FLORENCE AND LAURY (Completed)

FAL SPECIAL CHAPTER

FLORENCE BERYLL

“Grabe naka-anim na tower ka na, mag-isa! Lodicake!”

Umupo sa katabing high stool ang babaeng nakasuot ng itim na apron. She looked amazed looking at the almost empty tower of beer in front of me. Wala na ang bandang tumutugtog sa harapan. Some crew fixed the place at ipinatong ang mga upuan sa mesa. Mukhang magsasara na ang bar pero nandito pa rin ako.

“What time is it?” tanong ko. I was asking myself but the girl answered me.

“3:42 AM.”

Hindi ako nagsalita at sa halip ay nagsalin na lamang ng beer sa baso ngunit inagaw niya iyon mula sa akin. “Hey!”

“Hey ka rin,” sabi niya at nilagyan iyon ng beer at diretsong uminom. Napangiwi siya nang maramdaman ang pait. She thong some ice bago muling sinalinan ang baso at tuloy-tuloy na uminom hanggang sa maubos ang laman niyon. “Ayan ubos na, pwede ka na umuwi.”

She made a face when she burped, probably hating the aftertaste of the beer.

“That’s mine,” sabi ko.

“Aba, hindi ka pa talaga lasing ah, nakukuha mo pang sumagot ng diretso!” She said and laugh. “Minsan lang ako rito pero kapag nandito ako nakikita kita palagi. Syempre, ikaw pinakahuling uuwi eh. Akala ko nga ikaw na magsasara eh.”

I don’t know if she meant it as a joke but it’s seriously not funny. Pang-anim na ‘to na tower but it’s not like ako lamang ang uminom. I had some friends with me kanina hanggang sa ako na lamang ang natira. They left by midnight dahil may pasok pa kami bukas.

Yup, may pasok pa kami. We’re both graduating in few months time pero parang ayaw ko pang gumradweyt. If I will leave the university, mas madalang na lamang na makita ko siya. Kaya kahit lasing na lasing ako o walang tulog, I always make sure to attend my classes so that I can take a glimpse of her face.

Ewan, nasasanay na siguro ako sa kaiinom to the point na parang tubig na lamang ito sa akin. I usually drink at weekends, or sometime random days of the week.

It’s been two years since she broke up with me.

Fuck, that was so painful that I feel like I’m going to die. I love her so much and I know she loves me too, so much pero nagpakain siya sa takot niya. She use to have a huge crush on me, but now... crush pa rin kaya niya ako?

Palagi niya iyong sinasabi sa akin. Na hindi pa rin daw siya makapaniwala na ang crush niya noon, jowa na niya. She would even add some cuss and profanities as she tells me how silly she was stalking my facebook account before na walang ibang laman kundi mga shared post tungkol sa anime.

“Hoy...” the girl clapped once in front of me kaya napatingin ako sa kanya.

“Yes?”

“Pinoy ako!” she replied and smiled waiting for me to smile to pero napalabi lamang siya dahil napakunot lang ang noo ko.

“Inubos mo ang beer ko,” sabi ko sa kanya.

“Kasi po, magsasara na kami kaso nadito ka pa kaya tinulungan na kita, ayos ba par?”

Umayos ako ng upo at tiningnan ang oras sa cellphone ko. Pasado alas tres na nga, and my first class for today is by 9 am. The girl leaned closer to look at the lockscreen of my phone. It’s a close-up picture of Laury sleeping. Her lips pouted a little at may drawing na whiskers ng pusa sa pisngi niya. There’s also a black circle on her nose and lines triangular lines on her forehead forming a cat’s ears.

It was a picture I took when we were second year college. Nakatulog siya sa sofa namin so I ransacked her bag and found her black eyeliner. Then I had a naughty thought and started drawing on her face. Malutong na tangena lang naman ang natanggap ko pagkagising niya, but damn, she’s my cute little cussing kitten.