is completely down now.
Isagani's room was one of the few rooms that was brightly lit at that hour.
He was doing his favorite thing in the world; math exercises. But an unusual sigh sounded from him.
Isagani lamented that the girl doesn't have a mobile phone yet.
He got his when he reached grade 7. He and Yumi were so ecstatic back then and downloaded a lot of games on it using his computer.
After weeks of freshness, the phone lost its luster to them.
He urged her to have one for convenient communication before, but she insisted that she didn't need it yet. She said that she could just shout outside his home and they could talk face-to-face. Organic and intimate.
He somehow agreed with her at that time.
Now, he regretted it.
He wanted to see her right now. It may seem cheesy to say it, but he missed her.
He felt irritated and lonely.
Gani has a secret that he never told Yumi and he swore that he would take it to his grave.
It was the first time they had met.
What just happened?
Yumi distractedly sat at the edge of her bed.
What happened today was still clear to her mind. The boy's temperature, the tingles and the intimacy.
Everything felt exciting and pleasurable but she couldn't understand the guilt that she was feeling.
This had boiled inside of her chest since they sailed back home.
She noticed the stickiness of Isagani after it happened. After their peak, she couldn't look at the boy but he seemed normal. He wiped away the white stuff on his leg and on her stomach. He also straightened her shirt and sweaty hair, never stopping until he was satisfied.
He calmly cleaned the fish she brought, grilled it and then fed her with his hands. She tried to grab away the skewered fish and eat it alone, but he insisted on doing it.
What's weirder was the way he gazed at her during the whole feeding process. He softly smiled like an idiot and then occasionally pinched her bulging cheek. He even demanded her to sit on his lap. If it was not for her resolutely rejecting him, she thought she would have goosebumps for a whole month.
When they arrived at the town's port, Isagani was basically glued to her. If it was not his shoulder brushing into hers, it would be his hands or his hips or something.
If the town's all-seer, Aling Marites, happened to spot them like this, it was no different to the whole town knowing it. Her Sari-sari store, which was on the same street as Cruz's, was one of the hotspots for bored housewives to source some juicy gossip. Starting from who's the couple that quarreled this morning, whose kid flunked the exam, even the little crushes of the preschoolers did not escape her sharp ears and keen eyes.
Yumi was really worried.
She tried to push him away countless times, but it was like two opposite magnets; they would naturally pull back together again.
He had been naturally good-looking since young but it never fazed her before... or maybe, yes?
She was not quite so sure.
But one thing is certain, she loves Gani. And she would be brave against the world if it ever turned its back on him.
She knew that he would too.
He was one of the people that she planned to keep by her side for life.
They would be the greatest buddies in the whole wide world.
She was not disgusted at any form of contact between him and her. He has always been welcome in her personal space ever since ages.
But this guilt just can't get off of her. She was so scared that someone would notice something from them.
She just received and gave a massage. What's this heaviness she's feeling?
Isagani walked her into her house's doorway.
She was about to enter when he called her, "Yumi.."
She looked back and saw him open and then closed his mouth.
He moved a step closer to her front. He was a head taller than her, so to have a proper conversation with him she had to lift her head at a forty-five-degree angle, which was tiring. Before she could do that, Gani bent slightly to level his eyes with hers.
He cupped her face in his palms, examined her for a second and then sighed. He took her into his arms and gave her a warm hug.
He originally wanted to officially ask her out. After all, he wanted to be responsible to her and properly give her a label, but after his careful observation, Yumi seemed still oblivious to their standing and the gravity of their deed. This is not like the silly things that they did when they were young. He wanted to slowly let her realize that what they were doing was not something a good friend would normally do. He wanted to make her feel his sincere intention towards her.
He also wanted to lecture Yumi about having no defense against someone who was clearly taking advantage of her, but he figured that it would sound hypocritical knowing that this someone who took advantage was him. He made up his mind that he would just teach her to guard against others, and when he said "others" that didn't include him, gradually.
His hug tightened and a defeated sigh came out from him again.
She originally wanted to pull back but an undeniable calmness washed her. She felt his chest vibrate and said, "Sleep, Yumi. Don't worry about anything." She felt his hands caressing her hair.
"Sleep... It's okay. You have your training tomorrow. Just close your eyes. Hmmm?" His lips lightly touched her head.
He detached himself from her, turned her around to face the house's door and then gently pushed her in. He didn't leave until he saw her step on their stairway.
She absent-mindedly dragged herself. She could not come up with any possible translation of what the teenager had said.
When she arrived on the second floor, she staggered when she spotted her grandma sitting in the living area peeling tamarinds to make candies.
The old lady was usually taking a nap in her rocking chair at this time. A fine breeze at the side of the large window would be her lullaby.
Yumi would tip-toe around the house by then to avoid startling the elderly. She would place her pointing finger across her nostrils and only by feeling the hot air would she be relieved.
She would only wake up when she heard the Monay vendor shouting and banging on their door to notify his loyal customer, Grandma Cruz, of his arrival. As years passed by, her hearing worsened and the normal volume of talking was no longer intelligible to her. She would then speedily search for her purse and climb down the stairs to meet the vendor. While it's smoking hot, Grandma would call for Yumi to have a late afternoon snack with her.
"My dear granddaughter, are you home?" She shouted and smiled sweetly.
She was like a thief who was caught right-handedly. Her heart almost stopped as she faced the source of the voice. Remembering that her grandma's eye problems due to diabetes, she got hold of herself and relaxed.
"Yes, Lola!" She echoed back a shout.
"Did you have fun with boy Gani?" Still peeling. The old lady reached out for the spoon and grabbed the container of salt to make a salt and sugar mixture.
"Y-Yes! It was fun." She clumsily laughed; a suspicious blush powdered her cheeks.
She fidgeted her fingers.
Yumi could not look straight into her grandma's eyes. She wanted to come and help the old peel tamarinds too, but she just awkwardly stood there, not knowing if she should go or stay.
She still wore her panties earlier. It is dirty and sticky now. The slipperiness was still there and she desperately wanted to wash up. And most of all she still smelled like him!
"Good. Good..." Grandma Cruz smiled, showing her dentures. She slowly spun the top of the salt container and after she opened it she looked from her left to her right, searching for something.
"What is it, Grandma?"
Grandma Cruz was now busy flipping everything in her reach, "Have you seen the spoon? I swear I put it on the table with the containers before I started." She scratched her head in confusion.
Yumi looked at the left hand of the elderly person that was holding the spoon.
Her brows frowned, "Grandma, you're holding it. It's in your left hand. Let's go to the clinic this Friday, okay? Let's get you a new eye-grade prescription."
"Hay naku! It won't do. It's just another unnecessary expense, let's just buy new sports shoes for you." Grandma smiled widely. "No more buts-buts. Go to your room now, clean yourself and let's prepare for dinner, okay?"
Maybe heaven took pity on her, her grandma ordered her to freshen up now. Her steps were swift and soon she was in her own space. She knew that arguing with the elder would not bode well if she insisted.
She usually refused to get near her bed before she cleaned herself, but now she could care less.
Yumi distractedly sat at the edge of her bed.
After taking the train to memory lane, she passed out.
She had a dreamless rest and when she woke up the sun was setting. She stretched her joints and looked at the dirty sheets. She meticulously changed it into a clean one and stepped towards her closet. She got fresh clothes, undies and a bath towel and hurried to the bathroom.
She turned on the faucet but no water flowed out. It's quarter to six now. The water supply was cut off every five-thirty.
She carried the pail outside, pumped the well water and hurried back to the bathroom.
When she took off her shirt, a murky odor assaulted her nose. Her cheeks became hot. She shook her head and got down to business.
The sun is completely down now.
Isagani's room was one of the few rooms that was brightly lit at that hour.
He was doing his favorite thing in the world; math exercises. But an unusual sigh sounded from him.
Isagani lamented that the girl doesn't have a mobile phone yet.
He got his when he reached grade 7. He and Yumi were so ecstatic back then and downloaded a lot of games on it using his computer.
After weeks of freshness, the phone lost its luster to them.
He urged her to have one for convenient communication before, but she insisted that she didn't need it yet. She said that she could just shout outside his home and they could talk face-to-face. Organic and intimate.
He somehow agreed with her at that time.
Now, he regretted it.
He wanted to see her right now. It may seem cheesy to say it, but he missed her.
He felt irritated and lonely.
Gani has a secret that he never told Yumi and he swore that he would take it to his grave.
It was the first time they had met.
