While the Magalona’s are having dinner…
“Moe..” sabi ni Saab habang kumakain.
“Hm?” sabay tingin sa Ate.
“Ok ka lang ba?”
“Uhm hm. Ok lang ako.”
“You sure?”
“Oo naman.” Sabay ngiti. “Ako pa?”
“Sure ka ha? Parang hindi eh.”
“Ok lang nga ako. Nga pala, kailan kayo pupunta ng Party Place?”
“I’m not yet sure eh. Ngayon sana pero, hindi natuloy kasi may emergency kina Peter.”
“Oh…”
“Pero, we’re going out of town this week. You should come!” Sabay ngiti.
“Eh, ayoko.”
“Elmo..” nakisingit ang Mommy sa usapan. “You should go. Wala kang kasama dito sa bahay.”
“Why? All of you are going ba?”
“Hindi naman pero, I’m going to Eastwood tomorrow. I’m taking Clara and Arkin with me.”
Nagsalita si Saab, “See? Next week pa uuwi si Maxx so, you need to come.”
“I can stay home by myself. Ok lang ako.”
“Bakit ba ayaw mong sumama? You’ll enjoy naman eh.”
“Saan ba kasi kayo pupunta? Kailangan pa ba akong sumama?”
“Kapag di ka sumama, mabubulok ka dito sa bahay.”
“Ok.. Ok..”
“So, sasama ka na?!” Saab said with a big smile.
“I need to think about it pa.” Sabay tayo.
“Think about it? Hay nako.”
Elmo stood up and walks up to his room. Habang nasa kwarto, he attached his headphones to his iPod and started listening to music. Because of the thing that happened to him and Julie, he can’t stop himself from thinking about her the whole time. And as he thinks and thinks and thinks, Saab knocked to his door.
“Yes? Who is it?”
Saab opened the door and said, “It’s me.”
“Bakit? Do you need something?” Sabay alis ng headphones.
“I don’t need something, I want to know something.” Umupo si Saab sa bed.
“Sigh. I think I know it na. Magtanong ka na lang.”
“Ano ba ang nangyari? I mean, ano nangyari sa inyo ni Julie.”
“Madami..”
“How did you meet her?”
“I met her online.”
“And then..?”
“It wasn’t Julie.”
“Ha? Anong it wasn’t Julie?”
“It’s Lianne then, naging Julie. It’s a long story Saab.”
“What? Just tell me the story kasi. I will listen.”
Elmo sighed and took a deep breath. “Okay. Here it is. Last May.. I met a girl on twitter. She always retweet my emotional tweets so, I’ve thought of talking to her. So we had an awesome conversation, kasi yun nga, nakaka-relate siya sa mga tweets ko. For several months, lagi kaming magkausap. All day… every day. Gusto ko siyang ma-meet personally, kasi bukod sa sobrang bait niya, she’s really beautiful. Pero hindi madali kasi she’s from the outside the country. Nasa LA siya.”
“So, she lives and studies there? Ganun ba?”
“Uhm hm. Ganun nga. And after that, kapag hindi ko siya nakakausap? Or kapag hindi siya online? There’s that feeling of emptiness inside me. Yung feeling na, para bang may kulang? Yung namimiss ko siya na, hindi ko alam kung bakit? Pero inisip ko, siguro kasi, sobrang nasanay lang ako na lagi siyang kausap. After that day, nung nag-online na siya finally, tinanong ko kung anong nangyari, and she answered naman that something happened. Ganito… Ganyan… So, I asked kung may roaming siya, para kaya ko siya i-contact anytime di ba? Maka-musta ganun. So yun, nagpa-roaming siya and she gave me the number, a week after.”
“And then..?”
“I always call her. Like always.. Literally, every day. It’s like, I don’t want a day to end without hearing her voice or not talking to her, unless I’ve already talked to her.”
“So, you like her?”
“Yes. And I unexpectedly fell in love with her.”
“W-w-wow! Pero wait, so what did you do?”
“I made her feel that I already have feelings for her.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“I did. And.. believe it or not…. Naging kami.”
“That… is… absolutely… wow!”
“I fell in love with Lianne. And she loves me too, I know. I felt it.”
“Felt?”
“Yes, felt.”
“Will you please explain everything? Kasi, I can’t really understand lahat eh.”
“Listen muna kasi. Then ganito na, someone sent me a DM. About this girl named, Julie.”
“I though it was Lianne?”
“Julie.. Lianne… Makinig ka muna. Haha.”
“Ok. Ok!”
“It was Bela who sent me a message. She said na, I must not believe to what Lianne says.”
“Who’s Bela?”
“Julie’s friend.”
“Now I don’t know who is who.”
“Julie Anne and Lianne. Iisang mukha. Dalawang tao.”
“Ha???! What do you mean? Ano yan? Monster?”
“Monsters don’t exist. Posers do.”
“Poser? You mean….”
“Yup. Poser si Lianne.”
“Hahaha. Wowww. So, you mean… You fell in love with a poser?!”
“Yes. Egg-zactly.”
“But wait.. Hahaha.”
“Sige lang. Tawa ka lang.. I know…”
“Hindi!” Pinipigilang hindi tumawa.
“Yes, it’s funny and I feel so dumb.”
“No!” tumigil sa kakatawa. “I’m not saying you’re dumb.”
“Yes you’re not saying that I’m dumb, but you’re making me feel like I am.”
“Hindi nga. Ok, I’ll stop na. Promise, hindi ganun.”
“Pssshh..”
“So, yun na lahat?”
“Hindi pa. Di ba nga, long story?”
“Wait, di ba si Julie ang rason kung ba’t ka nagkaka-ganyan? Eh bakit yung story mo, about kay Lianne?”
“Kinukwento ko lahat para klaro lahat sa’yo.”
“Ok? So, you may continue na.. Ano nang ginawa mo next?”
———-TO BE CONTINUED———
HOLY PINK MOTHER! KAYA NAMAN PALA SINUNGGABAN AGAD NI ELMO EH :”“”> ANG HOOOOOOT!
asdfuidhfvn :”“”“”“”“”“”“”>