Chapter Text
Gaya ni Arvin, walang malinaw na simula at katapusan ang araw ni Ziggy. He was raised in an upper middle class household but that’s all that it is. Hiwalay ang pagkatao, buhay at pangarap niya sa pamilyang nagpalaki sa kanya.
It’s midnight yet he’s still prepping the ingredients at his restaurant for tomorrow. Every raw ingredient needs to be dated, especially the fresh vegetables he just bought from their supplier. Hindi niya mapigilan ang sarili na asikasuhin ang mga ito dahil these particularities have an immense effect on the flavor of the dishes that were served from his kitchen. He knows he could hire someone to do this while Arvin is away but somehow… that felt wrong for him.
He brushed his fingers along the stars that were written along the dates on the tape of the container ng kamatis. Four stars, meaning the quality is still fresh. This made him reminiscent of their college days. Arvin was the president of the pre-law organization in their university, at siya? isang hamak na member lang.
He really didn’t want to join the organization but his parents forced him para naman daw magkaroon ng direksyon ang buhay niya. Aakalain mo na kung pangatlo ka sa apat na magkakapatid e magkakaroon ka na ng laya para piliin ang gusto mo. But no. Not when your parents see you as an extension of themselves.
After joining the organization, hindi na siya ulit nagparamdam sa mga miyembro nito. Kahit pa araw-araw niyang nakikita sa classroom at nakakasalubong sa hallway ang mga kasama niya non na mag-apply.
“Antipatiko,” ang tawag nang mga sumubok nang i-approach siya. For him, there was no point in interacting with them when his only goal in college was to graduate. Because then he’d actually be able to make his own choices and actually start living.
“Mr. Sungit?” isang mapaglarong at malalim na boses ang tumawag sa kanya. Base sa porma na polo at straight cut na pantalon, the guy seemed to be a member of the org he was ghosting.
Nilahad ng lalaki ang kamay niya sa kanya, “Arvin nga pala.” Inabot niya ang kamay nito at nakipagkamay. “Ziggy.”
For a president of an org, one would expect that Arvin is a diligent and all-around student but he’s not. Unti-unting naging malinaw kay Ziggy kung bakit siya nito in-approach noong paulit-ulit na siya nitong nilalapitan upang humingi ng notes sa elective kung saan magkaklase sila dahil lagi rin itong wala sa klase.
“Ito naman, dali na. I’ll let you use my apartment’s kitchen. ‘Di ba you’re interested in cooking?”
Napalingon siya rito nagtataka siya kung paano ito nalaman ng kasama ngunit hindi niya ito pinapahalata at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad sa hallway.
Nakita ata nito ni Arvin bilang tsansa kaya nagpatuloy ito, “I noticed in class that you always have this small notebook you write dish ideas on, I’ll give you the space to try them.”
“The answer is still no.” Gusto kasi nitong magpatutor sa kanya dahil malapit na ang finals nila sa History at dahil nga lagi itong absent ay malamang sa malamang ay wala itong idea kung nasaan na sila sa klase. But why does he have to be responsible for that? He has a lot on his plate already. Marami rin siyang hinahabol sa ibang subjects, wala na siyang oras na turuan ang estudyanteng ‘di responsable sa pag-aaral niya. Yes, tempting ang offer niya, but he’d taste real freedom once he’s done studying.
“Please Ziggy? Kailangan ko pumasa rito, ‘di ako pwede ma-delay.” Pagmamakaawa muli nito.
He scoffed, “then you should’ve thought of that before you took god knows how many absences sa History.”
“You know why I’m absent bro.” Sumulyap si Arvin saglit sa labas ng hallway nila, dumidilim na ang langit, uulan pa ata. Bumalik ang tingin niya kay Ziggy na nag-iintay ng paliwanag, “it’s the org bro, we had two upcoming events this month. Alam ko namang hindi importante sa’yo yun pero this is something for me. This is my stepping stone, Zig.”
‘Di alam ni Ziggy kung naluluha na ba si Arvin nang hinawi nito ang buhok niya at tumingin ulit sa labas. But for the first time in their interactions, he felt sincerity in his voice—he felt his heart and somehow it mirrored his.
Pareho lang silang nangangarap.
“Fine. Just this once, okay?”
Nawala ang pagod sa mukha nito sa kanyang pagngiti, “Really?”
Ziggy nodded in annoyance ngunit natunaw lahat ng kanyang pagsusungit nang bigla siya nitong akbayan at yakapin. “Thanks bro, sobra! My kitchen is all yours forever. Thank you talaga!.”
Tumigil ang mundo ni Ziggy at tuluyan nang bumagsak ang ulan.