XVI.

Tantan holds his head. He was dizzy for a moment. Masakit din ang likod niya. Pero ang mas ikinagulat niya ay ang pang-mamanhid ng kaniyang kaliwang braso. Then he saw something red and felt something itchy and painful. His arm has a scratch and it's bleeding, red liquid is slowly dropping on the ground.

Mapapanga-nga siya. It was a horrid view. He looks at the boy who pushed him who is also in a state of shock, standing up to him.

Should he feel scared? Should he cry because of the searing pain that is slowly eating him alive? Dali-daling lumapit ang binata sa kaniya and gathered his pencil case and sketchpad then went straight to him. He took his other arm gently making him stand up and regain his balance.

He also inspects the other parts of his body kung may tama ito and wipes off the dirt from his polo and pants. ''Sorry. Kasi nagulat lang ako. Di'ko sinasadya sorry talaga.''

Those eyes, brown, beautiful yet so empty, pleading. Kinda reminds him of Aki's eyes. The boy guides him inside the church. They sat on one of the pews beside a ceiling fan, the boy opens it to give him air. ''Dito ka lang may kukunin lang ako'' and off he goes.

Tantan checks on his wound. Malayo naman sa bituka, but he feels like his skin is being burned. Suddenly all the things he was thinking about today disappeared.

The boy came back running with a medicine box and a jug of water. Then he sits beside him and immediately damps a clean towel with warm water. The boy holds his arm gently pressing it on his wound. Even though it feels like hundreds of needles are being inserted in his skin, he was providing a warm presence. ''Medyo masakit lang to ha. Hinga ng malalim''. He puts betadine in a piece of cotton then down to his skin. His touches are that of a caring spirit. Then for the final touch he opens a gauze, folds, and cuts it precisely the size of his wound and taped it on his skin. The he returned his arm to Tantan who was in awe of this display of concern.

The boy put everything in the box again and rests his back on the pew. Bumuntong hininga ito ng malalim and looks at him again then to his wounds. ''Mamaya po yung misa. Pero pwede ka naman na dito muna kung may masakit pa sayo. Meron pa ba?'' he said to him without any expression.

Tantan wanted to stay and still linger with his presence but he knows that his time is up. This might be a dream after all. ''Wala na naman. Alis na din ako maya-maya''

''Tubig gusto mo?''

Umiling ulit si Tantan.

Isang katahimikan ang pumagitan sa dalawa. He can feel that the gaze of the boy is on the altar. Tantan looks up again. The lines on the ceiling are moving pero hindi sila pumunta sa kanila, walang pag-pulupot na naganap, they're just swimming up above like fishes in an aquarium. Bakit kaya?

Then he stood up. The boy followed. ''Salamat ulit. Magpapa-alam na din sana ako kasi dino-drawing ko tong simbahan, balik ulit ako bukas. Assignment ko sa drafting. Una na ako'' ''Ayos lang. Nandito naman ako basta tanghali. Sabihan ko din si Kuya Noel saka yung guard na dadaan ka ulit. Pwede naman. Sorry ulit ha.'' Mapapakamot siya ng ulo.

All is forgiven. Dali-daling tumalikod si Tantan at lumabas ng simbahan. As he walks out of the vicinity, there is a huge smile on his face. Even his ears turned red. Who cares about a painful arm?

Naalala niya yung kwento ni Paloma at Justine, pag may crush ka daw, pakiramdam mo ang tamis-tamis at ang lamig-lamig ng paligid mo. Parang pag kumain ka ng ice cream. Yun mismo yung atmosphere niya ngayon kahit tirik pa ang araw. Tantan never really thought about the 500 pesos at stake in this challenge or even the assignment sa drafting class. He's on cloud nine to even a care about these things.