*Note this story is in Tagalog
“Kailangan mong maniwala sa akin. Pangako! Nakita ko lang siya rito.”
Hindi pinansin ni Jia ang sinabi ni Jaime, dahil dalawang oras na silang naghihintay sa tapat ng puno at wala namang nangyayari.
“Baka usa lang iyon. Tingnan mo wala naman akong nakikitang kakaiba rito. Puwede na ba tayong umalis?”
“Sige na, kaunting hintay na lang, alam kong makikita rin natin yung nilalang na iyon.”
Nagtataka si Jia sa “nilalang” na sinabi Jaime.
Matagal ng magkakilala ang dalawa dahil sa parehas silang Elementarya nag-aral, pero nagsimula lang ang kanilang pagkakaibigan sa Unang Taon nila sa Hayskul. Sa puntong iyon, palagi na silang magkasamang nagkukuwentuhan tungkol sa kanilang pamilya, mga kaibigan, at mga pangarap nila sa buhay.
Hanggang sa magiging alaala na lang ang kanilang pinagsamahan. Naisipan ng kanilang mga magulang na pag-aralin ang mga anak nila sa pamantasan na malayo sa probinsya, para magkaroon sila ng magandang kinabukasan, o iyon ang inaakala nila.
Nakapasa si Jaime sa mga pamantasan sa Maynila kaya doon siya mag-aaral, habang si Jia naman ay napunta sa Pamantang Siliman sa Dumaguete.
Wala pang isang buwan, iba na ang takbo ng kanilang buhay. Tama na magkikita at mag-uusap pa naman silang dalawa kapag bumisita sila sa kanilang mga magulang tuwing Pasko at Bagong Taon, pero iyon na ang katapusan, at para kay Jaime gusto pa niyang makasama ng matagal si Jia.
O baka…
“Hindi, hindi” sabi ni Jia sa sarili.
Naalala niya ang tinginan sa kaniya ni Jaime. Hindi na siya yung Jaime na nakilala niya nang nakaraang buwan. Si Jaime dati ay natataranta sa kaniyang kinabukasan, at nababagabag niya ang mga tao sa paligid dulot ng sobrang pag-aalala. Napansin ni Jia na kailan lang nagbago ang kaniyang kaibigan. Ibang-ibang na si Jaime mula sa nakasanayan niya at ngayon katahimikan na lang ang pumapagitan sa kanilang dalawa.
Si Jaime ang pinakaromantikong tao na nakilala ni Jia sa buong buhay niya, kaya nagtataka siya kung bakit hindi pa ito nagkakaroon ng kasintahan. Ito ay dahil tuwing nag-uusap sila dati, laging nasasama sa kanilang usapan kung sino ang gusto nilang makatuluyan.
Kapag napupunta roon ang usapan hindi alam ni Jia kung paano ito sasagutin, sa kadahilanan na hindi siya interesadong makipagkilala. Kung sakaling gusto niya makikipagkilala sa internet o sa mga apps, palagi na lang siyang iniiwan sa ere ng kaniyang kinakausap; pero umaasa siyang makakakita siya ng lalaking matitipuhan niya. Sa ngayon, pinagtutuonan niya muna ng pansin ang kaniyang sarili.
Syempre, si Jaime na isang romantiko ay gumawa ng isang oras na talumpati kung bakit dapat hangarin ng isang tao na makamit ang tunay na pag-ibig. Natatawa at Nagagandahan si Jia sa ginawa niya na parang sigurado na siyang makikilala niya ang para sa kaniya (o ang karapat-dapat sa isang binata).
Puwede ring nakilala niya na.
At doon siya naliwanagan.
Ilang oras na silang magkasama.
Nag-usap sila tungkol sa kanilang mga plano sa kolehiyo.
May pagkakataon na ngayon ang huling beses na maaari silang magkita.
“Aamin na siya sa akin” sumagi sa isipan ni Jia.
Nag-iisip na siya nang maaari niyang sabihin kay Jaime. Kapag hindi tinanggap ni Jia ang alok nitong pag-ibig, masasaktan ang kalooban ni Jaime na hanggang magkaibigan lang ang turingan nilang dalawa. Pwede rin niyang sabihin na baka mas maayos kung matanda na sila, dahil wala pa sila sa sapat na edad para sa ganoong bagay. O ayos ding sabihin na matagal na silang magkakilala at naging kapatid na ang turing ni Jia kay Jaime.
“Ayos, kakayanin ko ito.” sabi ni Jia sa sarili.
“J, puwede bang tumigil muna tayo?”
“Bakit pagod ka na? Sabagay baka napagod na siya kakatakbo. Puwedeng tayong magpahinga ng saglit, mahahabol pa naman natin.”
“Alam ko kung bakit mo ito ginagawa.”
“Hindi iyon usa! Alam ko ang iba’t iba uri ng usa at maniwala ka hindi usa yung nakita ko.”
“Alam kong maghihiwalay tayo pagkatapos ng buwan na ito. May posibilidad na maaring hindi na talaga tayo magkita. At dinala mo ako rito kasi mayroon kang gustong sabihin.”
“Oo nga, alam kong nandoon lang iyon at mahahabol din natin.”
Tumigil si Jia sa isang malaking bato at umupo muna sila roon. Nahihirapan siyang tumingin sa mata ni Jaime, pero itinuloy niya pa rin ang kaniyang sasabihin.
“Alam ko na sasabihin mo sa akin na mahal mo ako.”
“Oo naman, syempre mahal kita J. Matagal na tayong magkakilala at hindi ko alam kung makakakita pa ako ng isang kaibigang katulad mo.”
“Hindi iyon, ang ibig kong sabihin kung mahal mo talaga ako.”
“Ano?”
Hanggang sa biglang lumabas ang isang mabangis na nilalang sa kagubatan at pasugod ito sa kanila. Ang katawan nito ay maihahalintulad sa isang malaking kambing at ganoon din ang mga paa nito, pero naglalakad ito na parang tao. Mabalahibo ang buong katawan niya at kapag tumatama sa kaniya ang ilaw, nagmumukha siyang tao. Tumalon ito sa kanilang harapan at sinigawan sila nito bago bumalik sa kagubatan.
Tumagal ng ilang minuto bago sila nakapagsalita ulit dahil sa kanilang pagkabigla. Natuwa si Jaime dahil sa wakas napatunayan na niya ang kaniyang sinasabi.
“Hindi ba? Totoo yung sinasabi ko! Sabi ko sa’yo eh!”
“Hindi ako makapaniwala totoo nga.”
“Naniwala ka na? Hindi ako gagawa ng kung anu-ano.”
“Oo na naniniwala na ako, pero ano yung nakita natin?
“Isa lang yung alam ko hindi siya usa.”
“Huwag ka nang magmayabang diyan.”
“Ano ba naman, tatlong oras mong sinasabi na hindi totoo yung sinasabi ko. Sino ngayon yung tama?”
“Oo na, ikaw na.” sabi ni Jia.
“Tama, tumakbo siya roon kaya kapag pumunta tayo sa daang iyon maabutan natin siya bago lumubog ang araw. Titingnan ko kung nag-iwan siya ng bakas para masundan natin.”
“J, tungkol doon sa sinabi ko kanina?
“Alin doon?”
“Yung—sinabi mo na mahal mo ako.”
“Ah, hahaha iyon.”
“Ano?”
“Natawa ako sa sinabi mo kanina, puwede ka maging komedyante.”
“Ibig sabihin, uh— hindi— mo ako mahal?”
Tumawa si Jaime kasinlakas ng sumigaw sa kanila kanina.
“Iba yung gusto ko sa babae.”
=——————————————————–=
English Version
“You have to believe me! I saw it here, I promise!”
Jia rolled her eyes. It had been 2 hours since Jaime saw ‘something’ in the trees and decided to drag her along.
“It was probably a deer. Look, I haven’t seen anything that resembles the ‘thing’ that you saw. Can we please go back?”
“C’mon, just give it a bit more time, we’ll find it, I know we will!”
Jia wondered what ‘it’ he was getting at.
They had known each other since elementary school, but they only started to be friends in the first year of high school. Ever since then, they spent the majority of their time together, talking about their families and friends, the meaning of the stars, and what they thought their futures would be like.
High school was soon to be a distant memory. Their parents encouraged them to go to universities away from the province, to have a better future, or so they thought. Jaime had passed most of the university entrance test and settled on a school in Manila while Jia decided to go to Silliman University in Dumaguete.
In less than a month, they would go their separate ways. Sure, they might chat from time to time and see each other on holidays when they visit their families. But this was the end, and maybe Jaime just wanted a bit more time with her.
Or maybe…
‘Oh no. Oh god no.’ Jia thought.
She remembered the way he looked at her. In the past month something about it changed. Jaime was always one to worry too much about the future. Everything was overthought to the point of overwhelming him (and everyone close to him). But recently he was different. Gone were the soliloquies that she had gotten used to. It was just silence when they were around each other.
He had this romantic view about love that reality couldn’t compete with and maybe that’s why he never had a girlfriend. When they talked about the future, the topic of who they’d end up with would always come up.
Jia had always said that she didn’t care enough to actively seek someone. Dating apps were useless, online chats would end with her ghosting; one day someone she could handle would find her. In the meantime, she had her life to live.
Jaime, true to his nature, would end up with an hour-long spiel about how one should seek love in all places. It was funny and a little bit cute how he was just so sure about finding true love (or as true as a teenage boy could find).
But maybe he already did.
It all added up.
They’ve been alone for hours.
They’ve talked about their plans for university.
This may be the last time they might see each other.
‘He’s going to tell me he loves me’ Jia’s mind raced.
She thought about what she was going to say. If she told him she didn’t feel the same way it would break his heart, and she still loved him as a friend. Maybe she would say that that might be an option in the future, they could revisit it when they both became more mature. There was also the option of saying that she’d known him for so long that she couldn’t think of him as anything else other than a brother figure.
‘Okay’ she thought. ‘I can do this.’
“J, can we please stop?”
“Why, are you tired? We can take a small rest, maybe the thing’s tired too. We might catch up to it.”
“I know what this is really about.”
“It’s not a deer! I know deer, I’ve seen many different kinds of deer. Whatever this was, it wasn’t a deer.”
“Stop okay, I know this isn’t easy for you.”
“Huh?”
“We’re going to be apart after this month. Our paths might not ever cross again. You’re sending me on this wild chase because you want to tell me something.”
“Yes, I’m telling you that the thing is there and we can catch it!”
Jia motioned to a large rock and they both sat down. She had trouble looking him in the eye, but better she rip the band aid off now.
“I know you’re going to say you’re in love with me.”
“Of course I love you J. We’ve known each other since forever, I can’t imagine a better friend like you.”
“No, I mean. ‘Love me’ love me.”
“What?”
A split second later, out of the trees, a wild creature dashed in front of them. It was about the size of a large goat, with legs like a goat complete with hooves, but it walked on its hind legs. It had hair all over its body and in the afternoon light its face looked almost human. The creature jumped in front of the two and let out a shrill scream before bounding away back into the forest.
It took a few minutes before the shellshocked teenagers were able to form words. Jaime stood up and enjoyed his triumph.
“I told you! I knew it! It was real and I told you! Yes! Yes!”
“Oh my god it was actually real.”
“Yes! See? I wouldn’t make something like that up!”
“Okay, okay, you were right. What was that thing?”
“I don’t know but it sure as hell wasn’t a deer.”
“You don’t have to be so smug about it.”
“Yes I do! You spent 3 hours with me saying you don’t believe me. Well who’s laughing now.”
Jia sighed. “You are.”
“Damn right I am. It went that way if we run maybe we can get to it before sundown. I think it left a trail, let me check the ground.”
“J, what about what I said?”
“Which part?”
“The— you being in love with me one.”
“Oh, hahahahaha that was a good one.”
“What?”
“You’re full of jokes J, you should really be a comedian.”
“So you’re not— uh—– romantically interested in me?”
Jaime laughed as loud as the creature screamed.
“You’re just not my type.”
=————————————————————-=
*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino
Inspired by the Oguima description in Diccionario mitológico de Filipinas in Volume 2 of Retana, W.E. Archivo del bibliófilo filipino by Ferdinand Blumentritt (1895)
Oguima Illustration by Abe