Leon had been staying with his family for at least 5 months now after his return from Bible School. It's their older sister, the first child who let him study.
She sacrificed too much that she forgets about herself, she worked too hard that she noticed how sick she is in a too late situation. He was sorry for two things, he was sorry that she had to sacrifice herself for his studies, he was sorry because he did not finish it or he just chose not to finish it because he kept on thinking about his family's situation.
He can't bear the thought that he is having a cushion in his bed, a warm bread every day and a faith that kept him going. Leon just felt sorry.
"Uhmmm, brother, father ordered me to carry those banana stalk to Nabu, and…."
Lito said to his brother with hint of shyness and awkwardness.
"and, uh, what can I do to help" Leon quickly answered
"I need your help I can't carry all of those"
And with that request, Leon felt relieved because he observed that Lito is still awkward around him. And he cannot blame his younger brother because they got he went away for his studies for at least 7 years and just a few visits within those years.
And again, he felt sorry for him because Lito had to take his supposed responsibility. Lito had to take care of their two younger siblings who are still young.
Leon and Lito had to bring down the banana stalks that their father had prepared and then carry it up again in another mountain where their farm is. He sometimes thinks that they are rich, only sometimes because they are really poor when he would look around their house.
Their living room is their bedroom at night but dining area in the morning. Their house roof is made out of ₁ kugon, though it seems normal because all of the houses in their area are made out of the same materials.
He only felt rich when his father or mother would butcher a lot of pigs, it's not because they can afford it but because they believed that that's how they can get healed. They had to borrow money to butcher pigs and they would easily sell their farms also to buy pigs.
The farm where they are going to plant the banana stalks is the only remaining farm that their father swore that he won't sell it. Their father loves this farm although it's a little bit creepy to them because it's on top of a mountain and it was the only farmed lot in that mountain. They have no neighbor.
Leon was out of breath after just a few walks, he forgot about this feeling, this tiredness. The stalks were really heavy but he has to endure because his younger brother is not complaining and he had been doing this alone for the past seven years.
They planted their last stalk by the time its already 3 oclockish in the afternoon. There is still light, still bright but for them who has to go to another mountain it seemed not enough. They were on their way down when he spotted something. Leon's eyes caught the untouched, undisturbed and fully ripened ₂ gubbayas. It looks really appetizing, their color is about to burst covering is crisply brown and his nostalgic feeling demanded his mouth to react.
His mouth is full of memories and saliva that triggered his mouth to swallow hard, hard means might have actually heard his gulp.
He got this strange exciteness of tasting it once again since he hasn't eaten one for years. But it seemed like he won't be eating one today.
They were only a few steps away when Lito stopped then rushed towards the gubbayas. And in an instinct Leon rushed towards it also and they were competing on who can get much.
They were little laughter from the both of them and they became like children again, giggling while even putting some in their mouth. Every berry bursting flavor in their mouth is every memory from their childhood that they missed. Those berries mended years of awkwardness.
I was roaming around, no, I was actually spying on Leon, Lito's older brother. I haven't seen him here before for years that's why I felt like he is a stranger. And I felt that he is really a stranger, he has this strange aura around him.
She followed him several times and witnessed how he bowed his head and utter something before eating, before sleeping, before leaving the house and even after waking up. Strange.
What's even strange is when he forgot to bow his head when he put that gubbayas in his mouth. It was a strange situation to me, to see them competing on who could get the most number. I watched them as they act and laughed like children. It was quite a refreshing scene to watch.
I sat with them, not too close or not too far because I don't want them to feel my cold breath. They were now talking about things. Leon summarized what he did on those far places, that fascinated me. There are so much more to explore.
But Leon thought differently, he came back to explore more about his place and his feeling about this place, this place where he was born. I think I might had shed a tear, because it was so emotional, if only they could see me.
I sniffed when I became too emotional, my nose got runny. But then I stopped when Leon looked back to where I was sitting. We locked eye to eye, did he really just looked at me?
I was scared for a moment but was startled when I heard a gurgling sound. It was thunderous. Lito and Leon looked at each other, held both of their stomach, and both laughed that creepily creeped me. So that sound might had come from their stomach. I never knew that since I never felt, I was never hungry and was never actually full. Even though people had been offering us food. Some might had felt it but definitely not me.
Then panic starts to creep unto the both of them. They were looking at each other nervously, so I nervously watch at them also.
₁ kugon- grass used for building house roof
₂ gubbayas- gooseberry