Mr. and Mrs. Magsalay were arguing about what was going to be the name of the next Sphinx that they would be getting. I'd like to join in and suggest they call it Edgar Allan Paw but Larry took me by the hand and dragged me up to the winding stairs leading to his room on the second floor.
Larry's room was larger than our sala. There was a TV set, a refrigerator, a shower room and it's air-conditioned.
I thought for a minute if his parents were drug mafias.
The windows were open,over-looking the veranda and the white silky-curtains were being blown away by the Zephyr. I looked around me and felt a kind of emptiness inside.
Larry's room was huge and empty at the same time.
'Do you have brothers, Larry?' I asked while my eyes scanned through the vast space inside. Huge room. Few things. What a shame.
'Nope....' He answered while he was searching for something in the drawer.
'Only begotten son, huh?'
'Yep, only begotten son...'
'How about you, Florante?' He looked at me with curiosity.
'Same....' I replied.
'Then we're meant to be brothers...or more...' He said the last word almost inaudibly.
'Does being alone bothers you sometimes?' I asked not knowingly.
'You ask me that??' He said sarcastically and looked at my eyes as if he's trying to find something there.
I looked away afraid he would find something there.
'Florante, you're not alone...don't be too hard on yourself...'
I wondered why he said that.
There was a moment of silence between us. But it was not the awkward kind of silence. What I like about Larry was he knew when to stop talking and I don't mind the silence.
'Let's play a game, shall we?' He declared.
'What game??' I asked inquisitively.
'Getting-to-know-each-other-game...'
'What do you want to know about me, Larry?'
He asked a series of stupid questions and I answered them nonchalantly until it was my turn to ask.
'How about you Larry? What do you like?'
He paused for a moment, bit his lips and answered.
'Movies, cats, birds, photography, and you Florante...I like you...'