Top: KAMISETA; Pants: UNIQLO; Shoes: KEDS
When we were having dinner yesterday (we eat with our kasambahays),
ALVIN (referring to our kasambahays): Aalis na yan.
I panicked. Akala ko yung all around namin yung aalis. I will die if she leaves. She’s the most efficient person in the house and I have trained her well. Buti na lang, yung “yaya” ni Anika daw yung aalis again. Yeah. She left na last year but went back kasi she got bored in the province. Ngayon, aalis na naman daw. Secretly, I am wishing that if she’ll leave, for good na. We actually only maintain her para lang may kalaro si Anika. Mabait sana kaso patola din kay Anika eh. They fight all the time. Also, hindi siya masyado nasusulit sa house because our all around is the one who does almost all of the house work. We can make do without the “yaya”. Anika definitely doesn’t need a yaya anymore. Para din matuto si Anika to look after and fix her things. Ang donya ng batang yan eh. Hindi marunong magpack and mag-attend to her stuff.
Anyway, after Alvin and Anika left the table, nagkwentuhan kaming 3. Lyn, our all around wonder woman, made kwento.
LYN: Ate, si Anika may Oppa na.
ME: Anong Oppa?!
LYN: Narinig ko nagkukwentuhan sila ni ____ (name of her girl playmate). Sabi ni girl, crush daw si Anika nung batang lalaki sa tapat ng bahay.
ME: Anong sabi ni Anika?
LYN: Hindi ko lang narinig. Pinaguusapan din nila yung isang bata dun sa kabilang bahay. Crush din daw si Anika.
ME: As in sila lang naguusap?
LYN: Oo Ate. Sinita ko nga eh. Sabi ko hoy anong crush crush yan? Sabi ni Anika, gumawa ng imaginary line sa gitna namin. Hanggang dun lang daw yung usapan sa kanila. Hindi daw ako kasali.
ME: Ano sabi mo?
LYN: Sabi ko ganun ba? Eh di gumawa din ako ng imaginary line sa pagitan namin dalawa. Sabi ko yun lang ang kasali sa usapan mamya sa kainan pagkasama na Tatay niya.
ME: Ano sabi ni Anika?
LYN: Wala po. Lumapit sa akin tapos niyakap ako. Wag daw.
Emergerd. It’s too early for this!
That night, while Anika and I were watching TV, I saw it as an opportunity to open this up with her. I started with asking how was her day. Tapos hindi ko na matiis.
ME: Anika, may Oppa ka na daw?
ANIKA: No.
ME: Do you have anything to make kwento to me about it.
ANIKA: NO!!!
ME: Ate Lyn said something about that boy from the house in front of us.
ANIKA: It’s nothing.
ME: We promised that we will not have secrets from each other di ba?
Anika started crying.
ME: O, bakit ka umiiyak?
ANIKA: I don’t want to talk about it.
ME: Why don’t you want to talk about it with me pero you talk about it with your girl friends?
ANIKA: You will get mad.
ME: No, I won’t get mad. I will get more mad if I hear it from somebody else.
Emergerd. I sounded like Wowa.
ANIKA: They said that that boy has a crush on me. But I don’t even like him.
ME: That’s okay Anika. You can tell me things like that. I will not get mad. Are you doing something wrong?
ANIKA: No.
ME: See? Why should I get mad? And di ba I told you we can talk about everything?
ANIKA: Yes.
Tapos ayun na nagkwento na siya. Nakinig ako. Nakitawa ako.
ME: O see? Masaya if we can talk about it di ba? Don’t keep things from me just because you will think I will get mad ha? Wag ganun. Maganda if we can talk about anything. I’m also your friend, right?
Nag-yes naman siya.
I know umpisa pa lang ito. Dugay pa, as they say in Bicol. Maaga pa. But I really, really want Anika to feel that she can tell me about these things. Lalo na about boys.
Eto na. Naguumpisa na tayo. Napapa-aga yata.