Sa sumunod na mga araw ay paulit-ulit na binasa ni Luna ang nilalaman ng journal ni Ryu habang binabantayan ito sa silid. And whenever she did, she would always end up bawling her eyes.
At habang ginagawa niya iyon ay naisipan niyang tumugon sa mga naisulat doon ni Ryu. She decided to write her answer to each entry.
~ I thought you were perfect the first time I saw you at the front gate of the campus. From the way you walked, the way you carried your clothes, and to the sound of your voice. I was mesmerized... until you mentioned seeing my legs. I was so pissed and thought of you as a perverted umbrella man.
Bahaw siyang natawa nang maalala ang araw na iyon. Sinulyapan niya ang walang malay na si Ryu at nginitian bago muling ibinalik ang pansin sa journal.
~Someday, my children will read this and learn how I met their mother.
Nawala ang ngiti sa kaniyang mga labi nang mabasa ang huling linya sa unang pahina. She released a heavy sigh and slowly traced her index finger on those words.
You need to wake up first. And from there, maybe we can start again from the very beginning? Let's start at the time you gave me your umbrella... bulong niya sa isip.
Ibinalik niya ang pansin kay Ryu at muling nagpakawala ng buntong-hininga bago niya inilipat ang pahina.
Ryu's second entry:
~Took me a couple of days to learn her identity. Luna Isabella Mayo. A top honour student in middle school, volleyball captain, a champion swimmer, an orator and a two-time teenage beauty queen. She's a lady every man would dream of— and that includes me.
She wrote down her response.
~ Who would have thought that the perverted umbrella man is actually the boss of the infamous Alexandros? You are the most popular student in the campus and for that reason, I hated you even more.
I always thought that I have an interesting life at school considering my status as a top student...
Until I pushed you away. That's when I realized that my life at school was actually dull. That's when I realized that you actually brought colours into my plain, boring life.
Yeah, that was true. All her student life, she thought she was happy.
From pre-school to middle school, she was always a top student. She excelled in sports and won several speech and oratory competitions. She was also a crowned beauty queen. Hindi lahat ng estudyante ay kayang gawin ang mga nagawa niya, at doon ay naisip niyang may perpekto at masaya siyang buhay-eskwela.
Until she went to CSC and met Ryu.
She thought that he only made her feel like a nobody. She thought he was only ruining her supposed respected name. She thought he was only a hindrance to the supposed love that she wanted with the boy she liked.
But that's what all she thought and was wrong about.
Ryu actually just made her realized that she had a mediocre life. That she didn't really have fun moments at school.
He made her realized that there's more than just meeting people's expectations and standards. There's more to going to school, getting high scores in the exam, practicing sports and winning competitions. There's more than that.
Freedom.
Bumuntong-hininga siya. Kung saan-saan na napupunta ang isip niya.
Ibinalik niya ang pansin sa journal at inilipat iyon sa pangatlong pahina.
Ryu's third entry:
~ All I wanted everyday was to see her. I don't know why I have this intense need of seeing her face everyday. Am I crazy?
She wrote down her response with a heavy heart.
~ People get crazy when they are in love. And I was crazy because I've let you go...
She continued to respond to Ryu's entries. Kada pahina at sinagutan niya gamit ang pulang sign pen. Alam niyang isang araw, ay mababasa ni Ryu ang lahat ng mga isinulat niya roon.
Hanggang sa umabot siya sa huling dalawang entry.
~Saying goodbye to the person who was never yours...wasn't easy.
She asked me to stay out of her life. And if that would make her happy, I will concede. Because her happiness is my happiness.
She wrote down her answer with tears in her eyes.
~ I've never been so lonely in my entire life until you're gone. Please come back, Ryu.
Inilipat niya ang pahina sa pinaka-likod at binasa ang dalawang linyang naisulat doon ni Ryu, na sa hula niya'y isinulat noong araw bago ang insidente.
~ I love her, still. Just one last time...I need to see her one, last time.
Sinulyapan niya si Ryu at sandaling pinanatili ang tingin sa binata. Masakit pa rin para sa kaniya ang makita ito sa ganoong anyo. At sa tuwing tinititigan niya ito'y bumibigat nang bumibigat ang dibdib niya. Kaya naman pilit niyang inalala ang dating ito.
The Ryu Donovan who would teasingly smile at her from the distance and would openly— and loudly— tell her how much he adored her.
Buhat doon ay napangiti siya. Bumaba ang tingin niya sa mga labi nito nang maalala kung papaano siya nitong ngisihan noon. At habang nakatitig siya sa mga labi nito'y may bigla siyang may naalala.
Noong araw na ipinagtanggol siya ni Ryu sa mga college students na humarang sa kanila ng mga kaibigan niya sa harap ng school gymnation.
"I could kiss you right here and now, you know? But I won't do that, Luna. Because I want our first kiss to be special, and that would be the time when your heart becomes mine."
Hindi niya alam kung ano ang nagtulak sa kaniyang ibaba ang journal sa ibabaw ng side table at dumukwang sa kama upang ilapit ang mukha sa mukha ni Ryu.
She closed her eyes before bending down her head, crossing the distance between them.
My heart is yours now, Ryu...
*****
Eight days have past at wala pa ring progreso sa lagay ni Ryu.
At sa loob ng mga panahong iyon ay naroon lang si Luna sa loob ng silid nito upang magbantay at patuloy na mag-sulat sa natirang mga pahina ng journal ni Ryu.
Nag-umpisa siyang magsulat sa huling entry ni Ryu. At doon ay inihayag niya ang araw-araw na nangyayari sa loob ng walong araw na naroon siya sa tabi nito.
Ikaw ang pinaka-matapang na taong nakilala ko. Please keep fighting, Ryu. And come back to us soon...
Masuyong dinama ni Luna ang pisngi ng binata.
Ang progreso lang na masasabi niyang nangyari rito sa nakalipas na mga araw ay ang unti-unting pag-kawala ng nangingitim na marka sa ilalim ng mga mata ni Ryu na sanhi ng pambubugbog na inabot nito.
She softly traced Ryu's face using her index finger.
Sa nakalipas na mga araw ay nakasanayan na niyang gawin iyon. Kung hindi siya abala sa pagsusulat sa journal nito ay nangangalumbaba lang siya sa kama habang tahimik na pinagmamasdan ang mukha ng binata, o hindi kaya ay damhin iyon gamit ang mga daliri. There were also times she would sketch his face on the journal.
May mga pagkakataon din na magbabasa siya ng libro at nilalakasan niya ang tinig sa pag-asang marinig siya ni Ryu— in his unconscious mind.
At sa araw-araw ay pinapatugtog niya ang Voice of the Sea sa kaniyang cellphone— it was the Japanese song Ryu sang to her when they got stuck in the library. She downloaded it so she could listen to it every night, or whenever she felt lonely.
Ayaw pa sana niyang umalis sa tabi ni Ryu, subalit kinailangan na niyang bumalik sa Pilipinas dahil magpa-pasko na.
Sa araw na iyon ang schedule ng pag-uwi niya, kasama sina Seann at Raven. Ang iba ay mananatili roon hanggang sa bagong taon, and she wished she could also stay and spend Christmas with Ryu, but she couldn't. Hinihintay din siya ng pamilya niya.
Muli niyang ibinalik ang pansin kay Ryu at masuyong dinama ang pisngi nito. Ilang sandali pa'y dumukwang siya at hinalikan ito sa noo.
"I promise to come back and see you again. At hiling ko, pagdating ng araw na iyon, ay gising ka na at nakangiti mo akong sasalubungin."
Tatlong sunud-sunod na katok sa nakabukas na pinto ng silid ni Ryu ang nagpalingon sa kaniya. Naroon at nakatayo sina Raven at Seann.
"We're ready when you are," Seann said with a smile.
Tumango siya at ibinalik ang pansin kay Ryu. Masuyo niyang dinamang muli ang pisngi nito bago siya tumayo at yumuko upang dampian ito ng halik sa noo.
"See you soon, Ryu."
*****
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