Tesshub
Monday, November 30, 2009 3:06 PM /
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In my case, I did the confronting.
I broke a test tube this Saturday. And it was an accident. Like the incident with the exploded iron socket and the splintered door hole in the bathroom on my first night at the boarding house.
You see, I was about to take a bath when I began to rummage my travelling bag for some clothes and I saw this glass tube sticking out from another bag under mine. I took it out. I did. And I'm sorry, I'm a curious little kid interested in science. I figured one of my boardmates must be into some kind of hush-hush experimental breakthrough.
But this was not science. The tube didn't contain any deadly viral stuffs or hybernated babies ready for evolution. Cones, like the tip of a newly sharpened pencil, in a shade of cream were paired side by side while suspended in perfect alignment. A peck of dust was gathering at the bottom of the glass. Shiny. Pretty.
"What is this?" I whispered.
I pondered for a moment. The bag belongs to my boardmate Kuya Aldrin. He's an HRM grad, I recalled. What would he do with this? Is this one of his secret recipes for cooking? (though I doubt that he can cook, only a few men knows how to cook, like my Dad and my Grandpa)
No, no. This isn't for cooking; it looked inedible. I took a sniff. Chemicals.
An image of a pencil caressing an eyebrow stroked my mind, recalling some of my memories. I was a little kid again, with a pair of razors while Mom was telling me to be careful with the blade while I sharpen her beauty pencil. One of Mom's beauty stuffs.
That's it! Make-up.
The realization hit me and the reaction was physical. I dropped the tube.
Sh*t.
I scrambled to the floor and picked up the broken pieces. D*mn. The glass was sharp. I dropped them and fetched a broom. I had hidden the trash under the rug when the risk of someone to put his foot on it when he went to the bathroom. .tsk,tsk. .wrong move. I swept the trash behind the door instead. No one will ever think of finding it there.
I was panting after that. And literally sweating. The stress and the psychological horror kept on building. It was like on the telly. An innocent guy gets involved in a crime for accidentally murdering a person. Or like some lone traveler who went for a road trip and accidentally kills an endangered buffalo crossing the road. And I was cleaning up any trace of what had just occured. Like I was planning to get away with a crime.
But I'm going to tell the truth. Later. Tonight. Or after when I'm ready. I just needed time to prepare myself.
I told Faj about this accident before we went out for dinner. And Krista and Candy too. I was scared shitless to the point that I didn't order another cup of rice to my dinner serving.
*sob!*
The girls were sympathetic. But it was mostly Faj who was the shock-absorber.
"Bili ka na lang ng bago at palitan mo na habang maaga pa," Faj finally advised.
"I can't! Walang brand na nakalagay. Hindi ko ma-trace kung saang store yon nanggaling!"
"Eh, di bayaran mo na lang."
"Baka mahal. ."
"Di test tube lang ang bayaran mo, yan lang naman ang nabasag."
"Okay," I said at last. That's reasonable enough. "If he won't forgive me, then I'll pay him na lang for the damages."
Sh*t. Sh*t. Sh*t.
I didn't sleep in my room that night.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The next night, the confrontation scene began.
Ken & Aldrin
Scene 1
K: Kuya. .
A: O?
A moment of (10 seconds) silence.
K: Uh. .May sasabihin po sana ako sa 'yo. .
A: Ano 'yon?
I couldn't say it. For a moment I was frozen in fear. Faj said I was lucky. He reasoned that I should be grateful for the tube suffered for my carelessness. Just like Akon.
A: Bakit? Ano ba 'yon?
A was now curious. Eto na. Moment of truth.
K: Nasira ko po ang test tube niyo
A: Ha? (confused.not angry)
K: Nasira ko po ang test tube niyo. .Sorry po talaga Kuya
A: Anung test tube?
I pointed to the green bag resting on his upperdeck.
He smiled. And I could feel the burden of shame, guilt and fear slowly fading. But it was a smile of mischief that slowly turned into a low chuckle.
"That's not mine, kay Emman yan."
_______________________________________________________________________________
I coudn't tell Kuya Emman about it the next night. How could I, he was in a good mood and very inquisitive about my late night whereabouts - where did I spent my Saturday and Sunday nights.
E: Uy, Ken. .di ka na ata natutulog dito ah.
K: Uh. .Oo nga po eh. hehe
E: Sa kaibigan mo ba ikaw natulog kagabi?
K: Opo.
E: Kayo lang dalawa magkasama?
K: Opo, pero minsan lang naman 'to kasi wala siyang kasama sa kwarto
E: Ah. Nakilala ko na ba siya?
K: Uh. .lalaki po siya eh.
After that I hastily excused myself for dinner.
Kuya A told me to forget about what had happened. That I should just keep my mouth shut. To let it pass and treat it just like any other bad dream. And I'd love to, god I really, really do. But I don't want to ruin my reputation. I'm human, aren't I? I have flaws and can commit mistakes. But I should also be able to correct these mistakes as much as I make them.
So I was still going ahead with the confrontation. Part 2.
And aside from that, the nature of the specimen still intrigued me. I had asked Kuya Aldrin but he was also clueless.
It was the morning after that next night, the second confrontation scene began.
Ken & Aldrin Emman
Scene 2
Kuya Emman was just fresh from the shower and I figured this was probably the best time to tell him considering na malamig pa ang ulo dahil bagong paligo.
K: Kuya Emman..
E: O?
K: Uhmm. .Sorry po, pero. Nasira ko po yong test tube niyo. .
E: Anung test tube?
I showed him the 'evidence' behind the door. And then came the explainations, followed by "i'm so sorry kuya. ."
I lowered my guilty head for the sharp assault. I was expecting a sermon or some parental advice like, "sa susunod 'wag mo nang ulitin". But he didn't get angry (I really hope not). Or made me pay. He just brushed it aside like it didn't really mattered.
I thanked him profusely before leaving for work.
On my way outside, I feel light and jumpy bumpy bouncy. I did it! I did it! I told the truth! And like the old clich says. .I'm free!
God. That's one big obstacle. I deserve a cup of sundae this lunch. Or a gelato on tube cone cup.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Kuya Emman had arrived earlier that night. When I got home after work I found him sitting on the lowerdeck, below my bed. I greeted him and he just nodded, and proceeded on with his texting. I don't know if he's feeling and testing me. Or I'm just being paranoid.
And by the way, the content of the tube wasn't make-up but incense.
Labels: jumpy, ken chua, stuffs
0 Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut
Ken Chua would no longer go underground unless the notorious Martial Law II is declared. He is partly convinced that all his pent-up thoughts are spilled in this account.