At The Beginning (Short Story)

We were strangers starting out on our journey 

Never dreaming what we'd have to go through 

Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing 

At the beginning with you...

* * * * * *

You are my first...

The first one who made me feel like this...

The first one to made me feel LOVE...

I still remembered that day...when we're still strangers. I was a transferee back then, probably we we're grade two that time. He was the one first one to approach me..."Hello, Erika ang pangalan mo diba?" Yan ang mga unang salitang narinig ko mula sa kanya...ang cute cute ng boses niya nun tsaka ang ganda ng ngiti niya.

"Ah...oo ako si Erika, ikaw...anong pangalan mo?" tanong ko din sa kanya.

"Brian. Brian, ang pangalan ko." sabi niya sabay ngiti ulit.

Since that day...lagi na kaming magkasama. Lagi niya akong sinasamahan tuwing recess he even defend me against sa mga nang-aaway sa akin. Laging siya nga ang naglilinis para sa akin eh dahil ayaw kong madumihan ang kamay ko. Nagi-guilty nga ako tuwing pinapanood ko siyang maglinis. Ang dami niyang ginawa para sa akin. He would often give me his handkerchief tuwing tumutulo yung sipon ko. Medyo gross ako noon eh, grade 2 nga lang diba? And then one day...I realized I started liking him...CRUSH ko na siya.

As days and months passed, mas naging close pa kami sa isa't isa. Our classmates would often teased us na kami na daw. Grabe nga lang eh! Imagine! We're just grade two that time. I''ll always find myself blushing tuwing tinutukso kami ng mga kaklase namin pero siya he'll just smile and say, "Ano ba, tama na nga yan...baka umiyak ang bestfriend ko eh."

I know I'm too young that time para sabihing nasasaktan ako sa mga salitang yun...pero ganun naman talaga ang nararamdaman ko eh. Parang may kirot sa puso ko everytime that he'll say that we're bestfriends. I should be happy, right? Bestfriends kasi kami eh.

Nakikita kong he really cares for me. Yun nga lang, bestfriends nga lang kami diba? Everyday that I'm with him is perfect. I'll always imagine na kami ang magkakatuluyan sa hinaharap kaso "imagination" ko nga lang lahat yun eh. Then one day, kinailangan kong magtransfer ng school bacause of my health conditions. Umiyak ako nang nalaman ko yun. Kahit mabigat, I said goodbye to him.

"Bestfriend, iiwan mo ba talaga ako?" tanong niya sakin that day. Umiiyak siya nun...isang musmos na batang umiiyak sa harapan ko na nagmamakaawang wag ko siyang iwan. Para kaming mga ewan noon...ang bata pa namin para mag-react ng ganun but we're really feeling that way.

Pero kahit ayaw kong mahiwalay kay Brian eh kailangan ko. I transferred sa isang school in Manila. At first, wala talaga akong mga kaibigan. My mother would always ask me why I'm always alone. Grade 3 na ako that time...but still I can't forget the boy who is always there for me. The boy who could make me blush like some spaced out idiot...

5 more years passed and I'll be in grade 3rd year high school sa pasukan. Sa 5 years na pananatili ko dito, I also found friends...but all of them are girls. It's late afternoon when I came home from a friend's house and I saw my mother packing our clothes.

"Ma, saan po tayo pupunta?" I asked her

Binigyan lang niya ako ng isang tipid na ngiti saka nagsalita, "Babalik na tayo ng probinsya, Erika...May kailangan akong asikasuhin dun eh."

When I heard those words came out from my mother's mouth, it's like I instantly felt happiness...I also don't know why...

Finally, the first day of school came. Grabe ang kaba ko noon...OO, kilala ko ang iba sa mga magiging kaklase ko pero kinakabahan pa rin ako. Maybe...because I would see him again. I would see Brian again. Nabalitaan kong dito rin kasi siya pumapasok. Ano na kaya ang itsura nun ngayon? May girlfriend na kaya siya ngayon? Ay! Anubey! Ba't ba ganyan ang pumapasok sa isip ko?

I found a bench at umupo ako dun while waiting for the others to come bago ako pumasok sa classroom namin. Maya-maya pa eh dumami na din silang nagsisispasukan sa room. I just look at them as I was trying to recognize some of the faces. Maya-maya pa ay nagdesisyon na akong pumasok sa classroom, umupo ako sa pinakadaulong upuan tsaka pinagmasdan ang mga tao sa paligid ko when someone called my name.

"Erika?", sabi nung lalaki...yeah, it was a boy...a very masculine voice from a very handsome man. Beside him stands a girl...girlfriend niya siguro? Or not? They have so much resemblance...

"Erika?" he repeated....that was then I realized that I'm already spacing out. He's face is very familiar...

"Ahmmm...ako nga si Erika, kilala ba kita?" I asked him. I know na nakakahiya...dahil hindi ko siya mamukhaan...but I really think I know him...

He just smiled at me....and then I realized who he was....because of his smile...

"Brian? Ikaw ba yan?"

"Oo, ako to...grabe nakakapagtampo ka naman, hindi mo na ako nakilala."

"Ah...eh....that's because you really looked different..."

"You looked different too, you're much prettier."

"You don't need to praise me....ikaw nga dyan ang gumwapo eh."

"Wala ka pang seatmate ah...can I seat beside you?"

I just smiled at him...

That was again the start of our friedship...

That was the start of me falling in love with him...

Everyday that I'm with him is like a fairytale....a prince and a princess...happily aver after...

Sometimes, I can't help but think that he also likes me, rather loves me...

Well, maybe that was my imagination...I heard from my classmates that he already courts someone and that is definitely not me...

Tinanong ko siya..."Brian, may liniligawan ka na ba?"

"Wala pa..." yan ang sagot niya pero hindi pa pala ito tapos, "Pero may balak na akong ligawan."

Those words struck me like thousands of needles into my heart...

Why not me? Why is it that it has to be another girl?

I felt that my tears would fell down anytime...but I need to stop it before it's too late...

"Ah...ganun ba...well, it's nice to hear that you've finally found someone..." I said trying to stop my tears from falling.

"Yeah...and that someone really deserves to be loved."

"She's so lucky..."

"No, Im lucky to find her."

Hayyy...that girl is very lucky to have you...Brian. I love you but you love her...

Since that day, I started drifting away from him...dahil kung ipagpapatuloy ko pa to...I'll get hurt more and more...

When we were in school, you'll always offer your company but I'll always reject you...

Dahil para sakin...this was my way to ease the pain that I felt...

Oo, hindi ko kilala kung sino yang babaeng liligawan mo but still...THE THOUGHT OF YOU WITH ANOTHER GIRL IS AGONY...

Then one day...

I need to leave again...

Maybe this was for good...

I left with no words...

Hindi ako nagparamdam sayo...baka kasi di ko makayanang iwan ka...kung makita pa kita...

***PRESENT

1 YEAR AFTER...

GOD! I can't believe this! I'm already in college...

I smiled as I looked at the students happily talking with each other...

LONER NA NAMAN AKO...

Kasi naman eh...NPA kami ni mama, kung saan2x nalang ako ita-transfer...

Pero masaya naman akong nakabalik na ako dito sa aking lupang sinilangan...

Oy! Nagiging makata na yata ako ah...

Naglakad na ako saka ko hinanap ang first class ko...pero ang hirap hanapin eh, maybe because the school is too big.

"Ouch!" I said when someone bumped me.

Agad-agad namang pinulot nung lalaki yung mga dala ko...mostly documents ko yun...

"Sorry talaga Miss...I'm in a hurry and I didn't notice you..." he said

Napatulala naman ako sa mukka niya...he's so freaking handsome...more handsome than I can remember...

"Erika?" he said

Lagi nalang yan ang sinasabi niya pag nagkikita kami...

I missed him...I want to hug him...but I can't...this can't be...

He already love someone...

I immediately grab my things from his hand and started running away like there's no tomorrow.

I heard him shouting my name...running after me...

"Erika! Please! Let's talk!"

I ran faster para hindi niya ako maabutan but still...it's not enough dahil nahawakan na niya ang mga braso ko...

"Anong kailangan mo? Do I know you Mister?" I said trying to make my voice sound realistic.

"Erika...please, wag na tayong maglokohan dito."

"Lokohan? First is...hindi kita kilala. Second, you kept calling me Erika, which is not me."

"Alam kong ikaw si Erika...and there's no way that you could fool me...again."

Again? Anong pinagsasabi niya? Gago ba siya?

"Again? Gago ka ba? Never kitang niloko Brian...and I have no reasons to fool you...stop pointing things at me na hindi ko naman ginawa, maliwanag?"

Gumuhit ang isang nakakalokong ngiti sa mga labi niya, "Edi umamin ka din."

Napansin kong maraming students na ang nakatingin samin...NAKAKAHIYA! Marahil ay napansin din niya ito kaya inakay niya ako papunta sa likuran ng school.

"Let me go, Brian!"

"No! I will never let you go, again."

Never let me go, again? a simple line pero kakaibang meaning ang dulot nun sakin...it brought me hope...I cant' explain what I am exactly feeling right now...I want to cry...

"Brian..." I said...I felt a tear escaped from my eyes.

"Erika...mag-usap naman tayo."

"Wala naman tayong pag-uusapan diba?"

Instead of answering my question, he touched my face and said, "I miss you...you don't know how much I do and please don't cry...you don't know how it breaks my heart."

"Erika...wag mo na akong iwan...life without you is hell..."

What is he saying?

"Brian...ano bang pinagsasabi mo ha? Stop this, ok? Nakakairita na eh."

"Can't you understand me? I love you Erika! Mahal kita! But you left me with no explanation...you drifted away from me without a reason...and now you're here again, ipagtatabuyan mo na naman ako?"

He loves me? Pero diba...diba may mahal na siyang iba? Ano yun, nung umalis ako saka niya lang na-realiza na mahal niya ako? Pinagloloko ba ako ng lalaking to?

"I f this is just a joke...please tell me now...you don't know how it hurts to assume."

"Hindi ako nagjo-joke Erika...mahal talaga kita...ikaw lang ang lumayo."

Ba't nagdiriwang na ang puso ko? Naramdaman kong sunod-sunod nang naglandas ang mga luha sa mata ko. Mahal niya ako. Mahal ako ni Brian and it felt like heaven hearing those words from him.

"That's because you said that you already love someone."

"Is that an I love you too?"

"Maybe it is..." I said...hindi ko na-imagine na mangyayari pa to sa buhay ko.

He hugged me and then he kissed my forehead.

"Erika?"

"Hmmm...?"

"That girl I'm planning to court?"

"What? Mas mahal mo siya?" I said na may halong galit.

"That was you."

Ngayon, alam ko nang happy endings do really exist, baka madelay man siguro yung happy ending mo but still there's a happy ending intended to each of us...

 We were strangers starting out on our journey 

Never dreaming what we'd have to go through 

Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing 

At the beginning with you... http://www.wattpad.com/story/7018431-at-the-beginning-one-shot