Grace

(ilalaglag ko nalang muna sarili ko)

9yrs yung 1st serious relationship ko.

...Pero bago mangyari yun, may naging gf ako, pero not counted.
(malalaman nyo kung bakit...)

itago nalang natin sya sa pangalang "Grace"

Kapitbahay namin sila Grace, at matagal ko na syang kaibigan...


Kuya Chito ang tawag sakin ni Grace...
(kahit pareho naman kaming 3rd yr hs at kahit alam naman nyang patay na patay ako sa kanya)

...At kahit alam nya may gusto ako sa kanya, magkasundo talaga kami bilang magkaibigan at halos araw araw kaming magkasama...pero never kami naging sweet.

ngunit isang araw, nagbago bigla.


April 1, 1993
Sumama ako sa kanila ng sister nya mag-bisita iglesia...boyfriend ng ate nya yung nag-drive tapos dun kami ni Grace sa likod.

...We suddenly found ourselves holding hands.

This never happened before.

And by the time na matapos namin bisitahin yung ika-pitong simbahan, sobrang sweet na namin ni Grace.



Sobrang saya ko nun!!!

Kada simbahan na bisitahin namin, nag-uumapaw na pasasalamat yung nilalaman ng bawat dasal ko...Tenkyu Lord!!!

Kulang nalang mag-cartwheel ako pabalik ng kotse sa sobrang kilig.

Pag-uwi namin, tinanong ko sya "tayo na ba?"
(i was only 17...totoy pa ko nun...hayaan nyo na!)

Sumagot sya, "subukan natin..."


The following day, tumawag ako sa kanila.

Umalis daw si Grace kasama ng pamilya nya...
...(land line lang kasi meron nung time na yun kaya ang hirap!)

Tumawag ulit ako after dinner...wala pa rin sila.

Nahiya na ko tumawag after that kasi late na...
(napaka-hirap ng land line!)

April 3, 1993, tumawag ako at naka-usap ko si Grace.


She was bubbly as usual.

...and it felt weird.

Weird because everything was normal...as if nothing happened.

Nakipag-kwentuhan sya the way she always did.
And she was as natural as how she had always been.

and it felt so strange and awkward because it felt as if i was waiting for something.

i had to ask...and so i did.


I asked, "tayo na ba talaga?"

Sumagot sya, "...ha?"

"Diba sabi mo susubukan natin?" sabi ko...

Sumagot sya, "diba April fools' day nun?...siniryoso mo ba?"

Sabi ko "oo."

Sabi nya, "Ano ka ba?!"

I felt my chest cave in...kaya sya "not counted".

April 1, April fools' day...hence the line "araw ng kalokohan"

"Tatlong Araw"



Hope you enjoyed my short story that inspired the song "Tatlong Araw"...

Me and Grace are still good friends hanggang ngayon. :)
(pero di ko na sya crush. haha!!!)

- @chitomirandajr