I did not show up the following Saturday or the Saturday after that because I got violently sick and needed to be admitted to the hospital. I thought you would throw a fit when we'd see each other again but you didn't.
"Anong nangyari sa'yo? Are you okay?"
"Oo, okay lang."
"Ahh..."
"Pasensya na at ngayon lang ako nagpakita."
"Wala 'yun."
"Galit ka ba sa akin, Agatha?"
"Bakit naman ako magagalit sa'yo?"
"Kasi pinaghintay kita?"
"Okay lang 'yun, alam ko namang hindi ka basta-bastang mang-i-Indian at kung hindi ka man sisipot ay paniguradong may rason. I am just glad that you're here now, Marcus..." you said with a kind smile.
Wordlessly, I walked towards you.
"Bakit?" you asked when I was barely a foot away.
In reply, I engulfed you in my embrace. "Na-miss kita..." I whispered against your hair.
You stiffened for a second and I half-expected you to push me away.
But then you put your arms around me. "I've missed you, too..." you said and my heart burst into a million tiny butterflies.
"Anong ibig sabihin n'un?"
"Na nagpapasalamat ako na mas matangkad ka sa akin..."
"Bakit?"
"Age might not matter but height does for me, Marcus," you said.
I laughed softly tightening my arms around you. "Do not ever change, Lia Agatha Carbonel, you are my kind of perfection..."
The following Saturday, you were absent and I was so worried that I nearly combed Greater Manila just to find you. But I knew that it would be foolish so I decided to wait for the next Saturday to come.
You seemed preoccupied and I would steal glances at you and then wish that I wasn't so ordinary-looking and you weren't so perfect.
"Baka gusto mo akong kunan ng litrato? Kanina ka pa nakaw nang nakaw ng tingin d'yan," you flippantly said.
"Hindi kaya..."
"Hindi mo ako kukunan ng litrato o hindi ka nagnanakaw ng tingin?" you ribbed.
Ang perfect mo naman kasi, Mrs. Lia Agatha Montemayor...
"Na-miss kita, Marcus," you blurted out suddenly and I was so surprised that I fell off the swing.
I scrambled to my feet hoping that you didn't see me make a fool of myself again but you looked at me with your gentle, chocolate brown eyes and asked, "Okay ka lang ba?"
"Oo," I murmured sitting down on the swing.
"Nagulat ka ba?"
"Medyo..." I mumbled. "Na-miss din kita," I said.
"Salamat. Pero, hindi mo naman kailangang sabihing na-miss mo rin ako dahil lang sinab—"
"Mahal kita. Pakakasalan kita. At alam kong hindi tayo bagay kasi ang ganda mo, ang talino mo, ang bait-bait mo at malamang ay maraming nanliligaw sa'yo, pero, ipinapangako ko na kapag ako ang pinili mo, hinding-hindi ka na mag-iisa ulit kasi nand'yan ako parati sa tabi mo at hinding-hindi ako aalis."
You stared at me.
"Marry me please..." I heard myself say. "I promise that —"
You frowned. "H'wag kang magbibitaw ng mga pangakong hindi mo matutupad."
"Tutuparin ko lahat ng pangako ko sa'yo. Kahit kailan hinding-hindi kita bibiguin."
"Weh, paano 'yung pangako mong nand'yan ka palagi sa tabi ko, eh, Sabado lang tayo nagkikita?" you asked.
I stared blankly at you.
Oo nga naman. Paanong palagi...? I scratched my head.
You laughed. "O, ano, nalito ka na ba? Ikaw kasi, eh—"
"I guess it was figurative, " I started to say. "It was me trying to tell you that I will always be here for you and I won't ever leave your side. I feel inept every time I am with you because you are just so perfect and I am just so...me..." I sighed.
I heard the swing creak in protest when you rose to your feet and I realized that you were leaving much to my dismay.
Oo nga naman, bakit naman s'ya makikinig sa mga sinasabi ko? No one would listen to the ramblings of someone they consider as a child.
But, instead of leaving like I had expected, you remained standing in front of me.
"Marcus..."
Sabi ko na magpapaalam na 'to. Sasabihin na nito sa akin na hindi na kami magkikita, na hindi na s'ya pupunta tuwing Sabado at dapat ay hindi na ako mag-aksaya pa ng oras na pumunta rito...
My chest tightened considerably at my thoughts. But, I knew that I had to man up and accept your imminent rejection. So, with a heavy heart, I pushed to my feet, my head bowed low and my gaze trained on my dark brown loafers.
"Uy, Marcus..."
"Ano...?" I asked my voice soft.
"Bakit nakayuko ka?"
I shook my head as my vision blurred with tears. "Wala..."
I didn't want to tell you that I was about to cry but a sob escaped my lips.
"Umiiyak ka ba?"
"Hindi..." I sniffed.
"H'wag kang magsinungaling sa akin."
I nodded. "Oo."
"Bakit?"
"Masakit, eh."
"Masakit ang alin?"
"Ang ma-basted..." I said glancing briefly at you. "Sorry...I'd rather go home...I don't want you...to feel bad for...for rejecting me..." I murmured.
You said nothing and I looked up to find you scowling at me. That was the first time I saw you arch your brow.
"Kaloka..." You huffed before you turned on your heel to leave.
"Agatha...? Wait, saan ka pupunta?"
"Uuwi na!" you shouted.
I followed in your wake.
"Pwede bang malaman kung...kung bakit...bakit mo ako...binasted?" I asked bravely.
You suddenly stopped walking, turned around then glowered at me.
"Binabasted ba kita, ha?!"
"Oo—teka, hindi ba?"
"Ewan ko sa'yo!" you bit out. "Bahala ka na nga d'yan uuwi na ako!"
Ibig sabihin...?
"Agatha!"
"Ano?!" you replied as you continued walking.
"I love you!"
"Heh!"
"I am madly in love with you!"
"Tseh!"
"I love you, my Lia Agatha Carbonel..." I said. "I love you today, I will love you tomorrow, and I will love you for all eternity..."
You slowed down your steps before you completely stopped in your tracks.
"Mahal kita..." I said, my voice pleading.
You turned to look at me. "Sa susunod pwedeng h'wag kang slow?" you asked glaring at me.
"Sorry, next time I'll be more—"
"I love you, too, tungak."
