Chapter 4: Broken and Promises

It is now Monday, a week has passed since the event at the Madridejos Community College.

The sun was scorching hot in the middle of the noon. A tall bald fatty stood still with his head bowed in front of a tomb of a certain person.

"I am back. Sorry, It took too long to see you old man," he mumbled with a deep, low voice.

His dark piercing eyes gazed at the deceased person's photo placed inside a small frame. Contrary to his silent and cold presence, the man in the photo was full of life and exploding joy. By looking closer, one could tell that the photo was just a cut out from a bigger photo judging from the two more shoulders that protruded from both sides.

The man in the photo was overflowing with vitality as he was holding a sepak takraw ball and a sparkling golden trophy on the other hand. The more the young man looked at the photo, the more painful and cold expressions emerged in his face.

Finally, he sighed as he pulled a single white candle and a lighter out from his pocket. He kneeled to light the candle and placed it before the tomb.

"How are you old man. It has been three years since I last saw you," he whispered as he slowly stood up and took a cigarette out of his pocket. But just when he was about to light it up, he suddenly paused while staring at the photo below. The smile in the photo seems to send him a message.

The tall, dark fatty young man closed his eyes and sighed again.

"It's funny. Even though you are dead, I can still feel your nagging. Alright, you won. I won't smoke anymore." He pulled the whole remaining cigarette pack and placed it below as if surrendering them all to an authority.

"Here, have a smoke. You have been too good during your life I bet you've never tasted what cigarette feels like." he continued to mumble in front of the tomb. His black lonely figure in the middle of the cemetery stood in quite a contrast to the white paints of the tombs scattered throughout the whole place.

His hands scratch the back of his head and continued to talk alone,

"I am sorry that I wasn't able to come sooner, I was keeping my promise to you to fully recover from my drug addiction. For three years I held strong. Though it was really though in the biggening, but look at me now."

His voice cracked from the hard feelings trying to gush out of his heart. His eyes started to redden, doing his best not to cry.

"Indeed, it was three years. I was really excited to see you and show you my progress on my drug rehabilitation as I promised! And I did!"

He bit his lips hard. Tears rolled down as light sobs of regret followed.

"Hiick. But I never expected to see you here. Cold in a box. Dead. How were you gonna congratulate me?! Hick. You said yourself that I have potential, that I can change people's lives as long as I change. That I can overcome my addiction. Hick. That I can find true friends. How the hell are you gonna guide me then, when the next time I saw you is just your stupid cold picture!?"

There was a long silence that followed. He took his time to calm his heart and dried his eyes with a couple of manly wipes.

"Anyway, here I am. At the island where you grew up, hoping to completely change my life and following your guide until now. I have seen the college that you recommended. It was not as big as the college institutions at Cebu, but it's a good start."

He looked at the white puffy clouds that were painted throughout the sky and inhaled deeply while closing his eyes. There was a sense of longing and hope in the air.

"I can only hope that you will continue to watch and guide me just like you did before. I remember you said you were a part of the school sepak takraw team during your college and you guys almost made it to the nationals?"

Then a confident smirk appeared.

"It's just nationals, how hard could that sports be? You stay still and watch, let me show you how its done."

The young man finally turned around and prepared to leave.

"You said your only regret was that you never had a child. I hope you knew that I am here today, alive and drug-free because I believed in you like a father. Though I was just a lowly Cebu street thug and addict, you never stopped to encourage me to change. You are the best policeman and father figure that I could ever have."

His voice started to crack again but he managed to hold his tears back this time.

"When I come back, I will be with my true friends and a Sepak Takraw National trophy will also be in my hand. So you chill there and just enjoy the show. This is the promise of Mark Gantes to you."

Mark left the cemetery and stood at the roadside waiting for a PUJ or public utility jeepney to ride back home. He was feeling thirsty so he went to a nearby store to grab some coke drink. Then his eyes stumbled at the stone wall where a school poster was placed.

"A sepak takraw try-out tomorrow?" Then Mark looked at the sky and grumbled as if talking to an old man.

"You just can't wait to see me play do you?" Mark smiled confidently. His piercing eyes are now as clear as the sky. The dark circles and cold presence are gone. It feels like he was a different person.

In fact, he has indeed changed to a completely different person. Way far, far ahead from his old version.

***

It was already 8 o'clock in the evening back at the community college, a young skinny guy with pale white skin was holding a mop and was busy cleaning up the school gym on the side.

His name is Yang, a Chinoy or half-Chinese, half Filipino. Despite his skinny and pale looking body, he was, in fact a very active young man who is actively responsible for the cleanliness of the school. He was wearing the school utility attire while cleaning the mop to a bucket of dirty water beside him.

"Whew, one court left. I wonder when are these people gonna finish." Yang was standing before a sepak takraw stage, watching two teams going over a practice match in one of the sepak takraw courts.

In the middle of the wide space was a basketball court, one volleyball, and two sepak takraw court.

PANG!~

"check! It's mine!"

Phok!~

"Dhalsim do this one!"

"Mine, mine mine!"

PAANG!~

"Ooooohhh!~"

"OOOozze!"

"Hah! You guys see that?!"

There were loud shouts and cheers as Yang watched from the sideline. He is a huge fan of the sepak takraw sports because of how it resembles Chinese martial arts integrated into a ball sport.

His sharp eyes were hidden by his hair and are a very shy and quiet person.

"Hey, janitor boy. Do you want to play with us?" Rino "Dhalsim" Dimagiba, the team captain of the current sepak takraw team invited Yang.

"Does he even play sepak takraw?" Kurt, the team spiker asked with a condescending gaze.

"I doubt. Look at his skin and frail body. It feels like he would break apart when accidentally hit by the ball. If it was the Takraw God's spike, he would probably die on the spot. " John commented who was wiping his sweat.

"I am good kind sirs. I am only here to remind you we are about to close the gym by nine pm as I have to clean it to prepare for tomorrow."

"Can't you see that we are still playing?!" John shouted coldly.

"But it's the school's rule sir. Every 9 pm, the gym will be closed for maintenance."

"Maintenance my ass! Don't you know who we are?" Kurt butted as well. This time, he came close to the frail-looking Yang and imposed his overwhelming size together with a cold gaze.

Yang backed a little not daring to fight at all.

"I do know you, sir. You guys are famous after winning the 2012 regional meet. The school's sepak takraw main representative, especially Mr. Dhalsim who is the three times MVP." Yang rattled in a cowardly manner.

Smiling cockily, Kurt crossed his arms with his nose held high.

"It is good that you know of us. Now that we are clear between our authorities, you should just continue cleaning while waiting for us to finish."

"But aren't you guys finished?" Yang asked in a low tone.

"We are going for another round."

"But in that case... it won't be over until-"

"Are you complaining?!"

BAAASH!~

John suddenly kicked the bucket of dirty water and it splashed towards the volleyball court. Kurt and Rino just laughed on the side.

Seeing the messy court, Yang felt a terrible head-ache and helplessness. He clenched his fist tightly and upon seeing it, Kurt even presented his face.

"What? Do you want to hit me? Go ahead. Let's see what happens to your precious floor-scrubbing career the next day. huh?! Come on."

Yang's body was shaking in anger, but he knew better to not fall to their provocation. Yang breathed in and out a couple of times and left the arrogant team behind. With his eyes covered by his hair, he started cleaning up the wet, dirty floors.

"hahahaha!"

"Dogshit janitor doesn't know his place. pwe!"

Kurt and John mocked Yang as they went back to their captain.

"Alright guys, let's go for another round. Let's do our best. We will crush all those teams who will do the try-outs tomorrow." Rino, the team captain, and Tekong told the other two.

"I just don't understand. Why bother looking for more teams when the school already has the best regu here!?"

"I know right! hahahaha! I heard it was initiated by that stupid bearded PE instructor Ulysis!"

"I am telling you guys. Tomorrow, we will destroy all those teams. I will show them why I was called Dhalsim! hahaha," Rino laughed loudly as they started another game.

Yang on the other hand continued to be quiet and cleaned the floor as usual.

When Rino's team finished, it was already just already a quarter before midnight. The school guard came awhile ago to tell him to hurry up. By 12 midnight, Yang had finished cleaning the entire gym alone and started to bring all his cleaning tools to the stock room.

He was about to turn off the lights before leaving through the door when his eyes stumbled on a certain poster pasted on the wall near the door. His eyes glistened for a moment with a little hope.

"Maybe I should give it a try-" He thought to himself as he looked at the school poster when he suddenly felt a terrible headache.

"Agghk!~" the pain felt like hundreds of tiny needles are piercing his brain at the same time. Yang had no choice but to kneel and tried his best to resist a terrible craving. His muscles were twitching while shaking and Yang fought hard to regain his control.

"Agghk- not today...again..gk gk. Stupid disease. Do you think I am gonna fall to you? ghhhk"

Yang's eyes suddenly sharpened just like that of a demon. His senses become incredibly sensitive and his movements were quick but silent like a hunting cat. His mouth also could not stop salivating. He was craving for something.

Yang never realized until now that he was actually turning into an Aswang at that moment. He just knew that he doesn't want anyone to see him during his "disease" attack. However, unlike any other Aswang, he was an incredibly unique one.

Fwoosh~

Yang's figure ran out of the gym while running in all four at a flashing speed. Like a black shadow, he passed through the dark alleys while avoiding attention, and before long, he reached a certain Carabao Mango tree full of green unripened fruits at the back of the school.

"There.." Yang's gaze was locked on a fistful size dangling with the leaves about 5 meters above the ground. One might think it was already tall, but Yang simply pounced by using the tree's main branch as a spring point. Like parkour, he simply leaped and bounced with graceful and quick movements.

"Gotcha."

Yang managed to effortlessly grab the green unripened carabao mango fruits despite their tall height. And like a hungry wolf, he munched on the incredibly sour fruits with a huge smile. Not even the leaves and the mango seed was spared.

It was his most kept secret. Yang was actually an Aswang.

"Dang..fruits and vegetables really are the best."

But unlike a normal meat-and-blood-hungry-Aswang, Yang is actually a strict vegetarian. Just the mere sight and smell of blood or meat will cause him to be nauseated. But the moment he eats a vegetable or a fruit, he becomes incredibly energetic.

Yang had been trying to avoid making friends because of his Aswang transformation. He was quite aware, since a long time ago, about the evil reputation of the Aswang. According to the rumors, they hunt at night, feeding on the unknowing pregnant and children.

Slowly, Yang's cravings were satisfied and his body returned back to normal. However, there was great sorrow in his eyes. He slumped on the ground and looked at the bright full moon on great display over the horizon.

"How am I gonna play and live normally if I continue to be like this? How am I gonna make friends?" It has been a long time and Yang wished that he never had this curse.

"I guess I was wishing too much huh..."

Then, after a deep sigh, Yang quickly got up and trotted back to the direction of the school gym. He has long accepted the truth that he would remain an Aswang forever. And that means he will continue to avoid making any friends nor even a family.

He was destined and prepared to live alone for the rest of his life. Unless he could find someone who would accept him completely. But for now, it is just a dream for him.

"Dang! I forgot to lock the gym. Mister Pogi is gonna kill me."

Nevertheless, Yang is still hoping to at least find some true friends. At least before he dies, if ever he will. No matter their circumstances, he is willing to accept them no matter what. After all, he knows how it feels to be alone.